Sermon preached on Saturday, November 28, 2020 (First Sunday of Advent) via Zoom at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL. If there are two things I hate, they are waiting and staying awake. I hate waiting. Ask anyone who knows me. I am absolutely horrible when it comes to delayed gratification. I’ve been known…… Continue reading Why Haven’t You Torn The Sky Open Yet?
Category: Sermons
This is a collection of my sermons, written and preached in various contexts – including seminary and local congregations.
Who really cares about the Trinity in 2020?
(To listen to the audio of this sermon as it was preached on June 6, 2020, click here.) Christians believe that there is one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Or, as my daughter Eva put it recently after seeing a picture in her book, “Father, Son, and Bird.” We’re working on that……… Continue reading Who really cares about the Trinity in 2020?
I’d like to pray this week’s collect again: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with… Continue reading Preparing the Way of the Lord in the Wilderness: Luke 3:1-6
Take Up Your Tongue and Follow Jesus
This sermon, on Mark 8:27-38 and James 3:1-12, was originally preached on September 16, 2018 at Christ Redeemer Anglican Church in Milwaukee, WI. Introduction Would you pray with me? O God, because without you we are not able to please you—especially in what we say!—mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct…… Continue reading Take Up Your Tongue and Follow Jesus
It is Finished! So, Get to Work! – A Sermon on the Ascension
The following is an “It is Finished” sermon preached on Ascension Sunday, 2017. You can listen to the sermon here: GOODBYES SUCK You know, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s goodbyes. Anyone else here hate goodbyes? Yeah, and the fact that I hate them so much means I’m not really very good at goodbyes.…… Continue reading It is Finished! So, Get to Work! – A Sermon on the Ascension
The Lasting Supper – Luke 22:14-30
There is something special about last meals, isn’t there? I’d like to show you a series of photographs. These photographs, except for the last one – which I added, are from a piece called “No Seconds,” and they were put together by Henry Hargreaves. I don’t want to belabor the artwork with my commentary, so…… Continue reading The Lasting Supper – Luke 22:14-30
Getting Ahead in God’s Upside-Down Kingdom: An Appeal for a Consistently Pro-Life Ethic
[MP3: Getting Ahead in God’s Upside-Down Kingdom] [PDF Sermon Manuscript: Getting Ahead in God’s Upside-Down Kingdom] Opening Prayer God, our Refuge, I ask that your Holy Spirit would move in our lives, so that we would: promote your justice embody your steadfast faithful love and humbly obey Your will, even if it costs us our…… Continue reading Getting Ahead in God’s Upside-Down Kingdom: An Appeal for a Consistently Pro-Life Ethic
A Disappointing Christmas Homily
Good morning! And Merry Christmas! Together, let us pray: O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns…… Continue reading A Disappointing Christmas Homily
Following Jesus Beyond the Bandwagon
(A chapel message in a Christian school.) There are a few things you should know about me: I am a student at a Christian seminary. Before that, I went to a Christian college. Before that, I went to a Christian high school, and a Christian middle school. Before that, I was home-schooled, and I grew…… Continue reading Following Jesus Beyond the Bandwagon
The Feast of St. James the Apostle: A Homily for Ministers
Readings: Psalm 34; Jeremiah 16:14-21; Mark 1:14-20 Like so many other feast days – scheduled, as they are, on the days of the namesakes’ deaths – the feast day of St. James the Apostle is a strong rebuke to our aspirations. To our aspirations as human beings, and especially to our aspirations as ministers of…… Continue reading The Feast of St. James the Apostle: A Homily for Ministers