The Danger of a Single Story (8/27/17)

Isaiah 51:1-6; Romans 12:1-8

Spirit with Sevenfold Gifts, stained glass, St. Mary's Iffley, Oxford, UK 

On Sunday, August 27th, we considered the spiritual gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, and compassion, and some of the things that keep us from sharing these gifts with others. The title for my sermon is taken from a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; a link to that talk is included in the post. I encourage you to watch it.

You've Got to Be Carefully Taught

You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught (8/20/17)

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:10-28

This stained glass window represents the Theological Declaration of Barmen. This

statement of faith is part of the Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

I was nervous about preaching this past Sunday. That's not typical. I'm pretty comfortable in the pulpit. But I had to talk about the events in Charlottesville last weekend and I felt that I had to decry the false gospel of white supremacy, and do so from the pulpit. In the process, I had to acknowledge some uncomfortable family history.

Get Out (of the Boat)! (8/13/17)

Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Disciples See Christ Walking on the Water

On Sunday, August 13th, we commissioned the Pastor Nominating Committee of Rehoboth Presbyterian Church. Over the next several months, they will serve as the Corps of Self-Discovery for this congregation; they are charged with finding the next installed pastor of this congregation. The lesson from the Gospel of Matthew speaks very effectively into this reality.

Taking the Easy Way Out (8/6/17)

Isaiah 55:1-5; Matthew14:13-21

Loaves and Fish

(mural from St. Anthony Catholic Church in Temperance, MI)

Last week, I mentioned a book that I’m reading, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory; it uses the Lewis & Clark expedition as a guiding metaphor for where the Church is in this post-Christendom world, and how we, as the Church, have to chart a new course because the world around us is different from the world we knew. On Sunday, August 8th, we considered the feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of Matthew and what it says about Christian leadership.