A Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent

The big event is getting nearer and so: Who was John the Baptist? In Mark 1:4 (also 6:14, 6:24) he is called “John the baptizer” (Mark 1:1-8, 6:14-29) because he baptized people in the River Jordan, called crowds to repent.

If you go to Israel today, you can buy a bottle of water from the River Jordan and bring it home and use that water to baptize a child or grandchildren.  In fact, you don’t even have to go to Israel. You can buy a bottle of water from the River Jordan online and have it shipped anywhere.

Who was John the Baptist? He was Jesus’ cousin (Luke 1:13-15). He was a Nazirite, that is, one separated from the rest and consecrated to the Lord (Numbers 6:1-21). The Nazirites took the following vows: 1) You are not to eat anything produced by the grapevine; 2) You are to let your hair grow long, and 3) You are not to touch a human corpse.

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Matthew 24:36-44

A Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent

Happy New Year everyone. Today is the first Sunday of a new church year. As we begin the church new year, we don’t make new resolutions, as many may do in January of a new year.

But here in the church what we do at the beginning of a new year is take a new look at things, take a look both back and to the future, take a look at the whole picture and ask: What is God doing? What’s it all about.

One of the things people mention, is that God has a plan, and then the question is: What’s the problem? Doesn’t God’s plan work? Did God have a plan A and that didn’t work so he had to get a plan B?

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Luke 23:33-43

A Sermon for Christ the King Sunday

How does it all end? We are at of the church year. We are looking back and also forward. I remind us that “the end” has two meanings.

One meaning of “the end” is termination; it’s over. The other meaning is goal: The end, the goal, has been reached.

We ask ourselves both: It’s all done? And we ask ourselves what does it all mean and ultimately where is it all going?

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Psalm 51:10; 2 Corinthians 9:15

A Sermon for the end of the Season of Pentecost

We are in the final phase of the church year, harvest season, when we celebrate the bringing in of the crops and giving thanks for the bounty of the earth.

There are glorious hymns for this season: “Praise and Thanksgiving,” “Come, You Thankful People, Come,” ‘

Now Thank We All our God,” and many more which direct our hearts and minds to giving thanks.

Which raises the question for today: How can we produce a thankful heart?

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Luke 19:1-10

A Sermon for the end of the Pentecost Season

Last weekend the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. Two great teams, extra innings. It was quite a game.

Leading up to Game 7, there was some talk about good luck charms and rituals that various players on both teams had.

For example, the Dodger’s Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, has an interpreter with an unusual good luck charm. Keep in mind, we’re talking about the pitcher’s interpreter, not the pitcher himself. On the days when Yamamoto pitches for the Dodgers, his interpreter always wears special boxers featuring a rabbit shooting lasers from his eyes.

A lot of sports figures have good luck charms.

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