by Shelly | Jan 12, 2021 | Sermons
God calls us to new work! All the baptized have a calling in God’s world. God calls not just pastors and deacons but also the youngest child, like Samuel. The story of the calling of Nathanael plays with the idea of place. Nathanael initially dismisses Jesus because...
by Shelly | Dec 31, 2020 | Sermons
Spirit baptizes Christ for his work among us! Our re-creation in baptism is an image of the Genesis creation, where the Spirit of God moved over the waters. Both Mark’s gospel and the story in Acts make clear that it is the Spirit’s movement that distinguishes Jesus’...
by Shelly | Dec 31, 2020 | Sermons
Christ has come among us! Within the gospel reading’s profound words lies the simple message that God is revealed in a human person. Though we may try to understand how the Word existed with God from the beginning of time, the wonder we celebrate at Christmas is that...
by Shelly | Dec 26, 2020 | Sermons
Christ has come among us! The psalmist calls on the natural world, celestial bodies, fire and earth, creatures, and all humanity, to praise God. The voices of Simeon and 84-year-old Anna join the chorus today, recognizing what God is doing in Jesus. Simeon’s song is...
by Shelly | Dec 9, 2020 | Sermons
Count me in 4th Sunday of Advent God keeps the promise made to David to give him an everlasting throne. The angel tells Mary that God will give David’s throne to her son Jesus. She is perplexed by Gabriel’s greeting and by the news of her coming pregnancy, but she...
by Shelly | Dec 8, 2020 | Finished, Sermons
Prepare for God’s party 3rd Sunday of Advent “Rejoice always,” begins the reading from 1 Thessalonians. Isaiah and the psalmist make clear that God is turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. “All God’s children got a robe,” go the words of a...
