Category: Sermons

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on the Second Sunday in Lent. Based on Luke 13:31-35. Today, we encounter one of the passages that reveals and celebrates the female nature of the divine. In the beginning, God created all people, male and female, in the image of God. So that must mean that God…

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on the First Sunday in Lent. Based on Luke 4:1-13. Here we are on the first Sunday in Lent. I want to start by sharing a little bit about Lent for those who don’t know, or as reminders for the rest of us. Lent is a time of…

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla. Based on Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26. For a little over two years, I have used a planner called a Monk Manual. The motivating principle behind it is that monks are some of the happiest and most productive people. Steven Lawson, the creator of the Monk Manual, studied…

Sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11. Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla. Well, here we are, first Sunday of February. How are you all doing on your New Year’s resolutions? I didn’t make any resolutions, per se, but did intend to change my morning and evening routines. I have been somewhat successful in…

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on January 2, 2022, in celebration of Epiphany. Based on Isaiah 60: 1-6, Ephesians 3: 1-12, and Matthew 2: 1-12. YouTube archive: The story of the three wise men is an old one, maybe a little too familiar to us from being retold every year at Christmas. But…

I shared this message at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla on Christmas Eve, 2021. Based on the nativity story in Luke 2. I want you to think about where you were last year at this time. I don’t actually remember where I was—possibly visiting my in-laws already instead of waiting until Christmas morning. I know…

Preached at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla. Based on Luke 1:39-56. YouTube archived video: During Advent, we talk about people other than Jesus who prepared the way for his coming. Last time, I preached about John the Baptist. He was a great prophet, the last of the prophets who heralded the coming of the Messiah.…