Sermons

Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6

Genesis 9:8-17 Seems like every time there’s a flood somewhere, somebody is on the news needing to be rescued after they drive into water over the road. There are a whole bunch of reasons not to do this, of course. For one thing, roads occasionally wash out when it floods. […]

2 Samuel 7:1-17 Recently I got a large envelope in the mail from Phillips Seminary, where I will be starting my Doctor of Ministry program this month. It contained the student handbook and a whole bunch of forms I need to sign and send back. There’s one that says, yes, […]

(“Stone Soup” is a European folktale of unknown origin. It was first published in French in 1720 and English in 1806. www.stonesoup.com has a complete account of the tale’s development and publication over time, as well as derivations known in popular culture today. This retelling is entirely mine, based on my remembrance of hearing the story read by my third-grade teacher.)

I was the second Disciple to attend my seminary. The first was actually a transplant from the United Church of Christ, much more recently than I had been transplanted from the American Baptist Church.

I have a really low tolerance for sensory overload. I’ve also discovered that I generally prefer things quiet (although you’d think otherwise if you were ever in the car with me and there was music on).

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 The church in Corinth, which Paul started, seems to have had an infinite capacity for division. It seems that this is the main reason why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, and he starts addressing the problem right off the bat. Verse 10 of chapter 1, where our reading […]

Acts 17:1-9 It’s a staple in political campaigns. Candidates are criticized for the company they keep. In 2008, much was made of Barack Obama’s association with a former 1960s radical, not to mention his membership in a church with a pastor who had said some things in sermons that a […]

April 26, 2020 Acts 3:1-10 It took me awhile to find a church when I moved from Coffeyville to Wichita to go to college. I had grown up in an American Baptist church, but the American Baptist churches in Wichita weren’t anything like that one. For awhile I went to […]

April 19, 2020 Acts 1:1-14 A few years ago, when I was at my folks’ house for Christmas, I caught part of a show they liked to watch, Undercover Boss. I’m not sure if it’s still on (reality shows really aren’t my thing, other than a couple of cooking competitions), […]

Mark 16:1-8 There are a lot of people who aren’t sleeping very well right now. Maybe you’re one of them. I know I have been. When things are uncertain, we don’t know who might get sick or when, and we don’t know how bad it will be, and we worry […]

Palm Sunday is a great day in church. Kids march in waving palm branches while we sing “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” More palms wait in vases up front, and we’re all ready to shout a joyful “Hosanna.” We sing, and we shout, and we have a wonderful morning as we begin Holy Week. But today we’re not in church.