**Audio Version Below** Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Lent March 29, 2020 Alice J Stewart “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” Julian of Norwich wrote these now-famous words while on death’s door, sick from the plague, during a time of plague when it seemed the world was ending. When it seemed that life would never be the same for the living, which indeed it was not. Julian knew that the life of Christ was fully alive within her even … [Read more...]
Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent: Staying Engaged
**Audio Version Below** Sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent - March 15, 2020 - Alice J Stewart Today Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. You remember Jacob. He’s the one who deceived his father, stole his brother’s rightful heritage, and wrestled with an angel of God until he was badly injured, refusing to let go until he received a blessing. Jacob was a lot nicer after that beating and blessing. Jacob wrestled with God and this Samaritan woman is struggling with the … [Read more...]
It’s About Relationships
**Audio version below** **NOTE**: Slides are found in the "read sermon" button at the bottom of the page. Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany: Alice J Stewart [Slide 1] We have some pretty spectacular things happening in our gospel reading today. We’ve got murder, adultery, dismemberment, lust, going to jail, going to hell, and divorce. It sounds like Jesus expects us to follow Jewish law a whole lot closer than we’ve done in the past. But Jesus isn’t talking about the … [Read more...]
Cross-Shaped Glasses: Sermon for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany
**Audio Version Below** Today I want to talk about the cross. It may seem a strange thing to bring up during Epiphany. Shouldn’t we focus on the brilliant glory of the incarnation and the wonderful things Jesus did that illuminate the glory of God? Well, yes. But we Christians look at the light of Christ through cross-shaped glasses. In the first part of our reading from Matthew today, Jesus had heard that John was arrested. When he heard this, Jesus returned from his time of … [Read more...]
Shine Christ’s Light with Joy
**Audio below** Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent December 22, 2019 Alice J Stewart We have heard throughout the gospels and the epistles that following Jesus can get you in real trouble. We’ve heard this from Jesus himself, we’ve heard this from Paul, and there are other places we can find this truth. And it is truth. Mary and Joseph found this out even before Jesus was born. Mary was in deep trouble having a child out of wedlock. But today let’s focus on Joseph. Joseph was a … [Read more...]
There is More, and that’s Good News
**Audio can be found below** Sermon for Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost - Luke 21:5-19 Alice J Stewart November 17, 2019 Notre Dame in Paris - 2019. Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand - 2011. The Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan - 2001. The Twin Towers in New York City - 2001. The Library of Alexandria in Egypt - first century AD. The Second Temple in Jerusalem - 70 AD... less than 40 years after Jesus spoke the words we heard in today’s Gospel reading. Both … [Read more...]
Sabbath as Rest – Sermon for September 29, 2019
** Audio version below ** Sermon: Sabbath as Rest * September 29, 2019 * Alice J Stewart Today we heard the 10 commandments. These are just the first 10. There are a total of 613 commandments for observant Jews. Of those 613, there are 33 commandments for various Sabbath times. As you might expect, there are more commandments relating to God himself. And you may be fascinated to know that there are a measly 3 for murder, 2 for adultery, 6 for stealing and coveting, and about 6 for lying. … [Read more...]
Jesus and the Venn Diagram
**Audio file available below** Sermon for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost: Alice J Stewart I want you imagine a Venn diagram. You know, the kind with two circles that intersect. I want you to imagine in one circle the very human tendency to be socially stratified and competitive. We can symbolize this with the image of a monkey, since we get this trait from our evolutionary past. In the other circle, imagine the Kingdom of God as symbolized by a feast. Imagine that these two circles come … [Read more...]
The Good Samaritan, the Small Church, and Mercy
*Audio File Below* Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Pentecost - July 14, 2019 - Alice J Stewart Our lawyer today in Luke is not the kind of lawyer you might find if you go downtown to the Department of Justice. He is an expert in Jewish law, and a really important fellow in Jewish life. This lawyer is a religious authority much like the Jewish priest and Levite we meet in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Knowing this, we can see some subtleties in our reading from Luke today. The expert … [Read more...]
An Anthropologist on Revelation – What is your Revelation?
*Audio File Available Below* Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter: June 2, 2019 Alice J Stewart Today’s reading from Revelation ends with the final words of Revelation. It ends with the final words of the entire Bible. These final words tell us who Jesus is, assure us that he’s coming, and tell us that we who desire God’s Kingdom through Christ will be showered with every blessing. Isn’t this the gospel message in a nutshell? Revelation is a long story, and a … [Read more...]