*Audio Available Below* “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Psalm 118:22. Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected. Jesus became the cornerstone of what God built and is still building today. Jesus reminds us elsewhere that the disciple is not above the master. So, if Jesus was a stone the builders rejected, his followers most certainly are. Before we dig deeper, let’s review some basics. What is it that God is building? God is building … [Read more...]
He is Risen – Sermon for the Great Vigil of Easter 2019
*Audio available below* Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. We are not here to celebrate death. We are here to celebrate life. There are a lot of people out there who accuse Christianity of being an antiquated death-cult to a vengeful God. They only see the crucifixion and forget about the resurrection. They find it all too easy to believe that a man was murdered a long time ago. They find it really difficult to believe that a man who was also the Son of God was raised … [Read more...]
Tempted – Sermon for First Sunday of Lent 2019
First Sunday of Lent March 10, 2019 Alice J Stewart Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. For forty days he was tempted by the devil. Not just one day. Forty. Jesus was tempted and tried the same way that we are and resisted that temptation not by using his divinity, but by showing faith and obedience. Jesus could have avoided human suffering, human temptation. But he didn’t. Jesus shows us how we too may use faith and obedience to resist the … [Read more...]
Encountering God – Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 10, 2019 Alice J Stewart Many years ago I read a science fiction story where a fourth primary color was discovered. Which is absurd. There really are only three primary colors. But the story got me to thinking. What could a fourth primary color possibly look like? It couldn't look LIKE anything. It's impossible to imagine. But if I ever did see it, I think it would change how I see everything. And I don't think I would be able to describe it to … [Read more...]
Jesus is Coming – Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent 2018
First Sunday of Advent - December 2, 2018 Alice J Stewart So... our reading from the Gospel of Luke today sounds... scary. All those signs and portents and sufferings that precede Jesus' return don't sounds terribly pleasant. But when we meet Jesus again in his full glory, everything is going to change. And change of any sort is accompanied by suffering among us mortals. Small changes, like rearranging the church furniture, can be slightly uncomfortable at first. Ordinary life … [Read more...]
You are Worthy – Sermon for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost October 7, 2018 Alice J Stewart In our reading today, the prophet Joel calls for repentance after devastation, illustrates a vision of promised abundance, and suggests a mystical union with God in the future. Have you noticed the same message Joel speaks is a lot like other prophets? Have you noticed the same message, God's same plan for salvation, seems to have a hard time getting into our collective heads. What is it about this message that's … [Read more...]
Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost
"...you hypocrites..." A lot of scripture is metaphoric, symbolic. Some of it isn't. "...their religion is worthless." "...you hypocrites..." In addition to not being terribly metaphoric, these words are about individuals, as well as collective communities. The ancient world had little concept of individuality in the way we understand it. It's hard for us to understand such a collective reality, and sometimes we misunderstand scripture because of that. Here, however, with James and … [Read more...]
Sermon for Tenth Sunday of Pentecost – John 6:1-21
Superman. The Lone Ranger. Wonder Woman. Who has never heard of these characters? If you're over the age of 60, I'd bet my bottom dollar you were influenced by the early superheros, like Superman. Similarly, the Jews at the feeding of the five thousand would have noticed Jesus' likeness to their own version of superheros: the prophets with miraculous signs. Moses. Elijah. Elisha. Those watching and listening to Jesus in the Gospel of John we heard today would have remembered a … [Read more...]
Invited Series Week 6 – Acts 10:1-36
Over the last few weeks we have been looking at Inviting. Today, as we conclude this deep exploration of invitation, I want us to contemplate where our triune God is inviting Christians. Where the church is being invited. In the story of Peter and Cornelius, we see a lot of inviting going on. Cornelius sends messengers to invite Peter, Peter invites the messengers to stay the night, Peter stays at Cornelius' house for several days... it's just one big invitation fest. But I want to push … [Read more...]
Invited Series Week 1 – Luke 19:1-10
I have a friend who recently adopted a kitten. This was about a month ago. A normal person would have forgotten about a friend's kitten before now. Not me. I'm a sucker for baby animals, and a complete sucker for kittens. But, kittens turn into cats. Kittens claw the furniture and their litter box is never tidy. Pets of any sort can cause a real ruckus in life, because we're inviting them into our homes to become part of our families. The same is true for inviting humans into our homes. … [Read more...]