Most weeks, our worship leader offers a 15–20 minute sermon based on the Scripture texts for the day.
Our regular preacher is pretty versatile. She’ll tell stories, pull together different ideas, lead a meditation, give the congregation an “assignment” to talk about in twos or threes, show a slide show or video, or sometimes even sing to the congregation. The sermon functions to deepen our reflection on the Scripture themes of the day, and often leaves us with a challenge or a question.
Scripture texts are outlined in the Revised Common Lectionary.
When Things Fall Apart
It’s “Creation Time” at Crossroads, and Rev. Cari preached on the entire chapter 3 of Genesis this morning. Sometimes called the story of “original sin” or “the fall” this story about a man, a woman, and a serpent has been hugely influential in Christian theology over the centuries. Today, she looked at it through the…
Creation Time Story
This morning, Gabrielle shared the story of Creation (as found in the first chapter of Genesis) with the children assisting. The story of the seven days of creation was accompanied by 6 children (and Rev. Cari) holding large paper circles with depictions of what was created on each day. Listen for the response of God…
Practicing
On the Sunday of Rev. Cari’s return from a three-month sabbatical, she preached on a text from the first chapter (v. 16-27) of the Epistle James. Luther called this book of the Bible “an Epistle of straw” because of its emphasis on “works,” which he perceived as not being consonant with his belief in salvation…
The Armour of God
This week, Lydia explores Ephesians 6:10-20, where Paul famously writes about how we need to “put on the armour of God:” the belt of truth, the breastplate of justice, and carry the shield of faith. This passage can often come across as violent, but is it actually? What armour do we normally wear to face…
Heart-to-Heart
After the death of King David, Solomon takes the throne. In 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-15, God meets Solomon in a dream, asking, “What would you like me to give you?” “A discerning heart,” Solomon replies. This week, Lydia explores the story of God’s heart-to-heart with Solomon, and how this intimate conversation transforms Solomon’s own heart.
A Parent’s Grief
The passage this week is the story of the death of David’s son, Absalom, found in 2 Samuel 18. David, usually depicted as a strong King and warrior, is a parent in this passage, vulnerable and in grief over the death of his son. Lydia explores through this story what grief is, and how important…
Bread of Life
This week Lydia focuses on the question: “What must we do to perform the works of God?” This is a question that the crowd asks Jesus in John 6:24-35. Jesus gives a surprising response, “This is the work of God: to believe in the whom God has sent.” So, how do we “believe”? How do we have…
Immeasurably More
The story of the feeding of the five thousand found in John 6:1-21 mirrors the story of Elisha feeding one hundred in 2 Kings 4:43-44. How does reading these two passages side-by-side help us see each in a new way? And, what do these passages tell us about the character of God?
By God’s Grace
This week, Lydia explores Ephesians 2:1-10, considering the meaning of “grace.” How does grace “save” us? What does it mean to follow the way of God rather than “the ways of the world”?
The Ark of the Covenant
The text this week is 2 Samuel 6:1-23, the moving of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, a complicated text that includes celebrations, trumpets, cakes, blessings as well as a death, some fear, and a spousal disagreement. In the sermon this week, Lydia focuses on the death of Uzzah, exploring the meaning of the…