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.
How we do Anything…
On World Wide Communion Sunday Rev. Cari decided to set the lectionary texts aside (they were about divorce!) and turned instead to John 17. This text contains Jesus’ prayer for himself, his followers, and everyone they will encounter… and is the longest prayer in the Bible. Rev. Cari thought, “What better text on World Wide…
Strong and Stern Words
This morning, Rev. Jim was preaching on Mark 9:38-50. Mark ends Jesus’ time teaching his disciples in Galilee with some strong and stern words. Cutting off pieces of the body if they sin should (thankfully) not be taken literally! Jesus is saying, “Pay attention! This is very important!” Like us, the disciples struggle to hear…
Who do you think you are?
For the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, Rev. Cari picked up where she left off last week, and carried on with Jesus and the disciples in the identity conversation they are having. The text was Mark 9:30-37 and Jesus’ followers are still struggling to understand “greatness.” So Jesus introduces the concept of service, and also turns…
At the Crossroads
On this 17th Sunday after Pentecost, Rev. Cari preached on Mark 8:27-38, which includes the question of Jesus to the disciples, “But who do you say I am?” It’s a timely question, which Rev. Cari pointed out in her introduction, referring to the political debate between the two contenders on the Tuesday before. It’s also…
On Medical Assistance in Dying
Today, Rev. Cari preached in response to a request posed in this way: “What would Jesus say about MAID?” She chose texts from Job 19 and Matthew 22:23-33, a response of Job to his “comforting” friend, and a controversy story of Jesus being tested by the Sadducees. She begins with a description of the “air…
On Mysticism
This morning’s Stump the Preacher topic was a request to understand mysticism in Christianity. So Rev. Cari pulled out Genesis 28 and 2 Corinthians 12, and reflected on them both. She also leaned on Richard Rohr a bit: he spent a week recently opening up the experience of Julian of Norwich, a 14th century female…
Jesus and “The Family”
Jesus had some surprising things to say about family in Matthew 10 and 12. Things that contradict the usual “family values” kinds of assumptions that regular folks have about him. This sermon is Rev. Cari’s attempt to make sense of the strange things he sometimes said, as well as help us in our relationships with…
The Gospel in Chairs
This was another sermon from the Rev. Jim Short, reflecting on Psalm 130 and Ephesians 4:25-5:2. The audio version may not do it justice, because Jim did one of his “many chairs” extravaganza sermons. The basic question is “How does God see us?”
Aug 4, 2024
The Rev. Jim Short preached at Crossroads this morning, and his texts were Psalm 145 and John 6:1-21. He asks, “Does reading our Bible give you that ‘loaves and fishes’ kind of feeling? What does reading the Bible do for you? Is it like stone soup without the extras?”
July 28, 2024
The Rev. Jim Short preached at Crossroads this morning, and his texts were Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 and Psalm 23. Jim looks way back in history and asks, “How and where, after the Emperor Constantine was baptized and Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, did we lose our way?” Buckle up for a…