Title: The miracle of communion (Pentecost) Date: May 31, 2009 Texts: Rom 8:22-27, Ac 2:1-21 Author: Isaac Villegas I’ve been thinking a lot about Ben’s sermon last week, his sermon on Ascension. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that Jesus goes away, that he ascends to the Father, that… More
Sermons
Worship is more than preaching. Each worship gathering draws from the wealth of gifts of the community. We have rotations of volunteers who share the responsibilities of preaching, song leading, and service planning. We take turns reading the assigned Scripture readings for the day. The high point of our worship is our time for response and sharing. Since we believe that anyone can offer an interpretation of the Bible, we provide time in our worship for people to offer their own reflections on the Scriptures and the sermon.
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Love one another
Title: Love one another Date: May 17, 2009 Text: John 15:9-17 Author: Monica Schmucker Love. Our lectionary texts seem to be marinating us in passages on love these past few weeks. Our gospel text this week comes from one of my favorite parts of John. These scenes are an intimate portrait of Jesus with his… More
Abide in me
Title: Abide in me Texts: John 15:1-8, Acts 8:26-40, I John 4:7-21 Date: May 10, 2009 Author: Isaac Villegas “Abide in me.” Jesus says that’s what we are supposed to do. “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither… More
Who are you?
Title: Who are you? Date: May 3, 2009 Texts: Acts 4:5-12; I Jn 3:16-24 Author: Isaac Villegas Who are you? There are a number of ways to answer that question. You can give your name: Hi, I’m Isaac. Or maybe your job, or talk about your parents, or about where you’re from. Who are you?… More
The boundaries of God’s love
Title: The boundaries of God’s love Date: April 26, 2009 (3rd Sunday of Easter) Texts: Psalm 4, Acts 3:12-19, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48 Author: Thomas Lehman When I started to prepare this message I was drawn to the passage from 1 John Ch. 3. Verse two deserves special mention before I take up the… More
Those who haven’t seen
Title: Those who have not seen Date: April 19 (Easter 2) Texts: Acts 4:32-35, Ps 133, I Jn 1:1-2:2, Jn 20:19-31 Author: Isaac Villegas “if the church does not live by miracles she does not live at all.” ~ John H. Yoder Last week was Easter. And we heard the story of Mary’s encounter with… More
To practice love: Maundy Thursday
Title: To practice love Date: April 9, 2009; Maundy Thursday, foot-washing service Texts: John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Author: Isaac Villegas In a few minutes you will walk up here and stand in line, waiting your turn to wash feet and have your feet washed. You will sit down on a chair. Take off your shoes. Then… More
The way of the donkey
Title: The Way of the Donkey Date: April 5, 2009 Texts: Phil 2:5-11, Mk 11:1-11 Author: Isaac Villegas What’s with the donkey? This is the most important publicity moment in Jesus’ life. And he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. We all know that image matters. People notice the details when you’re important. Just think… More
Love heals
Title: Love Heals Date: March 22, 2009 Texts: Num 21:4-9, Eph 2:1-10, Jn 3:14-21 Author: Isaac Villegas “What would not have been assumed would not have been healed.” ~ Gregory of Nazianzus “The God who created us without us will not save us without us.” ~ Augustine What a strange story. The people encounter poisonous… More
Anger
Title: Jesus comes with a whip Date: March 15, 2008 (3rd Sunday of Lent) Texts: Ex 20:1-17, Jn 2:13-22 Author: Isaac Villegas Jesus, like any good Jew, takes a trip to the temple in Jerusalem for Passover. And when he finally gets there, after his long trip, he is disgusted. It’s not the holy place… More
Work: Ash Wed sermon
Title: Work Date: February 25, 2009 (Ash Wednesday) Texts: Genesis 3:17-19 Author: Isaac Villegas Work. The alarm clock wakes you up on Monday morning. You lie there for a few minutes, getting ready to do it all over again this week. Or it’s Friday: you get home after the week of work, you are tired,… More
Now what?
Title: Now what? Date: February 15, 2009 Texts: Psalm 30, I Cor 9:24-27, Mk 1:40-45 Author: Isaac Villegas My dad grew up running. Not from the law; just running. He ran track when he was a kid in Colombia. And he was good at it. His coach said he had a future. So my dad… More
A short and joyful history
Title: A Short and Joyful History Date: Feb. 8, 2009 Author: Tom Lehman OPENNG PRAYER. O Lord, guide our thoughts, that we might better understand you, and better understand ourselves as your children. In today’s lectionary reading from the first letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul describes his missionary strategy, and makes… More
Demons: Malcolm X and exorcisms
Title: Demons Date: February 1, 2009 Text: Mark 1:21-28 Author: Isaac Villegas I usually rent movies from the shelves of the new release section. But last week I quickly glanced at that section and got bored. So I walked around some of the other shelves and a movie caught my eye. Now, I’m a sucker… More
Guided by Voices
Title: Voices Date: January 18, 2009 Texts: I Sam 3:1-20; Jn 1:43-51 Author: Isaac Villegas “In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing.” “If I ever become a saint, I will surely be one of darkness.” —… More
Fully Alive: on baptism
Title: Fully Alive Date: Jan 11, 2009, the Baptism of our Lord Texts: Gen 1:1-5; Ps 29; Mk 1:4-11 Author: Isaac Villegas “The glory of God is the human being fully alive…” — Irenaeus, 2nd century Last week I finally got around to cutting out a bunch of the dead plants in my front yard—Baptisias,… More
Exactly what you want
Title: Exactly what you want Date: December 28, 2008 Texts: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Luke 2:22-40 Author: Isaac Villegas Sometimes you get exactly what you want. Eric wanted bike gloves and bike pants—those nice spandex kind with the butt padding. I thought he was going to wear them to church as a sermon illustration. He was asked… More
Waiting for what?
Title: Waiting for what? Date: December 21, 2008 (4th Sunday of Advent) Texts: Luke 1:26-38, 47-55 Author: Isaac Villegas What are you waiting for? Think about it. What are you waiting for?—a new job, a child, friends, a paycheck, love, a restored relationship, forgiveness. Or maybe you’re simply waiting for the end of my sermon.… More
Isaiah’s Advent vision, and ours
Title: Isaiah’s Advent vision, and ours Date: December 14, Third Sunday of Advent Texts: Psalm 126; Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 Author: Tom Lehman The sequence of passages in the Revised Common Lectionary during Advent reminds me every year that the Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas are more varied and complicated… More
Anticipating Glory
Title: Anticipating Glory Date: December 7, 2008 (2nd Sunday of Advent) Texts: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 Author: Monica Schmucker Growing up with a German mother, advent was a season we celebrated, and so I have long felt that I understand the concept of Advent better than most Americans. I… More
Beware, Keep Alert
Title: Beware, Keep Alert Date: Nov 30, 2008 Texts: Ps 80:1-7, 17-19; Isa 64:1-9; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Author: Chris K. Huebner We come now to the season of Advent. This is, of course, the beginning of the so-called Christian year. And so it would not be inappropriate to greet each other with the… More
Thanksgiving
Title: Thanksgiving Date: November 23, 2008 Texts: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ps 100; Eph 1:15-23; Matt 25:31-46 Author: Isaac Villegas When Steve and Sandra sit down for dinner, they have to do one thing before they can eat. They have to say what they are grateful for. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? Well, I ate… More
Hope buried or planted?
Title: Hope buried or planted? Date: Nov. 16, 2008 Text: Matthew 25:14-30 Author: Ryan Koch Chiapas, the southern most state in Mexico. To many, Chiapas might seem like one of the last under-explored, abandoned areas in the Western world. For those trying to picture the size of Chiapas, it’s about the size of South Carolina.… More
The Resurrection of the Dead
Title: The Resurrection of the Dead Date: November 9, 2008 Texts: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, Psalm 78:1-7, I Thess. 4:13-18, Matt. 25:1-13 Preacher: Julian Forth Almost one thousand years ago, during the Medieval period, was born a theologian by the name of Peter Damian. He was born in Italy and in his late twenties he entered… More