Wisdom from above is . . . full of mercy and good fruits

October 2010 Blog Posts (5)

Red Letter Christianity - SERMON

I give the title of my sermon very early in the week when my fabulous administrative assistant, Jan, is preparing the worship bulletins. Most of the time I change the title after thinking and praying more about what I really want to say - which is fine as long as it's before everything is printed. This past week, I admit that I gave the title, then forgot all about it in a week crammed with other things. When I went to write on Saturday, I had gotten a good head of steam going when I looked at… Continue

Added by Becky on October 31, 2010 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Armadillos and Peccadillos

I had fun playing with the metaphor of spiritual armadillos while preparing this sermon on the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Armadillos & Peccadilloes.pdf

Added by Becky on October 24, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

That Nagging Feeling - SERMON

The point of Sunday's Gospel is that God's project of granting justice to those who cry out to him day and night <i>will</i> be accomplished, no matter what. In this sermon, the question i'm asking the folks at the Church of the Good Shepherd is, how will we be part of that project? To discern that, I've asked the congregation (and its friends, wherever they are!!) to embark on a prayer vigil. This vigil has no time slots or… Continue

Added by Becky on October 17, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

What Are We Going to Become Together? - SERMON

A couple of weeks ago, I claimed that the whole purpose of church was to be a place to encounter the living God. What kind of community can we become when we let that encounter transform our group's priorities? In describing my thoughts about that, I told a slightly personalized version of Theodore Wedel's classic parable of the Crude Little Life Saving Station. What are We Becoming Together 10-10-10.pdf

Added by Becky on October 10, 2010 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Learning to be Good - SERMON

Are humans totally depraved since being banished from the Garden of Eden? Or is that just one episode in a different story, a story that emphasizes that we are STILL made in the image of God, and that there is no better proof of God's unconditional love of us than in the way we love are able to love others unconditionally - especially animals. Do we need to learn to do the things that make us acceptable to God, or do we need learn to be our true selves?… Continue

Added by Becky on October 3, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments