November 3, 2019 – April Herron “Sitting Among the Saints”
Sermon: sermon
The scripture text is Luke 19:1-10. which tells about a short guy who climbed a tree so he could see Jesus. By the time Zacchaeus slid down from his perch, his life was heading in a new direction. Jesus had invited himself to the tax collector’s home. An astonishing transformation was underway. Have you ever climbed a tree? What was the result? April’s sermon title is, “Sitting Among the Saints.”
Scripture: scripture
November 10, 2019 – Jonathan Chute “All Are Alive”
Sermon: sermon
In this week’s gospel reading a group of Sadducees come to Jesus with a question. They do not believe in the resurrection, which they see as an absurd idea. To make their point, they tell him a story about a woman who marries seven brothers. In turn, each of them dies and leaves her a widow. The law required a man to take a brother’s widow as a wife, to provide for her support and care. When she dies, they ask Jesus, “whose wife will she be?” The text for Jonathan’s sermon is Luke 20:27-38, “All Are Alive.”
Scripture: scripture
November 17, 2019 – Jonathan Chute “Good News, Bad News?”
Sermon: sermon
The prophet Isaiah lived and wrote during a difficult time in the life of the people of Israel. They had returned home after years of exile in Babylon. But their initial joy turned to disappointment and frustration. They faced conflict and division in the nation. Their future was still insecure and uncertain. In the midst of their distress Isaiah holds out the promise of a new creation. Our gospel offers a rather different perspective on the future. In a time of relative peace and calm, Jesus tells his followers that a time of struggle is coming. It is almost the flip side of the picture Isaiah describes. The texts for Jonathan’s sermon, “Good News, Bad News?” are Isaiah 65:17-25 and Luke 21:5-19.
Scripture: scripture
November 24, 2019 – Jonathan Chute “First Fruits and Second Helpings”
Sermon: sermon
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday, expressing our gratitude for the goodness of God throughout the year. The first Thanksgiving in North America was a celebration of the harvest in the newly established Plymouth Plantation. They gathered with a deep sense of gratitude, looking back over a year of great challenges and important accomplishments. They knew that they had only made it by the grace of God, and with the support of the native community. Members of the Wampanoag people, led by Chief Massasoit, helped ensure their survival through that first year, and shared in the celebration.
Our scripture contains Moses’ instructions for an even earlier thanksgiving festival, celebrated when the people of Israel had come into the promised land and gathered in the harvest. He encouraged them not to forget where they had come from, or the God who had led them from slavery into freedom. He also knew that their feast would not be complete without room for others at the table. Everyone in the land was to be included. The text for Jonathan’s sermon, “First Fruits and Second Helpings,” is Deuteronomy 26:1-11.
Scripture: scripture
