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Showing posts from March, 2013

get your payments from the nations...

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for your trials & tribulations.   Okay, I just got to ask: why are you here? Isn't there already plenty you have to do without coming to church on a Friday evening? Aren't you busy enough? Why are you here?   In fact, many of you were here yesterday, weren't you? So why come again today?   Not only were you here yesterday, I'm willing to bet many of you will also be here for our Easter Vigil (tomorrow at 8 pm) or Easter (Sunday at 9 am) service. Do you need another thing to do, another place to be? Are you looking for something to occupy your time, because if you are I've got a box of files that needs sorting... What is it that brings you here, to this place, today? I admit have a suspicion, though. A hunch as to why you're here... And it isn't because that's how you've always done it. And it isn't because you're church rats. And it isn't because you're not busy enough

last one forgave me...

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so i forgave the next.   Something in us says, "Lean in. Listen closely. These are Jesus' last words. They are important." Listen to that humming inside, it is right...   The great three days have begun, the tridium. Today we enter into a Holy journey - here we start. Here we start with Jesus' final words. Jesus' last words...   For centuries Christians have insisted that to understand the tragedy of the of the cross or the triumph of the empty tomb, we must hear these words first. Jesus' last words... These words will sustain us as we journey from what was, to what will be; from death to life, and from darkness to light. These are the words we need to hear, to carry with us so that we may persevere through these dark days.   It is a good thing that when Jesus speaks these words he isn't only speaking to a small group for that moment. No, these words of Jesus are addressed to every community that is ser

i will walk out of the darkness

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& i'll walk into the light & i'll sing the song of ages & the dawn will end the night The HolyGospel according to St. John the 12th Chapter! Today's Lenten sermon, is a stewardship sermon. Before we get into the meat of the sermon, though, I have a story - or maybe it's a confession... Sometimes when people ask me why I'm a pastor; sometimes I tell them it is because I am having a great game of dare with God. Yes, a game of dare. I say this for two reasons. Well, three sort of... The first time I said it, was because I was exasperated. So sometimes exasperation is a reason. Once I blurted my answer, though, I realized how true it was. The first real reason I am fond of saying that I am playing a great game of dare with God, is because of Jesus. Jesus apparently trusted God so much that he gave up any semblance of a normal life and spent his days traveling, eating with the poor and the outcast, and finally his li

a sermon

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for Janet Sourwine       John 14:2-3: Janet was a good woman. A good woman who lived a long and full life. She had a strong will, as her family will tell you.   And it is a good thing she had a strong will, too. Her determination served her well during her life. Yes Janet may have worked at Sterzings for a while, but most of her life she was a homemaker. As we all know, caring for children, keeping the house in order and preparing all the meals is a daunting task for anyone. So it was in the midst of the day to day of cooking, cleaning and so much more that Janet's strong will accomplished the work for the day, so she could create a home for her husband and son, Chuck. Yes, Janet was good at making a home for others. And it should be said, she made a home not only for her family. She also made a home for her pets. Janet loved all animals, especially cats. In fact, because Janet loved to tell stories, we know that at one time she