Sunday, November 1
Jesus pictures the kingdom of God as a mustard seed that grows into a tree and as leaven hidden in dough, small and unseen beginnings that God grows into something large, unstoppable, and wide enough for every kind of person.
Sunday, October 25
Jesus sees a woman bound for eighteen years and sets her free on the Sabbath, showing that freedom for captives is at the heart of his mission and of the Sabbath itself.
Sunday, October 18
Jesus answers two disasters people were arguing about by turning the question back on his hearers: everyone deserves destruction, and God's patience is the window in which to turn around before it comes.
Sunday, October 11
Jesus tells his disciples he is coming back at an hour no one expects, so the waiting itself is the life: stay dressed, stay faithful with what has been entrusted to you, and stay awake to what God is doing now.
Sunday, October 4
Jesus answers our anxiety about having enough not with a budget but with birds and flowers, pointing past them to a Father who knows what we need. The sermon calls us to look to that Father and to live generously for his kingdom instead of being consumed by securing our own.
Sunday, September 27
Jesus warns a man in the crowd, and then a rich farmer, that life does not consist in what you own, and that a person can be wealthy in this world and bankrupt toward God.
Sunday, September 20
Jesus warns his disciples that small, private habits work like yeast in dough, quietly shaping a whole life either toward hypocrisy, fear of people, and denial or toward integrity, trust, and open acknowledgment of him.
Sunday, September 13
Jesus sits down at a Pharisee's table and shows that a person can be meticulous about religious practice and still miss what God actually cares about: justice, mercy, and love for people. The sermon asks how we can tell when that has happened in us.
Sunday, September 6
Jesus forces a choice: his exorcisms show that Satan's kingdom is collapsing, and there is no neutral ground between the two kingdoms. That same choice, allegiance to Jesus, comes to us not once but moment by moment.
Sunday, August 30
Prayer is not a formula or a password muttered to a distant God; Jesus invites people into a relationship where ordinary needs, deep fears and unanswered questions all have a place, and where boldness comes from knowing who is on the other side of the door.