A new church year, a new lectionary cycle, Advent 1 of Year A, and I start my call in my new church, Ankeny UCC. Here we listen to the words of Isaiah 2:1-5 that reminds us we have the opportunity to walk in the Light. But what does that mean in the church life? It… Continue reading Come, Let us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Tag: Mission
The Return of the Lost Sheep
A bit of a different sermon from my for September 15; I delivered this as my candidate sermon at Ankeny United Church of Christ. And so it is much more about me, and about what kind of a church we can be together, than it is about anything in particular in the scripture. Sermon Text… Continue reading The Return of the Lost Sheep
A Meal Fit for a King
How do we react to our own fears of inadequacy? Do we sit in the corner, hoping other people will make fools of themselves? Or can we do something that diminishes our own fears while lifting others up? Preached September 1, 2013 at the Congregational Church UCC in Iowa City. Sermon Text Luke 14:1, 7-14.
Dreaming on the Sabbath
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place 50 years ago this week. A sermon offering scripture-based reflections on what history looks like while it’s being made.
Missions
[written while on mission, edited afterward. This was originally the second of two postings] Thursday night, on the eve of our departure from our mission site. I am feeling even more ersatz Baptist than usual, as our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship mission group now consists of two ELCA Lutherans and a UCC minister playing a Baptist… Continue reading Missions