Editor's Note: This is the third in a series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. “If you want to be in the club, here’s what you have to do…” Have you ever heard these words? Surely, at some time in your life, you have stood in front someone and been asked to do something … Continue reading By Water & The Spirit: The Initiation →

Editor's Note: This is the second sermon in a series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. Have you gotten the call yet? It’s a question that we ask often, in many different contexts. Teenage girls and boys inquire of each other about whether so and so has called them yet, asking them out on … Continue reading By Water & the Spirit: The Call →

Editor's Note: This is the first in a four part sermon series on baptism in the United Methodist tradition. One of my favorite pleasures in the world is to rent a canoe or an inflatable kayak and head down a river. For me, there is nothing more enjoyable than being on the water, and letting … Continue reading By Water & The Spirit: Remembering Our Baptism →

Click here to read Matthew 2: 13-23 I don’t want to preach this sermon. You see, I find myself this morning still in the throes of Christmas. Yesterday, when I logged on my computer, I looked as always to my Google Talk chat window to see who was online. I saw that my friend Jordon … Continue reading Listen To The Children: A Sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23 →

Text: Colossians 1: 9–19 Have you ever broken something precious and known the sinking feeling that comes when you see it in pieces on the floor? That was the feeling I had as I ran into the kitchen after hearing the shattering of glass on the floor. Someone had been trying to get something off … Continue reading Holding All Together – A Sermon for Christ The King Sunday →

2nd Corinthians 8: 1–15 I could see it rising from the Kansas prairie long through the windshield of my rental car long before I got there. It stood as a beacon against a vivid blue sky, surrounded by the shells of new buildings that would soon become posh shops and trendy restaurants. I had come … Continue reading Giving From Our Poverty — A Sermon on Stewardship →

I woke up yesterday morning, and quickly found my heart heavy. It was just like any other Saturday morning. The girls were watching Saturday morning cartoons. Kay was in the kitchen, scrambling some eggs for the kids, and I stumbled out, hair askew, body creaking, and made my way over to the computer to check … Continue reading The Whole Armor of God — A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10ff →