Category Archives: Sermons

A postcard from the 7th Sunday after Pentecost 07/11/21 Tiger lilies for the altar flowers for the 7th Sunday after Pentecost at the Church of the Messiah in Heflin. God has a plan. The 7th Sunday after Pentecost begins seven weeks of reading through Ephesians. While the letter claims to be from Paul, marked differencesContinueContinue reading “Crowded Tables”

A postcard from the 6th Sunday after Pentecost 07/04/21 How do we tell our story? The 6th Sunday after Pentecost fell on July 4th. As we celebrated the beginning of the “American Dream,” we heard the story of David becoming the king of all of Israel. [2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10] This moment is the pinnacleContinueContinue reading “God at Work: God Unites”

A postcard from the 5th Sunday after Pentecost 6/27/21 Salvation out of the depths Grief is a thin place. It is an uncomfortable place that in our modern age we are quick to get through. But I think grief is something not to be rushed. In our grief we experience the limits of human powerContinueContinue reading “God at Work: God Saves”

A postcard from the 4th Sunday after Pentecost 6/20/21 When God leads A lot of folks in the church are wrestling with what the post-pandemic church will look like. There is a general agreement that it will be different than what came before, but then there is little agreement on what exactly that will lookContinueContinue reading “God at Work: God Leads”

A postcard from the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost 6/13/21 What God sees Our reading this week fast forwards us through Saul’s kingship to the anointing of David. [1 Samuel 15:34-16:13] And while it didn’t make into the sermon, all week I have wrestled with the opening lines of the text: Samuel did not see SaulContinueContinue reading “God at Work: God Sees”