change

Choose this Day: A sermon on Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 and James 1:17-27

/ Stephanie / Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27

As we as a country have made our final turn toward election day, I’ve noticed a picture being shared quite a bit on some social media platforms, and, for once, its a picture or post that doesn’t make me cringe. It’s a list of suggestions for how to post an interact on-line around political discussions that, hopefully, will prevent discord and vitriol. I know some of you have seen it as well, because you’re some of the folks who are resharing it in your social spaces. The text on the picture reads:

Between now and Tuesday, November 5:

POST WISELY!

  • Contribute to discussion – not division.
  • Don’t take the bait!
  • Check. Your. Facts.
  • Resist memes, cheap digs and name calling (That one is a little funny coming from a meme.)
  • Create constructive content.
  • We can transcend bitterness and be our better selves – even when we disagree.
Continue reading →

Facing the whirlwind: A sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, 2 Kings 2:1-13

/ Stephanie / Leave a comment

2 Kings 2:1-13

This year’s short Epiphany season, the time after Christmas and before Lent, means that even this early in February it is already Transfiguration Sunday. This is the week of the year when we typically read the story of Jesus taking a few disciples up a mountain where they see him change before their eyes and hear the voice of God declare, “This is my Son, the Beloved!” 

We hear that story again this year, but the majority of our focus this year is shifting to one of the several “pre-quels” that sheds some light on the transfiguration. 2 Kings 2 tells of the prophet Elijah, one of the ancestors in faith who appears on the mountain to talk with Jesus during the transfiguration. Elijah is unique among prophets because his death is recorded with a dramatic, divine flair. With his student and successor Elisha watching, chariots and horses of fire come to earth to carry Elijah in a whirlwind to heaven. 

What do this stories of an encounter with divine power tell us about God’s presence in times of grief and transition?

The full worship video for this service is available here.

The Faith in Fear – a sermon on Mark 16:1-8 for Easter

/ Stephanie / Leave a comment

Mark 16:1-8

The way a story ends can make or break the impression we carry of it.  Think of some of the all-time great TV shows and how they ended.  Do you have any favorites?

M. A. S. H.? Cheers?3634467193_81e130807b

I very clearly remember the end of Family Ties as a good ending to one of my generation’s favorite childhood TV shows.

One of the things we tend to like about a good series finale is when it leaves us feeling like there aren’t too many loose ends.  There can be some wondering about what comes next, but all in all we like to know that even if our favorite characters don’t come out alright in the end, their lives and the story had a purpose.

Continue reading →

The Way of Peace – an Advent 2 sermon

/ Stephanie / 1 Comment

zechariah iconThe Song of Zechariah found in Luke 1:68-79, are some of the first words the priest uttered upon the birth of his son, John, the cousin of Jesus, the one we know as John the Baptist.  Zechariah had been made mute by the angel Gabriel at the start of his wife’s pregnancy because of his fear and disbelief, but when the child was born and Zechariah and Elizabeth named him John as Gabriel had instructed them, his tongue was freed and filled with Holy Spirit John’s father, Zechariah, spoke this prophecy.  Listen now for the words he proclaimed.

Luke 1:68-79

Zechariah had been silent for the entire duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.  Silent.  He spoke not one word.  He didn’t ask how she was feeling.  He didn’t wonder aloud with her when the child would come.  He also didn’t stick his foot in his mouth asking inappropriately about just how big her stomach would get, so maybe there were some advantages.  But Zechariah had been silent the entire pregnancy, unable to speak at home or in the temple. Continue reading →

What are you waiting for? – A sermon on for Advent 1

/ Stephanie / 1 Comment

Jeremiah 33:14-16

As I sometimes do when I’m preparing for Sunday, early last week I went back to read a sermon I wrote on this same text several years ago.  I always do so with fear and trepidation because I never know what I will find – a memory of a difficult time or a special celebration in the life of the church, a sermon I don’t think I can top this time, or a trainwreck I’m embarrassed I ever delivered.

By the time I read my 6 year old sermon on Tuesday afternoon last week 22654306929_5a32b321catwo men in their twenties had been arrested for shooting five people involved in the protests around the recent police killing of an African American man in north Minneapolis.  Two more were later arrested, all four were suspected white supremacists.  It was just hours before the dashboard cam video of the horrific killing of teenager Laquan McDonald in Chicago was released worldwide. Add these recent events to the recent terrifying tide of violence and centuries old systemic racism against African Americans in this country and in this week of giving thanks instead I was asking, along with throngs of others online and around the country, “How long, O Lord?” Continue reading →

A New Goal – Part 2

/ Stephanie / 1 Comment

In 2014 marriage equality came both in the denomination I serve, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the state in which I 3721621517_ba1de61c59_olive, Wisconsin.  While my congregation had slowly but surely been talking about marriage and sexuality in one way or another for the previous 12-18 months, this convergence of opinions made the conversation even more important to our context.  Now that same sex marriage was legal in Wisconsin, would our congregation be willing to host such weddings on our property? Continue reading →

Ministry snapshots – Telling stories

/ Stephanie / 1 Comment

There wasn’t a whole lot on the schedule for today which was good because my absence on this blog reflects how much has been on my calendar in recent weeks.  I’m not worshiping at the altar of busy.  Just stating a fact.

But anyway, there wasn’t a whole lot on the schedule for today except for two visits – one with a retiring pastor in my presbytery who had invited me to come take what I wanted off of his bookshelves, and another with one of the oldest members of the congregation I serve who had some music to share.  It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and in a sense both of these visits were about the same thing – telling and hearing stories.

Ministry Snapshot 1

Continue reading →

Now What? – a sermon for the second Sunday of Easter on Matthew 28:16-20

/ Stephanie / 5 Comments

As worship began at First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, WI two ruling elders who serve on the session, Sheldon and Attie Kay, reported to the congregation a decision that had been made a special meeting of the session the previous morning, April 11, 2015.  The action taken at that meeting approved the following statement.3160120344_6037d571c0

“Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family.  Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives[1]. At First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, WI requests for Session consideration of marriage will not be denied based upon sexual orientation.

[1] Language from PC(USA) General Assembly Amendment 14-F (approved by a majority of PC(USA) presbyteries for inclusion in the Book of Order as of March 17, 2015)

Matthew 28:16-20

I want to begin this morning by thanking Sheldon and Attie Kay for their careful sharing of the news that came out of the special session meeting yesterday. I imagine that decision, whether it is one you personally celebrate or question or maybe even mourn, has not moved far from the front of your mind as we have worshiped together this morning.  It hasn’t moved from mine nor, I imagine, the minds of the session members here this morning even though we have been sitting with the decision almost twenty-four hours longer than the rest of the congregation.

And I don’t think it necessarily should because it is a decision that carries great weight for many in our church and community.  It is a decision that came after months of intense session discussion and really two years of congregational study in a variety of different formats and venues.  It has been an emotional discussion for many, and yesterday it was an emotional decision, in some way or another, for every person
sitting around that meeting table.

As the meeting drew to a close, following almost three hours of discussion and prayer, sharing and wondering aloud, discernment, but very little, in fact absolutely none of what I would categorize as antagonistic debate, I knew my original thoughts on Jesus’ Great Commission would have to be set aside.  I knew what the Spirit was calling me to talk about instead was the decision we had just made.  The question that remained, however, was “*What* was the Spirit calling me to say?”  I guess in that sense the sermon title I had picked for entirely different reasons five or six days ago still fit.  Now what? Continue reading →