Shocking Inclusion: A sermon on Mark 7:24-37 and James 2:1-10, 14-17

Mark 7:24-37
James 2:1-10, 14-17

Comedian Mike Birbiglia has a great line. In the early years of his comedy it became a sort of signature line in his particularly vulnerable style of story-telling.  In one version of a set called “My girlfriend’s boyfriend” he’s interrupted a story about a woman he recently dated to talk about the first girl he fell in love with in high school.

I find that when you fall in love, you tend to overlook certain red flags. One of them was that she would say really mean stuff to me, but then she would pull it back. She’d be like, “no one likes you at all. Only kidding.” Or, like, “you’re like a nerd, but you’re not even smart. Just joking.”

Second red flag with Amanda was that she was a liar. And I don’t… I don’t mean that in an offensive way.

The final red flag with Amanda was that she told me not to tell anyone that she was my girlfriend.    

I know. I’m in the future also.1

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Losing the labels: A sermon on Mark 3:20-35

Psalm 130
Mark 3:20-35

The worship video for this sermon can be found on YouTube.

It’s always a little strange when we jump into the middle of a gospel story, but this one, probably a less familiar story, seems particularly confusing. I mean, there are some quotable one-liners that we could likely quote or summarize, “a house divided against itself… will not be able to stand.” But Jesus being restrained by his family? Them thinking he’s out of his mind? An argument with religious officials about whether or not he’s in cahoots with the devil? 

How did things escalate so quickly? It’s only chapter 3!

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No “if”s: A sermon on John 15:1-8 and 1 John 4:7-21, 5th Sunday of Easter

A video of the full service in which this sermon was preached can be found here.

1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

I’m not the gardener in our household. I think I have mentioned this before. I truly don’t know what I’m doing either with the decorative plants out front or the food that is growing in the back. At the Youth Group flower fundraiser last year I almost made a very accidental HUUUUUGE donation because I didn’t understand how many flower plants were in a flat. I mean, I know nothing. During the pandemic, I got a little on board with the houseplant trend, but, my part of our little plant area often looks like a plant hospital. This is not my arena. I love plants! I enjoy them a great deal. I just require some more knowledgable help to keep them alive.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
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In It Together: a sermon on Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Luke 18:15-17

Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Luke 18:15-17

https://www.podbean.com/media/player/52efh-64860b

At the playground once with my children, I saw a dad waiting with his son for some space to clear up on the jungle gym. The only parent in that area, while helping his son wait 10341608475_6d6a865355_mpatiently, he also helped some other children make their way safely to the top. Even after his little boy had reached the high platform he kept helping the others, spotting them so a potential fall wouldn’t be so dangerous, giving a hand to steady them if they got a little wobbly. Another dad came jogging up when he saw his daughter getting some assistance. He thanked the first dad and apologized for not being there, but the first dad simply smiled and shrugged, “Hey, we’re all in this together!” Continue reading