A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho July 5 2020 Genesis 25:19-34 As a mother of sons, not twins, but sons, I confess that this passage gives me pause. My boys are wonderful young men, and I can’t quite imagine Elliott trying to buy Alden’s birthright for a chicken burrito, but I…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho June 28, 2020 Genesis 22:1-14 As I’ve confessed before, there are scripture passages I’d just as soon never read. This is one of them. I confess it is hard to find the “good news” in a passage of near child sacrifice. It makes me wonder…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho June 21, 2020 Gen 21:8-21 We pick up the biblical story today in the middle of the story of Abraham and Sarah. God has promised Abraham that his offspring will be more numerous than the stars in the sky. Many nations will arise from his…
This is the letter I just emailed to the Southminster congregation today. To my Southminster family, It is with a full heart that I tell you I have just been called to be the pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco today. I am both excited about this new call and heartbroken at the…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho June 7 2020 Gen 1:1–2:4 Welcome to Trinity Saturday, which is where the lectionary writers punish preachers who had so much fun last week on Pentecost Sunday by expecting us to make the Doctrine of the Trinity clear for each of you. Just kidding. I…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise Idaho May 31 2020 Acts 2:1-21 If you recall, last week we left our disciples standing there, jaws agape, staring into Heaven as Jesus ascended up to God. But before Jesus ascended, he told them to go and wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon…
A sermon preached for Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. May 17, 2020 Luke 24: 13-35 We are a month past Easter now, but our tour of resurrection appearance stories takes us back to that day. The women have just raced back from the tomb to offer their testimony. ‘The tomb is empty! He is…
A sermon preached for Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho May 9 2020 Matthew 28:8-20 Today we skip over to Matthew’s gospel for the way he tells the resurrection appearances. In Matthew’s story, we are facing competing narratives of what happened at the tomb of Jesus. The women told the disciples their story of the…
A sermon preached for Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho May 3 2020 John 21 Peter. I love Peter. Peter had been there through the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. You’ll remember that Peter was also the disciple who denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. But despite his denial of Jesus, and…
My birth mother died this morning. She had been in failing health for a while. I don’t know what I am feeling. I am sad. And I’m sure I will feel more sad at some point. I’m also grateful, not to replace or ignore the sadness, but as a companion to it. Before Washington State…
