I’ve been thinking about my birth mother lately. Maybe because thinking is all I really can do. She doesn’t want to be in a relationship with me, and even if she did, she’s not in very good health. Maybe I’ve been thinking about her because her 91st birthday is around the corner. My birth mother…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 24, 2019 Matthew 22:1-14 Parables do not have only one interpretation. So hear this invitation to reach your own interpretation of this story that is at odds with mine. Do I wish Jesus were clearer in his teachings? Most days, my answer to that…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho Transfiguration Sunday, March 3, 2019 Matthew 16:24-17-12 Welcome to Transfiguration Sunday, the day we ponder the experience the disciples have, and the experiences we have, on the mountain tops of our life. Some of you have heard 11 years of Transfiguration sermons from me, and…
This morning I read Trump’s former personal attorney, and convicted felon Michael D Cohen’s testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. You can read it here. This morning I’m listening to it. I’m struck by a few comments he made, and which have come up in questioning too. Mr. Trump is an enigma.…
In a recent op-ed, Senator Brent Hill argued against adding the words “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to Idaho Human Rights codes, unless people can be exempted from human rights for religious reasons. He said: “the only viable solution is a balanced approach” and we should be “seeking fairness rather than unilateral advantage”. With language…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho February 9, 2019 Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29 This passage, like last week’s, is continuing with Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t know about you, but I hear this section of the Sermon and think, “really, Jesus? Are you sure about this? We…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho February 3, 2019 Matthew 6:19-21-25-34 Our passage today comes from the middle of a big section of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s gospel. It almost feels like Jesus set up a chalkboard and said “class is in session” and then lectured for 4 days. I’m sure…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church Boise, Idaho Matthew 4:1-17 Just last week, you heard the story of Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River. God’s voice spoke from heaven about how Jesus was God’s beloved son, in whom God was well pleased. And in the very next verse, with which our…
My STAR word for 2018 was “favor”. Noah is said to have found favor with God in the book of Genesis, before the ark project begins. And Mary, the young girl from Nazareth is greeted by a divine messenger and told “Greetings, favored one!…. You have found favor with God”. She goes on to (spoiler…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian in Boise, Idaho Matthew 1:1-17 Dec 30, 2018 I was always the person in my family who wanted to know the family tree. Even though I was adopted, and none of the blood, genes, or quirks from that tree ran through my veins. While I’ve always been grateful to…
Glass Overflowing 