A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian in Boise, Idaho. Ezekiel 37:1-14 December 9, 2017 Our passage from Ezekiel’s prophecy is full of evocative language and imagery. We can picture a valley where life is nowhere to be seen. Cracked and parched earth, piles of bones wherever you look. And what can we do in…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise. Idaho. Isaiah 61 You may be more familiar with this text because of who quotes it, rather than from its own context in Isaiah. This is the scroll from which Jesus reads when he preaches in his home church in Nazareth. He announces it has been…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church December 4, 2016 Advent 2 Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 The Book of Joel is best read in one sitting. I invite you to look through it this week. It’s a lovely story of destruction, fit for people recovering from Thanksgiving holidays with family. Locusts invade and destroy the land.…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho December 20, 2015 Luke 1:5-13, 57-66 If pastors were honest about it, Zechariah is probably one of the stories we like the least. He is one of our own, a priest, serving God in the temple in Jerusalem. If you remember back to your readings…
Today’s word is voice. This picture of me testifying at the statehouse this past winter on behalf of Add the Words is the image that comes to mind for me about voice. It is a privilege to live in a society where people can share their voice with their elected leaders. There are many ways…
An Advent sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho December 6, 2015 Isaiah 40:1-11 The Empire Strikes Back is not my favorite of the original three Star Wars movies. The ‘new hope’ of the first film seems to dissipate. Even though the Death Star had been destroyed, the Imperial Troops of the Empire…
I shared this on Facebook, but here is an idea I stole from my friend Teri Peterson. Each day during Advent and the Christmas season, here is a word you can use in your prayer/devotional time. Take a photo, write a poem, reflect on how each word is preparing your way during Advent and Christmas.…
A sermon preached at Southminster in Boise, Idaho on December 21, 2014 2 Samuel 7:1-11 Luke 1:26-38 (Here’s the video we showed in worship today). King David wanted to build a Temple for God. The Ark of the Covenant was being moved around the countryside, from town to town, but living in a tent, while…
Here is the prompt from over at Revgals for the Friday Five: “As we prepare in our churches and homes for Christmas to arrive, we are moving through Advent. It is a time of waiting, expectation and preparation. However, being human, it is also a season of stress and worry. For this Friday Five, share…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho. December 15, 2013 Luke 1:39-55 A few weeks ago, NBC aired a ‘recorded live’ presentation of the Sound of Music. And despite what the critics said, I thought it was worth it just to hear Audra MacDonald sing Climb Every Mountain. But when you’re watching…
Glass Overflowing 