Bearing Fruit

A sermon preached at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, CA October 22, 2023 Introduction to Worship Living in San Francisco, I can sometimes forget about seasons. It feels like perpetual spring, where things are blooming year round. And I love that. But autumn is my season. I was born in autumn. I grew up…

Mustard Seed Faith

A sermon preached at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, CA October 15, 2023 Introduction to Worship I don’t know about you, but the news this week was rough. I found myself not wanting to listen to the news because the pain was too much, the misinformation was too much, the sadness was too much. …

By our Love

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho February 24, 2018 John 13:1-17 I try to understand Simon Peter. I want to understand him. He’s impetuous and wears it all on his sleeve. He says things the rest of us may be thinking, but aren’t bold enough to say out loud. Lord? Are…

Holy Spirit Chaos Theory

Acts 15 A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church May 13, 2017 I don’t know if you caught it in last week’s story about Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch he met on the wilderness road. But when the Ethiopian man said, “what is to stop me from being baptized?” the good Presbyterians probably all thought,…

Ninevite Lives Matter

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho November 6, 2016 Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10; 4:1-11 We humans often have a bad habit of “othering” people. By that, I mean we look at someone’s life that seems very different than our own, and we place them in some category at a remove from our…

When You Know Better, Do Better

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church Aug 7, 2016 Job 42:1-6, 10-17 We’ve spent more time this summer with the book of Job than some faithful Christians have ever spent with the book in their whole lives. We’ve wrestled with its complexity and the nuance of its argument. We’ve heard the discussion with his…