A Little Faith

A sermon preached for Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho April 26, 2020 John 20:19-31 We’re moving through the resurrection texts, and today we move to John’s gospel. In John’s gospel, Mary encounters Jesus in the garden, early in the morning. And she goes and tells the disciples, and Peter and John race back to…

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…

Beloved and Broken Community

A sermon preached at Southminster’s Sabbath service October 14, 2017 1 Samuel 3 Last week, we were with Israel in the wilderness, as they received manna after complaining to the Lord about dying from hunger. In the intervening generations between that story and this one, Israel has settled the Promised Land, planted their own fields…

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…