A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho October 28, 2018 Reformation Sunday 1 Kings 3 I had another sermon written for today. And then yesterday happened. This sermon is not as nuanced as I would like it to be, but I am grateful for the ability to gather together, with people I…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 25, 2018 John 12:1-27 The last time we saw this family, Mary and Martha were in deep grief because their brother Lazarus was three days dead. dead. dead. And Mary and Martha make some great affirmations of faith to Jesus as they talk to…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 18, 2018 John 19:1-16a In last week’s episode, Jesus’ trial with Pontius Pilate begins. The religious leaders are looking for someone to do the dirty work of killing Jesus for them. Pilate is more concerned with keeping the peace during the religious holiday of…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho March 4, 2018 John 18:12-27 We began the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the story of Jesus as the good shepherd, as the gate for the sheep. Jesus said: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come…
In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, there has been rhetoric about making schools “harder”. The idea seems to be that if teachers (or other school employees) are packing heat, the bad guys won’t target those schools. President Trump wants to arm the “highly adept” or “weapons…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho June 18, 2017 Psalm 13 I acknowledge, this psalm is a bit of a bummer. How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? It is quite a contrast, in most ways, to the one we heard last week, that was full of turning toward…
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…
It is a common response to tragedy. “My thoughts and prayers are with you”. We say it to people we know and love when their loved ones die or when they are facing surgery or some other difficult situation. It has become an all too familiar refrain from politicians after mass shootings. And since we’ve…
This is a sermon preached at Montreat Youth Conference this summer. It seems relevant today as yet another shooting fills the news. The theme of the conference was This is Our Story. Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 The Prophet Jeremiah is a bit of a drag, truth be told. If you read through his whole book at…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho October 18, 2015 Ruth 1:1-17 This story, we’re told, takes place during the time of the Judges. A famine in the land caused Naomi and her family to leave the Promised Land and go back across the river to Moab, modern day Jordan. Her husband,…
Glass Overflowing 