The Subtle Temptation

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…

The Family Tree

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…

The Imperfect Perfect

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church for the third Sunday of Advent. Dec 16, 2018 Matthew 1:18-25 Have you ever looked at the families in Christmas advertisements and commercials? They are all beautiful. They wear outfits that are coordinating, but not too matchy matchy. They are uniformly happy and joyful. They are gathered together around…

Flickering Hope

A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho Advent 2, Dec 8, 2018 Isaiah 42:1-9 Our passage tonight is from a section in the book of Isaiah that speaks of God’s suffering servant. Other servant passages are in chapters 49, 50, 52, and 53, if you want to look at them this week.…

Wholehearted Waiting

A sermon preached on a snowy first Sunday of Advent at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho Dec 2, 2018 Habakkuk 1: 1-7, 2:1-4, 3:17-19 I’m gonna bet that for many of you, this is the first sermon you’ve heard on the book of Habakkuk. It is certainly the first sermon I’ve ever preached on…