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. John 18:28-40 As our story last week ended, right before this passage begins, the cock crowed, reminding Peter of his three denials of Jesus. A rooster crow also indicates morning, which means light is starting to dawn. For John’s gospel, Jesus is the light, and…
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…
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…
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…
The I am From Project has a poem template to encourage conversation. They write: We want to be heard, not herded; we want to speak, not be spoken at or for; we want to break through stereotypes, profiling, and dismissal to be listened to in our full humanity. I encourage you to check out the resources…
An Ash Wednesday Meditation Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho John 10:1-18 Psalm 23 In John’s gospel, Jesus is known for making pronouncements. In the other gospels, he spends a lot of time teaching, or speaking in parables. But here, he just announces things that are seemingly disconnected from the action going on around him.…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho Feb 4, 2018 John 4 Last week, you heard the story of Nicodemus meeting Jesus. While the woman at the well is my favorite story in the bible, I also love the Nicodemus story, and I noticed some contrasts and some similarity between them. Nicodemus…
William Stafford’s poem, “The Way it is”, is my companion on this first day of a new year. The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard…
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…
Glass Overflowing 