Sermons in 2002

The Word Made Flesh (29 December 2002)

The church must say that statements in the gospel of John made in the first century by Jews about other Jews should not be read as a condemnation of all Jews.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus (22 December 2002)

The story of Mary is at the heart of Advent. We prepare for the birth of Jesus by remembering a young, Jewish women in Palestine two thousand years ago, whose unexpected pregnancy became a sign of hope lighting the way for millions of Christians.

John the Baptist (15 December 2002)

Whoever John the Baptist was, the New Testament gospel writers cannot leave him out of their stories. In the Christian Bible the ministry of Jesus begins with John, who had his own disciples and his own ministry.

What are you looking for? (8 December 2002)

Are you looking for the Christmas story, for the holy family, for the choir of angels, for the miracle in Bethlehem? Well, it’s just not here.

Mary Magdalene (10 November 2002)

The gospel of Mary continues the tradition in the gospel of John by affirming that the woman known as Magdalene had a special relationship with Jesus, and that he entrusted her to encourage and guide the apostles.

James the Just (3 November 2002)

In the gospel of Thomas, when disciples ask Jesus who will lead them after he is gone, Jesus answers: "You are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being." In the New Testament, however, Matthew 16:18-19 identifies Peter as "the rock" on which the church will be built, and Acts confirms that Peter supported the mission to the Gentiles. So Peter, not James, is the leading apostle in our understanding of the church’s story.

Facing Fear with Faith (27 October 2002)

Faith is not trusting in religious rules and rituals, but trusting in this God, the God we know on the cross and the God who leaves the tomb to call men and women of faith into communities of justice and peace. With this faith, we can face the fears of our time.

Spiritual Stuff? (20 October 2002)

Spirit and matter are not separate worlds. Life is in the real world, and love is about real people. If we embrace the material stuff of our lives, we’ll be able to let go of it, share it, even give it away. Because it’s all spiritual stuff, and so are we.

Call to Christian Citizenship (6 October 2002)

The Roman Empire sought to destroy Christians, who refused to give absolute loyalty to their government, and in three centuries Christian witness transformed the Empire. The call to Christian citizenship should now stir us to seek justice and peace through the rule of law.

An Open Canon? (22 September 2002)

Our understanding of history allows us to correct the errors of the Protestant Reformers by opening the canon to include the Apocrypha and also writings from the first and second centuries that were excluded from the canon created by the church in the fourth century.

Open Hearts? (15 September 2002)

The greatest challenge is opening our hearts to God, who is manifested in the world as it is – not just in the spiritual, loving and beautiful aspects of life.

Open Minds? (8 September 2002)

We must acknowledge that evil is a power that possesses people. We must accept the New Testament witness that only the love of God can defeat the power of evil. We must live the faith that allows God’s love to manifest its power through us.

The Fourth Freedom (1 September 2002)

Are we called by God in Christ to ensure "freedom from want" for all people? If we are, we should support not only civil and political rights, but also economic, social and cultural rights.

Are We Samaritans? (25 August 2002)

Of course not. Yet, as religious and nationalistic "orthodoxy" gains power in America and elsewhere, the history of the Samaritans may remind us of the dangers of religious intolerance. 

View from the Red Tent? (18 August 2002)

The foul acts of Jacob’s sons reported in Genesis 34 and Jacob's refusal to seek justice nothing to do with faith in God.  But Dinah's story in Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" is filled with faith.

Fair Trade? (11 August 2002)

Land and the wealth it yields are not simply a human possession. Justice and peace require an economic system that checks great inequities. Anything less than a living wage is hardly fair.

Working Out Spiritually? (4 August 2002)

Repetitive prayer and meditation are good for the body as well as the mind. Religious rituals can produce a sense of unity with others and with the world that is uplifting and humbling. Faith is healthy and healing.

Whose Promised Land? (28 July 2002)

The terrible and tragic truth is that our Bible says God sanctioned ethnic cleansing.

One Nation Under God? (21 July 2002)

The debate about the Pledge of Allegiance is unimportant, if it only concerns whether or not the Pledge contains the phrase "under God." The real issue is the meaning given to the phrase "under God." 

Where is Creation Going? (7 July 2002)

Our question should be, not where is creation going, but where are we going? Do we seek life with God? Are we embracing eternal life now, as we live?

Is Faith Blind? (30 June 2002)

Faith is not reasonable. Faith is a way of living in a world that is not reasonable.

Is Jesus the only Lord and Savior? (23 June 2002)

We must interpret the metaphors in scripture about Jesus Christ in a way that makes sense of what we now know and what, as finite beings, we cannot know. To read the statement on this question passed in June 2002 by the 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) click here.

What is our Good News? (16 June 2002)

It is not that Jesus Christ will free humanity from bondage to the devil. It is not that our nation’s armed forces will destroy all those who see America as Satan. It is not that we are on the side of righteousness and thus will prevail over our benighted Christian foes. 

 How are We to Read Scripture? (9 June 2002)

The Confession of 1967 and the 1982 Guidelines for reading scripture state the consensus among Presbyterians at the end of the 20^th century. This understanding resists claims for the "inerrancy" or "infallibility" of scripture – claims that were common among Presbyterians in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries and are once again being pressed in our denomination. 

A Confessing Church? (2 June 2002) 

The Confessing Church Movement is wrong. We are not saved by the Holy Scripture, but by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The triune God (the Trinity) is not the Father, Son and Holy Scripture. We worship God, in Christ, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

Should Christians Proselytize? (26 May 2002) 

Witnessing to our faith does not mean proving that the faith of others is wrong. Witnessing to our faith means doing God's will and explaining why we continue to be Christian in a world that offers many other ways of believing and living.

Women with the Apostles (12 May 2002) 

Let us remember the mother of Jesus, the mothers of his disciples, the women who supported the ministry of Jesus before and after his death, and all the women who give to the life of the church.

The Great Spirit (5 May 2002)

William Van Nostran explains why his experience on a mission trip with young people to the Tlingit Indians in Southeast Alaska changed his understanding of the Ascension story and his life.

What Does Salvation Mean? (28 April 2002)

As Christians, we do not have to believe that heaven is literally a place, nor do we have to believe that the descriptions in scripture of the Day of the Lord will literally come to pass. These images reflect a first century worldview as well as the faith of the church in the eternal presence of God. We can embrace this same faith and have our own beliefs about salvation, which will reflect the worldview of the twenty-first century.As Christians, we do not have to believe that heaven is literally a place, nor do we have to believe that the descriptions in scripture of the Day of the Lord will literally come to pass. These images reflect a first century worldview as well as the faith of the church in the eternal presence of God. We can embrace this same faith and have our own beliefs about salvation, which will reflect the worldview of the twenty-first century.

Forgiving God? (31 March 2002)

Why celebrate the Easter story as though it is literally true, if we do not believe that it is? How would you answer? How would you explain to your children or to your friends, who may not be in church this morning, why you bothered to come? 

Are We Worshiping Ourselves? (17 March 2002)

Our language about God is our way of understanding what is beyond our understanding. When we speak of God, we are speaking of the God of our understanding and not simply of God. But worshiping God may be the best way we have to avoid worshiping ourselves.  The practice of Christian faith, in worship and in the world, may help us live with hope and love.

Is the Christian Story True? (10 March 2002)

Is there truth in the claim that Jesus was crucified for our sins and that faith in the God of the Christian Bible leads to eternal life? Our faith offers a living truth, if we acknowledge our shortcomings, forgive others, and love our enemies. Faith in the God of the Christian story, and faith in one another, may be a true way of living, for us and for others.

What does "Faith in Christ" mean? (24 February 2002) 

We should understand "faith in Christ" as "faith - in Christ," not as "faith in -  Christ." Christ is not the object of our faith. In faith, we enter into Christ -  into the kingdom of God. Faith is how we live out the Bible story. Faith is not a way of thinking, but a way of being and becoming.

Facing the Great Tempter (17 February 2002) 

In the Bible story, God, suffers on the cross, as Jesus, for being the source of all temptation. Scripture reveals that, as Christ crucified, God the Great Tempter accepts responsibility for all suffering and death, so we may be freed from resentment for our suffering and our death.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down (10 February 2002)

The Transfiguration story, found in Matthew Chapter 17, is appropriately entitled: The True Glory of Jesus. For Christ appears in all His majesty, in the company of two Old Testament prophets, and in the presence of God Almighty.

Blessed are the Poor... (3 February 2002)

I hope those who are poor are blessed, because there are so many who are poor. If the poor are not blessed, how can we have any faith in God?

Walking in Darkness (27 January 2002) 

Sermons in 2001

Sermons in 2003