Fishing with Jesus
1 Corinthians 15: 1-11—————-Luke 5: 1-11 February 6, 2022—————-Rev. Patrick Mecham 5th Sunday after Epiphany One of my friends had an Uncle Ted who taught him how to tie a fly to the leader line for fly fishing. He has a treasured memory of the passing along of that life-skill, and he has used it for years! I personally find it to be a very helpful experience to explore all the important things in my treasure chest of skills…
Godly Love in Our Age
January 30, 2022……….4th Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13……….Luke 4: 21-30 I have a challenge for you. Try to think of ways to describe the Christian faith and the Christian life without using the word love. Just try it. I know that part of the difficulty in communicating with others about our faith is that we have to use a word that is so commonly used to indicate a variety of things! And, if we are going to…
More than a Sum of Its Parts
January 23, 2022……….3rd Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a……….Luke 4: 14-21 Years ago (dare I say decades ago?!), Melissa and I spent a summer at a Presbyterian Camp on the slopes of Mr. Rainier. She was a counselor, and I was the director, and we had a wonderful, exhausting, exhilarating summer! Every week, we welcomed a new crop of campers: sometimes elementary, sometimes middle school, sometimes high school. But on Day 2 of every week, we played a game…
The Fountain of Life
January 16, 2022……….2nd Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11………..John 2: 1-11 How do you feel about our Gospel reading for today? The first recorded miracle of Jesus: turning water into wine. It’s true that it really did make believers out of his first disciples—but why is this story important enough to be in our Bible? My mother was a teetotaler (and, of necessity, so was my father!) Her mother belonged to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. I am pretty…
Passing Through the Waters
January 9, 2022……….Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 43: 1-7……….Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 Anyone here who knows how to swim, would you raise your hands? Wow. It might have been easier to ask who doesn’t know how to swim! Swimming is a big deal in our lives: we swim for exercise and fun, we swim to cool off in the summer. Back in the days when I was doing youth ministry in hotter climes, our youth groups would have pool parties…
The Day AFter Christmas
Isaiah 9: 6———–John 1: 14———-Luke 2: 8-20 Elaine York, Commissioned Lay Pastor, Guest Preacher Note: Video is not available for this service due to church cancelation for heavy snowfall. The Day After Christmas December 26, 2021 Good Morning and Thank You for inviting me back to your church today! I love coming here as I have quite a few special friends here in your congregation. Let us pray: May God be glorified in this sermon this morning and may the…
Death . . .or Life and Peace
January 2, 2022……..Epiphany Sunday Romans 8: 1-11……….John 1: 1-9 (Isaiah 60: 1-6) There was a family that went to church every single Sunday, and, at the Sunday dinner, they discussed the morning sermon. The kids were at an age where they could sit with their friends, anywhere in the church, and the boy developed the habit of skipping out of church and playing! He would then stand near the preacher as people were leaving, and try to pick up snippets…
Humble Beginnings
December 19, 2021……….Rev. Patrick Mecham………4th Sunday of Advent Micah 5: 2-5a; Luke 1: 39-45 I suspect that many of you grew up in a small town, as I did. And when you went out into the bigger, wider world, you may have been thought of as a “small-town girl” or a “small-town boy”—at least, when compared to those raised in a bigger city. I remember that, when I was young, we looked down on kids from outlying communities that didn’t quite…
I Will Change Your Name
December 12, 20211……….Rev. Patrick Mecham………3rd Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3: 14-20; Isaiah 12: 2-6 Much of the population of India is divided (unofficially) into castes—classes of people who have different privileges, different job opportunities, and very specific places in the society’s value system. At the bottom of the social scale—below the caste system, in fact, are the people known as Dalit (often referred to as “untouchables” because touching one of folks is believed to make one unclean). These poor people are…
Getting Ready
December 5, 2021……….Rev. Patrick Mecham………2nd Sunday of Advent Malachi 3: 1-4; Philippians 1: 3-11; Luke 3: 1-6 I would like you to imagine that you have something wonderful to give to someone you love. This is a something that is almost too delightful for words, something that will enrich their lives beyond measure. There is only one problem: their hands are full already, so they are not able to receive your gift! You say, “Empty your hands. I have something…
Going Out of Business
Joel 2: 21-27……….John 18: 33-37 November 28, 2021……….1st Sunday of Advent……….Rev. Christy Ramsey A link to the sermon text will be provided in the near future.
From the Cross to the Sky
November 21, 2021—————Rev. Patrick Mecham………….Christ the King Sunday 2 Samuel 23: 1-7——————-Revelation 1: 4b-8—————John 18: 33-37 Those of you who follow professional football already know the name of David Tyree. You know that, in the 2008 Super Bowl, his New York Giants were behind the New England Patriots (the undefeated Patriots) they were behind by four points with only a minute and fifteen seconds left on the clock. Eli Manning launched a pass, and Tyree leapt for the ball at…