Sermons on John (Page 6)
A Humble Witness
A Humble Witness 3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Dec. 13, 2020 John 1:6-8, 19-28 There’s a movie that I like to watch every February. It stars Bill Murray, and it’s called Groundhog Day. He plays a hotshot weatherman with a “big future,” but he got stuck re-living the same day, over and over again, until he was able to //:release his sense of self-importance and begin to care about the people around him.:\\ Gradually, he became more humble, he gained…
Christ’s Prayer for Us
Christ’s Prayer for Us 7th Easter Acts 1:6-14 1Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 In C. S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Pevensie children have stumbled into the land of Narnia. It is winter, and has been for a long time (but never Christmas!), because the evil witch that rules the land likes winter. The children are told an ancient prophecy: Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will…
Created for Love
May 17, 2020 Created for Love 6th Easter 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 How do you feel about obedience? What do you do when you are told to obey? I would like you to imagine that you have been placed in a BIG playfield. Everywhere you look, there are inviting places to play. There is equipment for all ages, all ability levels to enjoy, and there are open fields with smooth grass just begging for all kinds of ball games. The place is…
A Glimpse of God
A Glimpse of God Mothers’ Day 5th Easter Acts 7:55-60 John 14:1-14 Years ago, before he was a popular author and speaker, Tony Campolo was an associate pastor in a church. On Mothers’ Day, he was supposed to read from Second Timothy, chapter one, which includes these words: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind…
Trustworthy Shepherd
Trustworthy Shepherd 4th Easter Psalm 23 John 10:1-10 Have you ever been a shepherd? How about a pretend shepherd in a nativity play, all dressed up in an old bathrobe with a piece of cloth on your head and a tall staff in your hand? In our church family, not many of us have ever actually tended sheep, but the lexicon of our faith is rich with shepherds! In the Old Testament, we have some big characters who tended sheep. Moses was tending…
Imperishable
April 19, 2020 Imperishable 2nd Sunday of Easter 1 Peter 1:3-9 April 19, 2020 John 20:19-31 I’ve always been a “people watcher.” In the days when we were able to be out in crowds, I would observe how people behave and talk and relate to others. One phenomenon I have observed countless times is that of a child carrying something precious but doesn’t want to be in charge of it at the moment. They bring it to Mom or Dad or…
Resurrected with Christ
Resurrected with Christ Easter Sunday Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-18 In the middle of the pandemic and all its heartaches and losses, I find myself taking immense pleasure in watching the crocuses and daffodils and hyacinths pop out of the ground and start sharing their cheerful colors! As much as I enjoy winter and snow and the bracing cold, I have been ready for spring, excited to go outside without a coat and smell the fresh earth and hear some birds singing! Seeing…
From Theory to Practice
March 15, 2020 From Theory to Practice 3rd Lent Romans 5:1-11 March 15, 2020 John 4:5-42 Anyone who has been around church for awhile knows most of the basic theory of Christianity—love your neighbor as yourself, feed the poor, visit the sick and imprisoned, love God with all your heart, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We know the drill, and we can talk about the theory, the precepts all day long—but it’s the practice that sometimes has us stumped. If you wanted to…
Passing Along the Blessing
February 9, 2020 Passing Along the Blessing 5th Epiphany Genesis 12:1-4a February 9, 2020 John 3:1-17 Think for just a moment about all the times you have given someone some money, and they have said, “I’ll pay it back!” It’s the normal way things are done. Now I’d like you to hear a few lines from a letter written in 1784—from Benjamin Franklin to Benjamin Webb: “I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you…meet…
The Light is the Lamb
The Light Is the Lamb Epiphany 2 Isaiah 49:1-7 John 1:29-42 There’s a story about a young fellow who had a habit of skipping out on church. He would go across the street and play pinball with the money his folks had given him for the offering. But he was careful to stand near the preacher as people were filing out so that he could pick up on some snippets of conversation about the sermon. He needed to do this…
The One Coming
The One Coming 3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Way back in 1967, a movie came out that stirred things up in our country. It was widely received because of the star-power represented: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier. But it was also controversial, because it portrayed interracial marriage in a positive light—and there were still, at that time, 17 states where it was illegal! Those of you who are chronologically advantaged know that I am talking about the movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”…
Waiting for God
Waiting for God Trinity Sunday Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 In the 1950’s, Samuel Beckett published an absurdist play—absurdist. The play is titled “Waiting for Godot.” It has two strange characters hanging out on a roadside by a sickly tree, and both are waiting for someone named “Godot.” Their conversation rambles and some other characters appear then leave, but these two wait with hope. At the end of Act I, a boy appears and tells them that Mr. Godot is not coming today,…