Sermons from December 2021
The New Relationship
Luke 2:1-20 I wonder what the shepherds thought they would find when they went into Bethlehem? The angel said that a baby will be a sign but the shepherds didn’t say to each other, “Let’s go and see the baby” – they said “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” I wonder what they were expecting? I also wonder how they found the right place…
The Angels are Singing for you
I have two radio stations programmed in my car radio – KCBX for Public Radio and KUSC for classical music. This morning I was driving into San Luis Obispo, listening to Morning Edition on NPR. The segment was about our relationship with Russia. Suddenly I couldn’t listen any longer and hit the button for KUSC, which took me into the middle of the Angel’s Carol by John Rutter. What a contrast; from human conflict to angels singing peace on earth. …
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:39-55 When I was on sabbatical and visiting family I dipped briefly into the family tree. I was surprised to discover that my grandparents who lived in North London all their lives were married in Wales. And that two months later, my father was born. It seems that there were some relatives in Wales and when my grandmother found that she was pregnant, she probably went, as Mary did, into the hill country away from the…
What we keep, keeps us
Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 Jaki Shelton Green is the first African American and the third woman to be appointed as North Carolina’s Poet Laureate. When Jaki offers writing workshops in prisons and jails one of her writing exercises starts with this statement, “What we keep, keeps us.” What we keep, keeps us. In the gospel reading today, John the Baptizer delivers a fiery and somewhat scary message to those who crowd into the desert to hear him. We tend to hear…
The Glory of God
Walking around shining like the sun. That is what it means to prepare God’s way – it means to be who we really are. The glory of God is revealed as we step onto the highway that God is preparing for God’s children.