Sermons from 2026
Lent 1 – 2/18/26 – Beware crafty voices
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said…
Ash Wednesday – 2/18/26 – Sermon for Ash Wednesday: memento mori
In the early 15th century, the monastic and mystic, Thomas À Kempis wrote a meditation on death: “Very quickly our life here will end” he wrote. “ … In every word and deed, we must live our lives today as if we were to die tonight. … if we are not ready to die today, how will we be ready to die tomorrow? Tomorrow is not certain. We can’t even guarantee there will be a tomorrow. “What does…
Epiphany 6 – 2/15/26 – The Light for the Road: From Mountaintop Glory to Everyday Faithfulness
Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for…
Epiphany 5 – 2/8/26 – The Full-Bodied Experience of God in Christ
Matthew 5:13-20 Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.…
Epiphany 4 – 2/1/26 – Not all anger is the same
Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.“Blessed are the merciful, for they…
Epiphany 3 – 1/25/26 – Sermon
Matthew 4:12-23 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darknesshave seen a great light,and for those who sat in the region…
Epiphany 2 – 1/18/26 – What question is your life the answer to?
John 1:29-42 John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a…
Epiphany 1 – 1/11/26 – Mishpat
Isaiah 42:1-9 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him;he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice,or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break,and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crusheduntil he has established justice in the earth;and the…
Christmas 2 – 1/4/26 – Theology is Insufficient, Spirituality is Essential
Luke 2:41-52 The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives…
Christmas 1 – 12/28
Are there mornings when you wake up and the sunlight is pouring through your windows; you are looking forward to the day and can’t wait to get started? Everything seems perfect, nothing can go wrong; you want to praise God just for being alive! God has brought you to the beginning of another day…and another opportunity to almost luxuriate in this world that God has created! That was what I felt I first reviewed the readings for today! Joyfulness, and…