blip : Blogging Linear Interstellar Points :

This is the sermon I preached—it’s a continuation of my last one: Nests, part I. It starts out the same, but I take it a different direction half way through. I think it’s better than the one I didn’t preach. But who knows.
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Title: Hope and Nests, part II
Date: May 4th, 2008
Texts: Ps 68:1-10, 32-35; Ac [...]

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Here’s sermon I decided not to preach. I think it’s good, but I realized that it’s not necessarily what my church needs to hear—the Holy Spirit led me elsewhere at the last minute (it seems like God always interrupts a good thing). If you’re into politics, it may be interesting for you. The idea for [...]

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Title: Nests
Date: April 13, 2008
Texts: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; I Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

We have two blue birds living in our front yard. Last fall our neighbor gave Katie and me a bird house, and I put it up near the street this past January. That probably wasn’t the best place to put it. They [...]

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Title: Tombs and Gardens
Date: 3.23.08, Easter
Texts: Jn 20:1-18

John 20, verse 1: “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed.” It was still dark. The night of Good Friday lingered into Easter morning. John doesn’t tell us [...]

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A foot-washing prayer from the Mennonite Hymnal, # 783:
Lord Jesus,  we have knelt before each other as you once knelt before your disciples, washing another’s feet. We have done what words stammer to express. Accept this gesture of love as a pledge of how we mean to live our lives. Bless us, as you promised, [...]

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It’s rarely that I think a sermon went well. But I think this one was decent. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick all week, so I have some insight on spitting mucus (just read the sermon).
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Title: Mud
Date: March 2nd, 2008, 4th Sunday of Lent
Texts: I Sam 16:1-13; Ps 23; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41.

Mud, made with [...]

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Title: Home away from home
Date: February 17, 2008
Texts: Gen 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Rom 4:1-5, 13-17; Jn 3:1-17.

To leave it all behind. To wander into the unknown with nothing to hold onto… only a promise. “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house.’” Leave everything. Leave all the [...]

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Title: God is home
Date: February 10, 2008, 1st Sunday of Lent
Texts: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

I’m a home body. I like being at home, and all the things that home allows me to do. I can make my coffee just how I like it. I have the choice of three different chairs I [...]

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Title: Watered Gardens
Date: February 6, 2008, Ash Wednesday
Texts: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Isaiah 58:1-12; 2 Cor 5:20b-6:10

The fireplace was dirty. We’d been having lots of fires since it was cold out. It was time to clean it up. I grabbed the kitchen trash can, and a dust pan, then went over to the fireplace. I [...]

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In preparing for Ash Wednesday, I’ve been going over the lectionary readings, reading Isaac’s non-sermoned sermon from last year, and browsing the resources over at textweek. Following is a mini-sermon I may give tomorrow if my voice holds up.

Ash Wednesday is an uncomfortable day and a day full of paradoxes. The [...]

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