Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sermon: “Threading the Needle” (Mark 10:17-31) [10/14/18]

  Anybody feeling hopeless today?  The Supreme Court.  The UN Climate report.  The Florida panhandle recovering from Hurricane Michael.  Residents of our own state still recovering from Hurricane Florence.  People in Indonesia continuing to recover from the typhoon.  Racism.  Sexism.  … Continue reading

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Sermon: “Intersectionality, Ubuntu, and the Image of God” (Mark 10:13-16) [10/7/18]

The title of today’s sermon is:  “Intersectionality, Ubuntu, and the Image of God.”  I told you I couldn’t wait to hear the sermon that would go with that title.  🙂  For those who weren’t here last week, the title of … Continue reading

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Sermon: “The Book of Vashti” (Gen. 2:18-25; Esther 1) [9/30/18]

It’s been an intense week.  On Tuesday, Bill Cosby was sentenced for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman.  Two days later Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations of sexual … Continue reading

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Sermon: “I Love the Mountains” (Isaiah 65:17-25) [9/23/18]

(Sing)  I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills, I love the flowers, I love the daffodils, I love the fireside when all the lights are low… I do love the mountains!  Shortly after we finished the decision-making process … Continue reading

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Sermon: “Storm Archaeology” (Psalm 19:1-6 and Jer. 4:23-28) [9/16/18]

  (Astronaut Ricky Arnold snapped a photo of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station.NASA) I looked at Earth— it was chaos and emptiness.  I looked to the heavens— their light was gone. I looked to the mountains— they quaked, … Continue reading

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Sermon: “O God, We Bear the Imprint of Your Face” (Gen. 1:26-28); [9/9/18]

Have you ever been in a place where you didn’t feel like you were being seen?  Like people were looking past you…or were looking at you but wishing you were something or someone different from who you are? Have you … Continue reading

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Sermon: “We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands” (Gen. 1:1-25) [9/2/18]

So…did you enjoy playing God?  What power!  “Let there be light!”  And there was light!  Let there be sky, land, sea, animals, creepy crawly things…and there were!   Our sacred Scriptures begin where the sacred texts of most religions begin–with … Continue reading

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“K-O-I-N-O-N-I-A” (Eph. 4:25-5:2) [8/12/18]

Did you hear?  Back in May, 14-year-old Karthik Nemmani of McKinney, Texas won the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  His winning word?  Koinonia!  Koinonia wins! Initially, I thought I’d share with you some of the other words spelled and missed in … Continue reading

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Op Ed: Horror and Guilt Lead to Hope: Visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Asheville Citizen Times, 8/5/18)

  I didn’t expect to feel hope. In May, a church member requested prayer for racial healing in Buncombe County.  That request led to a pilgrimage to the newly opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. The Memorial … Continue reading

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Sermon: “The Welcome Table” (7/29/18) John 6:1-15

Thousands had gathered to hear the traveling teacher.  News of his kindness, his talk of hopefulness, and his acts of healing had spread throughout the region.  When they heard the teacher and his disciples had landed on the beach in … Continue reading

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