Sermon Blog
Klara Tammany – Pentecost 19 Luke 18:1-8 10/20/19
The Courageous Widow and the Unjust Judge There are a lot of widows in the Bible, in both Hebrew and Christian scriptures. I learned this week that there are 80 references to widows in our Bible. Hebrew stories that come quickly to mind are Judith or the widow of Zarapath, or the story of Naomi…
Ben Chin – Pentecost 9, August 11,2019 – “The Ready State”
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 & Luke 12:32-40 “[T]hey are seeking a homeland.” Hearing that sentence, I cannot but help to think about the asylum seekers that made their way from Congo and Angola, through Latin America, across our southern border, to the Portland Expo, and then even, this week, to Lewiston. The writer of Hebrews situates…
Read ‘Ben Chin – Pentecost 9, August 11,2019 – “The Ready State”’…
Klara Tammany – Easter 4 – May 12, 2019 – Being the Shepherd’s Apprentice
Image: I Am the Good Shepherd, by Lee Hodges John 10:22-30 John Vanier died this week. He was 80 years old. Fifty years ago he created what became to be known as L’Arche (the ark) – communities of people with severe intellectual disabilities who live with others who do not have disabilities (called “assistants”) in a…
Read ‘Klara Tammany – Easter 4 – May 12, 2019 – Being the Shepherd’s Apprentice’…
Ben Chin – March 10, 2019 – Temptation
Opening Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, come. Come as the fire and burn. Come as the wind and cleanse. Convict, convert, and consecrate, until we are totally thine. Amen. Old Testament: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Epistle: Romans 10:8b-13 Gospel: Luke 4:1-13 In case you are looking for a Netflix recommendation, there are two great shows about hip hop that just…
Ben Chin – December 9, 2018
Holidays can be a time of difficult conversations; those who love us know exactly the ways to get under our skin! That goes for colleagues at work as well. The common word for this agitation is being “triggered”: just like pulling a trigger on a gun, a small thing can cause a big reaction. It’s…
Jane Costlow – August 12, 2018 – The Bread of Life
The Bread of Life “I am the bread of life.” I have to tell you that I’ve been looking forward to giving the sermon this morning. When I realized that it was right in the middle of this “bread section” of John’s gospel, I got very excited… For the last three weeks we’ve had texts…
Ben Chin – June 10, 2018 – Hang On
Hang On Scripture texts: Genesis 3: 8-15; 2 Corinthians 4:13- 5:1; Mark 2:23- 3:6. We have so much ground to cover today! The Old Testament reading comes at the climax of the famous story in Genesis of Adam and Eve, when Adam and Eve realize they are naked, stand up God for their evening walk,…
Ben Chin – January 20,2018
In his new autobiography, the actor, Rob Lowe, describes standing in his son’s room before taking him to college. While his wife packs the suitcases, his eyes turn to water, thinking about all the nights spent reading Goodnight Moon, the Patriots posters that recall Sunday afternoons, his son’s dog—all about to be left behind. It…
Jane Costlow – April 8, 2018
Thomas who does not believe unless he touches. Today I’m going to be preaching primarily on the Gospel from John – this famous story about “Doubting Thomas” – who is kind of a hero of mine. I’m going to focus on wounds – Jesus’ wounds and the wounds of our world – but also on…
Klara Tammany – Pentecost 9B – July 8, 2018
IMAGE I usually end my sermons with a poem or song. Today I will start with one. Many of you know that I am a student of Parker Palmer and especially like what he calls “Circles of Trust.” The approach uses poetry as a focus of discussion, a third thing (you, the others in the…
