View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon Advent II Isaiah 40:1-11 The passages read this morning both point to a new coming, or a coming again, of God to God’s people. Isaiah foretells the coming of God to a demoralized, defeated people; and Mark points to John as the one who prepares the way for Jesus’ coming. During advent it is also traditional to proclaim that Jesus will come to us yet again. The editors of the lectionary we…
View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon First Advent Mark 13: 24-37, Isaiah 64:1-9 When I hear this passage in Mark, the second half of his mini-apocalypse, I find I have to unwrap several layers of questions, or interpretations or understandings in order to hear anything at all from the text. I’ll begin descriptively and then we’ll ask some questions of the text. Mark chapter 13 is different from the rest of the gospel because it is as…
View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon (Part 1) Listen to this Sermon (Part 2) Texts: Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 1:15-23 What’s past is prologue. This phrase comes from William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest where Antonio says: Wherof what’s past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge. (Act 2, scene 1) Translated, it roughly means: “What’s already happened in the past merely sets the stage for the really important stuff to come – and it’s the…
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View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon No matter what, to preach a Peace Sunday sermon is of necessity to stride right into the middle of the debate about whether or not Peace is possible, or where or how it is possible. Doug and Jane gave us a glimpse of that debate. Person A writes: “nonviolence” Person B writes: “naive” A: faithfulness B: effectiveness A: God’s peace B: peace in the real world A: God’s peace is…
View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon It’s a beautiful day in early autumn, the warm light of the late-afternoon sun filtering through the yellowing leaves of mature trees. A bearded Jesus, wearing the white robe, sash and sandals in which he so often appears, sits beside a young person, one hand resting gently on the back of the park bench on which they both sit. On the ground beside the young person, a male in his…
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View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon 2nd Corinthians 9:6-15 Today my sermon begins at the end. Starting with the last verse of our text from Corinthians: New Revised Standard version of our Bibles: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. King James version: Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. English Standard Verson: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. New Living Translation: Thanks be to God for this gift too wonderful for…
View Archived Sermons Listen to this Sermon I Corinthians 10:15-18 As many of us are painfully aware, several Mennonite churches in British Columbia have cut themselves off from TUMC, in effect excommunicated themselves from us, as a result of our process several years back regarding human sexuality.1 Excommunication in the history of the church has generally been reserved for much more important and grave situations. For instance, around the year 190, the first “strong” Pope in the Roman…