Today is the second in a 5-part sermon series on the angels of Advent and Christmas. We are looking at stories within the Christmas story which contain angel appearances. A little review from last week: Angels appear all through out the Bible, both Old and New Testament; and especially it seems in the stories of…
Today we begin a series about the Angels of Advent and Christmas. Today – Gabriel appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of John, Jesus’ cousin. Next week Gabriel will visit Mary to announce Jesus’ birth The Sunday before Christmas – an unnamed angel visits Joseph Christmas Eve – the angels visit the shepherds the…
Perhaps you’ve heard the one about the burglar, who late one night, broke into a house that he thought was empty. He tiptoed through the living room but suddenly he froze in his tracks when he heard a loud voice say, “Jesus is watching you.” Silence returned to the house, so the burglar crept forward again. “Jesus is watching you,” the voice…
John 11:32-44 Here’s one many of us grew up with: Jesus Wept Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. But the one my mother-in-law made in needlepoint for Sophia says this: Now I lay me down to sleep, I…
I believe that Christians ought to be the most generous people there are. The Bible is nothing but consistent on this point. From the early writings of the Old Testament with injunctions to share with the poor, whether by allowing access to their land and crops (Prov. 13:23) or giving them clothes (Job 31:19-20), or just general exhortations to be generous to…
This Thursday the church celebrates the Ascension of Jesus. It’s an important day and an important thing – that Jesus went back to Heaven. Since Easter, he’s been walking around with his disciples in his resurrected body – teaching them more about who he is and his relationship to his Father…our heavenly Father; and encouraging them as to what to do in…
There seemed to be a curious noise all around them… A strange, sweet, rustling, chattering noise… It was the noise of running water. All around them, though out of sight, there were streams chattering, murmuring, splashing… And his heart gave a great leap (though he hardly knew why) when he realized that the frost was over. And much nearer there was a…
I am here today to give witness to the spirit of God through an experience I had on December 28 , which so greatly impacted me that when I got home I sat down and typed this letter. Just for the record, I have never done that or this before. I should tell you first that I do not believe in “coincidences.” Those…
Sermons at Union Congregational Church A welcoming Christ-centered church sharing His life-changing message of love, joy and forgiveness in service to all people for the glory of God. What it is to be a truly welcoming church? Pete Hnath Leigh Maynard is a friend of mine who was homeless in Boston for 27 years. He often tells the story of how…
When All We Can Do Is Sing This past fall we observed the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. And so there were the expected reviews in the news media of the events leading up to, surrounding, and following that remarkable and largely unforeseen event. One of the items that was routinely left out of those reviews, however, was…