Sermons (Page 99)
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
I always love when Biblical themes show up in pop music. This is the case with a song by 30 Seconds to Mars called “Walk on Water.” The refrain of the song is “Do you believe that you can walk on water? Do you believe that you can win this fight tonight?” Later on in the song the phrase “Do you believe” is repeated over and over again. The references to belief and in particular to Jesus are unmistakable. This song written in 2017 harkens back almost 2000 years to what Jesus does in our passage for today…
Feast of Mary Magdalene
Here in the United States, we’re gearing up for the mid-term elections. As the election gets closer, I seem to notice more “smear” advertisements. If you haven’t heard of smear, it is an effort to damage an individual or a group’s reputation. The purpose is to call into question one’s credibility with unverified rumors, distortions, half-truths, or lies. Yet, smear is not exclusive to elections. Even Western Christianity engaged in such abhorrent practices…
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
The events described in our text for today is not for the faint of heart. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a little gruesome, actually. It might seem more like a tale from a Stephen King novel than from the Bible. It raises a lot of questions for me. Why did Herod like to listen to John? What was the dance Herodias danced, that could sway her step-father so? Why did Herod follow through on his step-daughter’s request? How exactly was John’s head presented to Herod? Was there decorative lettuce and a tomato cherry next to John’s head?…