The Day the Sun Exploded

The Day the Sun Exploded

by | Nov 29, 2021 | Sermons

The first Sunday of Advent is the first Sunday of the Christian Year, which is structured around the life of Jesus. It seems natural that we would begin the Christian year with preparation for Jesus birth; but the Church has always recommended that we actually start at the end, with a discussion about the end of the world and Jesus’ return. I can be a liturgical rebel, but this week I’m going to go with the flow and start at the end. I spent a lot of time in my younger years focused there, and I learned a few things from that experience.

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Become Thanksgiving

Become Thanksgiving

by | Nov 22, 2021 | Sermons

It is easy to assume that being thankful is a feeling that propels us to express our gratitude by giving back in some way, or at the very least, saying “thank you.” We count our blessings, which often are made manifest by comparing our situation to that of someone less fortunate.

Certainly there are many benefits to recognizing all that we have been given. It is far better to survey the landscape of our lives and feel grateful than it is to feel miserable. And when we recognize all we have been given, that does typically move us to either pay it back or pay it forward in some way.

But I think there’s another layer. I think we can move from saying “thank you,” to feeling deep gratitude and giving back, to finally orienting our lives in a way that reflects our thankfulness without any specific prompting or motivating factor. I think, ultimately, our lives can become thanksgiving..

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Are You Satisfied?

Are You Satisfied?

by | Nov 14, 2021 | Sermons

Do you feel satisfied with your life? Are you content? Do you find yourself thinking “I would be satisfied if only I had X?” Has the goalpost of X ever moved for you? What does being satisfied even mean? The Bible has things to say about all of that in both the Old and New Testaments.

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Born In Fire

Born In Fire

by | Nov 7, 2021 | Sermons

This week’s message invites us to think about an ancient legend in which Christians have often seen a reflection of our own faith: The Phoenix that is consumed in flame in order to be born anew from the ashes. Jesus talks about being baptized by fire. The United Methodist symbol is a cross and flame. How do we understand fire in a Christian context and what might the legend of the Phoenix have to teach us?

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The Owl

The Owl

by | Oct 31, 2021 | Sermons

On Thursday night I heard the hooo-hooo of an owl outside the window at the parsonage. I don’t remember hearing an owl here before, and it got me to thinking about them. Since owls are nocturnal, some see the owl’s yellow eyes as a sign that the sun lives through the owl at night, even as it descends in a quick and precise silence to scoop up unsuspecting prey. In that way, owls bring both day and night, life and death, as they call out hooo-hooo into the unseen. The mythology of the owl includes guiding the dead to the afterlife. Life and death, sun and dark, together. That is the owl.

 

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From the Past Will Come the Future

From the Past Will Come the Future

by | Oct 17, 2021 | Sermons

Back when I thought we would be in the building by now, I had a bunch of different plans for this week. God laughed at my plans, and so now our anniversary is being spread out across a number of Sundays and in a variety of forms, from retired pastors returning to preach, to our October 31 service in Wildwood Cemetery, to a celebration dinner that will happen before the end of the year where we can formally recognize our 50-year members and more.

This Sunday, we will recognize our 150th anniversary in worship by considering how God may be calling us to take the sacred parts of Crawford’s past into a future that is still unfolding. We will hear from three Crawford members about their own sense of call to their work. We’ll hear from the choir. Toward the end of the service there will be an opportunity to go into the sanctuary for a time of prayer and discernment, and at coffee hour we’ll have a fabulous anniversary cake with ice cream sundaes.

 

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