Weeds and Wheat

This sermon was first preached for the July 19, 2020 online worship service at Kalamazoo First Congregational Church. The full worship playlist can be viewed here. The sermon text is Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

Truth-tellers (sermon for Sunday, April 28th, 2013)

Sermon text is Acts 11:1-18 When you hear the word “Truth,” what comes to mind? Is it a comforting word—something solid and trust-worthy? Is it attached to longing—something you seek for, or yearn for? Or is it suspicious—something that comes with a whole bunch of questions, like who is claiming to know the truth; what…

Vulnerable Love (or, Loving Reality), A Sermon for Palm Sunday, 2013

Barrett and I are beginning to make friends with a couple who are considering moving to Central NY. They’ve been to visit a lot. “Frank” is a musician who comes through the area and plays locally on a pretty regular basis. They know there is a lot they like, and a lot of people they…

Extravagant Love, John 12:1-8 (Sermon for March 17th, 2013)

My husband, Barrett and I were married in December of 2004, and three months later, my grandfather died, unexpectedly. We were in school in Vancouver, and when I got news that my grandfather died, in New Orleans, I was disappointed to find out that my parents assumed I would not make it to his funeral….

Glimpse of Glory

When my parents were missionaries in Japan, they had colleagues that ran the gamut from liberal Presbyterians to conservative Southern Baptists, and while there were lots of differences, one that seemed most obvious  to my teenaged perspective was the differences when it came to alcohol. My parents enjoyed wine and beer, and always tucked little…

Who tells your story?

When I was in college I volunteered with our campus alternative gifts fair. If you’ve never been to one of these before, the idea is that instead of giving another tie, or pair of holiday socks to a family member who doesn’t really need it, you can make a donation in their name to an…

Common Ground

Did anyone else see the news about Abigael Evans, this week—the 4-year old girl in the Denver area who became famous for her tearful explanation that the reason she was upset was that she was tired of hearing about Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney? It was followed by a whole host of news articles wondering—“Are…

Divorce, Marriage, People and Politics

Text: Mark 10:2-16 Now, I have to admit that ever since I started reading the Bible for myself, in junior high or high school, Mark has been my least favorite of the four gospels. John is all mystical and symbolic. Luke has all kinds of interesting characters. Matthew is focused on Jesus as a teacher….