What do we do with the Book of Revelation?
A sermon given at Slackwood Presbyterian Church, February 19, 2012
[Revelation 12:7-17]
Slackwood was wrapping up its “Biblical Year” reading program, and so we had been reading in Revelation for a month. I wanted to try to say something about it from the pulpit. I haven’t been footnoting or citing in these sermons, because it seems out of place, but if I were, I would have to give heavy credit to Marcus Hong, Ph.D. student at Princeton Seminary, for his thoughts on C.S. Lewis.
How is it that evil can still be in the world?
A sermon given at The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, January 29, 2012
[Mark 1:21-28]
Preached at the “Worship in a New Key” alternative service; for the prayers of the people, we wrote the names of evils in our own lives on small scraps of paper and burned them as a sign of Christ’s ultimate victory.
What does it mean to proclaim and anticipate God’s judgment?
A sermon given at Slackwood Presbyterian Church, January 15, 2012.
[Ezekiel 22:23-31]
I wouldn’t preach this one too often. But every once in a while, I think we need to hear it. If you don’t know the text, go re-read it — it’s an amazing piece of scripture.
If Christmas is so miraculous, why doesn’t the world look any different afterwards?
A sermon given at Slackwood Presbyterian Church, January 1, 2012.
[John 20:19-29]
This was originally called “Seen and Unseen” in the bulletin, but it’s my blog, so I get to change titles after the fact if I want to. Not sure I ever entirely figured out the answer to the question I was asking here, but I think maybe the struggle is something.
Where is God as we wait for God to show up?
A sermon given at Princeton Theological Seminary Chapel, November 8, 2011
[Psalm 40]
My senior sermon at PTS – and definitely pitched to a congregation wrestling with what it means to be called. The Psalm was read in two parts, intentionally, to push home this urgency about reading it all the way to the end.
What does it look like to be found by God?
A sermon at Slackwood Presbyterian Church, October 30, 2011.
[Song of Songs 3:1-5]
Slackwood is on a “year of the Bible” program, which means that we’re off-lectionary and preaching from a wide selection of Biblical texts any given week that correspond to a programmatic way in which the congregation is reading through all of the scriptures. It just so happens that Song of Songs lands on Reformation Sunday — a kind of odd fit, to be sure. See what you think after the jump.
Why does the church need to be reminded? Of what?
A sermon given at Slackwood Presbyterian Church, October 16, 2011.
[1 Thessalonians 2:1-12]
This was my first sermon at Slackwood , a small congregation on the outskirts of Trenton, NJ, where I will be working for the next year. I haven’t entirely figured out audio recording for this space yet — I have a recording, but the quality just feels too weird to post. So, we’re text-only for right now.
What can Christians say to the despair of the world?
A sermon given at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on August 21, 2011.
[Nehemiah 1:2-11]
This was to be my last sermon at PCCH, and I made a conscious decision, as a kind of farewell gesture, to try and articulate what I consider the center of my Christian belief. Read the full text after the jump.
What are Christians to do in the wake of the shooting in Oslo?
A sermon given at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on July 31, 2011.
[2 Kings 19:8-19]
Who are we to punish our children for our own sins?
A sermon given at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on June 26, 2011.
[Numbers 14:10-23]
This was one of my first Sundays back in worship after the birth of our first child. I knew that it would be the subject of everybody’s first words to me. And so I figured I should just run with it. Check after the break for the full text.
The Things We Do to Children [Numbers 14:10-23]Play Now
How do Christians consider the time and passage of Lent?
A sermon given at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on March 13, 2011, the first Sunday of Lent.
[Psalm 1]
Looking back, this sermon feels like it never quite found its heart. It’s full of ideas, but never makes an emotional or spiritual grab. Ah well. Click past the jump to read the full text.
What does the church have to say to Judas?
An imaginative sermon given in coursework at on January 21, 2011.
[Matthew 27:3-10]
This sermon was an attempt to be as “out of the box” as possible, a minority report on the floor of the Sanhedrin following Judas’ confession. At the end, I attempt (and, in retrospect, fail) to weave in current issues at Princeton Seminary, references which will almost certainly be lost to anyone else. Click past the jump for the full text.