"Past and Future Tense" - Sermon on Luke 1:46-54 - by Pastor Joe Ellis - December 26, 2021
I’ve preached on this passage once before. As I was preparing this, I reread what I wrote eight years ago and I came across something funny. Michelle had just given birth to David, so pregnancy was fresh on my mind. When we had had an ultrasound earlier, the technician said that the baby was “a real mover.” I remember being so excited — “surely this must be a sign that my child will be an Olympic Athlete.” Then I read Mary’s story, and I imagined how deflating it would be
"Theotokos — Bearer of God" - Sermon on Luke 1:39-45 by Joe Ellis — Dec. 19, 2021
Do you have anything in your home that has the quality of being deeply cherished? — The sort of cherishing that comes not because of how expensive it is, or how fancy or how high tech it is — the sort of cherishing that comes through age, because the people you love, loved it, the sort of cherishing that comes as stories are told about the object — maybe it’s a painting, a necklace, a set of tools? For me, it’s our kitchen table. Our kitchen table was my Granny’s — my Mom g
"Are We in a Wilderness?" -Sermon on Luke 3:7-18 by Michelle Ellis - December 12, 2021
I’d like to begin by noticing that this isn’t a nice Christmas passage. This advent as a church, we’re going through the Lectionary together. The Lectionary is a series of Scripture readings for each Sunday that the Christian church has read together for centuries. And when I read this passage that was assigned for today, I confess that I sighed. Fires of judgment, John calling people snakes? — I didn’t want to hear any of it. What I found myself noticing as I sat with th
“Salvation According to John” - Sermon by Joe Ellis on Luke 3:1-6 – December 5, 2021
The passage we read this morning took place shortly before Jesus began his public ministry. Imagine yourself being there in this passage. Imagine hearing about a prophet in the wilderness who had received a word from God. You hear about all sorts of people going out to the Jordan River to be baptized. Should you go? Given that Jesus held up John as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, the hoped for answer is, “Yes, I’d go!” So, maybe the more interesting question
