Wars and Rumors of Wars (11/15/15)

Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8 

Last week was one of those weeks. I was in a bunch of meetings. Long meetings. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. I officiated a funeral on Friday. I was beat. And then I heard the news from Paris. And Baghdad. And Beirut. I hope that I was able to speak a word or two of grace into a gloomy world.

What If We Give It Away? (11/8/15)

1 Kings 17:8-16; Mark 12:38-44

In this week's sermon I examine the stories of two faithful women: the widow of Zarephath and the widow who placed two small copper coins in the offering at the synagogue. This is a sermon about stewardship, identity, and the impermanence of material things. The picture above is my old fraternity house, taken a couple years before it was torn down. 

The Power of a Name (10/25/15)

On Sunday, October 25th, I celebrated the baptism of two babies: Dexter Robert Demian and Lennox Elias Stevens. Each child comes from a family with a long relationship with First United Presbyterian Church. These are the very first baptisms that I had the privilege to celebrate.

In this picture, I'm holding Dexter Demian. Clearly, I'm more excited about this than Dexter is. It's a day I'll never forget! The text of my sermon from that Sunday is included below.

Love, Humility, and Service (10/18/15)

This is me on October 31, 2015, right after I ran my very first race. In this sermon from October 18th, I offer some observations on my own running and the difficulties we all have when we try to be humble.