Sunday, March 17th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder There are many experiences in our lives that cause great anguish. One of those experiences is having an offer of help go unaccepted or unwanted. At some point in our lives we all know someone, maybe a family member, who is in distress or danger. And we know…
Sunday, March 10th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder It was a spectacle that surrounded the baptism of Jesus. People from all over the countryside were coming to that isolated spot by the Jordan River to hear John preach, or to see who was coming, or to see what the fuss was all about. Those who came…
Delivered on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 By David Oliver-Holder The day had been a long one for Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had been teaching crowds early in his ministry, when at the end of the day he said, “Let’s go to the other side of the lake.” As Mark remembers it, soon after they…
Sunday, February 24th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder Loving your enemies has always been a radical idea. We see that very plainly in the scene from Genesis. Long before Joseph’s brothers had wanted to kill him, for many reasons, some not altogether bad. Joseph was primarily a spoiled brat. He was daddy’s favorite. They had to…
Sunday, February 17th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder What would a dream-come-true look like for you? Landing the best of all jobs? Seeing the Illini win a national championship? Would riches be a dream come true? I believe many would say so. John Rockefeller defined riches as “A gift from Heaven signifying, ‘This is my beloved…
Sunday, February 10th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder Perfection is not required for ministry, not for deacons, not for elders, not for musicians, not even for pastors, Thanks be to God! If perfection were required, there would be no church. All three of the scripture passages we have heard this morning paint pictures of imperfection, frailty,…
Sunday, February 3rd, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder Have you ever found yourself thinking abo ut your life, only to say suddenly, “How in the world did I end up here?” Many, maybe even all, of God’s faithful saints must have asked themselves this question. For God works in mysterious ways, we say, and we often see the evidence of that in our…
Delivered on Sunday, January 27th, 2019 by David Oliver-Holder Next Sunday, this congregation held its annual meeting of the corp. Like most congregations, and all Presbyterian ones, we meet annually to report on the fiscal aspects of the past year. This church has done this, I would assume, just about every year since its founding in 1856. And I anticipate that it…
Delivered on Sunday, January 20th, 2019 By David Oliver-Holder A wedding ceremony as the symbol of God’s grace, as an image of what God wants to happen in the word, as the scene of an epiphany, a revelation of God. It’s almost too much to be believed. Someone has written that “Weddings are accidents waiting to happen.”[i] I have not yet seen,…