On Sunday, December 22nd, 2019 We are very close to the Nativity now. Just 2 more days. As we approach that blessed day, when we celebrate God’s best gift to the world, we feel many things. Joy. Peace. Love. Hope renewed. Delight. Maybe even surprise. Wonder. But how about speechlessness? I suggest to you that speechlessness is a very appropriate sensation at…
First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, a Member Church of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and More Light Presbyterians
First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, a Member Church of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and More Light Presbyterians
Sermons from 2019
On Sunday, December 15th, 2019 The Autumn when Jean and I moved to Wisconsin, 1992, set records for the number of overcast days that fall. The memory is seared in my mind. From the first of October through the end of December, there were 4, four days of sunshine. This autumn, here, has not been that bad. When the sun has been…
on Sunday, December 1st, 2019 Hope. Anticipation. Expectation. These are the dispositions of Advent. And I had the pleasure of seeing these fully embodied on Thanksgiving Day as we cooked and baked all day. Our dog, Luna, was ever in the kitchen, watching us as we worked on the countertops, just waiting, hoping, anticipating every little morsel that might happen to fall…
On Sunday, November 10th, 2019 You’ve all heard the expression, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” It’s an aphorism intended to help us to remember to focus on the things that really matter. We have such an aphorism because we so often get lost in the small stuff. Sometimes I feel like there’s a mysterious force, rooted right in our DNA, that drives…
on Sunday, November 3rd, 2019 Why do we still refer to ourselves as Protestants? I have been ruminating on this question lately. It’s a question I’ve considered before, when I was a student in Chicago. By far, the majority of students with whom I studied were Roman Catholic. A handful of us belonged to other traditions. When we discussed a certain topic…
on Sunday, October 27th, 2019 Mark Twain wrote, “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” Some might be tempted to think that this was the Pharisee’s problem in the parable we have heard this morning. He was very responsible. He was scrupulously faithful. Yes, as he is praying to God, he does run through…
on Sunday, October 20th, 2019 I know of no one who would say that the Apostle Paul was anything other than a man of prayer. He is the one who wrote to the Thessalonians, “…pray without ceasing…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thess. 5:17&18) We usually wonder, “How in the world can someone, anyone pray…
On Sunday, October 13th, 2019 Are you ready for thanksgiving? I don’t mean the celebration in November, though, I have to admit, I’ve already been thinking about ordering our locally raised turkey for this year’s feast. No, I’m thinking of taking stock of all for which we can be thankful. I think we certainly could use the change in perspective.[i] Recent days…
on Sunday, October 6th, 2019 The lesson from Luke begins with the disciples making an impassioned plea: “Increase our faith!” It arises from a feeling that we all have had. There is some great, good task standing before us. But there is also the sense that the task will not be easy: like getting ready for the Illinois Marathon or the Tent…