Sermon for Third Sunday after Epiphany – 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Well, it’s official. I’m middle aged. And it’s hard! I was initiated this week – my first colonoscopy. Actually, the prep wasn’t that bad. But I learned something. Jello is like manna from God. I was good all day beforehand, but by 10pm I was starving. And after they remove a few polyps and tell you about them, you kind of miss not knowing. And then there’s my shoulder that locks up. And my sciatic nerve that likes to remind me its there. So apparently middle age is just God’s way of making sure I learn to appreciate all those secret parts of my body that I didn’t know before. Because when they act up, it’s breathtaking.

When you think about the human body like this, it puts a whole new spin on the Body of Christ, doesn’t it?

Sermon for Second Sunday after Epiphany – John 2:1-11 & 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Have you ever run out of gas? I have. Once upon a time, I had a truck whose gas gauge stopped working. But of course, it’s never convenient when these things happen, and I’m always busy. I didn’t want to deal with it, so I just got used to obsessively monitoring the odometer. I had to track when I last filled up, how far I’d gone, and so forth. It worked really well for a long while, until the time I inevitably forgot. So, I was driving to work, when dashboard indicators I’d never seen before began to light up, and my truck started making noises I’d never heard before. Luckily I made it to the side of the road. And I sat there for some time, not really sure what to do and blaming myself full force, like you do. But then, I saw a AAA assistance vehicle pull off the road behind me, and suddenly I heard angels singing (not quite), and thought, “Ah, my savior has arrived at last!” They gave me a little gas, enough to get to a station to properly fill up. And even now, whenever I see one of those vehicles on the road, I feel a wave of thanks and gratitude, even now. But, in hindsight, I also recognize that I caused my own problem. By choice.

It can be hard to sympathize with something like that. When folks seem to cause their own problems. Procrastinating. Making bad decisions. Ignoring warning signs. Poor planning. Like throwing a wedding reception and running out of wine?

Sermon for Second Sunday of Christmas – John 1:1-18

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? When I was a kid, I was terrified of the dark. I grew up way out in the country, a few miles outside of a small town. There was little traffic on our road, and no street lights. The bedrooms were all down a long hallway, and when you’re a little kid, don’t all hallways feel like they go on for miles? And this was off another hallway to the kitchen and living room. So, even if all the lights were on in the living room, you couldn’t see it. This means that when my parents told me to go to bed, I had to make this horrible walk all the way to my room in the dark, past other dark bedrooms. It was terrifying to me, and it didn’t help that my parents weren’t very sympathetic. They were a pretty stoic couple. I used to make them so mad. They’d just say, “Knock it off! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” But it never convinced me. I couldn’t trust them, no matter what they said.

But here’s the funny thing. I was talking about this with my sister a few days ago, and she reminded me that we had a hallway light. I didn’t remember that at all. But it occurs to me that it wasn’t so much about the dark. What I was really afraid of, was being alone at the far end of the house by myself. Because who knows what could happen? Monsters. Bandits. My imagination ran wild. Folks can tell you there’s nothing to be afraid of. Maybe you can turn on a light. But sometimes these aren’t enough to make the fear go away. We still feel alone and vulnerable.