Posted by amityfirst on Feb 4, 2024 in Sermon archives
“This Is Why I’ve Come” Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-11, 20c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Many eons ago, I lived in an old miner’s cabin up what was called the Nine Mile Valley in western Montana. Most folks would call this the middle of nowhere but even though it was remote, I did have neighbors. They weren’t close by-not by any means-but I got to know a lot of them nonetheless. One such neighbor was the household of Jack and Peggy Lambert. Jack worked at...
Read More »
Posted by amityfirst on Jan 22, 2024 in Sermon archives
“Filled With Wisdom and Grace” Isaiah 61:10-62:3/Psalm 148 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:22-40 Again. From Luke 2:22, we read “in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (23 It’s written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.”) 24 They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what’s stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” ‘A pair of turtledoves or two...
Read More »
Posted by amityfirst on Oct 16, 2023 in Sermon archives
“Wear a Party Dress, Not a Judge’s Robes” Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4:1-14 Matthew 22:1-14 “The Creator knows each one’s sacred worth and beauty, the venomous snake, the innocent mosquito. Even the hurtful ones belong. At the feast, one who isn’t dressed to celebrate, not ready to dine with “those people,” or feeling unworthy to wear your finest, will miss out. Wear a party dress, not a judge’s robe.” These are the wise words of Steve Garness Holmes as he addresses,...
Read More »
Posted by amityfirst on Oct 9, 2023 in Sermon archives
“Yeah, Right!” Exodus 20:1-20/ Psalm 19 Philippians 3:4-14 Matthew 21:33-46 With your permission I’d like to start out with something more on the light side even though it seemingly has nothing to do with our scripture passages today. Besides, all this talk about clubbing and killing just to gain ownership of a vineyard is a bit dark. So here goes: An MIT linguistics professor was lecturing his class the other day. “In English,” he said, “A double...
Read More »
Posted by amityfirst on Oct 9, 2023 in Sermon archives
Is God Here with Us or Not? Living the Yes” Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 Alright, two things: First, have you ever noticed that the only thing that Jesus could not tolerate; the only thing that was able to rattle his usual sunny disposition, was religious leaders that betrayed their position by being hypocrites to the nth degree? And second, have you ever noticed that whenever these phony baloneys tried to trip him up to make him look bad, they always...
Read More »
Posted by amityfirst on Sep 23, 2023 in Sermon archives
“The :Problem With Generosity & the Dilemma of Grace” Exodus 16:2-15 Philippians 1:20-30 Matthew 20:1-16 the parable of the generous land owner- you know, of all the that Jesus told, and there were lots of them, the parable of the generous land owner has to be one of the cleverest. For those of us who have ever worked for a living (which is all of us,) there is a deeply ingrained sense Of fair play when it comes to hours worked and wages paid. The fact that the United...
Read More »
Recent Comments