Sermons

Sermon: Who is my neighbor?

/ Joe Dennis

When Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, his instructions are very clear when a lawyer asks him how to receive eternal life. Jesus says we are to love God, and also to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus later emphasizes that your neighbor is not just your friend, family member or person with whom you share common beliefs. Your neighbor is also the person distinctly different from you, even someone whom you may consider your enemy.

To love our neighbor requires us to open up our hearts and minds to all God’s people.

Homework: Who comes to your mind when you envision the person you would least like to look upon as a neighbor? Pray for that person every day this week.

Sermon: Who is my neighbor? • The Rev. Elaine Puckett

“Who is my neighbor?”
Sermon by The Rev. Elaine Puckett
Luke 10:25-37
July 21, 2019

Sermon: Ascension

/ Joe Dennis

Sin is a topic we often try to avoid. However, the sin Christ sets is free from is the kind that requires use to genuinely change something about who we are. Sin is something we have to think about. But the good news is that when Jesus ascended, his absence opened up to us the possibility that the presence and power of God would be made available to use wherever we are.

Ascension by The Rev. Joe Gunby

“Ascension”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
Luke 24: 44-53
June 2, 2019

Sermon: None Dared Ask, For They Knew

/ Joe Dennis

The Gospel of John doesn’t end with Jesus’ resurrection. There’s one more story in John 21, in which Jesus appears to seven disciples as they are fishing. At its surface, it’s a simple story. The disciples are struggling at catching fish; Jesus appears to them and tells them to cast the net on the other side of the boat; they do as Jesus says and catch a lot of fish; Jesus transforms the fish into a massive meal.

This story has much more to the plot than what happened. The significance is in what didn’t happen — for the first time, the disciples didn’t question if it was Jesus. They knew it was him. They had faith. The disciples entered a new mode of seeing Jesus — not with the eyes but with the heart. And we can learn to see Christ in the same way.

This story assures us that the God who gave us physical sight at our birth can give us spiritual sight at our rebirth.

“None Dared Ask, For They Knew”

“None Dared Ask, For They Knew”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
John 21: 1-19
May 5, 2019

Sermon: Hail Thee, Festival Day

/ Joe Dennis / 1 Comment

When the resurrected Jesus meets the Marys after they found the tomb empty, he tells us them to “rejoice.” It isn’t just a command. It’s a type of greeting — a cheerful, “Hello!”

The King James Bible has a unique interpretation of Matthew 28:9, in which Jesus says, “All hail” to the Marys. The word “hail” has a unique meaning — it means that something is good, and in the greeting of someone else, you call out the goodness for all that is. When we say “Happy Easter,” we’re hoping that the other person will be able to fully enter into the festivities of the celebration.

Today is the feast of Easter — when death has been swallowed up in victory and love proves stronger than death. The Christian faith is a kind of party that connects to the whole of creation. All hail!

“Hail Thee, Festival Day”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby

Click to listen to the Easter Sunday choir anthems for the day.

“Hail Thee, Festival Day”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
Matthew 28: 1-9
April 21, 2019 • Easter Sunday

Sermon: “In the Time of Trial”

/ Joe Dennis

Prayer is a practice with which many of us struggle.

It’s seems like such a waste of time to sit in nothingness. We begin to think, “Wouldn’t it be better to be more productive with that time?” Our anxieties begin to arise. Our deepest fears are unwrapped. Our saddest thoughts become present. These are the times in prayer when we just might be at the forefront of something good.

Our anxiety over the future, our frustration over our job, our concern over an ailing loved one — these are the places where we fail and fall, and these are the paths back to God. Rather than run from it, go down into the darkness a little further and see where it leads. God will be there.

Prayer is less something we do, and more something we find ourselves in doing. God must do it within us, or it will not get done: when our faith is dried up, God graces us with streams of living water in the most parched places of myself.

Sermon: “In the Time of Trial”


“In the Time of Trial”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
Luke 22:39-46
April 14, 2019 • Palm Sunday

Sermon: Discerning the Body

/ Joe Dennis

Paul tells the Corinthians that if they are confident in their spirituality, it is OK to go ahead and eat with nonbelievers. It would be better to share in a meal rather than shun another person. Paul consistently tells the Corinthians it is more important to think of others, rather than think of what others may think of them. And we should treat others with dignity and respect out of love for them, and not so we will be recognized as good people.

As we discern our next steps as a church in regards to how we welcome and show love towards our LGBTQ friends and family, we should remember this advice from Paul. We need to reach out to those who need us, but ensure that we are serving them out of a place of love rather than self-righteousness.

Sermon: Discerning the Body

“Discerning the Body”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
March 31, 2019 • Fourth Sunday of Lent

Sermon: Running to Win

/ Joe Dennis

“The needs of the world are so great, that the only way to serve and love in the pattern of Jesus is that we require ourselves the same discipline that Jesus had … Before we rush to ensure that we are saving our own time, maybe we should pause for a moment and let God waste it for the sake of the Gospel.”

Sermon: Running to Win

“Running to Win”
Sermon by The Rev. Joe Gunby
1 Corinthians 9: 19-27
March 24, 2019 • Third Sunday of Lent