Darkness to Light

This is a graphic I made for use on the invitation we'll be giving out for our Christmas services. It's based on one of the lectionary texts for Christmas Eve.

Isaiah 9:2

Comfort Comfort

Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Mark 1:1-8

Continuing through Advent, this week's sermon shows us that one of the values of using this season to wait for Christmas is that it gives us time to prepare, and Isaiah's idea of preparation goes hand in hand with his cry to comfort God's people.

Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.

Preached on December 7, 2008 at PLWC.

Too Early

Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37

Last Sunday was the first in Advent, so we began the season by asking why God so often expects his people to wait.

Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.

Preached on November 30, 2008 at PLWC.

Human Characters

Reading: Judges 4:1-7, 5:28-31

This was the last Sunday I'll be preaching before Advent -- Carey and I will be on vacation next week -- and since Advent is supposed to be about waiting for the Messiah, this sermon got us ready by reminding us of our need for a Messiah. The lectionary gave us a text from the book of Judges, and if Judges teaches us anything, it's how screwed up things can get apart from God.

Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.

Preached on November 16, 2008 at PLWC.

Time to Count

Reading: Psalm 78:1-7; Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

We're standing on the brink of either a bold new era or a soul-sucking abyss, depending on your views regarding the recent presidential election and the current economic crisis. Add on top of that that we at Pocono Lake Wesleyan recently completed a week of concentrated prayer in which God met with us powerfully, and it's clearly been a breathless couple of weeks for many of us. How do we respond to these times of change? A passage from the story of Joshua gives us some ideas.

Click here to view a manuscript of this sermon.

Preached on November 9, 2008 at PLWC.