September 28, 2016 0 Community Action, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
One of my mother’s frequent exclamations when I was a child was, “How many times do I have to tell you?” This phrase was exclaimed whenever my siblings or I left lights on or laundry on the floor. I recalled this phrase as I studied Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus. I am struck […]
September 10, 2016 0 Community Action, Questioning Faith, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Last Sunday, Philemon, the shortest book of the Bible, made it’s regular appearance in the Lectionary. This short letter has a dark history as it was historically used by slave holding Christians in the American South as evidence of God’s support for slavery. In this letter, they argued, Paul sent Onesimus, a runaway slave, back […]
July 24, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Following this shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke, we find a parable. This parable is often used as an instruction for how to get prayer right or for how to get God to do what we ask. The key to an effective prayer, it seems, is persistence. We are to […]
July 12, 2016 0 Current Events, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
By God’s great mercy, given this terrible week of violence, trauma, and collective sadness, the lectionary text was Jesus’ Parable of The Good Samaritan. There is so much in this parable that is relevant to the events of this week. The hated Samaritan turns out to be the good guy in the story, challenging our […]
June 16, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
I had some fun with our children at church on Sunday. I showed them an optical illusion I had found in a book. Viewed from one perspective, it looks like an unhappy old man. If you turn the image around, it looks like a happy old woman. It was fun to demonstrate to the children […]
May 25, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Last Sunday, I preached about wisdom. In preparing for this sermon, I crowd-sourced thoughts on wisdom from my large collection of FaceBook friends. I asked them, “What is the wisest advice you’ve ever received?” and “What are the qualities of the wisest person you know?” In responding, people recalled the wise advice they’ve received from […]
May 5, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
In pondering this text, I found myself struck by how Paul and Silas responded to being beaten and thrown into jail. The text tells us that they “were praying and singing hymns to God.” I began to think of the many times I have experienced difficulty in life. I am more than aware that my […]