Category Archives: Sermons
Sermon | GOD IS WITH US IN OUR DOUBTS
[This is the sermon manuscript from the 12/3/2023 worship service at Avenue Church. You can watch the sermon here.] Sermon Text: Luke 1:5-25 In The Polar Express, a doubting boy boards a magical train on Christmas Eve, and is headed for … Continue reading
Sermon | Spiritual Investors
It’s Thanksgiving Week. If you love food, this is your holiday! Our family will have the traditional Thanksgiving food: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. I’ll be honest: while I enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving, I get … Continue reading
He Is Our Hope
This is the sermon I preached on 10/2/22 as part of our series, The Deeply Formed Life. I’m grateful for Rich Villodas’ book of the same name (of the series). You can listen to the sermon here. On November 9, … Continue reading
Nothing But Jesus
What do you do when you encounter someone panhandling on the street? When we drive to Philadelphia to take our boys to CHOP, we have begun to recognize the various panhandlers. We have several options- we can read their signs; … Continue reading
Blessed are the Peacemakers
[Sermon preached on Sunday, May 17th at Avenue United Methodist Church. Listen here.] There is a memorable scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where the Griswald Family is driving to the country to cut down their own Christmas Tree. There … Continue reading
On Our Side | Pure in Heart
In February of 2010, I felt something that I’ve never felt before. I felt my heartbeat. Certainly, I’ve felt my heartbeat, but I’ve never felt it throughout the course of the day. I’ve never felt it as I lay in … Continue reading
Living in Meekness
[Sermon preached April 26, 2020 at Avenue United Methodist Church] There is a well-known scene in the 2002 Spider-Man movie where Peter Parker is having a heart-to-heart conversation with his Uncle Ben. Peter, has been bitten by a radioactive spider … Continue reading
On Our Side: Blessed are Those Who Mourn
[From the 4/19/20 sermon at Avenue United Methodist Church] A 2017 article in Men’s Health told the story of Conrad Anker, a world-class mountain climber who, at the time, was one of four people on earth to summit Mt. Everest … Continue reading
An Unexpected Easter
[Easter Message Preached at Avenue United Methodist Church on April 12, 2020] When I was a child, I can remember the excitement surrounding Easter in our small country church. Sunrise service was followed by breakfast in our church basement prepared … Continue reading
From Fear to Mission
Sermon Text from John 20:19-23 amid the COVID-19 Outbreak The scripture lesson this morning is a post-resurrection encounter between Jesus and his disciples. It is Sunday evening, just a few hours after the Resurrection when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. … Continue reading
Exiled Community 