Rise Up, Fall Down (1st Sunday in Advent) Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scriptures: Isaiah 64:1-9, Luke 1:46-55 There is a certainty, and inevitability about it. The planets spin. In the night sky. Seen from the playground in the early evening, before the stars and bright enough to be seen even in the city. In a pair…
Category: Isaiah
WWJND?
Preacher: Jeff Davidson Scripture: Isaiah 45:1-7; Matthew 22:15-22 Some of you will remember the slogan from back in the 1990s.WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? There were WWJD bracelets, there was aWWJD book that was an update of the original WWJD book from the 1800sby Charles Sheldon, there were lots and lots of WWJD sermons,…
War or Baptism
Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17 Last Sunday we changed our church sign to “No War with Iran.” It is clear we are opposed to war with Iran. This statement is, however, rather limited. The Church of the Brethren’s stance is much stronger. It has more bite and less agreeable. It…
Love
Preacher: Jeff Davidson Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25 Who are the people in the Bible that you think about at Christmas time? Jesus, obviously. Mary. Joseph. If you think a little harder then maybe Elizabeth, or Zechariah, or John. Certainly the shepherds. The angels, if you want to count them as people. The wise men,…
Even the Prophet Doubted
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler Scripture: Isaiah 35: 1-10; Luke 1:46b-55; Matthew 11:2-11 Doubt, loss, pain, darkness… sounds like Christmas-time? Unlike our cultural displays of perpetual holiday cheer, our four weeks of Advent scriptures allow for a fuller gamut of Christmas-time emotions: pain, doubt, and loss come alongside themes of peace, hope, love, and joy. This 3rd…
Peace
Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scripture: Matthew 24:36-44, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans, 13:11-14 When I was a growing up, my family would go camping for our summer vacation. In addition to camping type activities such as hiking and mountain biking and campfires and the necessary scouring of the campsite for wood to burn, we would often…
Do not be afraid, little flock
Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scripture: Isaiah 1:10-20, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12:32-40 Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock.” That there are reasons to be afraid, both for ourselves and our future generations and for our neighbors we don’t yet know—those stranded at borders or snatched from work, on our streets, in war zones—that there…
A New Thing
Preacher: Jeff Davidson Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21 Sports fans are familiar with the concept of “tanking.” In baseball the Baltimore Orioles are actually a good example of this right now. The Orioles have been a good team for several years. Last year they were not a good team, even though they had a lot of the…
(Embodying Hope) A baby, a girl, a body
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-17, Luke 1:36-38, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, 1 Timothy 4:12 You probably recognize our texts in Isaiah and Luke as scriptures we read in Advent, but they are also from a church feast day held on March 25th, called the Feast of the Annunciation. Hands up if you typically celebrate the…
Come to the Waters (embracing bounty)
Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9, Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9 In the book of Exodus, the once inarticulate Moses faces the Pharaoh backed by the power of God first appearing to him in a burning bush in the desert. As the Hebrew people head into the wilderness, they are followed by the Egyptian army which…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 