Philippians 2:5-11 & Matthew 21:1-11 Micah Bales Our gospel reading this morning is about Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, just days before he would be arrested and executed. Jesus is riding on a donkey, and the people are all around him. There were massive crowds in town for Passover, and Jesus’ arrival in the city…
Category: Jesus
CIRCLES OF LIGHT
John 9:1-41, Ephesians 5:8-14 Jeff Davidson When I started working on this sermon I ran across this reflection from Dr. Rachael Keefe on her blog “Write Out of Left Field.” (https://rachaelkeefe.wordpress.com/) She’s writing in part about our gospel reading from John, and she says, “As for myself, I have been the recipient of social judgments….
What is the Spirit of Life?
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, John 3:1-17 Micah Bales Throughout his ministry, Jesus speaks of a mystery that can only be described in parables and metaphor. We heard a lot of these last month as we went through the Sermon on the Mount together. Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. We’re the…
Fancy Food
Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 2:15-17, Nate Hosler [Think of the style of the “Tall Man” and the “Middle Man” children’s books] There is a man named Bill Cox. Bill Cox—in addition to being well versed in the Brethren and assorted Anabaptist genealogies of Lancaster Pennsylvania and in addition to being quite conversant in the various styles…
ASTOUNDED
Matthew 7:13-29 Jeff Davidson This has been a tough sermon for me to write. That’s not unusual; sometimes sermons come easily but most of the time they are a struggle, to one degree or another. There are a few challenges with this sermon in particular though, a couple that were probably common to all of…
What if Everything I Think I Know is Wrong?
Psalm 36, Matthew 6:19-34 Micah Bales I’m going to start with the heresy and work back to the gospel this morning. Because reading on the sermon on the mount reminds me of what a tough time I have with the Bible. The Bible, for me, is pretty uneven in terms of how it impacts me….
WE’RE ALL IN THE WILDERNESS NOW. WHAT COMES NEXT?
Psalm 40:1-12 & John 1:29-42 Micah Bales The wilderness beyond the Jordan river is where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. It’s where the Hebrew people wandered for forty years after their escape from Egypt. In this same wilderness, Elijah heard the still, small voice of God. The wilderness is a place…
JESUS THE DUNKER
Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:34-43, Isaiah 42:1-9 Nate Hosler Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. Baptism and Jesus, these are two things that the Brethren are “into.” It was seeking to follow Jesus that brought the original 8 together and it was baptism that formed them into…
TINY BABY LIGHTING UP THE DARKNESS
Psalm 98, Isaiah 9:2-7, Isaiah 52:7-10, Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-14 Jenn Hosler On Wednesday, it was the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year. In our northern hemisphere location, the extended darkness is difficult for many people. There are literally less hours of daylight to experience and we bundle from the cold,…
JESUS IS LORD. TRUMP IS NOT.
Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke 1:67-80 Micah Bales I was raised in the Quaker community, so I didn’t grow up with liturgical seasons. My church growing up was actually more “high church” than most Quaker meetings, if you can believe it. We actually did observe the Advent season to some extent. I remember as a kid we…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 