Ethiopian Icon: Arrival of the Magi
Tag: faith
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…
COME TO THE LIGHT
Numbers 21:4-9 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 Jeff Davidson The comedian Norm MacDonald has a shaggy dog story that he sometimes tells. I’m going to do a very, very shortened version of it here. A moth visits a podiatrist’s office. The podiatrist says, “What can I do for you today?” The moth says, “Doc, my life…
EVERYONE, COME TO THE FASTING PARTY!
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Mark 1:9-15, Luke 18:9-14 Jennifer Hosler A Plant Geek Last week, I was talking with someone about the plants I have in my garden. I mentioned the different herbs that I grow and how my bay leaf tree has survived several years, even though it is not technically zoned for our city….
UP AND DOWN
Mark 9:2-9 Jeff Davidson What was the best day of your life? Was it the day you got that puppy or kitten for Christmas? Was it the day you graduated from high school, or from college? Was it the day you got married? The day your first child was born? The day you got the…
IF I PROCLAIM
Isaiah 40:21-31, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1:29-39 Nathan Hosler Directly before our passage is Paul’s discussion of meat sacrificed to idols. Though there is freedom to eat, this freedom is qualified by the higher priority of the spiritual well-being of others. Jenn preached on this last week. In this the Apostle considers food sacrificed to…
KEEP NO SILENCE
1 Samuel 3:1-20 & John 1:43-51 Jeff Davidson Sometimes God leads us into remarkable moments of serendipity, moments of happy coincidence. Early Wednesday morning I sent Care my sermon title and the two scripture texts we just read. On Thursday, President Trump made his infamous racist and vulgar remarks about not accepting immigrants from…
STARTLING, UNEXPECTED, STRANGE
Luke 1:26-38; Luke 1:46b-55 Jennifer Hosler The fourth Sunday in Advent Last year at this time, our nephew was acting in a stage production of It’s a Wonderful Life. The theatre version was not a typical re-enactment – but was re-framed as a live, 1940s radio production, complete with sound effects created by Foley artists….
JUSTICE IS COMING (IT IS JESUS)
Human Rights Sunday 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Isaiah 40:1-11 Nate Hosler The second Sunday in Advent Anticipation. Waiting. Agonizing? Uncertain. Advent—waiting for the promised One. On Thursday we rose early for our 3-4 hour drive and hit the road. Rutted. Through dry, mostly flat land with low trees except for the palms. Security checkpoints with men with…
TANGIBLE FAITH (OIL, SONG, AND PRAYER)
James 5:13-20; John 9:1-12 Jennifer Hosler This is the tenth and final sermon in our sermon series on the book of James. Since it is Thanksgiving weekend, it would be rather appropriate to start my sermon with some gratitude. I’m thankful for many things but one which came to mind is my fantastic and caring…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 