Psalm 51: 1-18 (links validated 1/31/24)
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Sermon Starters (Lent 5B)(2024)
William Willimon noted in one of this books that someone asked him one occasion where the Garden of Eden had been located. I am paraphrasing here but Willimon replied, “315 West Elm Street in my hometown.” “You’re kidding” the other person replied. “I thought it was somewhere in Mesopotamia.” “Well,” Willimon went on, “maybe. But it was at my home on West Elm Street that one day that I stole a cookie after my mother told me I may not have any. I felt so ashamed I hid in the closet in my room. Eventually my mother came looking for me. “Where are you?” she asked. And once she found me she asked “What have you done?” Obviously the upshot of this anecdote is to say that the tragedy of the original Fall into sin as we read about it in Genesis 3 now gets repeated in all of our lives because of all the ways the entire human race got corrupted in the sinful deeds of Adam and Eve. It’s something the author of Psalm 51 knew only too well.
Resources from 2022 and 2023
Sermon Starters (Proper 19C)(2022)
Every once in a while in a movie or on a TV show—and often used for comedic effect—there will be a character whose self-esteem is so low and so fragile that those who know this person are loathe ever to criticize him. If you point out even one little mistake to Larry, Larry will immediately begin banging his head against the wall, hitting himself with his hands, and declaring, “I am NO good! No good! I am a lousy, terrible person! I hardly deserve to live!” This, in turn, will prompt those around Larry to say things like, “Dude, calm down! Don’t catastrophize things! You are not some horrible person. Give yourself a break!” Even short of such an extreme example, when we encounter someone who turns a mistake into a cause to degrade herself or despair over her worthiness as a human being, we tend to want to engage in a bit of redirection. We want to point out that good people makes goofs too. You can be a fine person and still mess up. Don’t chalk up your whole existence as a failure on account of even a truly bad thing you did once...Being Cleansed from Sin
Shirley sits bolt upright in her bed and cries out, “Enough, I can’t bear it anymore!” The back of her nightgown is soaked with perspiration and she is trembling. It is the same nightmare, night after night. She sees herself going out the door of the discount store with toys and clothes for her children hidden carefully in the lining of her coat. A large man wearing a blue blazer and a red tie approaches and politely asks her to show him a receipt for the merchandise under her coat. She begins to run. The man grabs her arm, pushes her up against a wall and handcuffs her to a shopping cart. She sees other customers staring at her as they go in and out of the store. She knows that they know what she has been doing. It is at this point that she always wakes up with a feeling of excruciating, unredeemable guilt. Shirley can no longer live with the guilt. She gets up, changes into a dry nightgown, sits down at the desk, and writes: “Dear Sir, I have been shoplifting merchandise from your store regularly for the past five years. I do not know the exact value of all the items I have stolen, but I am certain that the total exceeds $1,000. I am deeply sorry for what I have done, and I promise you I will never do it again. I am prepared to repay what I have taken with interest if you will allow me to make monthly payments over a period of two years.” Before there is time to change her mind Shirley signs the note and seals it in an envelope addressed to the manager of the store. Then she puts on a robe, walks to the post office, drops it in a mail slot, and goes home to wait. On the morning of the third day after her late night posting the phone rings as she is stepping out of the shower. She wraps herself in a towel, drips down the hallway, and picks up the extension in the bedroom. It is the store manager. He tells her that they have received her note and are prepared to make a settlement. They want her to pay half of what she owes immediately, with a credit card or bank loan, and the rest in monthly payments over one year. They also insist that she see a psychologist recommended by the store. If she agrees to their terms, they will refrain from pressing charges. Shirley readily agrees and they make arrangements for her to come in and sign the necessary papers. The following Sunday, in worship, Shirley listens as the choir sings an arrangement of Amazing Grace. When the song is finished Shirley kneels at the communion rail with the rest of the congregation and receives the body and blood of Christ. Tears of joy run down her cheeks as she tastes the sweet bread and wine. She is cleansed...
Resources from 2020 and 2021
Sermon Starters (Lent 5B)(2021)
Theologian Miroslav Volf once pondered the shape and nature of life with God in what we often call “heaven.” Volf speculated that even in our renewed state, the memory of what was bad in this world may still be there. Perhaps our conscious awareness of the good will require our being able to contrast good with evil. In other words, we will know what evil is, but we will never choose to do it because, as Volf writes, the love of God will so continually flood into our hearts that we will never have time or desire for anything else. Our explorations of God’s New Creation, our sheer, unalloyed delight in one another, will provide a rich kaleidoscope of multi-layered and ever-changing patterns of joy. This will be a life so interesting, so filled with abiding curiosity to see what is around the next corner of God’s universe, that the thought of spoiling this will not occur to us.Lent 5B (2021)
At 19, Joey Riklis of Cleveland Ohio, was bored. Born to wealthy parents Joey had just about everything he wanted, yet he was depressed. His mother had recently died, and he did not always agree with his father, a Holocaust survivor who clung tightly to his Jewish traditions and religious rituals. Joey decided to go to India to find himself. He told his father that he had broken with his religion. He disowned Joey. Greatly saddened Joey went to India travelling from guru to guru. Six years passed. One day Joey met a former classmate by accident in Bombay. They talked for awhile and then the friend told Joey how sorry he was to hear about Joey’s father’s death from a heart attack. Shocked Joey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I always planned to make up with him. He died from a broken heart.” Joey immediately left India for Israel. He desperately wanted to pray. Following directions to the Wailing Wall, Joey bought a prayer book and borrowed a yarmulke and began to pray. He poured out his heart to God and begged his father’s forgiveness. Then he wrote his petition on a scrap of paper and looked for a place to insert it into the wall. It took him an hour to find an empty place to leave his petition. As he pressed it in, a small piece of paper fell out. He began to read it. “My Dear Son Joey. If you ever should happen to come to Israel and somehow miraculously find this note, this is what I want you to know: I always loved you, even when you hurt me, and I will never stop loving you. You are, and always will be my beloved son. And please Joey, know that I forgive you for everything and only hope that you will forgive a foolish old man. Your Dad. Adam Riklis” It has been more than three years since then. Joey has returned to his religion and is studying to be a rabbi...
Resources from 2018 and 2019
Sin Stinks
Jonathan took out his dad’s aftershave lotion and rubbed some on his face before leaving the bathroom. When his mother stepped into his room a little later, she sniffed the air. “What do I smell?” she asked. “Jonathan used Dad’s aftershave lotion,” hollered Sophie from her room across the hall. She came to the doorway. “He didn’t take a shower again.” Mom checked the bathroom. “His towel is damp,” she said. “Check the soap,” said Sophie. “Lots of times when I shower after him it’s not even wet–he just wets his washcloth and towel and pretends he showered.” “Is that true, Jonathan?” asked Mom. She went to the shower and picked up the bar of soap. It was bone dry, and she glared at him. “I just don’t like getting all wet,” Jonathan said defensively. “You’re so gross,” sputtered Sophie. “Sh-h-h.” Mom held up a finger. “Jonathan, I’m sure you know that using this” she held up the aftershave, “doesn’t take the place of using soap. When you splash on cologne or lotion instead of washing, you may smell nice for a while, but the dirt remains. And pretty soon people can tell.”..The Penitent Will Pass
In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones attempts to get past several traps that have been set to keep people from stealing “the Holy Grail,” the cup of Christ. His father has just been shot by the Nazis, and attaining the cup is the only way to save him. Indiana must solve different “riddles” in order to avoid being killed in one of the traps. One trap seems deadliest as he walks through a tunnel looking at recently decapitated soldiers along the way. The clue is “only the penitent man will pass,” and he keeps repeating it as a wind begins to blow through the tunnel. Suddenly, as the wind gets stronger and the sense of urgency increases, Indiana Jones blurts out, “The penitent man is humble before God,” and as he suddenly kneels and bows down, a large, razor-sharp, spinning blade whisks just over his head. His life is “saved” because of a penitent position. He continues on his quest, eventually obtains the cup, saves his father’s life, and finds a restored relationship with his estranged dad...Sermon Starters (Proper 19C)(2019)
Theologian Miroslav Volf has pondered the shape and nature of life with God in what we often call “heaven.” Volf speculated that even in our renewed state, the memory of what was bad in this world may still be there. Perhaps our conscious awareness of the good will require our being able to contrast good with evil. In other words, we will know what evil is, but we will never choose to do it because, as Volf writes, the love of God will so continually flood into our hearts that we will never have time or desire for anything else. Our explorations of God’s New Creation, our sheer, unalloyed delight in one another, will provide a rich kaleidoscope of multi-layered and ever-changing patterns of joy. This will be a life so interesting, so filled with abiding curiosity to see what is around the next corner of God’s universe, that the thought of spoiling this will not occur to us...Preaching Helps (Proper 13B)(2018)
Theologian Miroslav Volf once pondered the shape and nature of life with God in what we often call “heaven.” Volf speculated that even in our renewed state, the memory of what was bad in this world may still be there. Perhaps our conscious awareness of the good will require our being able to contrast good with evil. In other words, we will know what evil is, but we will never choose to do it because, as Volf writes, the love of God will so continually flood into our hearts that we will never have time or desire for anything else. Our explorations of God’s New Creation, our sheer, unalloyed delight in one another, will provide a rich kaleidoscope of multi-layered and ever-changing patterns of joy. This will be a life so interesting, so filled with abiding curiosity to see what is around the next corner of God’s universe, that the thought of spoiling this will not occur to us.
Resources from 2015 to 2017
God Doesn't Always Do Gut Rehab
("I love the show Rehab Addict. Nicole Curtis, the show's host, is a contractor who specializes in restoring old homes—typically about 100 years old, sometimes significantly older. They are always in terrible, terrible shape. The things she does to these houses are astounding. She somehow transforms terrifying hovels of lead paint, rusty sinks, sinking floors, and kitchen counters you'd be afraid to touch with your shoe into beautiful homes you'd feel proud to live in...")
Resources from the Archives
Clean Heart, Right Spirit
("The venerable Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, author of much that we know as modern science, was also much less than modern in that he was attracted to the ancient belief in alchemy...")