When I listen to the world around me, I hear a lot of messages that might not contain actual "swear words," but are filled with curses.   God, though, calls those of us who seek to follow him to bless others.  Listen in to hear how we might do that. 

Barbara Brown Taylor's book An Altar In the World is quoted several times in this sermon.  Many thanks to her for her thought-provoking work.

Sometimes it seems as though one of the messages of Christianity is that those who trust God aren't supposed to cry.  We're supposed to be brave and say "It is well with my soul", even when life is awful.  But is that really what God asks of us?  Is it ok to cry at the sad parts of life, even if we believe that God is working all things together for his glory and our good?  This sermon, preached at St. Peter United Church of Christ in Lake Zurich, on October 6, 2019, explores these questions through Psalm 137.