First United Church of Christ (Bremen, IN)

What is it about Jesus that qualifies him to be called "the image of the Invisible God"? Must he look a certain way? Be a certain height? Those seem like silly questions-- at first. Ultimately it is in those questions that we understand the heart of the gospel and its implications for our lives.

"Who is my neighbor?" asks the lawyer. It's a good question-- if loving them is required of us, it would serve us well to know who is and (more importantly) who isn't our neighbor. But Jesus' answer demands that we reframe the whole issue altogether. 

Naaman embodies the contrasts that compose the human condition. He carries both human greatness and human shame. He has the opportunity to be healed, however, if he can keep his ego from getting in the way. In that, he is also a lot like the rest of us.  The manuscript (of an earlier draft unfortunately) is available here. 

"For freedom Christ has set us free," writes Paul. "Freedom" is a word more easily defined by saying what it is not rather than what it is. In these verses, Paul helps us understand true freedom and assures us we are not alone in our pursuit of it. 

Paul is fired up about issues that, for better or worse, hardly concern us today.  Circumcision. Kosher laws. However the argument he makes in relationship to those issues is profoundly important for the issues that the church struggles with today.  A printable version of the sermon.

Is it Wisdom calling out in Proverbs 8? Or wisdom? Are we talking about a person or just a personified concept? It sounds like an obscure question, but the answer may help shed some light on one of the most controversial topics facing the church today. 

Why is God so alarmed at the tower humanity decides to build? Is God threatened by their competence? Or is there some greater purpose here? One that we see coming into focus at Pentecost? And if so how might we get in on it?  Here's a link to the manuscript.

The Sunday following the Day of Ascension not only falls on Memorial Day weekend but the first Sunday following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. How do we proclaim Christ as King where wars claim the lives of millions and lone gunmen turn high-powered rifles against a classroom full of nine and ten-year olds?  

A recent article in the Atlantic points out that, during this time of declining church attendance, there are churches who are experiencing explosive growth.  They appear to be attracting people who feel less at home in the US than they once did. Is it a reasonable expectation to feel at home?

What John the Seer wants us to see can be rather nightmarish, but it speaks a truth about the way systems and institutions operate that many can attest to. But, beyond the vision of mayhem and destruction, it also provides with a surprising and beautiful hope. That hope has a zip code. Here is a printable version.