Sermons from December 2011

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Christmas Eve – December 24, 2011 Luke 2:1-20 It is Christmas Eve – that time when there seems to be a bit of magic in the air. Or to put it another way, that night when the membrane between heaven and earth is so thin that we can almost see through it. It is a night in which we often soften the image of the holy family as Jesus is born. We like it to…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Advent – December 18, 2011 Luke 1:26-38 I have a question for you. Do you believe that God is still active in the world? Do you believe that God is still active in our world today? “How can this be,” Mary asks in Luke’s gospel today, “since I am a virgin?” And the angel replies, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Advent – December 11, 2011 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Today’s gospel reading is about the John the Baptist from the perspective of the Apostle John. Last week we heard the story from Mark’s perspective. If you will recall, Mark’s story was more concerned with the baptism of repentance, while John’s telling of it is more concerned with the testimony, or the witness, of John the Baptist. Rather than placing a focus on the character of…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Advent – December 4, 2011 Mark 1:1-8 We should not miss the first word of this Gospel, “Beginning.” We are reminded of the book of Genesis, which begins, “In the beginning.” Just as that book describes the beginning of all creation, this Gospel, Mark’s gospel, describes the salvation work of Jesus Christ — the culmination of God’s creative relationship with the world. The beginning, for this Gospel, does not start with a baby in a…