Sermons from April 2025

… Jesus was crucified because of the culmination of his work defending the defenseless, bringing in those who were cast out, declaring clean those who were labeled unclean, and in so doing, challenging the religious/political systems of the day, or as the powers that be usually interpret it, insurrection. But at his death a curious thing happens. Luke 23:47 says, “When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’” Kind of a powerful…

I have long said that I believe that Palm Sunday may be the most misunderstood Sunday in the Christian Calendar (with Pentecost right on its tail!). Too often the story stops with the crowds waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna” (neither of which exist in Luke’s Gospel, by the way!), and don’t get to the part of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, and then shifting from grief to anger and driving the money changers out of the temple. It’s a wild…

Hello, Beloved of PPUMC! I write today with great excitement. Do you know what yesterday was? It was the Twins Home Opener! One of my favorite days of the year! And this Sunday we get one of my all time favorite passages. We will be looking Zacchaeus, who was a wee little man. This story is a mere 10 verses, but it packs a huge punch, and in it will be dealing with the dreaded “E-Word”… “evangelism”. I’m looking forward…