Sermons

“Conspiracy Theory” A Sermon on Mark 6:14-29 for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B; preached July 15, 2018, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   Estefany Galvez, age 18, lives in a trailer in the “Little Mexico” section of Norwalk, Ohio, a city of 17,000 just about 10 miles off the Lake…

“Breaking the Law to Do What is Right” A Sermon on Mark 2:23 – 3:6 for the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B; preached June 3, 2018, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   As the story goes, there once was an ashram (as monasteries are often called in south Asian religions)… there…

“Is it Math?  Or is it Mystery?” A Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-8 for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, Year B; preached May 27, 2018, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   I’m curious… when you walk in to this space on a Sunday morning as we gather for worship, what do you notice? …

“For Terror and Amazement Had Seized Them” A Sermon on Mark 16:1-8 for Easter Sunday, Year B; preached April 1, 2018, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   For terror and amazement had seized them. For terror and amazement had seized them. For terror … and amazement… had seized them. Quite the contrast with…

“Creating Promise out of Pain” A Sermon on Genesis 21:8-21 for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A; preached June 25, 2017, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   Most people, including—arguably—most Christians, do not understand what the Bible really is. [Have I gotten your attention?] Yes, indeed, when it comes right down…

“Spoken into Creation” A Sermon on Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a for Trinity Sunday, Year A; preached June 11, 2017, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister[1]   As a clergyperson, I get told things from time to time that I simply don’t know how to react to.  It’s an occupational hazard, you could say—one of those…

“I Have Seen the Lord!” A Sermon on John 20:1-18 for Easter Day, Year A; preached April 16, 2017, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   The link between Easter and new birth runs long and deep in our culture’s collective consciousness.  For weeks, if not months, now, the stores have been decked out in…

“Boot Camp for the Soul:  Reset” A Sermon on John 3:1-17 (with Genesis 12:1-4a) for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, Year A; preached March 12, 2017, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   Back while I was in college at Michigan State—a computer science major, as many of you know—I spent my summers working for…

“New Year, Same Promises:  God’s Promise of Blessing” A Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 (with 1st Cor. 1:18-31) for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A; preached January 29, 2017, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister   It’s hard to believe, sometimes, just how many problems can come with just one little section of…

“New Year, Same Promises:  God’s Promise of Ministry” A Sermon on Matthew 4:12-23 for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A; preached January 22, 2016, by the Rev. Matthew Emery, Senior Minister[1]   And Jesus saw two brothers, James and John, in the boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. Immediately…