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Sermon Archive |
 Jan 29, 2012 - On the Frontier The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin We are on the frontier every day. Evil is always lurking very close to us, ready to take over. Life on the frontier is dangerous, but within the promise of God, it is also victorious. (More...)
Jan 22, 2012 - What about them? The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin But the greatest respect one can hold for another is to say that I care about you so much that I want the best for you; I want to introduce you to my Savior Jesus. (More...)
Jan 15, 2012 - Come and See The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Come and see Jesus and be commissioned to invite others. (More...)
Jan 14, 2012 - Joy and Pain at Christmastime The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin There will be sadness at Christmastime. That is one kind of reality. But there is another reality: a joy that shines through the heartache and looks for God to keep his Word, and finally to make all things right. That joy shall get the last word. (More...)
Jan 8, 2012 - To marvel, to fear, to do, and thus believe The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Whenever it happens, we hear the Father say You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well-pleased, and know that the voice is talking with Jesus and is including us within the embrace of that voice. (More...)
Jan 1, 2012 - All in a Name The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Doing all that we do in the name of Jesus is indeed a lifetime job, but it is one which we are equipped to do "in the name of Jesus." (More...)
Dec 28, 2011 - Sorrow, Hope, and Fulfillment The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin In spite of the conflict, in spite of the sorrows, real as they are, give us that peace, Lord, that trust, that confidence in your victory which you promise will include us and our beloved. (More...)
Dec 25, 2011 - Et incarnatus est The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin God taking on flesh, becoming human, is the central claim of Christmas, the reason that he can become Savior for us. (More...)
Dec 24, 2011 - Becoming Simple Gifts The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin So our call is for all of us to be named Christopher, to be God-bearers, to be the gifts that God intends us to be, one to another. (More...)
Dec 24, 2011 - Extreme Humility The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin God submits to the great indignity and humiliation of taking on humanity himself in Jesus born in Bethlehem. (More...)
Dec 18, 2011 - Annunciation The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Yes, that Annunciation scene is not for Mary alone, but rather, it is to apply to all of us in the family of Christ. (More...)
Dec 11, 2011 - Rejoice! Good News! The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin There is Good news: It begins in our hearing of Jesus' life, death and rising for us, yes, for us. (More...)
Dec 7, 2011 - Separated The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin God is with you today, and nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (More...)
Dec 5, 2011 - Greetings! The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin What a wonderful way for the book of Revelation to begin. No matter if there are complex or difficult things to be said in the letter: Grace to you and peace from the one who is, who was, and who is to come. (More...)
Dec 4, 2011 - Heralds! The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin I'll put it this way: either you and I are heralds for the kingdom of God, or else we are heralds for something else. There is no fence on which to sit; there is no way to be just along for the ride. (More...)
Nov 27, 2011 - Look back, look ahead, look around The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Our actions now are to be a small anticipation of heaven, where everything is put right in its proper relationship with everything else. we're not making heaven; that is Jesus' job. (More...)
Nov 20, 2011 - Accountable? The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin We cannot draw an artificial boundary between us “good” people and everyone else, because our ways of judging what is good may be quite short-sighted and different from God's standards of judging. (More...)
Nov 13, 2011 - Encouragement of the Future Present The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin When budgets are tight, it is a very human tendency to think only about ourselves. The best antidote for that poison is to get busy giving Jesus away. Whenever we do so, the kingdom of heaven is breaking in a little more each time. (More...)
Nov 11, 2011 - Key Words for Veterans' Day The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Key Words for Veterans' Day: Discipline and Wholeness. (More...)
Nov 6, 2011 - To Pray without Ceasing The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Sometimes we get discouraged because we know how flawed we are, how far from perfection. But as we look at the names of all the Saints we know that they all had flaws, too. (More...)
Oct 23, 2011 - Holy Is and Holy Does The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Holiness is to regulate our daily lives. It is to be the spirit in which we fulfill the obligations of life in its simplest and commonest details. (More...)
Oct 9, 2011 - Welcome to the Banquet The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin The banquet invitation has been made, and needs to be made again and again. Each of us may be completely surprised whom it is that we are to reach, but the task is in front of us. (More...)
Oct 2, 2011 - Judgments Final and Otherwise The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin From beginning to end, the Bible is all about us needing to make an account for everything. (More...)
Sep 25, 2011 - Invitation to the Dance The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin So that when temptations come we can say, "Sorry, I won't be forced into a self-absorbed dance, or the dance to cheap success, or the dance of the easy way out. I've been invited to the dance of new life in Christ Jesus." (More...)
Sep 18, 2011 - What kind of Life? The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin What kind of life shall we have? Certainly, one which befits the free gift of the gospel of Christ. (More...)
Sep 11, 2011 - Forgiven Living The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Words of forgiveness are not an announcement made lightly nor to be heard flippantly. They are words of power, words which change lives from the inside out. (More...)
Sep 4, 2011 - Debt-free The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin There is a basic question floating around: What do we owe to Jesus? And there are two possible answers: Everything, or nothing. (More...)
Aug 28, 2011 - Did Jesus say “Pick up your sox.” or “Be who you truly are.”? The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin We are saved and redeemed not because of who we are and what we have done, but because of who God is and what he has done in Christ Jesus. (More...)
Aug 21, 2011 - The Community of Storytellers The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Why bother with church? Let me tell you the story of how the love of God continues to reach out to me. (More...)
Aug 15, 2011 - Baptized into Hope The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin May our actions at home, out in the community, and whenever we gather as church in the coming week match this faith in Christ's promises. (More...)
Aug 11, 2011 - Sacrifice The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin We celebrate this day that his confidence in the promise of baptism led George to pour out his life in service to the Lord Jesus and to so many persons around himself. (More...)
Aug 7, 2011 - Called and Sent through Water The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin God's actions in the Exodus set the pattern for what happens with us in Baptism. We are drowned, saved, defined, and commissioned. (More...)
Aug 5, 2011 - In Spite of Sorrow The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin As bereft and as lonely as the family feels this evening, they and we all have not been left alone. (More...)
Jul 31, 2011 - Extravagant Abundance The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Instead of focusing on what we think we can't do and don't have, let's enumerate what God has given us, and discern what he must be expecting from us. (More...)
Jul 24, 2011 - Kingdom, Crisis, Opportunity The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Oh, yes, baptism has brought us a treasure. It is not a happy-go-lucky kind of treasure, but one which brings us to a point of crisis inside ourselves and among us as the gathered people of the Lord Jesus. (More...)
Jul 17, 2011 - It's God's Harvest The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin When we attempt to turn away from the weeds in our lives, which Paul calls “the deeds of the body”, it is the Spirit that is accomplishing that in us. (More...)
Jul 10, 2011 - Unexpected Results The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin The snapdragons in our window boxes on the south side of the Parish House are most generous in dispensing seed. Maybe this is the way, this broadcasting the seed so broadly, is the way that God intends to be working among us. (More...)
Jul 3, 2011 - A Burden The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Our lives are different because of the witness of so many who have reminded us of Christ's gifts when we have been weak. May we stand ready to remind someone else of Christ's promises in the days ahead. (More...)
Jun 26, 2011 - True Hospitality The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Where community is shaped and strengthened by the promise of God, and Jesus reveals himself as the true host and the best gift, there is true hospitality. Hospitality is not a burden, but a joy just waiting to be discovered. (More...)
Jun 19, 2011 - Gather in awe; go with resolve and joy The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Let awe and wonder and praise of the Father be our entry into this life, and action of making disciples be our legacy for the next generation. (More...)
Jun 12, 2011 - Church Disrupted The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin We serve a living God, a God on the move, a God who seems to be unwilling to have us be too calm and cool and orderly, a God who keeps assigning us new tasks, and opening new needs to our eyes and hearts. (More...)
Jun 11, 2011 - An Argument with God The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin In God's good time, after the troublesome time is over, that time when it seemed as though God was silent for us, we will discover that the Lord has in fact been holding onto us, supporting us in ways that we did not understand or appreciate. (More...)
Jun 10, 2011 - Abide with us, Lord The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Stay with us, Lord, but not in order for us to hide out from the big bad world; but stay with us so that we can do as you command. (More...)
Jun 5, 2011 - Silent Action, Active Silence The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin At all of the right times, be quiet, listen, and get ready for new things! (More...)
May 29, 2011 - Hollow or Full? The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Where once we were empty tossed about by circumstances and conditions, now we are full of a living hope that is ready to spill out in what we say and do. And it has been that way ever since Jesus' resurrection. (More...)
May 22, 2011 - Stoned because of a Sermon The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin The vast majority of us will not be asked to face martyrdom, thanks be to God. That presents another problem: how can we be faithful over a long period of time, how do we respond positively and appropriately to God's gifts? (More...)
May 15, 2011 - Life Abundant The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Jesus lived in “abundant life” when he rebuked evil, ministered to those in pain, made bread in the desert, fed his people, and pointed to the Father. We live in “abundant life” when we follow that same path, reminding people of their worth before God. (More...)
May 14, 2011 - And Jacob Was Blessed The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin Here is the quick summary that we can hold in our memory today: Jacob was blessed by God Big John was blessed, and we are blessed also. (More...)
May 13, 2011 - Fresh Every Morning The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin From this day forward, what should we do? Receive good things from God; offer thanks for them; and use them well, in ways that will honor God the giver and aid our neighbor, in ways that bind together individuals into families and communities. (More...)
May 12, 2011 - Of First Importance The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin What is of first importance? Jesus right at the center of things, for Kitty, for us, for the whole church of all times and places. (More...)
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