First Presbyterian Church: Sermons

God's Coming Light..Refining ... December 10, 2006
An intervention is intended to upset things and move a person in a new direction. Sometimes it works and provides the opening to a new and healthy life; sometimes it fails and the chance for new life simply fades away. Gil and Margaret were showing signs of trouble and it seemed odd that these very friendly and committed church members always had an excuse when I sought to visit. I didn’t think a whole lot about it until a common friend pulled me aside and told me that no one had been in their house for years and their friends varied from curious to concerned. .....(read more)

God's Coming Light..In Justice ... December 3, 2006
My, it gets dark early. It happens every year but it still takes me back a bit, particularly when it feels like 10:00 pm and it is only 6:00. Add in a bit of cold and some nasty weather and folks start to hunker down. Some light would be nice. So we light a candle, one this week, two the next and on, waiting for the light, a light for the world. .....(read more)

On a Wave of Thanks ... November 26, 2006
With the great prompting, “Now what do you say?” parents and grandparents try to push their children to say hello, make introductions, say they are sorry, express thanks or offer whatever other greeting is appropriate to the setting. Alison and I well remember trying to give our oldest, Halsey, an introduction to the mysteries and etiquette of Halloween. Just shy of two, Halsey was decked out as a happy doggy (or some other animal with a tail - I remember the tail) and we worked the houses on Ashland Ave., our fine West side of Buffalo street. After two rounds of saying “trick or treat” and then “thank you” we made it to Dick’s house, the oldest guy on our block, a widower in his early 80's. .....(read more)

Greatness ... November 12, 2006
This sermon is for all who work hard ..... then have moments of wondering if the work is worth it. This sermon is for folks who care deeply and live generously yet have nagging times of counting the cost of care and measuring the impact. This one is about the long haul of living well. Yes, this sounds like it may be “preaching to the choir,” but you know, those of us in the choir need a sermon or two as well. .....(read more)

Where You Go I will Go... November 5, 2006
Milt was extremely pleased by the fact that he was able to go to the Jaques family reunion in Switzerland. Upon their return I learned that the French speaking portion of Switzerland is quite small in numbers but determined in spirit. Knowing that he had had a life time of misspellings, I asked him if anyone at the gathering put a “c” in Jaques. He smiled and responded: “If they do, they weren’t invited.” .....(read more)

New Eyes ... October 29, 2006
What a wonderful story! There is Bartimaeus screaming for help and announcing to the world that this strange itinerant preacher is none other than the Son of David. In the shadows of the capital he used a title that is both religious and political, thus a sign of hope and a treasonous protest. It is a great story. The compassion and intervention of the rabbi and healer, Jesus, allowed the man to regain his sight. .....(read more)

With Cries... October 15, 2006
Most of us gratefully treasure the intimacy of persons who can share our laughter and tears, joys and sorrows. We value the loved ones who have no interest in facades or time with game playing when it comes to things important in life. There is energy in truth telling, even if the truth is unpleasant, for in the long run, lies whittle away more of life than truth; the veneer of facades only serve to get in the way of living.....(read more)

On Integrity... October 8, 2006
My mind traveled to the young Amish women who work the stands at the market over at the Harbor Center and the groups on young Amish whom we’ve seen and greeted at Chincoteague and Assateague Islands on holiday. (Yes, Assateague is where the Mennonite and Amish go to play!) Separate communities yet overlapping; different yet part of the great mix that is the United States; a disconnect with things we call modern yet highly connected as farmers, as neighbors, as Christians.......(read more)

With What You've Got... October 1, 2006
While sharing the Passover meal, a Jewish friend said with a smile that one way to summarize Jewish history is this: “They tried to kill us all, they did not succeed , so let’s thank God and eat.” Thank God and celebrate. Thank God and remember. When trouble strikes, when the wheels fly off, it is good to remember that God is faithful and God’s people can be faithful as well......(read more)

Greatness... September 24, 2006
The great ones. In music Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles stand out. Much closer to my own eclectic tastes the Bobs come to mind: Bob Dylan, Bobby McFerrin and Bob Marley. I find Dylan’s raspy voice to be comforting in its own way. Great in my book, possibly not on your list. In fact, as soon as I think of greatness I am aware of how subjective a call it is......(read more)

Bottom Lines ... September 10, 2006
Worship is about God. That’s a good bottom line; when forgotten the church can get all out of sorts and turn into a self-help group, a variation of a country club or a wing of a political party. (You are probably not surprised that the various “voter guides” that I am urged to hand out at church go into the “circular file.”) Worship is also about faith intersecting with the ambiguities and oddities of human life; it is about dreams and hopes and prayers. .....(read more)

Micah: Restoration... July 30, 2006
“Well done.” “Thank you.” I am thinking about the power of words, the power to build up and form lives. There are the words of the intimacy: “You are important.” “You are beautiful.” “I love you.” The words carry great life-giving power. And, there are the words that tear down, powerful as well. “Go away.” “You are a bad boy.” “I don’t need you; I don’t like you.” We know of the power of labels. Freedom fighter - Terrorist. Good - Evil. Get stuck with the wrong label and life ends, figuratively in some places, literally in others.....(read more)

Micah: Charge... July 23, 2006
Yes, this is the passage that I use nearly every Sunday in the “charge” prior to the closing benediction. “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.” It is not only a personal favorite, it is clearly one of the great lines from the scriptures and one of the most powerful from the prophets. So, it is with a bit of fear and trepidation that I tread such holy ground and seek to add a word that might enliven the already powerful word from the prophet. l....(read more)

Micah: Promise... July 16, 2006
We were told by one of the great ones, Karl Barth, to go through life with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in another. It isn’t easy. It is hard to hold together the word from Micah with headlines from the Washington Post this week. Void of doing ones homework, it is tempting to say that the Bible is simply out of touch with the realities of the real world (wherever that may be found!) until one sits down and takes the Bible seriously. ....(read more)

Micah: Judgement... July 09, 2006
A prophet: the typical cartoon shows a scruffy, bearded man with a sign declaring “The end is near _ ” Most of us with ties to the faith have a bit more informed view of the prophet. The prophet looks like: - the champion of social justice like Martin Luther King, Jr. - a voice of protest against the abuse of power within the church such as a Martin Luther - the voice that calls people to faithfulness and compassion, like a Dorothy Day or Mother Theresa - the person who seems to embody the will of God in his or her actions like a Dietrich Bonhoeffer - or the person who joyfully embraces the beauty and vitality of life in the midst of ugliness or strife, like the wonderfully playful Desmond Tutu. ....(read more)

Jesus' Prayer for You ... May 28, 2006
I’ve yet to rush to the movie theater but I do hope to see the new film. The book was an easy, fun read and it was certainly written with the screen in mind, what with the rapid changing short scenes, a day long chase and a good dose of sex, death and a back handed swipe at the authority of the church. “The Da Vinci Code” is a fine story - complete fiction and for that reason hardly a threat to the proclamation of the gospel....(read more)

Staying Connected ... May 14, 2006
Staying connected. I phoned both adult sons this week with the question, “Do you remember what day it is on Sunday?” Having been assured that they knew it was Mother’s Day, I insulted each of them with the follow up, “And, what are you going to do about it?” Staying connected. My parents are planning a move from their retirement home of 22 years to a setting of an apartment with extended care options. We are all struggling a bit of how this will all work over the many miles given the fact that they live in Arkansas and plan to move to Minnesota. Phone calls have increased..(read more)

Living It ... April 23, 2006
There is the church for you! We come right off of Easter into a stewardship drive. We go from brass and choirs, flowers and crowds singing the marvelous hymns of Easter to things like members tutoring in the Czech Republic, announcements of work camps to the Gulf Coast, and reminders to scrap paint on the ZW house, show up for tutoring at the Stanton Center and provide leaders for the youth ministry through the spring and summer. On top of that, we are launching a drive to pay off the mortgage on that great house next door that we call the Zimmerman-Wilson House. Yes, sounds like the church - we move from Easter to the work of people who actually act as if they believe in the resurrection ...(read more)

Stepping off the Curb ... Palm Sunday, 2006
You’re here; you showed up for the parade. Good for you! Before we try to figure out just what Jesus might have been up to and what this procession on a donkey with palms and shouts might mean for us, it is helpful to acknowledge that we have made a first step. We are here. And, according to the philosopher Woody Allen, 50% of life is just showing up. So, I’m pleased that you are here, palms and all, shouts and all and, hopefully, at least a bit of curious about this event of 2000 years ago in the city of Jerusalem and what it might mean for your life today. ...(read more)

Action, Deception and Foundations ... April 2, 2006
Ahhh, Spring! It is as though nature itself is calling us to life, calling us out to the beauty of it all. True, but then we joke about the more suspicious forms of calling. “The couch is calling,” when the ironing is stacked and the bathrooms need cleaning. Or, the word goes out that “the hammock is calling me,” when weeding is on the agenda. Who, what is calling? ...(read more)

When Getting Back Goes Around ... March 26, 2006
Sometimes it just circles back and gets you. I trust that you know the old “kick the dog” adage. In highly stereotypical terms, the story goes like this. Dad gets home from a bad day at work and snaps at the mom. Not happy at all, Mom stews for a bit then yells at one of the kids. The picked on child, rather low on the totem pole, kicks the dog and then the dog turns around and bites the dad. ...(read more)

We've Kept the Cross ... March 12, 2006
We’ve not only kept a cross in our sanctuary, when Lent arrives we take out the stylized brass one and bring in an old rugged cross. It fills up the front of the chancel. We drape it in purple for the days of Lent, change it to black on Good Friday then surround it with flowers and go to a white bunting on Easter to remind every one that out of death came new life, from the cross God brought about resurrection. ...(read more)

After Trouble ... March 5, 2006
Mark certainly clips along. In this first chapter there is no reference at all to Jesus’ birth or childhood. We open with adults, hearing about John the Baptist then three verses describing Jesus’ baptism, two sentences on the temptation and the entire introduction to Jesus’ ministry wrapped up in one sentence: ...(read more)

Beyond Grasp ... February 26, 2006
I love the wonder of it all .... and the strangeness of it all. I am speaking about worship. Here we are, a bunch of modern folk, equipped with rational western education, toting our lap top computers and cellular phones who decide that gathering around an ancient story - the Bible - and mysterious practices - like prayer and sacraments - are vitally important to living today. ...(read more)

On Anger and Healing ... February 19, 2006
I asked him, “Why are you telling so few people?” John, a good friend and local U.C.C. pastor in our Western New York town, was dying of liver cancer and was being uncharacteristically private about things; typically he was very out going and wide open with his attitudes and emotions. But, John said, “I’d like to tell more but I need a lot of people around me right now and I am afraid that the word ‘terminal’ will scare them away.” ...(read more)

Opening of Eyes Long Closed ... February 5, 2006
“.... In fact, this reading is the continuation of an account of a day in the life of Jesus. As you will recall from last week, it was the Sabbath day, and Jesus and his disciples were in a synagogue in Capernaum where he was teaching and casting out unclean spirits.And now the travel log of this day resumes in these next verses. Mark 1:29-39...(read more)

Naming ... January 29, 2006
The woman had gone through a great deal of trouble so we sat down to talk and to pray. The details of the visit have faded into memory but I do recall the general flow of the conversation. She described some of the specific troubles but then put it together with a description of a dark cloud of despair: “I’m just weighed down by it all.” (read more)

Drafted ... January 22, 2006
Sometimes life hits hard. We don't ask for trouble but it can strike. And, some things just happen for no apparent rhyme or reason: a child enters the world with a severe handicap; one couple in their 80's experiences wonderful health and mobility, another finds a decade of alternating care for an ailing partner; one woman works hard and makes a good living, another works just as hard but the company folds and she is out of a job. (read more)

Called For ... January 15, 2006
“Now that was uncalled for!” Were you ever reprimanded that way by your mother or father? “Now, Billy (yes, I confess that I carried that nick-name for more years than I could tolerate) that was uncalled for!” It is a fascinating use of language. It implies that some things are in fact called for, called out, summoned from our lives and, well, other things, like insulting your sister (another confession) are simply “uncalled for.”
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The Other Side of the Pageant ... January 8, 2006
“.... they left for their own country by another road.” That's the last that we hear of the wise men in the Christmas story, as it comes to us from Matthew. Herod, the king, had made the wise men promise to come back to him and tell him of the location of this newborn king of the Jews. Lying through his teeth, Herod told the wise men that he too wanted to pay homage to the special, God sent child. After their visit the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod so they went home by another road...(read more)

2005 Sermons...