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Risking the Church for the Sake of the Gospel

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(The following sermon was preached on May 5, 2013, the Sixth Sunday of Easter at Messiah Lutheran Church , Knoxville TN on the occasion of Messiah's first SERVE day experience. On SERVE day, Messiah's members gathered for one worship service, instead of two, and then left in teams, directly from worship, to go out into the community to participate in service projects. The text for this sermon is a modified version of the RCL pericope of the day,  Acts 16:(6-8) 9-15 . ) Those were the days, those long, lazy, carefree days of summer. Back then, my childhood friend and I would strike out on our bikes, unencumbered by time or fear or parental restriction. No helmets or fancy camelback water bottles. Just our bikes and a free and easygoing wanderlust. Me on my three speed Murray bike. My friend on his single speed Schwinn. Turning the pedals over we’d journey over suburban lanes, narrow dirt roads and grass covered fields. Whatever we desired; wherever we wanted; we would go,...
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Let Your God Love You.

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Be silent.  Be still. Alone. Empty Before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows. God understands. God loves you With an enormous love, And only wants To look upon you With that love. Quiet. Still. Be. Let your God— Love you. —Edwina Gateley,  Let Your God Love You
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Of Chicken Farms and Costly Grace

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(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church , Knoxville, TN on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 17, 2013. The sermon is based on the gospel text or the day, John 12:1-8 )  My first pastoral call was with a small family-size parish named Mt. Zion - St. Luke Lutheran Church. The small southwest Georgia towns of Oglethorpe and Montezuma -  separated only by the dirty brown water of the lazy Flint River - and the surrounding farm lands made up this mostly agriculture parish. In such an earthy place, so near the land, you couldn’t help but have your senses awakened by the smells and sounds, images and textures that surrounded you. Known mostly for its vast cotton fields and “pee-can” orchards, this land is also home to chicken farms and paper mills. Which, for any of you who have experienced the like, you know, chicken farms and paper mills produce THE...most...offensive...odor . Especially when those odors mix together on a hot, humid day. Depending on which wa...
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What's Your Program, Jesus?

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Sermon for January 27, 2013. Epiphany 3. Pastor Eric Murray. Luke 4:14-21. Jesus claims the words of the prophet Isaiah as his mission program.
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The Great Reversal

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In the midst of these Holy-days, I haven't had time to upload a written version of my sermon from Advent 4. But no worries, you can always go to Messiah Lutheran Church's podcast site on iTunes. My sermon from Advent 4 is entitled "The Great Reversal" . As we continue in these days of Christmas, may you be graced by God's great reversal, Immanuel, God With Us!
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Show Us What We’re Not Seeing

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(The following sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN on the First Sunday in Advent, December 2, 2012. The sermon arises from the Year C pericope for the day, specifically the gospel reading, Luke 21:25-36 .)  Most all of us have some sort of peculiar habit. Come on admit it. You know you do. We all, most everyone, have some little thing that we do - and yet don't realize we’re actually doing it - that after a while can really begin to annoy the people around us.   Take my mom for example. [Shhh, don’t tell her I talked about her.] She has this peculiar habit, as she’s riding down the road, of reading signs...out loud!     “Knoxville 120 miles” “Cracker Barrel next exit” “See Rock City” And this doesn’t happen just on the interstates. US and State Highways work just fine too... “Oh, look there, Turkey Creek Mall...” “Hey there’s Messiah Lutheran Church...Did I ever tell you that time I went to that Lutheran Churc...
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Can You Handle the Truth?

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(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church  on Sunday, October 21, 2012, on the occasion of the installation of the Reverend Pauline Pezzino as Associate Pastor. The sermon derives from the first reading for the occasion, Jeremiah 1:4-10 .) The theologian of rock music, Bono of the band U2, in the song, Magnificent , sings: I was born,  I was born  to sing for you I didn't have a choice  but to lift you up And sing whatever song  you wanted me to I give you back my voice from the womb My first cry,  it was a joyful noise... 1 I think you, Pauline, like U2’s Bono, were born to sing for God, to lift God up and sing the song God has called you to sing, to give back your voice, from the womb your first cry, a joyful noise. But this is no allusion to your gift for singing - as great as that gift is -but to your gift and calling for proclamation, the sharing of the gospel.  Yes, preaching is a form of singi...
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