Rev. Dr. Les Martin Ascension 2023Rev. Dr. Les MartinLuke 24:44–53 In the name of the living God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Isaiah is five weeks of age and I already don’t know my son. For the first two weeks right after his birth and then when we were back in the hospital, yes, I knew almost…
A circle of friends on pilgrimage for the love of God
A circle of friends on pilgrimage for the love of God
Sermons on Luke
Easter 3 2023Rev. Dr. Les MartinLuke 24:13–35 One of the interesting things about moving back to this region after all these years away, I’ve now spent more of my life outside of East Tennessee than I did here, even though I grew up here. And one of the particularly interesting things about moving to this side of town is I have occasion…
AnnunciationRev. Doug FloydIsaiah 7:10-14, Luke 1:46-55, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:26-38 Gabriel suddenly appears to Mary with the word, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [1] This moment is charged with glory and holy terror, and the angel immediately calms Mary with the words, “Do not fear for you have found favor with God.” Before Mary can say a word,…
Feast of the Holy NameChristmas 2Rev. Doug FloydExodus 34:1-9, Psalm 8, Romans 1:1-7, Luke 2:15-21 Today the church celebrates the eighth day after the birth of Jesus. On this day, Mary and Joseph took the baby to the Temple for circumcision and to officially name Him Jesus. We pause and reflect on the sacred name of Jesus. We read and sing the…
Rev. Doug Floyd Christmas Eve 2022Rev. Doug FloydLuke 2:1-38 Caesar Augustus decrees that all the world should be registered. “All the world” As “all the world travels” to their own towns, Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, and she gives birth to a son and wraps him in swaddling cloths and lays him in a manger. This little baby in a tiny…
22nd Sunday After Pentecost – November 6, 2022Fr. Rob Goebel Luke 20:27-38 Let’s Pray. Heavenly Father, you gave your apostles grace truly to believe and to preach your word: Grant that we might love what they believed and preach whey taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Imagine with me for a minute a dark planet. Cold and forbidding. A place where everyone…
All Saints SundayRev. Michelle Floyd One of my favorite artworks around All Saints Day is Fra Angelico’s piece entitled “The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs,” which Father Doug used on the front of the bulletin today. I love that the saints in the paintings have personality, carry items that identify them, and are focused on something beyond the perspective of…
Rev. Doug Floyd The Risk of Reading the BiblePentecost +14Rev. Doug FloydExodus 32:1, 7–14, Psalm 51:1–17, 1 Timothy 1:12–17, Luke 15:1–10 In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I fear that many most Christians perceive the Bible way too safe. When I asked one student had she read any of the Bible, she said no. And…
A Crisis in LeadershipPentecost +10Rev. Doug FloydJeremiah 23:23-29, Psalm 82, Hebrews 12:1–14, Luke 12:49-56 There’s a crisis in leadership. Have you ever had to sit under an unjust judge? Maybe in the business world or maybe in the courtroom or even in our political state. When I was in graduate school, I worked as a writer for a company. One of the…
Rev. Doug Floyd For many people on the right and the left, truth has become a weapon that damages and destroys others. Last week, Father Isaac offered a challenge. In light of the recent Supreme Court decision in regard to Roe vs Wade he said, “As Christians embrace the truth of human life, we must…