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Sermon January 19, 2020 Come and See: Embracing Art and Culture (3 of 5 in a series on Renewing the Mainline Church) Reverend Mark Longhurst John 1:29-42 Jesus tells the disciples to “Come and see.” These disciples are not first, the text says, disciples of Jesus. They are followers of John the Baptist and they Continue reading …
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Sermon January 12, 2020 Discovering Mysticism (2 of 5 in a series on Renewing the Mainline Church) Reverend Mark Longhurst Mathew 2: 1-12 The Magi come from the East, and they have been observing a star. In ancient Greek circles, star-gazing is highly respected. Stars are thought to shine brightly at the birth of Continue reading …
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Sermon January 5, 2020 Revisioning Theology (On John 1, Incarnation, Trinity, and Cosmology) Reverend Mark Longhurst John 1: 1-18 John starts off, like all gospel writers do, courageously. In his first, memorable words, he reaches back to nothing less than the beginning of space and time, the origins of creation. He does this by referencing Continue reading …
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Sermon December 8, 2019 “… and a little child shall lead them” David Langston Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19, Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12, Romans 15:4-13 When I was asked to offer a meditation on how today’s biblical passages — for this, the second Sunday in Advent — might provide a few lessons regarding the climate crisis, my Continue reading …
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Sermon December 15, 2019 Be Strong, Do Not Fear, Here is God Reverend Mark Longhurst Isaiah 35: 1-10 It’s a vision for the renewal of all things. After ancient Israelites fell and scattered first to Assyria and then to Babylon, God is returning to Zion. It is happening. The exile is ending. The ecological crisis Continue reading …
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Sermon December 1, 2019 Neither Shall They Learn From Fossil Fuels Anymore Reverend Mark Longhurst Isaiah 2: 1-5 It takes courage to dream dreams. It takes imagination to say, with the prophet Isaiah, that nations shall not lift up sword against nation. It takes courage to envision a world beyond fossil fuels. Is such good Continue reading …
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Sermon November 24, 2019 In Everything, Give Thanks Reverend Mark Longhurst 1Thessalonians 5:12-28 This passage comes from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. It is a tender and pastoral letter, written sometime around 40 CE, filled with gratitude for the work God is doing in their community, and exhortations to live a Christ-filled life. Think Continue reading …
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Sermon November 17, 2019 The Terror of Love Reverend Mark Longhurst 1 John 4: 16-21 James Baldwin “White Racism or World Community” James Baldwin, in 1968, is angry. Martin Luther King Jr. has been shot. Three years before, Malcolm X is shot. The 1963 murder of NAACP Mississippi Field Secretary Medgar Evers still hangs heavy Continue reading …
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Sermon November 3, 2019 The Reality of Faith Reverend Mark Longhurst Hebrews 11:1-7, 12:1-2 It’s difficult to be real. Even in a church, it’s rare to encounter unadulterated authenticity, to peer through the veil of things not seen in a life. That’s why some of the most memorable teachers, preachers, and leaders mark themselves on Continue reading …
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Sermon October 27, 2019 Love without Masks Reverend Mark Longhurst 1 John 4:7-12 There James Baldwin is, in Senegal, in 1962, and he is supposedly reporting on assignment by the New Yorker for a piece on Africa. And yet, all he can think of is the moral reckoning of race his country is facing. So, Continue reading …