Sermons
Each week, we post Sunday’s sermon by Rev. Eric Anderson. If you can’t join us on Sunday morning, try following #3tweetsermon on Twitter.
Sermon: The Humble Deity
October 1, 2023 Philippians 2:1-13Matthew 21:23-32 “Paul’s rhetorical purpose,” writes Troy Troftgruben at Working Preacher, “is primarily to give a pattern of thinking and living for believers in Philippi — one grounded in the way of Jesus.” So, what’s the pattern? Mutual love, which he describes as concern for the interests of others. Humility that…
Sermon: The Price of Success
September 24, 2023 Jonah 3:10-4:11Matthew 20:1-16 Let’s sit with Jonah for just a minute and consider the price of success. God called Jonah to urge the residents of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, to repent their evil ways. Assyria was one of the great empires of northern Mesopotamia, and had a reputation for great…
Sermon: Awe-full Mercy
September 17, 2023 Romans 14:1-12Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiveness is easy. We do it all the time. It happens in the grocery store. Somebody comes around the corner just a little too quickly – and let’s face it, coming around a corner from behind a shopping basket is pretty much designed to prevent a good view of…
Sermon: Your Sandals on your Feet
September 10, 2023 Exodus 12:1-14Matthew 18:15-20 There is a difference between last week’s command, “Take off your shoes,” and this week’s command, “Have your sandals on your feet.” The difference, of course, is urgency. The story of Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush has a considered, unhurried feel. Contrast that with some other…
Sermon: Saying Everything and Nothing
September 3, 2023 Exodus 3:1-15Matthew 16:21-28 If you asked me my name, and I said, “I am what I am,” you might believe that I had mistaken myself for Popeye. Or, I suppose, you might wonder what happens when I eat canned spinach. I’ve got you wondering now, haven’t I? If you asked me my…
Sermon: Heroines
August 27, 2023 Exodus 1:8-2:10Romans 12:1-8 I have my prejudices, judgements that I’ve made basically for myself that I bring to situations I find in the world. I know. Pre-judgement. It’s a risky thing. One of my prejudices is that good government brings the greatest good to the greatest number of people. The more people…
Sermon: Harsh Words
August 20, 2023 Isaiah 56:1, 6-8Matthew 15:10-28 It’s a little tempting to read this section of Matthew as the time that Jesus nearly gave it all up and walked away. A couple weeks ago, remember, I preached about Jesus’ attempt to find privacy and grieve for John the Baptist. That effort ended when the crowds…
Sermon: Oh, Brothers
August 13, 2023 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28Romans 10:5-15 As I noted a couple of weeks ago, some of the heroes and heroines of the Bible don’t make great role models. You might recall from the last Sunday in July that Jacob’s father-in-law, Laban, tricked him into marrying his daughter Leah, rather than his daughter Rachel, who…
Sermon: Crowded
August 6, 2023 Isaiah 55:1-5Matthew 14:13-21 I have just a touch of claustrophobia. I’m fine in elevators but you won’t catch me taking on cave climbing as a hobby. One of the very worst moments in my life took place many years ago when I was in a crawl space beneath a house and got…
Sermon: Biblical Family
July 30, 2023 Genesis 29:15-28Romans 8:26-39 This is an era in which legal and social definitions of family have been shifting. I suspect you could say that about most eras, but it does seem quite true of this one. Amidst all that shifting, some voices have raised and praised the standard of “Biblical marriage.” They…
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