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: Oil on Stone
July 23, 2017 Genesis 28:10-19 In 1861, a wholesale grocer named Wilmer McLean lived in Manassas, Virginia. As it happened, one of the first major battles of the Civil War would erupt nearly in his front yard. One of the Confederate Army commanders, General Beauregard, made Wilmer McLean’s house his headquarters during the battle. Beauregard…
Sermon: How Shall We Stand?
July 16, 2017 Genesis 25:19-34 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 In 1791, King Kamehameha invited his cousin Keoua to attend the dedication of a new heiau at Kawaihae, dedicated to Ku, the god of war. A prophet had declared that when the temple was completed and consecrated with a sacrifice, it meant that Kamehameha would achieve undisputed…
Sermon: “Test of Compassion”
July 9, 2017 Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 It’s a curious thing, but my social life is one of those things that I don’t feel I should delegate to someone else. For better or for worse, I feel like I should be the one deciding about the person to whom I’m attracted and the person I’m…
Sermon: “Aloha”
July 8, 2017 This sermon was preached at the Kalapana Mauna Kea Congregational Church UCC's 194th Ho‘ike, celebrating the theme "Aloha Kekahi I Kekahi - Love one Another." 1 John 4:7-8 Aloha! I give thanks to God for the privilege to be with you this morning, and mahalo to Kahu Mike Warren for the invitation…
Sermon: “Stressed Disciples”
June 25, 2017 Matthew 10:24-39 Sometimes you just can’t count on Jesus. Take this week, for instance. I had a plan. Some weeks ago, I read over the Scriptures for these Sundays in June, I chose the ones that I’d preach about, and I chose the themes I’d speak about. I was particularly fond of…
Sermon: “Discipling Light”
June 18, 2017: Father’s Day Matthew 9:35-10:16 For many years, my duties for the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ included setting up or coordinating most of the technology for the Annual Meeting of the Conference. That meant that I showed up with a bunch of equipment: digital projectors to display images, backup…
Sermon: “The Price of Dominion”
June 11, 2017: Trinity Sunday Genesis 1:1-2:3 The author of this creation account in Genesis has such a lovely, poetic approach to telling the story. It comes with lovingly repeated phrases such as, “God said, ‘Let there be…’”, and “It was good,” and “there was evening and there was morning…” They give the passage a…
Sermon: Wide-Ranging Spirit
June 4, 2017: Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21 Have any of you ever worried about anything? I guess you have. Which leads me to ask, have any of you ever heard a sillier question? I can really think of only one that has a more likely answer of “Yes,” and that’s this: “Have you ever breathed…
Sermon: “Jesus’ Witnesses”
May 28, 2017: Seventh Sunday of Easter John 17:1-11, Acts 1:6-14 It's confession time. Early in my ministry — I’d been a pastor for less than five years — I finished worship one Sunday with the sense that I’d heard that sermon before. And not just because I served two churches in those days, and preached…
Sermon: “Wonders and Signs”
May 7, 2017: Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 2:42-47 “Many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles” – a better translation would be, “through the apostles,” meaning that God was acting through them – but that’s not the point. One of the characteristics of the first days of the Church following Pentecost was…
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