Ascension Written Sermons

The Rev. Robert P. Travis 1st Sunday of Advent Sermon – 8:00 and 10:30am Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN RCL Advent 1 Year A 11/28/2010 Text: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 The welcome we look forward to In the prophecy of Isaiah is fantastic! People of all nations will stream to the mountain of the Lord like a river in the Smokey Mountains Pouring over and around the rocks and other obstacles Streaming into that holy city Where all will be made new. Some would find it scandalous, That people of such diversity would all be welcomed, Into the city of God. And many who come shall say “come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." They’re not inviting us to go up there So that we can be judged by human standards Or where we will discover that we had it right all along It is a place where we can learn to walk in his paths. But wait! I thought that was...

The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost October 31, 2010 I Want to See Jesus The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess I. Introduction: First of all, I want to share with you how wonderful it is to be home at Ascension. We have missed you and have looked forward to telling you the story of our trip to Madagascar. Installment one begins this morning. Many of you grew up with Zacchaeus, just as I did. Week after week in Sunday School, we sang about this little man who climbed up into a tree in order to see Jesus and wound up hosting him for dinner. In the Middle East, there is great importance placed upon sharing a meal together; therefore Jesus’ decision to invite himself to Zacchaeus’ home to share a meal had a great deal of positive meaning. Even the initial step that Jesus took to recognize Zacchaeus prompted Zacchaeus to make sweeping changes in his lifestyle. These changes were radical, but they began with the intention as small as it might be,...