Ascension Written Sermons

COVENANT (3/25/2012 by Bob Wadley When I read the lectionary for today, I thought, what does the Jeremiah reading about God making a new covenant with Israel have to do with the reading in John in which Jesus talks about losing one's life in order to save it? Well, maybe we can make a connection. But, first, a few words about why I'm standing up here this morning. As a young boy I was active in a fundamentalist church, learned a lot of Bible verses and thought I might want to be a minister when I grew up. Then, as I moved into my late teens, through college and early adulthood, church wasn't a major part of my life. I didn't turn away from the church, I just didn't give it much thought. Occasional attendance, but no commitment. I suspect that might be true for many of us here today during that time in our lives. Then came marriage, children, career and re-involvement in church, including being Senior Warden of St....

The Rev. Robert P. Travis Lent 4B Sermon – 8am and 10:30am Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN RCL 3/18/2012 Scripture Text: Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21 Sermon Text: I love it when I have the chance to preach on the third chapter of John. I mean, actually it's kind of daunting, because this is the place where possibly the most famous bible verse takes center stage. I guess it would be like a music teacher, trying to find something new to say about Beethoven's 5 th , or an art teacher trying to find something interesting to say about the Mona Lisa. I mean, John 3:16 is made famous, at just about every televised football game, by someone dressed to attract the cameras. However could I improve on a guy with a rainbow wig, with John 3:16 painted in blue on his naked belly? The good news is, God's word is a living word, and I have found that there is always some different way that a passage s...

The Second Sunday of Lent, Year B March 4, 2012 I Come Expecting Jesus The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess Introduction: Many of us here this morning, including myself, have been taught to win and to aspire to become movers and shakers. By no means have we agreed to be limited by our circumstances; in fact, we have been taught to rise above them. Many of us have read self-help books, attended development seminars, and often built our lives upon the strong values of prosperity and professional success. One of the books I read earlier in my adult life was Dale Carnegie’s How to win friends and influence people (1937). This book, like many others of this genre, such as Stephen Covey’s The 7 habits of highly effective people (1989), attempted to provide formulas for success. Consequently, many of us have become wise about the ways of the world, but I might add not equally wise about the workings of the Holy Spirit. I can still hear my father’s well-intentioned ...