Ascension Written Sermons

The Rev. Amy Morehous Lent IV, Year A Church of the Ascension March 30, 2014 1 Samuel 16:1- 13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 I am waiting on the light to shine, I am waiting for the light to shine. I have lived in the darkness for so long, I am waiting for the light to shine. --- From “Waiting for the Light” from Big River Darkness and light. Holy surprise. Our readings today are full of it. If you are the man born blind, you have lived your whole life in darkness, begging for your daily bread, never fully welcomed by your community, because clearly you or your parents have committed some grievous sin, which has manifested itself in your blindness. Then one Sabbath day, without any direct conversation with you, some strange man, a man you didn't even ask for help, appears before you. This man spits in the dirt at your feet, rubs mud on your eyes, and tells you to wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. And you go as you have been told, not sure if y...

Must We Stay in the Wasteland? March 9, 2014 Episcopal Church of the Ascension The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess I. Introduction . Jesus is in the wasteland today . Just following his exhilarating experience of being affirmed by God at his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, the wasteland. The plot line of Jesus’ story moved very rapidly; there was no wasted time. Have you ever asked yourself why Jesus, the Son of God, was required to undergo this experience of temptation? Let me offer up an explanation that has made sense to me. Jesus is fully divine, he is the Son of God, and as the Son of God is acquainted with, but not subject to , evil’s tempting ways, its manipulations, and its subtle distortions. But Jesus is also fully human, the Son of Man. He had free will and therefore was subject as are we to evil’s tempting ways and could have made different choices. Jesus needed to be tested in order to become be...

The Rev. Robert P. Travis Lent 2A Sermon  – 8am and 10:30am  Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN RCL  3/16/2014 Scripture Text: Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 121, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, John 3:1-17 Sermon Text: Don’t you just love the psalm we read today? “I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from?” Many people come to our mountains looking for help, solace, peace, or at least beauty. And how blessed we are to live near them, and to be able to go into them seeking, and finding. But the psalmist continues, my help comes  from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He looks higher than the mountains, for a greater help. Last night I thanks to the generosity of some of our friends in the parish, Jackie and I got to go to a concert, and hear a band that I really liked in the 1990’s, called the Indigo Girls. Have you heard of them? One of my favorite songs of theirs from back then, is called Closer to Fine...