Ascension Written Sermons

The Rev. Robert P. Travis 7/27/201 Pentecost 12A RCL Sunday Sermon –  8 and 10:30am Service, Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN Sermon Text: Here we are in the middle of the Green Season, what we refer to as Ordinary Time. You know my daughters state unequivocally that this is their least favorite of the Church Seasons. I suppose I should be glad that they even know the Church Seasons to have a favorite and a least favorite. This is the season where ordinary things happen, where there is little of the cosmic drama that we see in Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. So I can see why for children who are looking for the next best experience of their lives, the ordinariness of Ordinary time could seem dull. N.T. Wright describes the ordinary things we do like this: “ What you do in the present – by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigni...

The Rev. Robert P. Travis Proper 9A Sermon – 8am and 10:30am Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN RCL 7/6/2014  Scripture Text: Zechariah 9:9-12, Psalm 45:11-18, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19,25-30  Sermon Text: When I sat down to prepare what I was going to say today, I was reminded of that song, from Porgy and Bess, “Summertime, and the living is easy.” No, this time I'm not going to sing it for you. It's not that I want to disappoint you, I just don't know it that well. But that line stood out to me. Partly, I guess, because for many Summertime does not mean the living is easy. But this week we hear from Jesus, another challenging statement “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Last week I was struck to the heart by Jesus statement, “if anyone loves wife or children more than me, he is not worthy of me.” And I wondered for real, am I not worthy of you Jesus? because I love my ...