Encouraging forgiveness

Collect: Proper 19

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives  and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Exodus 14:19-31  . . .  Despite Israel’s fear and unfaithfulness, God rescues them from the advancing Egyptians.

Psalm 114. . .  The Play of Spirit

Romans 14:1-12 . . . Paul explains that nothing in our lives is outside the reign of Christ.

 Matthew 18:21-35  . . .  One slave refuses to share the forgiveness he receives from the king.

Sermon by  Rev. Carla Pratt Keyes, Pastor of Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.

Examination of  God’s call to community

Proper 18

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for as you always resist the proud who confide in their strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen

Exodus 12:1-14  . . .  God commands Moses and Aaron to institute the first Passover, as a community day of remembrance.

Psalm 149

Romans 13:8-14  . . .  Paul describes the characteristics and behaviors of believers in community.

Matthew 18:15-20 . . . Jesus tells his disciples to persist in their pursuit of reconciliation.

Rev. Rachel May, Pastor of Boulevard United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, looks at the text from Exodus 12 in a whole new way. Instead of giving us instructions about how to keep the Passover feast she focuses on those first two verses, where God gives instructions about what to do with our calendars

The core of the faith upon which we build our Christian community—Jesus as Christ and Son of God

Collect Proper 16

Grant, O merciful God, that your church, being gathered to gather in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all people,  to the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen

Exodus 1:8-2:10 . . . The Egyptian Pharaoh begins his campaign of forced labor and genocide on the Hebrew slaves.

Psalm 124 . . .  “Blessed be God, no longer are we fodder for our foes.

Romans 12:1-8 . . . Paul’s teaching about God’s great plan of salvation invites a radical transformation of mind and body in conformity with God’s will.

Matthew 16:13-20 . . . Peter finally recognizes Jesus’ true identity: “the Messiah, Son of the living God.”

The Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister of the Riverside Church in New York City, preaches a sermon from Matthew 16:13-20 called, “The Real Question.” She asks, “Have you ever wondered: who is Jesus? That’s really the question we Christians are all trying to answer—to the world, to each other, to ourselves—isn’t it?” and then she says, “I used to know the answer . . . when I was 5.” Find out how much Amy has learned since then by pushing the play button.

God’s all-inclusive mercy

Collect: Proper 15

Almighty God, who hast given thy only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin and also an example of godly life: Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also endeavor ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Genesis 45:1-15 . . . Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers.

Psalm 133 . . . The treasure of unity

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 . . . The hopelessness of our disobedience lets God have mercy on us all.

Matthew 15:(10-20)21-28 . . .  A bold Canaanite woman earns Jesus’ approval by clinging to his mercy.

“The Chemistry Of The Crumbs“,  by Bishop T.D. Jakes  (a five-part  sermon).

Note: I would have titled this sermon “I’ve Got a Devil to Fight.”  We all don’t have to be moms to be in the picture.  The Chemistry of the crumbs works for all who have a devil to fight, all who have something or someone who, from time to time,  insist on blocking the way of the God’s presence.  We are all entitled to God’s mercy.

How God responds to our need for help.

Collect: Proper 14[I]

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28  . . . Joseph is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers.

Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b . . . Song of Remembrance — how committed  God always was to the original promise

Romans 10:5-15 . . . Paul declares that salvation comes to those who call on Jesus as Lord

Matthew 14:22-33 . . . Peter’s faith falters as he walks toward Jesus over the waves, but Jesus holds him.

Collect: Proper 13

Let your continual mercy,  O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Genesis 32:22-31 . . .  Jacob, on the night before his confrontation with his brother Esau, wrestles all night with a man he comes to recognize as God.

Psalm 17: 1-7, 15 . . .  A plea for justice and protection by one who followed God’s ways.

Romans 9:1-5 . . . Paul expresses his anguish and sorrow that so many of the children of Israel, the people especially favored by God, have not found the Lord’s promise.

Matthew 14: 13-21 . . . the story of Jesus feeding over 5,000 people.

Sermon for the Week

God’s presence and how we are to respond to it.

Collect: Proper 12

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy;  that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Genesis 29;15-28  — Jacob meets his match in his future father and law, the deceptive Laban.

Psalm 105: 1-11, 45b — Celebrating God’s forming of a people through the generations.

Psalm 128 — The one who reverses the Lord will  be blessed with many children, a long life, and the prosperity of Jerusalem

Romans 8:26- 39 — PAUL  expresses his confidence that God is for us, making love known to humankind through the sacrifice of the Son and the help of the Spirit.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-5 — Five of Jesus’ short parables; the mustard seed, the leaven, the hidden treasure, the priceless pearl, and the net.

A Sermon from God to the right brain

A sermon for the left Brain

Collect: Proper 11

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Genesis 28: 10-19

Wisdom of Solomon 12: 13. 16-19

¹³ For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,  to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly; . . .  verses  16-19

Romans 8: 12-25

Mathew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon Father Michael Renninger, Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia, and one of our most popular preachers, takes on the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43