Epiphany

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Ordinary People - Extraordinary Ministries

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In today’s readings we hear about Peter and from Paul, two of the giants of early Christianity. Contemporaries, they became followers of Jesus very differently, though they reportedly met the same end, martyred by Nero in Rome.

At the time Jesus began his ministry Peter was a fisherman who apparently fished with his brother Andrew and their partners James and John. Based on the fact he was sometimes called Simon, or Simon Peter, he was likely not simply an Aramaic-speaking Jew but rather one who knew at least some Greek as well as Aramaic and perhaps Hebrew. Peter is believed to have lived in Capernaum on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee where he and his brother and their friends fished.

Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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Seek the Light. Share the Light.

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These three seasons are all about the Incarnation. In Advent we are preparing for the coming of Christ, at Christmas we are celebrating the birth of Christ, and in Epiphany, people are having their epiphanies. They are realizing that in the person of Jesus, there is something happening. He is more than just a regular person. The thing that they are experiencing is the fullness of God dwelling within this human. So we have Advent, a season of preparation, Christmas, a season of celebration, and Epiphany, a season of realization.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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Gifts for the Common Good: Living Out Love

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The third thing that Paul argues, and I think this is the most important one because it will lead us to that message of love. Paul says that every single gift we have has been given to us for the common good. These gifts we have been given are not just for us to enjoy for ourselves. You may take pleasure in the gift, but they are given to us for the other, for the community, for something bigger than ourselves, for something outside of ourselves.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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Precious and Beloved: An Eternal Truth

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Our first reading today comes from the book of Isaiah. In it Isaiah tells the people that they are precious in the sight of the Lord. They are loved by God. But He speaks these words to a people who feel anything but that. For generations, things have not been going their way. The dream of a united kingdom had fallen apart within months of Solomon’s death. There were constants wars back and forth. Oppression and corruption were rampant. The poor got poorer and the rich got richer. The orphan and the widow were neglected. It was a dark and bad time, but the rotten cherry on the top of this sundae was that the Babylonians had come and sent the people into exile. This was not a time when anyone could look around and say, boy, do I feel precious in the sight of the Lord.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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Hearing God's Call and Saying "Yes!"

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The paradox of saying yes to God is that it can be at once deeply fulfilling and utterly terrifying. Think of poor Samuel who was faced with sharing some really bad news with Eli first thing the next morning, before he had had a chance to even begin to internalize what it meant that God had spoken to him. But God was with him that first morning, and throughout his life. I truly believe if we are responding to a call from God, then God will help us do what needs to be done.

Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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