Sermons
Imagine you are in Palestine when Jesus was proclaiming the Good News. You are not in one of the cities or large towns. You most likely haven’t ever seen a king or a Caesar. You know the stories of King David and King Solomon. They were heroic men, but flawed. In their kingdoms there was suffering and hunger, greed and deceit. One day, a stranger comes to your village and there’s much talk about it, about his teachings and his deeds. You go to the synagogue in curiosity, and you hear him teach about the kingdom of God. It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. And you leave the synagogue perplexed at its meaning.
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In his letter to the Ephesians Paul prays that the “God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.“ What is that hope to which we’ve been called? For that matter, what is hope?
Faith, hope, and love. This is the trinitarian theme of our pledge campaign this year and our recent adult education series. Over our three-week session, we gathered for Evening Prayer, a simple shared meal, and explored faith, hope, and love in art, cooking, bible study, or story sharing. Over the past few Sundays, Bingham’s sermons have talked about faith.
The last few week’s gospel lessons have dealt with the connection between power and riches, what we value in our lives, and what is valuable in the eyes of God. Last week we heard the confusing parable of the unjust steward and how he sought to take care of himself once he was fired, and the week before, we heard about the 99 sheep who were left behind while the shepherd went in search of the one lost sheep, and the women who searched and swept the whole house in search of the one lost coin out of the ten, and when she found it invited her friends to a party to celebrate. Today we continue with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Listen to or read Ryan’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”
