Sermons by Rev. Elizabeth Horton (Page 3)

We finish up our series on “What Disciples Do” with our last sermon, “Dream of What Could Be” from Isaiah 65: 17-25.   Also, we will celebrate the sacrament of Baptism with Lucas Cruz.

Ever heard the phrase, “Don’t Question God?”  Well, this week we will hear the opposite.  We continue in Luke’s Gospel discovering What Disciples Do.  The week’s focus is that disciples “Ask Hard Questions.”  We may not always receive the answers we expect, but we worship a God who pays attention to the questions we ask.  Luke 20: 27-38.

Sunday, we will celebrate Homecoming as well as Memorial Sunday.  We’ll hear the story of Zacchaeus in Luke: 19: 1-10 and share in Holy Communion as we gather around the table with the Saints who have gone before us. 

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ……… Luke 18: 9-14.

We continue with the sermon series from Luke’s Gospel, Luke 17: 11-19, “What Disciples Do: Say Thank You.” As we anticipate Sunday’s congregational meal and 2020 budget presentation, thank you to the Finance Committee for your hard work and dedication in creating a budget that supports the many ways this church is spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and making a real difference in this community. To God be the glory!

What Disciples Do: Believe in the Impossible from Luke 17: 5-10. In this passage, the disciples believe they need to have more faith, one that is bigger, better, and more glamorous. Jesus quickly rebukes this idea. He reminds the disciples that a life with him is not about acquiring more, even if it’s faith.  Life with Jesus is not about ego and recognition, but suffering, persistence, and faithfulness. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it?

We continue in Luke with the  Fall Sermon Series: What Disciples Do. This week “We Practice Generosity.”  In our scripture for Sunday, Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the powerful parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.”  It is a story of two men; one is wealthy and has plenty to eat, the other is hungry and homeless. It is a cautionary tale that calls us to acknowledge the privileges we have and to use those privileges to alleviate the suffering of others.  Join me on…

What Disciples Do:  We Resist Greed Luke 16: 1-13 Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts I DO understand.”  In this passage Jesus continues to respond to the Pharisees who have criticized him for eating and drinking with “sinners.”  He tells a parable that seems pretty confusing, but then he concludes with words that are clear and specific:  No slave can serve two masters…You cannot…

In Luke 15: 1-10, Jesus has thrown the religious leaders into a panic. They cannot believe the people who Jesus is hanging out with: the tax collectors and the “sinners.” These are the folks of ill-repute, ones who don’t really belong anywhere, and who live life on the fringes. They are the ones that respectable citizens would most likely avoid. Time and again, we see Jesus in the scriptures loving people across social, religious, and ethnic boundaries of the day. In his…

“Follow Me…”  Jesus says this when he calls the ordinary and unexpected to be his disciples. In what ways are we following Jesus?  Although many Christian circles are very focused on what one particularly believes, Jesus seems to care more about what his followers did. Belief and practice go together. This Sunday we begin the sermon series, What Disciples Do.  Each week we will look at Jesus in Luke’s Gospel and see what he is doing and what he expects us to do.   This…