#fpco

A Sermon preached on September 25, 2016 Based on James 2:14-18, The Belhar Confession and The Letter from a Birmingham Jail This week I was part of two separate conversations with two different groups of pastors on one theme – what does it men to be people of faith. We shared our concerns about this time of increasing racial injustice and the kind of attitudes which are more and more coming to…

Carrying the Paralyzed Man

A sermon preached on Matthew 9:1-8 at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland on July 10, 2016 And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.  And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is…

For some clergy waking up to #PulseOrlando, meant rewriting the sermon. Here's mine.

NB: The text for this sermon was chosen in late April.  The music for the service was selected more than two weeks ago.  The bulletin was printed on Thursday.  The sermon was written and then rewritten on Sunday morning.  It is amazing how God works to prepare us for such times. Sermon Text: Luke 13:1-9 Overnight, there was a shooting in an Orlando nightclub. It’s now being reported as the worst…

"We had hoped." These three little words say it all...this is at the heart our despair.

A sermon preached on April 10, 2016, based on Luke 24: 13-35 Practicing resurrection is not easy. Even coming to agreement about what resurrection means seems impossible as historians and believers alike try to justify, deny, explain, prove, share the reality of the resurrection. In such moments of mystery, we can turn to poets to help us. Emily Dickinson comes close in her analysis of hope:…