Sermons

Sermons Hosted at HolyCrossHilo.com

  • Sermon: Whose People Are We?
    January 25, 2026 Isaiah 9:1-4Matthew 4:12-23 About 750 years or so before Herod arrested John the Baptist and Jesus returned to the region of his childhood, the Assyrian Empire attacked the Jewish nations of Israel and Judah. Judah, where Isaiah lived in the capital of Jerusalem, survived the invasion because an outbreak of infectious disease … Continue reading Sermon: Whose People Are We?
  • Sermon: The Invitation
    January 18, 2026 Isaiah 49:1-7John 1:29-42 Last week I got very excited because the Gospel text for last week included Jesus’ very first words in the Gospel of Matthew. First impressions, you know, make a big difference. I’m sure Matthew knew that as well. Which made Jesus’ first words in the Gospel somewhat, maybe not … Continue reading Sermon: The Invitation
  • Sermon: Without Pride or Privilege
    January 11, 2026 Isaiah 42:1-9Matthew 3:13-17 Let’s face it, leaders of religious movements are often peculiar. Moses liked to wander off up mountains leaving everybody unsettled. Elijah wore funny clothes and irritated the monarchs. Monarch-irritating turned out to be a characteristic of many of the “writing prophets,” including Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. Jeremiah’s reputation … Continue reading Sermon: Without Pride or Privilege
  • Sermon: A Little Wisdom; A Lot of Wisdom
    January 4, 2026 Jeremiah 31:7-14John 1:1-18 It’s still Christmas. It really is twelve days long in the Church calendar, and we’re on day eleven, so you can thank your lucky stars that you’re not likely to receive eleven pipers piping or eleven missionaries today. On this eleventh day of Christmas, if we’re thinking about the … Continue reading Sermon: A Little Wisdom; A Lot of Wisdom
  • Sermon: What Did You Go Out to See?
    December 14, 2025 Luke 1:46-55Matthew 11:2-11 “What did you go out to see?” Jesus asked the crowds, referring to the ministry of John the Baptist. “A reed shaken by the wind?” I rather like that image, even though I suspect, along with Biblical scholars, that I don’t really understand it. It’s probably a first century … Continue reading Sermon: What Did You Go Out to See?
  • Sermon: Towards Peace
    December 7, 2025 Isaiah 11:1-10Matthew 3:1-12 It’s a vision of improbable things. Wolves living peaceably with lambs, leopards and kids, calves with lions, cows with bears. They’re all grazing, which you’d think wouldn’t work for the wolves, leopards, lions, and bears. They don’t have the right kind of teeth. Through them wander these little children … Continue reading Sermon: Towards Peace
  • Sermon: Hope Worth Hoping For
    November 30, 2025 Isaiah 2:1-5Romans 13:11-14 There’s an old joke that tells of a man who saw another man beating his head against a wall. “Is something wrong?” he asked that man. “Oh, nothing’s wrong,” said the second man, but he winced as he hit his head against the wall again. “Then why are you … Continue reading Sermon: Hope Worth Hoping For
  • Sermon: Righteous Shepherd
    November 23, 2025 Jeremiah 23:1-6Luke 23:33-43 Ancient Israel had a somewhat romantic view of shepherds. They pictured themselves as herding people rather than farming people, people of the hillsides rather than the plains. They ignored lots of the gritty details of shepherding, including the long hours, low pay, and lengthy list of discomforts. Rather they … Continue reading Sermon: Righteous Shepherd
  • Sermon: An Example to Imitate
    November 16, 2025 Isaiah 65:17-252 Thessalonians 3:6-13 In some circles, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 is a very popular verse. “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” I think it’s safe to say that it supports a worldview in which activity, effort, and industry are … Continue reading Sermon: An Example to Imitate
  • Sermon: Shaken and Reshaken
    November 9, 2025 Haggai 2:1-92 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 In the first century in which the Apostle Paul lived, Christianity was very new. It wasn’t always clear how it was supposed to work. Its best-known leaders didn’t always agree. Then there were the basic problems of living in the first century. Most people were poor, very … Continue reading Sermon: Shaken and Reshaken

Sermons Hosted at Ordained Geek