Sermons

Sermons Hosted at HolyCrossHilo.com

  • Sermon: The Moment of Recognition
    April 19, 2026 Acts 2:14a, 36-41Luke 24:17-35 We come to this story on the third Sunday of the Easter season. We’re in a “move on” kind of place. Jesus rose two weeks ago, after all. Last Sunday we heard about events a week later – that’s convenient timing, isn’t it? So we’re ready for the … Continue reading Sermon: The Moment of Recognition
  • Sermon: Assumptions
    April 5, 2026 Acts 10:34-43John 20:1-18 It’s very difficult to get through the day without making decisions based on assumptions. Absent any reason to believe otherwise, I assume that the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening, and I act accordingly. I assume that gravity will hold me to the ground … Continue reading Sermon: Assumptions
  • Sermon: Help Us!
    March 29, 2026 Philippians 2:5-11Matthew 21:1-11 As Jesus rode the donkey – maybe two donkeys, according to Matthew – into Jerusalem, the crowds gathered and shouted. They quoted Psalm 118, a song of thanksgiving and, quite possibly, related to an ancient religious procession from the city entrance to the area of the Temple at the … Continue reading Sermon: Help Us!
  • Sermon: The One You Love is Ill
    March 22, 2026 Ezekiel 37:1-14John 11:1-45 Someone you love is ill. What do you do? You might well say, “I go visit them.” But is that what you do? Don’t you think about it first? Thinking is a good idea, because the people you love aren’t all the same. There are some who really do … Continue reading Sermon: The One You Love is Ill
  • Sermon: Not Any of These
    March 15, 2026 1 Samuel 16:1-13Ephesians 5:8-14 I learned something new this week. I learned about “Dark dining.” This is a restaurant where you eat with all the lights off. The idea is to focus your attention on the tastes and scents of the food. Thinking about one of these restaurants, Biblical scholar Roger Nam … Continue reading Sermon: Not Any of These
  • Sermon: Refreshment
    March 8, 2026 Exodus 17:1-7John 4:5-42 The best drink of water I’ve ever had in my life came from Thoreau Spring, a little pool of fresh water about 4600 feet up the slopes of Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine. I was fifteen, taking part in a week long hiking trip in Baxter State … Continue reading Sermon: Refreshment
  • Sermon: Not Only
    March 1, 2026 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17John 3:1-17 As he sat down to write his letter to the church in Rome – or perhaps as he stood to dictate it to the scribe, Tertius, who offers greetings at the end of the letter – the Apostle Paul had an agenda. He planned a trip to Spain. … Continue reading Sermon: Not Only
  • Sermon: Small Wisdoms
    February 22, 2026 Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7Matthew 4:1-11 I don’t remember the first time either of my children did something I had specifically told them not to do. I’m sure there was a first time. It’s been lost amidst all the other times. It’s one of the things my kids did as they grew – they … Continue reading Sermon: Small Wisdoms
  • Sermon: The Mountain
    February 15, 2026 Exodus 24:12-18Matthew 17:1-9 In his documentary on the Darkness of the Renaissance, British art critic Waldemar Januszczak said, “Mountains have a powerful effect on people. Mountains cloud your judgment. They heighten your emotions and intoxicate you.” He’s right. The vistas from mountains – and the views of mountains – go right to … Continue reading Sermon: The Mountain
  • Sermon: Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
    February 8, 2026 Isaiah 58:1-12Matthew 5:13-20 In her blog, preaching Professor Alyce M. McKenzie tells a story about a skit she and some students presented one year, which featured her giving feedback to Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount as if he were a member of her preaching class. In the skit, she said, … Continue reading Sermon: Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets

Sermons Hosted at Ordained Geek