Sermons by Lori Leopold (Page 12)
My Father’s House
The Bible says very little about the childhood of Jesus but today we spend time with the one and only passage that provides a window into Jesus’ boyhood.
2021 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
This evening we share in a traditional service of Lessons and Carols which includes the reading of the Christmas story, inspiring music and a Christmas message.
Safe Havens
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we take a step closer to the manger, spending time with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Our text returns us to the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah where Mary finds refuge in the early days of her pregnancy. What did it mean for her to find safe space in the midst of that uncertain time? How did that safe haven impact her capacity to be “Theotokos,” or “God-Bearer”—the one who provided the first home and safe space for God incarnate?
A Home for All
Last week we spent time with Zechariah’s beautiful blessing for his newborn son, John, and this week we meet John, fully grown and in the wilderness, as he calls others to repentance in order to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. What does that mean and how does it get expressed in the real lives of listeners of that day and listeners today? Join us this Sunday as we continue our journey in and through Advent and as we light the third Advent candle, the candle of JOY!
The Power of Blessing
Because God is a God of relationships and stories, the birth of Christ is not a solitary, disconnected event. The birth of Christ is woven into the fabric of relationships and the stories of others. This week we begin to explore the connection between Jesus and John the Baptist with a specific focus on John’s father, Zechariah.
Birth Pangs
This section of Mark is known as “apocalyptic” and it points our hearts, minds and spirits to that which God is revealing in our midst. It encourages us to ponder if and how God is afoot—with life, hope, promise—even in times when things appear to be falling apart.
Unbound
This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Sunday, a day when we are especially mindful of the great cloud of witnesses and the communion of the saints. It is a day of acknowledging death and the tears, grief and sadness that accompany it. But it is also a day of holding fast to life, including life in our here and now and the promise of life eternal to come.
Love in Action
As Christians, we speak about love, we sing about love, we pray about love, we talk about love…the word love is so familiar and embedded in every aspect of our faith that it’s possible to hear the Great Commandment and miss the truly radical and life-altering nature of this divine call!
Take Heart
Our scripture reading for Sunday draws us into the world of Bartimaeus, a blind man begging on the streets, whose encounter with Jesus not only changed him but the entire community around him.
Good
A Blessing of the Animals is often celebrated close to the Feast Day of St. Francis (October 4th) and we are partaking in this wonderful tradition this morning! We delight in the knowledge that all of God’s creation is GOOD. We will be lifting up, in word and song and story, thanksgiving for the many blessings we receive through our pets and all of God’s glorious creation.