Worship

Sermon by Rev. Todd Weir I John 4:7-21 May 2, 2021 A popular meme series on Facebook called “You had one job.”   It shows how often we fail at things which should be simple.  Imagine a misspelled stop sign.   A cryptic sign on a trash bin reads “empty when full.”  There is a “back-to-school” display of large kitchen knives.  That seems inappropriate, unless it’s a cooking school, perhaps?  A cake decorator was too literal with the directions and put these four words on the cake “Just Write Happy Birthday.”   Or the sign that says, “Give cyclists space,” which sits in the middle of the bike lane.  You wonder what happened in each situation.  Was someone in a rush?  Were they distracted or just too lazy to care?  There are enough fails to publish a yearly calendar with a “You had [...]

Sermon by Rev. Todd Weir II Corinthians 6:1-13 April 25, 2021   Paul says , “Open wide your hearts.”  How do we do that?  Put your hand on your heart, as you do when you pledge, and try to feel the beat. The heart's job is to pump blood through the circulatory system.  Oxygen-rich blood travels to 30 trillion cells in your body, so they can survive and do their work. An average heart beats 60 to 70 times per minute.  Today your heart will thump away over 115,000 times. In an average lifespan, it was hammer away 3 billion times.  The heart never sleeps, never stops to rest. Its rhythm keeps the body alive.  Hearts serve life, a constant giving, flowing out into its small world of our bodies. Think about that before you order a Baconator Burger. When [...]

Rev. Todd Weir Preached on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021 Scripture:  Mark 16:1-8   “When is an ending not the end?  When a dead man rises from the tomb-and when a Gospel ends in the middle of a sentence.”   A great story is only as good as the ending.  I like stories where the plot twists surprise me.  The surprise can’t be too out of the blue, like aliens suddenly appear unless aliens are there from the beginning.  The big twist needs foreshadowing.  I also like movies where the main characters overcome an obstacle and have to grow and find something inside they didn’t know they had.  Most action movies with great car chase scenes and lots of shooting fail.  What was the point of “Fast and Furious 5”?  Do Vin Deisel or Bruce Willis ever learn anything about themselves?  I want an ending like the “Lord of [...]

  By the Rev. Sarah Buteux March, 28, 2021 Palm Sunday, Year B Mark 11:1-11   Palm Sunday is a Sunday when we make a little more noise than usual. In imitation of what happened on that day in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, Christians around the world stand up and sing “Hosannah!” We march up and down the aisles of our churches waving palms. Heck, in our church, we march up and down the streets. And it’s fun. And it’s silly. And I miss it.   I love meeting up with St. John’s and Edwards in Pulaski Park. I love seeing people, especially the kids, running around from priest to pastor in an effort to collect a different kind of palm from each church. I love watching people watch us as we try to walk, wave our palms, and sing “All Glory [...]

Sermon by Rev. Todd Weir January 17, 2021 John 1:43-51   "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Hearing Nathaniel's ugly question brings a flash of red to my cheeks.  This story is supposed to be inspiring about Jesus calling his first disciples, declaring the wonders they will see, like Jacob's ladder where angels ascend and descend, connecting heaven and earth. I'll get there, but I can't step over Nathaniel's small-minded question.   I'm sensitive to expressions of prejudice right now.  Some of this is personal.  Can any good come from Nazareth isn't far from; can any good come from Boone, Iowa, my hometown.  When I came to seminary in Boston, my classmates were bemused there was such a place.  Did Daniel Boone actually live there?  (No, his son Nathaniel founded the town.). I think I flew over Iowa once. [...]

    No Way Out But Through by the Rev. Sarah Buteux Mark 1:4-13, Baptism of Jesus, Year B   “If you’re going through Hell, keep going” - Winston Churchill    I’ve been looking at Airbnb’s recently.  Airbnb’s and real estate ads on Zillow.  Not because I have any serious plans to travel or relocate, though after the events of Wednesday I may expand my search to Canada. Just kidding. It’s ok. I’m not going anywhere. Because I can’t! I’ve simply been imagining alternate lives outside of this one: lives where I walk on different paths, read by different fires, maybe go out to eat at an actual restaurant.  I love my life and the walls I call home, but I’m feeling tired of them all the same. I’m an introvert and a homebody by nature, but something in even me [...]