I left unresolved last week the final few verses of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, those verses that included the “subparable”, if you will, of the wedding robe. There is enough there for a whole sermon. I left the last verse on the editing room floor as well: “For…
I did not drink beer when I was young. No big deal either way. I was serious about classes and music and sports. And yes, I spent only four years in high school, where I really was in the National Honor Society, betraying my scholastic demonstration in college. I just didn’t drink…
When we read the Parable of the Wicked Tenants this morning, it’s easy to focus on the tenants. And they are wicked. I’m not going away the plot by saying that.But I want us to focus somewhere else—with the landowner. And why is that?Because before Jesus tells us what the…
Does anyone remember May 4, 1970, on the campus of Kent State University? Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes sent the National Guard to Kent State to maintain order during protests against the Vietnam War. On that dark Monday in May, National Guardsmen opened fire on protesters, killing four students and…
She was going to miss the trip. And as far as Ron was concerned, that was only fair. Ron was the leader of the senior high youth at Belmont United Methodist Church in Dayton, Ohio, in the mid-1980s. He connected with the youth and was able to grow the group…
My good friend, Harvey Lewis, is an elite ultramarathoner living here in Cincinnati. He has set world records and loves competing against the best in the world. He gives a lot of credit for his success to his plant-based diet. He’s vegan. How do you know he’s a vegan? Oh,…
The Fourth Watch ends with light. The Fourth Watch, if you remember, is roughly the period between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM, the time of night when Jesus walked on water out to his disciples who were exhausted after struggling with their oars for hours against the wind and waves….
In Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, we find out early on that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42. It took Adams five books in the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy to come up with the question to the answer. Last week, Paul gave us an…
I preached this sermon while a student in the presbytery’s Ruling Elder Preaching Initiative, delivered at Dillsboro Presbyterian Church, in Dillsboro, Indiana. The lectionary was Luke 8:26-39 – Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man. What’s your story? We tell stories to connect, to persuade, to inspire. Story is how we remember,…
I preached this sermon on August 17, 2025, as pulpit supply at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. The lectionary text is Hebrews 11:29-12:2 – By Faith & God Disciplines His Sons. “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” As a runner, Hebrews 12:1 is…
