A Sermon for Sunday, May 12, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. There once was a man who skipped worship at his family’s Presbyterian church every Sunday during hunting season, as it had been his ritual for 15 years. On this particular Sunday, as the man rounded the corner on a perilous twist in the trail, he collided with a bear. The impact sent him tumbling down the mountainside. During the fall, the hunting equipment went one way, and he went the other, twisting his ankle in the process.  Unable to move quickly as the bear charged toward him from the top of the mountainside, the man pra ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday, May 5, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Psalm 98. Yesterday was my favorite secular holiday of the entire year: Star Wars Day! As many of you are probably aware, I am an avid Star Wars fan, and I have trained my two younglings in the ways of The Force.  In the Star Wars universe “The Force” is a mysterious energy field created by life [all living things] that binds the galaxy together,”[1] and the concept is a central part of the Star Wars saga. Characters will routinely offer a blessing of goodwill to another by saying:&n ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday April 28, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. John 15:1-8 and Acts 8:26-40. Over the previous eight months the Presbyterian Women Morning and Evening Circles have been exploring the curriculum, Sacred Encounters: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ in Luke-Acts; and last month they studied and discussed the apostle Philip’s stirring encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.  The story is significant because it reveals that the gospel—the good news of God’s reign in Christ Jesus—has spread beyond Israel, and it demonstrates how an understanding of the scriptures ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday March 31, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Luke 24:1-12. Easter Sunday Since February 14, our wandering hearts have been figuring out faith with Peter by studying his journey as one of Christ’s first disciples. Thus far, Peter has dropped his fishing nets, walked on water, professed his faith, been rebuked, had his feet washed, and denied knowing Jesus. At this point in Peter’s story, we might presume that Peter is cowering in shame in the corner of his home and contemplating whether he should leave for another country and start over with a new identity.   Inste ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday, March 24, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Palm Sunday. John 12:12-19 Throughout the season of Lent we have been engaging the theme, Wandering Heart: Figuring out faith with Peter. One of Jesus’ most famous disciples, Peter is both a steadfast and unsteady in his discipleship, a friend and betrayer, and a follower and a wanderer—a very normal human trying to understand life and spirituality just like us.  Let us briefly reflect on Peter’s journey with Jesus thus far: Peter caught an abundance of fish after being instructed to cast his net in deep waters and ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday, March 17, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Fifth Sunday in Lent. Matthew 18:15-22. This week’s story for our Lenten series, Wandering Heart: Figuring out faith with Peter, demonstrates how the disciple is growing in his understanding of God in Christ. Following Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, Peter asks follow up questions because he is eager to learn more about how to repair conflict in communities. Dr. Terrence Lester, the founder of the Atlanta-based non-profit organization, Love Beyond Walls, provides the following commentary on Matthew 18:15-22: This story shows the ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday March 10, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. The Fourth Sunday in Lent. Matthew 16:21-23. On this Fourth Sunday in Lent we continue our exploration of this season’s theme: Wandering Heart: Figuring out faith with Peter. Today’s text is one that is uncomfortable, and perhaps even shocking, to hear.  As we learned last week, Jesus has just praised Peter as the rock of the church and is now explaining to the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to undergo suffering and death at the hands of the religious authorities, and that he will be raised from the dead thr ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday March 3, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Third Sunday of Lent. Matthew 16:13-20 Over the weekend, I received a Facebook notification that my friend Stacey and I had been connected on Facebook for 17 years! That alone is remarkable, but then I realized that we’ve known each other in real life for nearly twice as long, 32 years.  The people who are part of our lives is such an incredible gift. They help us do life together, to make the trek—through all of the ups and downs, and from here to there—toward hope, imagination, joy, servanthood, mercy and love. All the credi ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday February 25, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. Second Sunday in Lent. Mark 14:22-33 Our world is heavy with much sorrow and pain these days. I feel it deeply in my bones as I’m sure many of you do:  the war in Ukraine where the Ukrainian people are valiantly defending their country from their Russian invaders;  the death of Alexei Navalny who courageously opposed the horrific regime of Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin;  the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas which is decimating the entirety of Gaza;  the fatal bullying of a non-binary teen ..read more

A Sermon for Sunday, February 18, 2024. Emory Presbyterian Church. The First Sunday in Lent. Psalm 25:1-10 and Luke 5:1-11 Over the next seven Sundays in this season of Lent, we will be focusing on the theme, Wandering Heart: Figuring out faith with Peter, created by the wonderfully gifted team of artists and pastors at A Sanctified Art. The theme is based on the life and faith of Jesus’ most famous disciple and the treasured 18th century hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The creators of the theme explain: “In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and u ..read more