Genesis 2:18-25, Ephesians 5:21-33 I served a church once where every week we put up the sermon title on the church sign by the road. Here in Park City, we aren’t allowed to have that kind of sign, but if we were I’d have put up “How to Have Really Great Sex” in big bold …
“Sacred Sex” Sermon Series: Part I – God’s Good Gift Continue Reading »
For those of you who would like to read more, here’s a bibliography of books that I’ve found particularly helpful in addressing the issue of sexuality from a Christian perspective: Penner, Clifford and Joyce, The Gift of Sex: A Guide to Sexual Fulfillment, Word Publishing, 1981. Schnarch, David, Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love & Intimacy Alive …
Reading List for “Sacred Sex” Sermon Series Continue Reading »
I’m fresh back from Annual Conference where one of the highlights, interestingly enough, was our quadrennial clergy sexual ethics training. The conference initiated this mandatory training a few years ago and I have to recertify every four years. Usually, it’s pretty straightforward and a bit dry (which is fascinating, given the subject matter). This year, …
New Sermon Series: “Sacred Sex” begins July 6 Continue Reading »
Just found out that Bishop N.T. Wright, whose work on the resurrection has been a big influence on me, was a guest on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report this past Thursday. You can see the interview on the Colbert Report site. I think Colbert's funny (Jennifer can't stand him), mostly because he plays the pundit …
I'm typing from the hotel lobby here in Denver on Day 3 of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference. Some highlights so far: I attended our mandatory quadrennial clergy sexual ethics briefing and the training was excellent. It's the kind of training I'd recommend for everyone and the presenter, Dr. Karen McClintock, was outstanding. One of …
I went hiking yesterday morning with my friend Jeff and when we got back to his place he showed me a great poem that he had received yesterday entitled "Things to Do in the Belly of a Whale" by Dan Albergotti. It was printed in yesterday's Writer's Almanac (you may have heard Garrison Keillor doing …
This morning I've been working on writing the Christmas Eve sermon for Homiletics, which is always a little surreal to think about in June. Surreal, that is, until I look out the window this morning and see that it's SNOWING here in Park City. While the rest of the country is beating the heat, we're …
Texts: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26; Romans 4:13-25 When I was a kid, right about my son’s age, I was involved in the Cub Scouts. We met in a little Lutheran Church in Prospect, PA and it was in that church basement that I first learned how our culture understands success. You understood it because everyone wore …
Good News for Nobodies (Sermon for 6/8/08) Continue Reading »
Our family recently joined the Community Food Co-op of Utah that is run through the Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City. It works like this: you join the Co-op (paying what you feel you can afford for a membership fee – $5 is the suggested minimum) and promise to engage in two hours of …
Crossroads Food Co-op: If you eat, you qualify! Continue Reading »
One of the fascinating things about living in Park City is the parade of famous people who come through here on a regular basis. Most of us residents rarely see these people, mind you, since they generally don't frequent the same restaurants and shops that we do. I mean, we usually wind up eating somewhere …
So, yesterday after worship I headed down to Salt Lake to pick up my friend and colleague Brian so that we could head up to Ogden and attend the dedication of the new United Methodist Church there. We had a nice time celebrating with the folks there who have moved out of a hundred year-old …
Famous Last Words Matthew 28:16-20 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Whenever I’m preparing a sermon based on the lectionary I always try to find a connection between the texts for the week. Sometimes it’s fairly obvious thematically and sometimes it’s not. This week, however, you’ll notice that both the texts we read are farewell discourses—last words of …
Acts 1:1-14 This Sunday is “Ascension Sunday” on the church calendar, the Sunday before Pentecost that commemorates Jesus’ “ascension” into heaven. When I was in Jerusalem last January we went to the Church of the Ascension on the top of the Mount of Olives (which is now a Muslim site). Inside the stone dome there …
Been on the road this past week at my seminary alma mater where I’m set to begin the Beeson Pastor doctoral program in August. It’s a very exciting opportunity, though it will require a lot of reading, thought, and writing–three things I am fortunately wired to do. I came home with a pile of 16 …
Just read on the ESPN web site that Tiger Woods had his knee operated on today right here in our little burgh of Park City. Dr. Rosenberg is known everywhere for his work, which brings all sorts of celebrity athletes here for work on their wheels. For you preacher types, no I didn’t see Tiger, …