The Feast of Pentecost

On this Feast of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, we commemorate, we remember, we celebrate the moment when the Disciples were gathered together, and the Holy Spirit came down upon them like a rushing wind and tongues of flame. It empowered them to preach the Good News, and 3000 people were baptized that day. I cannot imagine that number. I am super excited because we have one baptism today. Can you imagine 3000? That would be a long service.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon for the Feast of Pentecost by clicking “Read More.”

A Sermon for the End of the School Year

A Sermon for the End of the School Year
Aimee Fritsch

An Account of the Hope that is Within You

“Always be ready to give an account of the hope that is within you.” In my first year of Seminary on the first day of my first preaching class, the professor gave us an assignment to prepare a 5-minute speech, memorized, on the hope that is within you. And for that assignment, I told the story of Jonah.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

Nurture Your Faith with Hope and Love

Nurture Your Faith with Hope and Love
The Rev. Bingham Pwell

Listen for the Heart of Christ Beating in the Creation

Listen for the Heart of Christ Beating in the Creation
The Rev. Bingham Pwell

Seeing with the Heart

I’m acutely aware that what we see is only partly informed by the light waves that strike our eyes which in turn send signals to our brains that register as blue sky, green grass or whatever.  The reality is we only see a fraction of what passes before us largely because we tend to see what we expect to see while failing to notice everything else. 

Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

Rebranding Thomas: Finding Him a New Nickname

Poor Thomas. Poor, poor Thomas. We have nicknamed him “Doubting Thomas”, and I think it is a most unfair nickname. He already has one, Didymus, which means “the twin”, but think of other nicknames people have received. Simon Peter—Peter, the Rock. That’s a good, solid, strong nickname. How about “the Beloved Disciple”? I’m pretty sure John gave himself that nickname, but it’s a good one. We still call John the Beloved Disciple today. Mary Magdalene is quite likely a nickname. For many years people thought it was Mary of Magdala, but archaeologists have failed to find a town called Magdala. Scholars have come up with the idea that it is “Mary Magdalena”, meaning “Mary the Tower”. They are all great nicknames, but “Doubting Thomas”?

 

For my sermon I am going to make an argument, and the argument is this. I am going to defend the proposition that we need to rebrand Thomas. No longer Doubting Thomas, but what can we call him? We’ll try to figure that out together.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”