Preacher of Habit

Fear of the Other Jan. 19, 2019 1 John 4: 7-8, 18-21 Today we continue our sermon series called Unafraid, where we’re looking at a common fear that probably plagues us more than we know: Fear of the Other. I invite you to read with me… I had a bit of a reality check as a fourth grader at Hickory Grove Elementary School in Brookville, Pennsylvania. I don’t know when you discovered that the world was messier than you knew, but for me, it was fourth grade. Fourth grade was a big year for our school district. It was a year where three groups of students at three different schools came together to form one large class. During our K-3 years, we had been geographically assigned to the school nearest our homes, but fourth grade was the year we all become one. And that change was both exciting and nerve-wracking. After a few weeks of living into this new reality, I was really finding my comfort zone. I found it easy to make friends; I was getting good grades; and I was genuine...

An Age of High Anxiety Matthew 2: 1-12 The last night of 2018 happened the way it usually does for our family. We ordered some pizza, played a few games, then watched the ball drop in Times Square before heading to bed. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary occurred, and when midnight arrived, I was glad to get some sleep. But it didn’t last long. Some time in the middle of the night, I woke up to a fierce wind. I could hear it banging against the house, and before I knew it, my heart was racing faster and I began to sweat. Then I started to have all sorts of thoughts. Should I go move the car? What happens if a tree falls down? What happens is we lose our power? By the time morning rolled around, I was exhausted from all the tossing and turning. And of course, none of those fears had been realized. The trees were still standing. The car was fine. The power was on. And I was left to figure out why I had been so afraid. Fear is a paralyzing problem for many of us. It keeps us...

It’s a Wonderful Life: Embrace It Luke 2: 41-52 Dec. 30, 2019  Today we’re concluding our Advent sermon series on It’s a Wonderful Life. And I hope you’ve found this Christmas classic a fun way to spend your weekends gearing up for Christmas Day. I’ve enjoyed retelling this story and gleaning spiritual truths from George Bailey and company. Sometimes we just need a fresh perspective, like George, to help us see our lives differently. And once we get that new perspective, once we see what God is up to with us, our next challenge is to embrace it. I invite you to read with me… Now that the calendar is about ready to turn, we’re at the annual juncture when people begin to ponder the big questions of life. I guess the end of one year and the beginning of a new one is natural time for reflection, to think back to what was and look forward to what could be. Pretty soon, you’ll begin to see it everywhere. People will start to jot down goals, make some changes, develop so...