Knox Church Sermons

A big thanks to Beth Ehrsam for sharing a story this morning about how mission has been transformative in her life; and a big thanks is due to our Mission and Social Concerns Committee and its dedicated members who have prepared a Mission Fair for us today, highlighting the work of five of our Knox […]

Some Sundays, we talk about church holidays:  Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, or Reign of Christ Sunday; days that most people don't think about outside of church, and the biblical message we share that day.  We continue to observe them because, as some people go deeper in their Christian journey, marking these moments in the story of […]

Today's sermon is called “Easter—Part 3.”  When it comes to sermon titles, I am dependably lazy and uncreative and this one is certainly proof of that, but it is also my way of making a point:  Most of us think of Easter as a day, and yes, that's true.  But it is also meant to […]

It's wonderful to be with you on this Easter morning, what's not to love about this bright holiday in the height of springtime, new life all around us. I wonder if you've noticed, as I have, that the parts of Easter you can simply buy in a store keep growing and growing.  The Easter section […]

We should try never to take it for granted that everyone knows the stories we tell in church, so whether you are newer to Knox, or have been coming here all your life, let's start by reminding each other that, but today's story is one of the most important ones of our faith.  It is […]

Over the past several weeks I've been away more than usual—particularly on Sundays—and have been doing a lot of things that give me a real sense of gratitude. I spent the first weekend in March in Chicago, preaching at a funeral for a friend and mentor I dearly loved. I spent part of the following […]

During Lent I'm going to preach a few sermons on Stories Jesus Tells, and with each one I'm going to focus on an idea that is at the heart of Jesus' ministry.  We'll be talking about ideas like justice, mercy, sacrifice, love, and today we're going to start with joy—not momentary happiness, or naïve fleeting […]

Today we're going to talk about mountaintop spiritual experiences—and we're also going to talk about everyday spiritual experiences, which are frankly a lot more common. Today's scripture is a story that I found a bit strange and irrelevant for most of my life, but more recently I've started to see why it is a suggested […]

I imagine some of you have heard this old church joke.  One day in a Sunday School class the kids are gathered around listening to the pastor, and he's describing something:  It's big he says, and gray in color, it has four legs and tusks and a trunk.  The kids sit there looking confused until […]

Last Sunday, I went to a feast.  It wasn't the best feast of my life or a perfect feast, but it was a very good one, and it got me thinking about this Sunday's story. Many of you joined me for the feast, it was our visit to the Guru Nanak Society, the gathering place […]

This is one of those weeks in the life of a preacher when you come with a sermon plan but the news of the day wants to take over.  This week we'll inaugurate a new US President, on Martin Luther King Day; this week saw a tenuous breakthrough in the peace talks between Hamas and […]

I just love thinking about the Magi, the wise men, the kings—these icons of curious faith.  I admit, I'm going to wander around a bit in this morning's sermon, because there's just so much I could talk about; the magi themselves were wanderers too, so I hope that's ok. What do we know about the […]

I wonder how many among you are, like me, feeling a bit hurried or overwhelmed on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, just days before Christmas.  This week of the year is synonymous with stress.  Perhaps you have presents left to buy, packing or cooking or cleaning to do, and with a few days left it […]

Good Morning.  Happy New Year to you!  I know you think I'm a month early, but I simply wish to remind you that in the church year, today is Day 1.  This is the first Sunday of Advent.  It probably sounds irrelevant or out of touch for me to remind you about the church year, […]

Thanksgiving is this week.  I wonder if you are feeling thankful; I wonder if some of you are feeling a bit stressed.  Perhaps you're hosting a family gathering, anxious about someone you're going to see, or not see, or worried about getting everything done in time.  Even the little things can be stressful.  I'm in […]

This week there was an election—perhaps you heard about it.  And as of today, a large part of the electorate is really pleased, an equally large part is really disappointed, and a significant group in the middle are indifferent, and had it gone the other way, those characterizations would have been much the same.  Throughout […]

It can be overwhelming to think about the numerous, immense problems that confront us in each day in the news.  Foreign conflicts, global warming, electoral politics, poverty and gun violence, and the list goes on.  You can't possibly do something about all of these problems; you might be able to do only a little about […]

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Those are the beginning words of today's scripture lesson.  They are words foundational to a faithful life.  They were true long ago, they are true today, and they will […]

I will admit to you that I found it difficult to write a sermon this week.  So many complicated and tragic events are taking place in our world.  I know you expect to be able to struggle and pray together about these things when we come to worship.  Here at church we should ask our […]

Following that lengthy Stewardship video, I can imagine what some of you are thinking—you've already heard a sermon from me this morning!  Your Stewardship Committee felt strongly that you should hear a different kind of Stewardship message this year, and that you should hear it as we gather on Sunday.  Please share it as we […]

Next week we're going to be joined in both worship services and an after church lunch by Simran Jeet Singh and by interfaith neighbors in our Cincinnati community.  I am really excited about this.  Simran is a prolific speaker, author and professor of interreligious studies at Union Seminary in New York.  I heard him speak […]

I have a favorite sermon illustration; I discovered it about 15 years ago.  It may not be the best sermon illustration you'll ever hear or the most important; it's just that I remember the excitement I felt when I stumbled upon it.  It opened for me a window into the wisdom of our tradition, and […]

Resilience is a quality we want in life.  Sure, it's nice to have good luck and avoid struggle.  But let's face it, everyone is bound to have hard times.  So it's more important to be able to live through hard times, than to avoid struggle.  This idea will sound familiar to parents in the room […]

This morning we're going to talk about a passage from the Book of Proverbs.  Proverbs is known as Wisdom Literature in the Bible.  You might have the impression that Proverbs is just a sort of collection of wise sayings, kind of like the fortune cookie of the Bible.  But its much more than that.  This […]

A few weeks ago, we heard on a Sunday from RJ Roberts, the Program Director over at our partner Third Presbyterian Church in East Westwood; among other things, he told us about the Peace and Hope Lifestyle, which is their program that seeks to lead young people into a way of life that is an […]

If you were here last week, you know that I made a bit of a confession—my personal Bible study habits have fallen off lately in favor of other demands.  What difference does that make?  Well, like most preachers, for a time I can fake my way through sermons on material I already know, but if […]

Though I can't say exactly when it was, I know that this Bible story about the woman caught in adultery was one of the first Bible stories that really caught my attention.  In this harsh world, full of imperfect people, a bunch of judgmental men drag before Jesus a person who has made a mistake.  […]

Over time, preachers get a sense of when we are connecting with the congregation—and when we're not.  We can tell when we're putting you to sleep, and we also know when everyone is listening.  I have to tell you I laughed to myself during a sermon several weeks ago—at a moment when I knew you […]

“I never thought I'd be living this way, she says.”  “Somehow I imagined that life would be simpler.  She has reached forty, and she thinks she should have her life together by now, but things are just not right.  Too few evenings include nourishing suppers shared with loved ones; too many are given over to […]

We're in this summer series of talking about spiritual practices—everyday ways that God shows up in the world. This morning we will talk about caring for creation or environmental stewardship.  I will be honest with you that, to me, those churchy phrases feel dishonest:  they seem like euphemisms to try to make us feel better […]

This summer we've been talking about ways God shows up in everyday life.  We're focused on the regular things we do, mostly outside these walls and often when we're not trying to be Christian, where God is present.  Today I'm going to talk about something all of us do, daily in fact—the important practice of […]