Rev. Timothy J. Ensworth
Signs and wonders (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Acts 9:36-41
May 12, 2019
Oh, my! That’s what I said to myself when I saw that this was the lectionary text for this Sunday. Oh, my!
Peter said, “Get up,” to the dead woman … and she did.
Oh, my! What are we going to do with this?… Continue reading ...
Irony (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Luke 19:28-40
April 14, 2019
We stand at the head of Holy Week, a week that begins with hosannas of Palm Sunday and ends with the hallelujahs of Easter, a journey from joy to joy.
But it is not an easy journey. We get from here to there, we can only get from here to there, by way of Maundy Thursday, by way of the shock and betrayal and abandonment of Maundy Thursday. … Continue reading ...
Grace (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Ephesians 2:4-10
April 8, 2018
Craig Driver, Jo Tefft, Leah Reisinger, Steve Peters. This is who we are, the people gathered in this particular room at this particular hour, each of us bringing our own stories: stories of finding our way, some of us having an easier time of it, some of us a harder time; stories of making a living and making a life, of falling down and rising up, of gaining and of losing; stories of leaving our mark and of being marked by the people who come into our lives.… Continue reading ...
Loosen up! (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Ecclesiastes 10:1-14
November 12, 2017
Loosen up, because the grip you have on the life you are trying to perfectly control is not your grip to have — it is God’s.
That is Lauren Reisinger’s take on the book of Ecclesiastes: loosen up.
Next summer, on August 18th, Lynne and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. … Continue reading ...
Open the doors! (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Isaiah 49:1-6, John 1:29-42
January 19, 2014
Here we are. It’s a Sunday morning and we’re in church. I have chosen to come here this morning and you have chosen to come here this morning.
Do you come here because you want to feel safe? Because you want to come to a place where you can be yourself without fear of being judged or laughed at or belittled? … Continue reading ...
Via pulchritudinis (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 5:1-9
February 2, 2014
What do these seven things have in common?
1) Sue holds up Diane’s photograph on the cover of this Sunday’s bulletin.
2) The chancel choir sings the refrain of “Blest Are They.”
3) Sophia and Grace come to the front of the sanctuary and hug each other.… Continue reading ...
Priests (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
1 Peter 2:4-10
May 18, 2014
“Dear Amy …”
It’s a newspaper column, like “Dear Abby,” only it’s “Dear Amy.” Dick Grimm shared it with me this week, and now I am sharing it with you.
Dear Amy,
Every fall, my sister, cousins and a cousin’s sister-in-law have a weekend shopping excursion in our home city. … Continue reading ...
Servants of a generous God (Click on the sermon tittle for a .pdf copy)
Matthew 20:1-16
September 21, 2014
Corina. Zoe. Emily. Arlo. McKenzie. Jack. Nevaeh. Teddy. Allison.
Who are these?
These are our children. These are our children’s children.
What do we want for them?
We want them to be healthy. We want them to be happy. We want them to have opportunities and successes. … Continue reading ...
By faith alone (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Philippians 3:4-11
October 5, 2014
Let’s begin with a quiz. I will give you a quote and I want you to tell me if it is from the Old Testament or New Testament.
The Lord is merciful and loving, slow to become angry and full of constant love.
It’s from the Old Testament, from the Psalms.… Continue reading ...
The marks of a great nation (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Jeremiah 31:7-14
January 4, 2015
Sing with joy for Israel, the greatest of the nations …
Do you have a problem with that? Do you have a problem with calling Israel the greatest of the nations? Does it seem to you … presumptuous? Chauvinistic? Prideful? Does this claim by a Hebrew prophet about his own nation make you uncomfortable?… Continue reading ...