Rev. Timothy J. Ensworth
From the depths (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 7:31-27; 8:11-13
March 4, 2018
Sigh …
What is a sigh? It is a letting go, a release of air, a release of built up pressure. It might be a release of the pressure of built up anxiety, a sigh of relief: “Whew.” Or it might be a release of the pressure of disappointed expectations, a sigh of resignation: “Oh, well.” … Continue reading ...
A carol of hope (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Isaiah 64:1-12
December 3, 2017
(Choir sings: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, arr. Dan Forrest)
Did you like that song? Did it pump you up? What is it about that song that gets you excited, that lifts your spirits, that makes an emotional connection with you?
It’s the style of the music, isn’t it, bright and joyful and full of energy? … Continue reading ...
That you may have life (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
John 20:30-31
April 23, 2017
That you may have life …
That through your faith in him, through your faith in Jesus, you may have life. Then or now? Someday or today? After you die or here and now?
The gospel makes no distinction: that you may have life, then and now, someday and today. … Continue reading ...
Fear not! (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
John 12:12-15
November 30, 2014
Last Monday evening, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCullough announced the decision of the grand jury: Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting death of Michael Brown. And then, on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, all hell broke loose.
Now the story is about broken windows and burned-out buildings and National Guard troops. … Continue reading ...
Fear not! (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Luke 2:1-11
December 21, 2014
Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born — Christ the Lord!
What makes a good life? What makes a life good?
Having enough — food, shelter, things … Good health … Fulfilling work … Respect … Fulfilling relationships … Love … Freedom … Leisure … Opportunities for challenge, for learning, for growth …
Now, in that context, to come at the question naively, without presuppositions, what would it mean to be “saved?” … Continue reading ...
Not one of them is ever missing (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Isaiah 40:25-27
February 8, 2015
Nobody knows the trouble I see …
Is that you?
When you are troubled, when you are distressed, what brings comfort? Probably one of two things — either a change in your situation or a change in you, either a change in the distressing circumstances themselves or a change in perspective. … Continue reading ...
What about you? (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 8:27-30
September 13, 2015
Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all
(Emily Dickinson)
The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life.
(Ana Jacob)
Meanwhile, these three remain: faith, hope, and love.… Continue reading ...
Not everybody can be first, but everybody can be last (Click in the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 9:33-37
September 20, 2015
When they reached the house, Jesus asked them, “So, what were you guys arguing about along the way?”
Dead silence. Nobody said anything, because they had been arguing about who was the greatest!
Jesus looked around at them and then said, “Come here. … Continue reading ...
Bigger than we think (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 9:38-41
September 27, 2015
Giving a drink of water. It’s a simple act, but that is why it is so powerful, because it is so simple. No hidden agendas. No mixed motives. No quid pro quo. You just offer a drink of water, because you want to, because it is needed. … Continue reading ...
This is our chance! (Click on the sermon title for .pdf copy)
Luke 21:5-19
November 13, 2016
This is our chance.
There are many angry people out there right now, some angry about the outcome of this election, and others whose anger helped propel the outcome of this election.
This is our chance.
There are many frightened people out there right now, some frightened by what might be done to us, by extremists foreign-born or homegrown, and others frightened by what we might do, by the ways our own brand of extremism may make the world a more dangerous and inhospitable place.… Continue reading ...