Rev. Timothy J. Ensworth
Drawing the line (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 9:38-41
September 30, 2018
Were you listening on Thursday? Did you listen as Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, providing her account of being sexually assaulted at age fifteen by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh? Did you listen as he vehemently denied any participation in that assault or in any such behavior?… Continue reading ...
Terrified (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 16:8
April 1, 2018
They went out and ran from the tomb, distressed and terrified. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
It would have been easier if they had found what they were looking for. It would have been easier if they had found the lifeless body of Jesus right where it had been laid just two days before.… Continue reading ...
All of you will run away (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 14:27
March 25, 2018
Do you love him? Do you love Jesus?
Do you think Peter loved him? Of course, Peter loved him! Do you think James loved him? Of course, James loved him! Do you think John loved him? Of course, John loved him!… Continue reading ...
Filled with alarm (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 10:32-34
March 18, 2018
Jesus and his disciples were now on the road going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of the disciples, who were filled with alarm …
Jesus was ahead, ahead of them on the road. He did not hesitate. His mind was made up. … Continue reading ...
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 ...
Surprised (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 6:1-6
February 25, 2018
Jesus was surprised. Are you surprised Jesus was surprised? I mean, after all, isn’t he the Son of God? Mark says it right at the beginning of his gospel:
This is the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
And, if Jesus is God’s Son, wouldn’t he know everything? … Continue reading ...
An emotional Jesus (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 3:1-6
February 18, 2018
Are you an emotional person? I hope you are.
When we use the word “emotional” to describe someone, we often mean it not in a good way. An “emotional” person is unpredictable, unsteady, flighty, sometimes even out of control. Out of control because their emotions take over. … Continue reading ...
God and the “gods” (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 9:38-41
February 4, 2018
There is no “them.”
Say it with me! “There is no ‘them.’” Let the words rest in your mouths. Let the words rest in your minds. Let the words rest in your hearts. There is no “them.”
What does it mean? It means there is no “us” and “them.” … Continue reading ...
A house divided against itself (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 3:20-30, 4:35-41
January 21, 2018
I am distressed.
Last Monday, Jorge Garcia was deported to Mexico. Jorge is thirty-nine years old, married with a fifteen-year-old daughter and a twelve-year-old son. He was brought to the United States as a child thirty years ago by an undocumented relative. … Continue reading ...
How does Jesus help families facing problems with addiction? (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 2:1-12
January 14, 2018
How does Jesus help families facing problems with addiction? That was the question posed by one of you as a suggestion for an Epiphany season sermon: How does Jesus help families facing problems with addiction?
It’s a hypothetical question, right? … Continue reading ...