Rev. Timothy J. Ensworth
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 ...
I am nobody (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Exodus 3:1-15
August 31, 2014
I am nobody …
Have you ever said it? Have you ever felt it?
Sometimes, it’s a sigh of despair: I am nobody. I feel like my life doesn’t amount to anything. I feel like if I just disappeared off the face of the earth, I wouldn’t be missed, at least not for long. … 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 1:5-16
December 7, 2014
Fear is the default. Fear is the default human attitude, which means that we respond to the challenges of our lives out of fear, unless something is done proactively to change our hearts.
We began our Advent last week with that claim. Fear is the default. … Continue reading ...
Your faith has made you well (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Mark 10:46-52
October 25, 2015
Bartimaeus was loud. I am quiet.
Bartimaeus was aggressive. I am restrained.
Bartimaeus was demanding. I am acquiescent.
Bartimaeus was impudent. I am polite.
Bartimaeus was blind. I can see.
Bartimaeus had faith. And I …… Maybe I am the one who cannot see.… Continue reading ...
Seeing is believing (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
John 1:1-18
January 3, 2016
Seeing is believing. But what if you can’t see?
Doubt, fear, depression, despair, anger, boredom overshadow our spirits. We are in the dark and we can’t see. And because we can’t see, we do not believe, and because we do not believe, we are not saved. … Continue reading ...
Nothing (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Nehemiah 8:1-12
January 24, 2016
“The Moon And The Yew Tree” by Sylvia Plath.
This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary
The trees of the mind are black. The light is blue.
The grasses unload their griefs on my feet as if I were God
Prickling my ankles and murmuring of their humility
Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place. … Continue reading ...
Are you bored? (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Luke 9:28-36
February 7, 2016
Are you bored?
That’s my sermon. The photograph was taken Wednesday morning in the front yard of our house in Cedar Falls and that is my sermon. But since I should probably earn my keep, I will elaborate.
Are you bored? Do you find your life tiresome, dull, routine? … Continue reading ...
Peace is … believing (Click on the sermon title for a .pdf copy)
Isaiah 7:10-16
December 18, 2016
This is what disturbs me …
We talk about peace. We sing about peace. We pray for peace. We tell the stories of the birth of the Prince of Peace, and we repeat the promise sung by the angels to herald his birth: “Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth.”… Continue reading ...