Posts in Sermon
God’s Dwelling Place

Left to ourselves we tend to divide the world into us and them. We base this upon arbitrary criteria: the color of our skin, our income, our sexual identity, our education, our nationality, our political beliefs. If we truly are the community built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets and held together by Christ we will work to break down these human walls to bring to the world the Word of God who is our peace.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Blessings

Amos, a simple herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees was called to confront the king. What a challenge that was. The powerless giving God’s message of destruction to the powerful. Only with God’s support could Amos have done that.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Contentment

Being a Christian is difficult. While some may experience God in the way those ‘super apostles’ did, most Christians live in this world with real every-day struggles. That is where we truly meet God – through the struggles we share with our sisters and brothers in Jesus.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Built by God

The members of the church started to rank God’s gifts to boost their individual self-image, claiming that one gift is more important than another. Paul disagrees with them telling the Corinthians that their lives were built by God. Their identity came from Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection not the gifts God had given them. Those gifts were to be shared.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Clay Jars

If we are not careful, anger and hurt can take over our lives and prevent us from living the way God desires. We can allow our hurt to take hold in our families, among our friends, in our neighborhood, and, like the Corinthians, in our church.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Hopes and Sighs

In our brief text from Romans today it seems that Paul is addressing the age-old question of why do God’s people suffer. The Christians in Rome were no different. After becoming Christians their lives had not changed for them. Why was God not answering their prayers?

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
True Testimony

All of the first Christians spent their time proclaiming the good news of Jesus. No one stood out but the few because everyone worked together. As the community grew there were more diverse roles for the members of the community.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Water and Blood

Most scholars begin by understanding the water as a reference to baptism and the blood to the atoning death of Jesus. But which baptism, Jesus’ or ours? Does the blood represent Jesus' death or is it in reference to the blood of Jesus in the Eucharistic meal? Or is the answer all of the above?

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Abide in Love

As I have said before, the community was important to those early Christians. There was no social safety net. Life was hard and if tragedy happened there was no one around to help, but with a community of believers there was.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
To Be a Child of God

That is where the early Christians had the advantage. They were already the laughing stock of their neighbors. Why would anyone follow someone who died on the cross – belittled and humiliated? Actually that may be what attracted those first Christians.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins
Raised from the Dead

God does not set up an obstacle course for you to run to see if you are good enough to be God’s children. Neither does God give you a list of things that you must do in order to be raised from the dead. God has already provided for you by giving His son Jesus for you.

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SermonThe Rev. John M. Cawkins