Raised by Faith

They were surrounded by a stoic society that taught life is hard and all you can do is bear it until you die. Why, then, would they, the poor nobodies, be given this gift? Jeremiah began the answer: trust in God.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsFebruary 13, 2022

Acceptance

While we often grumble and get angry at what God has given us (usually expecting more) or what fate has laid upon us (complaining that God should have changed it), Paul accepted his gifts, his call, and his fate because he was called by Jesus.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsFebruary 6, 2022

Inserted Here

We forget that Paul was not writing scripture when he wrote these letters or even planning them to be kept. Paul’s scripture was the Old Testament. Paul’s reason for his letters were immediate. He was writing to individual churches trying to correct their misunderstandings and answer their questions as he was growing in faith and struggling with how best to explain Jesus’ salvation to those early Christians.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsJanuary 30, 2022

A More Excellent Way

What was important is that the people heard the Law and accepted it with joy. Although, as with God’s people of every time and age, they soon were dazzled by some new thing and wandered away. The world always seems to offer something better, some easy salvation to a troubled world. In the end we always find that these promises are lies to place us into some new bondage.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsJanuary 23, 2022

A Marriage Made in Heaven

The problem Paul is addressing here is that the Corinthians were arguing over who’s gifts were more important and which one of them was the best Christian. Paul is writing to scold them because, by their arguments, they were not showing the world the gift of Jesus. Who would want any of God’s gifts if they only led to bickering and division?

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsJanuary 16, 2022

That Elusive Holy Spirit

What is clearly shown in Acts is that God sends the Holy Spirit into our lives – we are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit – and that is not for our own benefit but for the benefit of others.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsJanuary 9, 2022

The Will of God

Every encounter that you have in your daily life is a possibility to show how you have been changed by God’s adoption and gift of love. Instead of the worry and stress of the world around you God has surrounded you with the peace that passes all understanding.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsJanuary 2, 2022

The Peace of Christ

It has always struck me as strange that so many of the people who put up lights for the season turn them all off on December 26. Do they not know of the twelve days of Christmas? Usually when we hear about this, someone is talking about the twelve days before Christmas and using it as some way to make money. Yes, there was a tradition of giving gifts on each of the twelve days (that is where the song comes from), but the reason and meaning of many of our actions around Christmas is lost in the commercialization of the event.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 26, 2021

Goodness Come to Earth

Has kindness become so rare that we have to report on it? Does that mean the opposite – meanness – has become prevalent? (Or is the opposite of kindness selfishness?) Have we become a society where kindness is only a random event? Is life only good if you push and shove your way through it?

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 25, 2021

God's Will

While everyone around you is rushing to and fro trying to get those last-minute gifts, show them the reason why we give gifts (to remind us of the gift of Jesus) and gather with family and friends (to share the love of God who came to us as a child). It is only because of God’s gift of Jesus that we are able to celebrate in love. Embrace God’s love, look to Jesus as your example, and strive to do God’s will this Christmas and always.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 19, 2021

With Thanksgiving

We could add many things about Paul, traveling dangerous roads on long journeys (by foot), shipwrecked, imprisoned, and rejected. We know this was not the whole of Paul’s life, he did have many joyful times as well. I point out the difficult times because it is easy to rejoice and give thanks when things are going well. Paul calls us to rejoice and give thanks at all times.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 12, 2021

Waiting for the Finish

I can remember as a child, sometimes on Sunday after church my dad would pile us all into the car and we would go for a drive. I do not know if the destination was planned but we would often end up at the home of a relative or family friend. One of those destinations was my mother’s school-friend. She and her husband were building their own home. It never seemed to be done.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 5, 2021

A Normal Christmas?

The shopping for presents, the traveling to Grandma’s house, gathering together for meals, and the football. Actually, none of that makes for a normal Christmas, at least not if you use that first Christmas as a guide.

NewsletterThe Rev. John M. CawkinsDecember 5, 2021

Waiting Together

There are so many things that vie for our attention. Especially in this time. We realize that in two days it will be December. And we all know what December brings – great expectations. There are presents to buy, another meal around which to gather our families, trips to plan, all with the uncertainty of our time.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsNovember 28, 2021

All to Serve

We are allowed to practice our religion without government interference. We have the opposite problem from the Jews under Antiochus and the early Christians. Since we can practice our faith as we wish we tend to forget about God.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsNovember 21, 2021

All for Salvation

In fact many of the signs they point to are the work of human hands and greed. We are the ones who make war. We are the ones who have wreaked havoc on our climate, not God.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsNovember 14, 2021

All at the Feast

Just like Lazarus, Jesus is standing outside the tomb of our lives calling for us to, “Come out.” Our tomb is a many-structured thing made up of our own doing and random events which meet us in the everyday happenstance of life. We are bound by our own sin and death. To us Jesus calls.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsNovember 7, 2021

All Made New

Luther knew that and reminds us that we are the same. We are, at the same time, sinner and saint. Sometimes we do not know if our actions are God’s will or not. Usually we do, and when we act as we desire, we often delude ourselves into believing we are doing what is right.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsOctober 31, 2021

All Along the Way

We note that this text repeats a common theme in the salvation literature (if we may call it that) of the Old Testament. That theme is one of a journey home. It is a proclamation that God will gather all the people of Israel and bring them home. Especially the blind and lame, those with child, and those in labor. Hmm, the ones for whom a journey will be most difficult?

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsOctober 24, 2021

All for Others

This fourth song is also considered by many scholars to be the basis for the Apostle’s creed. That creed was developed very early in the church and might possibly even predate some of the New Testament books.

SermonThe Rev. John M. CawkinsOctober 17, 2021

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