George Hermanson

Seeing Life

George is away this week so I will take the liberty of providing a link to my sermon, Seeing Life, on the text for this week, John 20:19-31, the story of Thomas.

David Ewart

A Covenant of Compassion

March 23, 2008
Edwards (Knox) United Church
Easter Sunday

Jeremiah 31:1-6a
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Matthew 28:1-10
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Short, easy to use, faith-provoking insights by David Ewart, Holy Textures, Matthew 28:1-10.

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this post.

The Rev. Dr. George Hermanson

Visiting cemeteries is always a mixed experience, with mixed emotions.  We come to honor, to speak to the dead, to deal with unfinished business, to let go.  Yet in reality what we get is silence. The tomb of silence stands guard.  Mary and Martha come to the tombs.  They come to honor a friend.  Like all of us who visit graveyards, they are reflecting upon the meaning of their encounter with their past.  Mary and Martha come to study, to defy forgetfulness.  The issue for them, and for us, is whether we will be a victim of the past or whether the past will send us into a hopeful future.  A question of whether we define the past or it defines us.

Entrances

March 16, 2008
Edwards (Knox) United Church
Palm Sunday
Sixth Sunday of Lent

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Matthew 21:1-11
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Short, easy to use, faith-provoking insights by David Ewart, Matthew 21:1-11, on his blog, Holy Textures.

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this post.

The Rev. Dr. George Hermanson

How we enter a room or a place tells us much about the event.  If we wander in, or there is no grand entrance, we know it is a more casual event.  If we stop and greet before we find our seats, then know we are some kind of community event.  If we come in and bow in prayer, we know there is a preparation for a religious experience.  If there is a great procession we know that it is formal and we expect something to happen.

Entrances have clues built in - an orchestra has an intro - a lighting of the Christ candle focuses the people to experience of God.  The clues focus us to pay attention to the meaning of the shared time.

Affirming Life

March 9, 2008
Edwards (Knox) United Church
Fifth Sunday of Lent

Exodus 37:1-4
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

John 11:1-45
Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 

Short, easy to use, faith-provoking insights by David Ewart, John 11:1-45, on his blog, Holy Textures. 

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this post.

The Rev. Dr. George Hermanson

It seems that one of our societal preoccupation is the aging of the boomers.  For every day we have some comment on their impact on jobs, health care, and pensions.  Going along with these comments are articles about how to extend our life span.  There seems to be some scientist who is promising us some form of immortality.