Sunday Sermons

Read or download sermons written by Senior Pastor Alice and past Associate Pastor Lucy.

September 16, 2007 — Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10

When I initially checked to see what today’s gospel reading was, I thought, well, that’s familiar enough. Who didn’t grow up looking at the painting of the soft and gentle, meek and mild Shepherd Jesus carrying a little lamb on his shoulders? How hard can that be? And then I checked the magazine I check most every week for somebody’s reflections on and interpretation of at least one of the day’s lessons, and it was entitled, “God’s Party Time” – and I thought, how cool is that? I can have fun going there! But then I read some commentaries. And they pushed me back to read the Bible more closely. And I began to feel something deep in the hollow of my stomach that whispered, maybe this isn’t going to be as easy as you thought. .... read more ...  or  download PDF

September 9, 2007 — Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Rally Day)

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Ephesians 2:11-22

Beyond the Wall ... When the idea of having a big top on Rally Day was first suggested, Lucy and Sue and I fairly immediately began to think about how that could speak to us in worship. We thought about the street fair feeling of gathering folks from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west to come and celebrate and join together in the work and worship of this congregation. And we thought about the ways in which our walls help define us and shape us – and have the potential of confining and consuming us – and how much of a church’s ministry and life lies beyond it’s walls. .... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 26, 2007 — Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Jeremiah 1:4-10, Luke 13:10-17

... I want to tell you a different story from my vacation – one on the opposite end of the joy spectrum. In fact, I’ve debated a long time whether or not to tell you this story, because it’s not a pretty one. But something keeps nagging at me that it’s an important one, so here goes. .... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 5, 2007 — Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Hosea 11:1-11, Luke 12:13-21

It’s not the size of your barn that makes you rich… So what does? Maybe the size of our houses? We’re certainly building them big enough these days. Just how many McMansions, with how many garage stalls filled with how many vehicles with how many acres of lawn does it take to make a person rich? Or maybe your accumulated wealth is calculated in smaller units. .... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 22, 2007 — Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Amos 8:1-12, Luke 10:38-42

... Amos identified correctly that the vision he’d been granted was a basket of summer fruit, and then God stepped in to say, The end has come upon my people Israel. I will never again pass them by. The songs of the temple shall become wailing in that day. So what does that have to do with raspberries, blueberries or super ripe and juicy peaches? .... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 15, 2007 — Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Moira Guertin Merrill, Student In-Care
Amos 7:7-17, Luke 10:25-37

... In today’s gospel reading we heard the well-known story of the good Samaritan.  The theme for the day in many liturgical guides and even on the bulletin cover is “compassionate neighbors.” What is a compassionate neighbor? .... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 8, 2007 — Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
2 Kings 5:1-14, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Maybe I’m not supposed to wonder about the parts we’re not told, but that’s part of who I am. Always got to poke and ponder, figure out what I can of what happened, and let my imagination play with what I can’t know but can wonder about. Now the commentaries fuss about whether it was 70 or 72 that Jesus sent out. Personally, I’m more interested in who they were and how they got to be the ones who were sent .... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 1, 2007 —Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62

We didn’t plant corn on the farm I grew up on, so we didn’t do a lot of plowing. We did a little, and my childhood impressions were confirmed by others who looked at me like I had two heads and said, you can’t plow without looking back! ... read more ...  or  download PDF

June 24, 2007 —Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39

What time is it? How you answer that question depends on a lot of things, like how precisely you set your watch, and when the last time was you did it. For most of my life I’ve had a small enough watch that there were no numbers on it and no second hand, so my times were always approximate, compared with the computer that regularly goes in search of Greenwich Mean Time, precise down to the very last second. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 27, 2007 — Pentacost Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Romans 8:14-17, Acts 2:1-21

... we need to be careful, because what we’re doing today isn’t just about dressing up in red and having a little birthday party for the Church that is nearly two thousand years old. Today, we are playing with fire – a holy fire that seeks to transform and inspire and change and lead us. To places we’ve never been before, or imagined or dreamed of or dared believe in. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 20, 2007 — Seventh Sunday of Easter

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Acts 16:16-34, John 17:20-26

It’s true that in his high priestly prayer, just after he had prepared his disciples for his death and given them instruction as to how they should carry on without him, Jesus prayed to God that they might all be one, as he and God were one. But do you think he had the kind of oneness in mind that Paul carried out? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 13, 2007 — Sixth Sunday of Easter

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
John 5:1-9, Acts 16:9-15

...  Driving along, I pushed the CD player button, expecting to relax back into another person’s reading.  But I didn’t relax long.  It’s surprising I didn’t hit the car in front of me.  I was completely unprepared for the jolt I received.  This dramatic reading out loud of John’s text crawled right under my skin.  In fact, I completely missed Exit 4 on route 93 as I was driving up to the church. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 6, 2007 — Fifth Sunday of Easter

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6
Founders’ Day — Two Oxen and a Church 

... Peter may have messed up a lot in his younger days, but once he received the Holy Spirit, he was a new man. ... Attentive, open, grounded in prayer, responsive to the word and will of God. It worked for Peter, and it worked for the founders of this church. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 4, 2007 — Second Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Matthew 5:21-24, Matthew 18:15-22

I learned a lot of lessons as a child. We all did. Many of them we don't even become aware of until much later, if at all. But one of the lessons I've always been aware of was the one that taught me, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 25, 2007 — First Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Psalm 103:1-18, Luke 15:11-24

It's striking to me how often we make wise cracks or flippant comments about the ways of the world and the ways of God, and then follow it up with another comment about whether or not lightning is about to strike. Will God zap us for that one? How much trouble are we in with the Big Guy upstairs? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 18, 2007 — Last Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Exodus 34:29-35, Luke 9:28-36

Picture if you can a house that has been sitting wet for 18 months. Sheetrock, carpet, clothes, cabinets wet. One house whose second floor carpet was squishy, ... And the story of that house only makes the tragedy deeper. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 11, 2007 —Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 6:17-26

Several years ago, my family and I went to a magic show.  I’d always thought of magic as something that was done at children’s birthday parties. ... Magic shows are all about illusion and the tricks our mind and our perceptions can play on us. ... There are some who tend to think the Christian faith is magical.  ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 4, 2007 — Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 6:1-8, Luke 5:1-11

There are a couple of our long time members, well respected leaders – I would have said mature and responsible role models, but now I'm not so sure – who in a couple of hours are going to take a plunge. ... Can you tell me what would possess anyone in their right minds – and maybe that's the clue right there – right minds – to plunge into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Hampshire on February 4? To say nothing of New Year's Day? I know sane folks who wouldn't do such a ridiculous thing on the 1st of August.  ... read more ...  or  download PDF

January 21, 2007 — Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
Psalm 19:1-4, 7-10;  Luke 4:14-21

I wanted to talk to you today about grace.  Partly because it’s the season of Epiphany.  But partly also because of an experience I had a few weeks ago.  It’s one you may have had as well.  ... read more ...  or  download PDF

2006 Sermons

December 31 , 2006 —First Sunday in Christmastide

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52

Today may only be the 7th day of Christmas, but it is the last and final day of 2006. I remember talking with a family last Sunday who said, we just need this year to be over. ... 2007 has got to be a better year for us. ... We are ready and waiting – bring it on! ... read more ...  or  download PDF

December 24 , 2006 — Christmas Eve

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

The way I figure it, there were at least two miracles that happened on that first Christmas night. The first is that God chose to come among us as a small, fragile, dependent, vulnerable newborn baby. The second is that Mary, Joseph and the shepherds were open and responsive to such a marvelous mystery. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

December 24 , 2006 —Fourth Sunday of Advent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:39-55

... I for one have never been pregnant. Many of you have, but as far as I know, not too many of those pregnancies were miraculous; then again, maybe they're all miraculous, but not many of them were shocking or unexplainable. Whether we've borne children or not, I wonder if most of us, male and female, can't connect in some sense with that notion of waiting, expecting, getting ready for the miracle of new life to enter the scene. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

December 17, 2006 — Third Sunday of Advent

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Luke 3:7-18, Philippians 4:4-7

You’ve lived in the village for 18 years.  The years have gone by fast.  Looking back, they almost seem dreamlike.  You can look at pictures in albums or on the wall and remember events, but somehow you can’t get back inside those events.  It’s as if they happened outside yourself, to someone else.  It hasn’t been a bad life.  Quite the opposite.  You’ve been blessed with a husband, children.  While not wealthy, you’ve been comfortable.  And nothing major has happened to you by way of personal or family crises.  ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 27, 2006 — Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43, Psalm 84

Where does God live? It sounds like a fairly simple and straightforward question with an obvious answer. But what if a child asked it, instead of a preacher? What would you say then? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 20, 2006 — Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20

Most of us grew up with stories about finding a magic bottle, rubbing it and having a genie pop out who offered the lucky one three wishes. ... Have you ever wondered how you would handle that sort of situation? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 13 , 2006 — Nineteenth Sunday in Real Time

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Psalm 130, John 6:35, 41-51

Seekers.  It’s a term we hear talked about in the media.  It’s also a term that gets tossed around in church and religious circles. ... Many of us, we are told, like to have an array of religious and worship options.  ... When people discuss what they call “seekers,” it’s as if they are talking about people who are starting with a blank slate. ... Today, however, I have a somewhat different take on all this. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 30, 2006 — Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21

I'll try to spare you the reasons why, but one of the more important movies of my adolescent years was the movie Oliver. And the scene that's playing in my mind at the moment is very nearly an opening scene. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 23, 2006 — Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
2 Samuel 7:1-14a, Ephesians 2:11-22

Do you ever think about your dream house? ... Isuspect each of us has ideas and images, if not house plans and property; or if you're really lucky the actual dream spot to go home to at the end of every day. But what if we were to change the category and I asked about a dream house for God. Then what comes to mind? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 16, 2006 — Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Genesis 1, Mark 1:9-13

“The sun did not shine.  It was too wet to play.  So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day.  I sat there with Sally.  We sat there, we two.  And I said, ‘How I wish we had something to do!’  Too wet to go out and too cold to play ball."  ... Sound familiar?  I don’t just mean about the story of The Cat in the Hat. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 9, 2006 — Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10, Mark 6:1-13

A town was being overtaken by flood waters and there was this one particular man, a deeply religious person, who really wasn’t worried about the flood because he knew that God was good and trustworthy and had promised to deliver him. ... Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time after that before the waters got high enough to sweep the man away and he drowned in the flood. When he got to heaven and God greeted him kindly he said, I don’t understand. You promised to deliver me... how could you let me drown in the flood? To which God said, I sent you an alarm, a neighbor, a boat and a helicopter; what more do you want? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

June 11, 2006 — Trinity Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 6:1-8, John 3:1-17

I remember the first time I went to Scotland, in 1982, and we visited the Jedburgh Abbey, which is much more a ruin than anything that might be called a church. My friend Cathy Barker and I stepped inside the walls, took one look at each other and burst into the Mozart Alleluia. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 7, 2006 — Founders' Day

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Hebrews 11:4-12, 29-12:2

Today is Founders' Day, and in addition to all of those both described and pointed toward in Hebrews 11, we have ... an incredible legacy of faith – presented to us in the pages of the Bible, in the pages of the history of First Parish Church, and in the faith and legacy of people who have gone before us. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 13, 2006 — Maundy Thursday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Mark 14:12-25

“Do this in remembrance of me.” ... What was Jesus instructing when he said, do this in remembrance of me? What does it mean to remember? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 9, 2006 — Palm Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 11:1-11

We’ve spent the Lenten season hearing from characters who were part of Jesus’ final week and trying to get inside their heads. ... And now it’s time to step back to the beginning of the week, to Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 19 , 2006 —Third Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 John 4:16b-19,  Mark 14:66-72

Why does it all have to be about Peter?... Have you ever heard this story and wondered what was going on for that servant girl? Or in that courtyard? What was she asking? What was she looking for? Why was she so insistent on getting him to talk to her and admit that he knew this Jesus of Nazareth? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 5, 2006 — First Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Thaddaeus 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, Mark 3:13-19a

I can't help but wonder, if Thaddaeus were here, what he would have to say for himself. Or about himself. Or about the fact that he gave up three years of his life, three years when he didn't watch his children grow up, learn to walk, begin to talk, get ready for the prom, or play in basketball tournaments. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 26, 2006 — Last Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

In the Light: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9

Darkness and light. Suffering and glory. Doom and gloom and possibility and promise. That’s what this day is all about: the tension, the dichotomy, the vision and perspective ... the lectionary gives us one last glimpse of glory and light to comfort and accompany us as we enter the darker and more difficult season of Lent. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 12, 2006 — Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.   I don’t know about you, but those words have always conjured up peaceful pastoral scenes for me. Maybe Ireland or Scotland. Green grass softly covering a hillside on which there are clusters of sheep. But the 23rd psalm was not written in Ireland or Scotland. It was written in the midst of the desert by a nomadic people. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 7, 2006 — Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 40:21-31, Mark 1:29-39

Sing: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength - They shall mount up on wings as eagles     There are times in all our lives when the hopeless weariness is so overwhelming that we just want to crawl up in a ball and make it all go away. But then comes this promise and this hope, calling to us, offering us strength for the journey and courage in the struggle. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

2005 Sermons

December 24, 2005 — Christmas Eve

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

I’ll admit it. I’ve never really caught the angel bug. Willow Tree angels are very cool, but otherwise, all those wings and harps and frills just never did much for me. Except, of course, on this night. And with this story. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

December 11 , 2005 —Third Sunday of Advent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, John 1:6-8, 1928

When I was in Washington DC a few years ago for a week long preaching seminar, I heard a sermon about Jubilee Monopoly. The preacher described growing up as the youngest in a family of three. Every Sunday evening, her family and another family got together for supper, and as soon as the meal was over, there would be a parting of the ways. The adults stayed upstairs and did whatever boring things adults do, and the kids would charge downstairs for a game of Jubilee Monopoly. ... Periodically, one parent or another would stick their head down the stairs, ask how the game was coming and when they might be ready to wrap it up and go home, and someone would answer that it would be awhile, no apparent winner was in sight. And the game would go on. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

October 23, 2005

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Exodus 3:1-15, Matthew 16:21-28

The question seems to be all around us. It permeates our culture in a whole variety of ways. It is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. ... For some reason, cultural and religious forces at certain times in history seem to gather themselves in one direction or another, and a group of people becomes drawn to a certain set of questions or dilemmas. Just listen to the dialogue of our own culture. ... The question that seems to be all around us is this: “Where do we come from?” ... read more ...  or  download PDF

Ocotber 9, 2005 — Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Exodus 32:1-14 Philippians 4:1-9

This may be overstating the situation, but I have to say that I doubt that any of us enjoys waiting. ... I remember the day years ago when I was scheduled to meet a dear friend. ... I waited for him for more than three hours – during which time I paced, I fretted, I tried to locate him by phone, I tried to read, I paced, I debated how long to wait, I checked out the area to see if I could be in the wrong place, I paced, knowing me I probably started the wait with a cup of coffee, and before he got there, went back in to McDonald’s to get some french fries, and I paced. But I waited. I couldn’t tell you why, and I wouldn’t be at all sure I’d do it again, but that day I waited. And when he finally arrived I wasn’t at all sure if I wanted to hug him or scream at him, but I waited. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 28, 2005 —Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
Exodus 3:1-15, Matthew 16:21-28

Let Go and Let God  It’s that time again. I either feel it or I think I feel it. The air smells a bit different. It’s got a bit more crispness to it, even amidst the heat. And I see that telltale slant of the sun. ... I too just want to hold on, eke the most out of every possible moment of summer. Not let go, because letting go means I’m back into it. Exactly what that “it” is, I can’t quite identify. But like school, it’s waiting for me, just around the corner. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 21, 2005 — Fourteenth Sunday After Pentacost

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20

I’ve always been fascinated by Robert Fulghum’s little book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The simplicity is so appealing in this chaotic world of ours. ... But I wonder, what would happen if we all did hold hands when we needed to cross the street? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

August 14 , 2005 — Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Genesis 45:1-15, Matthew 15:21-28

My mother taught me to be a nice girl. And it’s not like she didn’t teach me other things too, but its amazing how many of her lessons pitter pattered their way in one ear and out the other. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

July 17 , 2005 — Ninth Sunday after Pentacost

Moira Anne Guertin Merrill, In-Care Student
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

On my first day of seminary I was told that:  Preaching is truth through personality.  ... As I stand before you for the first time, Imagine for a moment: You will be hearing God’s truth – the truth of God-Through my personality. That’s scary stuff. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

June 26, 2005 — Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:40-42

I shared a story with you several years ago that at least one of you refers to periodically, and I’ve decided to share it again this morning. It’s the story of a man whose name is John. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

June 12 , 2005 — Celebration Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Ephesians 3:14-20, John 10:1-10

As we approached Celebration Sunday this year, it didn’t take long for us to come upon the word “abundance”. In the midst of budget and pledging tensions, blessing ceremony and decision making tensions, it seemed important for us to take a Sunday in which we could step back, take a deep breath, and think about the idea of abundance. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

June 5 , 2005 — Third Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Romans 4:13-25 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-25

Sometimes I really have to wonder about Jesus. You’d think if the man was out to establish a community, he would have looked for people who were going to get along. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 29, 2005 — Second Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24-8:1, 14-19 Matthew 7:21-29

Of all weeks for the story of the flood to come up in the lectionary! I think it was on Tuesday, as I was shivering in the office, absolutely unable to get warm, searching for light enough to see, watching the rain run across the parking lot, a parking lot that was supposed to have been filled with parents and children and a Nutfield field day, that I first glanced at the lectionary readings and saw Noah sitting there waiting for us. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 15, 2005 — Pentecost Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Acts 2:1-21 1, Corinthians 12:3b-13

Since Hallmark and Hershey’s haven’t figured out how to market it yet, Pentecost hasn’t hit it big on too many top ten charts. But it’s a favorite for us preacher types – maybe partly because it’s packed solid with visuals and tangibles that beg for expression. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

May 8, 2005 — Seventh Sunday of Easter

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Acts 1:6-14, John 17:1-11

We spent last weekend with our youngest son Tim and daughter-in-law Emma, in order to be present as he graduated from college. Sunday morning we went to church with them, and joined them in a praise service. You may or may not know what that means ... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 23 , 2005

Diane M. Breeden
John 14:15-21

Life’s special moments, graduations, weddings, vacations, even birthdays are all too short, but they last forever through photos, souvenirs, and memories. As we sit and journey through the scrapbooks of our lives we get that same warm feeling of comfort and love we experienced when we lived that moment. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 17, 2005 — Fourth Sunday of Easter

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Acts 2:42-47, John 10:1-10

How do you define church?... if your hour or two on Sunday mornings has begun to stretch into longer blocks of time, if church for you begins to also mean meetings or classes or phone calls or visits or breakfast or supper or study time or rehearsals or service trips, you’ve begun to learn some of the bigger and broader definition that stand behind God’s notion of church.... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 10, 2005 — Third Sunday of Easter

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander, Associate Pastor
Luke 24:13-35

Life is something we live everyday, right?... Jerusalem was the world as they knew it, the way things were for them. It was the center of life. ... But the life they knew had turned out to be a place of death. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

April 3, 2005 — Second Sunday of Easter

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20: 19-31

It could be about my memory, but since I’m too young for senior moments (or so I’d like to think), I’m going with the theory that it’s about where I grew up. I don’t remember elementary school drills that had us ducking and hiding under our desks. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 27, 2005 — Easter Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Jeremiah 31:1-6 Matthew 28:1-10

I know there are people out there, maybe even some of you, who like to read a book by starting with the last chapter. I’m not one of those. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 24, 2005 — Maundy Thursday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Matthew 26:17-29

I think Judas gets a bum rap. ... I don’t think we know who he was. ... What I do think is that it’s a whole lot easier for us to deal with Judas if we can paint him into an evil corner and leave him there. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 13 , 2005 — Fifth Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, John 3:1-13

I grew up in Sunday School. ... The jarring realization when I got to college was figuring out that I didn’t have a clue what any of it meant. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

March 6 , 2005 — Fourth Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 23

If you were going to choose a king from a line up, what would you look for? What would your criteria be? How would you choose? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 27, 2005 — Third Sunday in Lent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Exodus 17:1-7, John 4:5-15

Trust is not an easy thing for most of us. Letting go of our attempts to be in control is even harder. For me, the issue is water. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 20, 2005 — Second Sunday in Lent

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
The Land That I Will Show You
Genesis 12:1-4a, John 3:1-13

Do you remember that ad for Volkswagens? ... “Drivers wanted.” I felt as though they were offering up membership in an exclusive club. A club you could only belong to if you knew where you were going in life and knew how to get there. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

February 9 , 2005 — Ash Wednesday Reflection

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Exodus 3:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

When we were young, we used to have family campfires. My father had made a fireplace in the field behind the house. ... Gathered there by the fire, leaning against each other, the world seemed pretty close to perfect. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

January 30, 2005 — Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23

I don’t know what invitation you have received from God, but I do believe that each and every one of us is receiving one. I hope we will accept the invitation and say yes. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

January 16, 2005 — Second Sunday After Epiphany

Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 49:1-7, John 1:29-42

Whether you’re a serious student of political history, political commentary and political analysis, or watch a lot of tv and movies, you have probably come to have some notion of political handlers and spin masters. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

January 9, 2005 — First Sunday After Epiphany

Rev. Lucy M. Alexander
Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17

Change. What does the word conjure up for you? Excitement? Dread? Anticipation? Loss? A new life? My sense is that for most of us, consciously or unconsciously, change is a loaded word. ... And the way change happens is, I believe, critical to how we are able to respond to it. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

January 2, 2005 — Epiphany Sunday

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

One of the many things we’re commercialized about Christmas is manger scenes. Pick a style you want, any style, and it’s out there. ... I actually have one that’s about an inch and a half long from Costa Rica ... read more ...  or  download PDF

2004 Sermons

December 24 , 2004 — Christmas Eve, 11:00 pm Service

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

What are we doing here? Why in the world have you come out in the dead of night on this brisk and breezy winter night? ... read more ...  or  download PDF

December 19 , 2004 — Fourth Sunday of Advent

Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

... for many of us there is puzzlement and struggle wrapped up in this story of Jesus’ birth. And if there are questions left dangling for us two thousand years later, can you even begin to imagine what it was like for Joseph? ... read more ...  or  download PD

December 5, 2004— Second Sunday of Advent

Get Real
Isaiah 11:1-10
Rev. Lucy M. Alexander

I received an email recently that had as its message line, “Abduction Precautions for Women.” I must say, it jumped out at me amidst the various emails from all of you, from friends, from stores advertising Christmas gifts and sales. ... It was like opening Pandora’s Box. ... read more ...  or  download PDF

November 28, 2004 — First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 2:1-5
Romans 13:11-14
Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

One of my favorite preaching commentaries opens with these words:

Advent is an abrupt disruption in our “ordinary time.” It is not only a new season in the church year; it is an utterly new year, new time, new life. Everything begins again. ...

I don’t know if I’m feeling bold enough to ask how many of you feel like you’re on the brink of something utterly new and long yearned for, or whether today marks an abrupt disruption in anything. I do suspect you can identify with the notions of numbed endurance and domesticated expectations, but I’m less confident on this brink idea. ...  read more ...  or  download PDF

Tuesday, November 23, 2004 — Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

Fasting and Feasting
Micah 6:6-8
John 4:1-26

What’s Thanksgiving like for you? Do you celebrate at home? Do you eat at a restaurant? Do you go to a relative’s home? Do you gather with friends? Are you alone? My guess is, that if you’re like many, you greet Thanksgiving with a mixture of anticipation and despair. ... Well, let’s face it, Thanksgiving can be difficult. It’s supposed to be a feast, but it sure can feel like a fast sometimes. Turkey or no turkey. ...  read more ...  or  download PDF

November 21, 2004 — Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

What Sort of King?
Luke 1:68-79
Luke 23:33-43
Rev. Alice M.C. Ling, Senior Pastor

You may find this hard to believe, but I really don’t do it just to be ornery. But yes, I am aware that I have a way of being out of synch. The retail world has been prepping for Christmas for months already, and as soon as they could put Halloween to bed, pulled out all the stops and started the countdown. Next week lights will go up all over town, trees will go up in both houses and churches, and most of the world will officially declare it Christmas – while I stubbornly insist on observing Advent. ...  read more ...  or  download PDF

November 14, 2004 — Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 12
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Rev. Lucy M. Alexander

Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book The Preaching Life tells this story:
Several years ago, a young friend of mine packed her bags and went away to college, where she intended to become a religion major. She had gotten deeply involved in the youth group at her church and was entertaining the idea of becoming an ordained minister herself, so she wasted no time enrolling in Religion 101...  read more ...  or  download PDF