2018

We are puzzle people: we can guess and guess but it’s still in God’s hands

Posted on November 10, 2018 at 7:40 pm by William Hagenbuch / Sermon Prep / 0

Ruth 3:1-15 We can all be puzzle people, even if we literally don’t have a jigsaw puzzle on a table in front of us. We have pieces, sometimes a lot of pieces. Some of the pieces come together and we get an image, or a glimpse of the whole. From…

WHAT HAPPENED AMERICA: was God’s hand in this election?

Posted on November 8, 2018 at 12:08 pm by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 2 Comments

One thing is clear since this past Tuesday: this won’t be politics as normal. Some who prayed for God to direct this election may not comfortable with this new news. All of us, no matter our location, should wonder, “Is God changing, or are we?” Some believe God does…

Blessings work: what to give when you have nothing to give

Posted on November 3, 2018 at 12:47 pm by William Hagenbuch / Sermon Prep / 1 Comment

With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the LORD bless you for…

The law of love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on October 31, 2018 at 10:27 pm by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 0

To conclude this three-part series, Jesus makes three things clear: a.) there are laws, b.) there is love, and c.) laws and love are not the same. As the religious elite, the Pharisees embodied the law as The Big Deal. Their priority was to uphold the laws established so long…

The law or love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on October 21, 2018 at 10:05 pm by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 0

Last week in the first of this three-part blog series, I mentioned my parents’ marriage. Far from perfect yet equally far from disastrous, they were what we all are—and that’s human. Jesus speaks to our human nature in the Holy text I brought to this column last week and…

The law or love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on October 18, 2018 at 2:42 pm by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 0

The maid of honor at my parents’ June 30, 1962 wedding said the couple wouldn’t make it. Why? The two had had what must have been a doozy of an argument at the wedding rehearsal the night before their Big Day. My parents would be married today if my…

Flattery will get you everywhere, unless….

Posted on October 13, 2018 at 5:48 pm by William Hagenbuch / Sermon Prep / 0

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” —Mark 10:17b When I was fulltime teacher, I imparted upon my third graders the art of being a schmoozer. Hopefully, these kids I sincerely miss heard me and remember the adage told to me: Flattery will get you everywhere. A…

Jesus lived His life on the border. We should, too.

Posted on October 12, 2018 at 12:24 am by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 0

A question often asked when we travel is, “Where are you from?” Here I invite you to rethink your answer. You may want to locate yourself exactly where you are, which is, like Jesus, on the border. The historical Jesus was a Galilean. “Historical Jesus,” for any unfamiliar with the…

Not so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious on a Sunday morning? This is what Jesus does.

Posted on October 6, 2018 at 10:09 am by William Hagenbuch / Sermon Prep / 0

“[Moses] wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts.” Mark 10:5b Maybe you are all better than I am. Perfectly on time, you leave for worship singing a Mary Poppins’ song. Daffodils pop out of the ground and bloom like a hundred suns as you make your…

In the war zone: what we do with Kavanaugh and Ford is what to do with all, and that is love

Posted on October 4, 2018 at 5:17 pm by William Hagenbuch / The blog hog / 0

An educated, treasured professional I deeply admire for her open eyes and level thinking summed up last week’s Senate event by saying, “The handling of this [meaning the Judge Brett Kavanaugh hearing], and the discourse, has been deeply disconcerting. I fear we, as a nation, have reached a point of…

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We are puzzle people: we can guess and guess but it’s still in God’s hands

WHAT HAPPENED AMERICA: was God’s hand in this election?

Blessings work: what to give when you have nothing to give

The law of love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 3 of 3)

The law or love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 2 of 3)

The law or love: Jesus chose one, not the other (Part 1 of 3)

Flattery will get you everywhere, unless….

Jesus lived His life on the border. We should, too.

Not so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious on a Sunday morning? This is what Jesus does.

In the war zone: what we do with Kavanaugh and Ford is what to do with all, and that is love

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2018

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