One cannot be anything else than what one is. And when we are called by God - in baptism, communion and community - God does not expect us to bring anything else but what and who we are. Anything else we will need to be faithful witnesses, the Holy Spirit will give us.
This was a sermon shared with the community of the First Presbyterian Church in Jamestown, NY, based on the gospel lesson in Matthew 5:13-20
Celebrando el 2do domingo de Adviento, el domingo de la paz, reflexioné con la congregación de la 3ra Iglesia Presbiteriana en Aguadilla sobre como el profético en Isaías 11:1-10 le provee una imagen para la iglesia sobre esa paz que se puede añorar, una paz que la iglesia está llamada a ser gestora para y con el mundo. También tomando alguna inspiración de II Corintios 9:6-15, acompañé en esa oportunidad a esta congregación al cierre de su campaña de mayordomía. La Iglesia es llamada a ser mayordoma de paz.
In a time where opinion dominates the media, and is often accompanied with little fact, we are faced with the challenge to find trusted sources of truth. And that is exactly what Jesus is addressing in this text, and inviting us into.
I preached this sermon to the congregation of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church, Bronx, NY.
When preaching on the story commonly known as "The Good Samaritan” we often miss that this parable is in response to an intense conversation between Jesus and an expert in religious law. I had the opportunity to preach this sermon during the opening worship service of the 2019 Big Tent (video link), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s biennial learning and fellowship gathering. I preached it originally in, both, Spanish and English.
Rules and regulations. Social expectations and theological interpretations. For many these are all but set in stone. Allowing ourselves to engage with another that is different to us can (and should) change to shifting idiosyncrasies and keeping biases in check. And if more deeply, engaging the other can change one life and witness all together.
I preached this sermon to the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church in Albany, NY.
To stand trial is to be in a dialogue. The party in authority is seeking to convince others that the party accused is guilty. The purpose of a dialogue is to convince, to sway. Jesus is not about dialogue. He is about conversation - being with others in life together. And Jesus take every opportunity to be in conversation with others, even while standing trial.
This sermon was preached in two versions, first at the installation of Elder Warren McNeill as stated clerk of New York City Presbytery, and this version to the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in Albany, NY.
In this sermon I engage the text of II Samuel 11, and the otherwise unrelated stories of war, lust, murder if not seen through the historical and contemporary lenses of the war economy. This was also a nudge of support to the Poor Peoples’ Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival and its New York State organizing.
This sermon was originally preached at the Presbyterian New England Congregational Church in Saratoga Springs, NY.
