Sermons from Sunday Worship at Falls Church Presbyterian Church in Falls Church, VA.  Also sermons from my previous position in Columbus, OH.

James Sledge

This sermon is woven around a dramatic reading of the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. (Unfortunately the video camera did not get positioned to capture Maya Ewart and Morgan Freeman who played Jesus and the woman.)

Drawn to the Water (John 4:5-42)

(Be Warned! I have a coughing fit during this.) Modern people often don't appreciate the  differences found in the various gospels. We tend to think of them as accounts of what happened, but the writers thought of them more like sermons that helped their congregations - who already knew the story of Jesus - better understand the events of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Matthew wants  his Jewish congregation to identify closely with the disciples, and to hear Jesus speak to them through those disciples. And so at the Transfiguration, Matthew helps his congregation consider whose voice they listen to. <br />
Many voices compete to be heard by us. Which do we pay attention to and follow?

(Be Warned! I have a coughing fit during this.) Modern people often don't appreciate the  differences found in the various gospels. We tend to think of them as accounts of what happened, but the writers thought of them more like sermons that helped their congregations - who already knew the story of Jesus - better understand the events of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Matthew wants  his Jewish congregation to identify closely with the disciples, and to hear Jesus speak to them through those disciples. And so at the Transfiguration, Matthew helps his congregation consider whose voice they listen to. 
Many voices compete to be heard by us. Which do we pay attention to and follow?

Listening for Who We Are (Matthew 17:1-9)

A famous quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks of the arc of the moral universe being long but bending toward justice. Dr. King drew on his faith that saw the world inevitably ending up at where God intends. But people can certainly act in ways that lead societies a direction incompatible with Dr. King's arc and with God's kingdom. In this gospel reading, Jesus' call to repent, meaning a change of mind and direction, is paired with his calling the first disciples. Following Jesus means going with him and learning his ways, ways that trace an arc toward God's future, and arc often at odds with that traced by those in power.

Choosing the Right Arc (Matthew 4:12-23)

When comedian George Carlin told stories about growing up Catholic, he described creating elaborate scenarios meant to confound the priests and demonstrate the absurdity of Church doctrines. In similar fashion, the Sadducees devise an elaborate scenario meant to confound Jesus and undermine his teachings on resurrection. Jesus' response outwits his opponents, but may still leave us with questions regarding resurrection.

Trick Questions (Luke 20:27-38)

In a letter from his Nazi prison cell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke of how the Church has become disconnected from the gospel, of how a future church would need to be reborn out of "prayer and righteous acts." His letter was prompted by the baptism of a colleague's infant son. The German Church was worshiping and practicing its rituals, yet it was no longer the body of Christ. Bonhoeffer must have appreciated this passage from Isaiah, a passage that raises questions of when our how our worship begins to grate on God's ears.

Wearying God - Finding Hope (Isaiah 1:1, 10-20)

On the Sunday before Vacation Bible Camp began, the sermon was something of an extended children's time. The Genesis Creation story was told using a method known as Godly Play, and the sermon was given to the gathered children, a sermon that moved from the waters of creation to the waters of Jesus' baptism.

It Starts with Water (Genesis 1:1-2:3; Matthew 3:17-17)

Amos blasts the leaders of Israel and the wealthy in typical prophetic manner, warning them that God will not remain patient at their abuse of the poor. There are apocalyptic threats, the the ultimate warning is a famine of hearing God's word, the loss of God's presence. What might that look like?

Famine (Amos 8:1-12)

This started out to be a straightforward sermon on idolatry and how our lives get out of whack because of loyalties and allegiances to things other than God. The prophet Amos confronts this when the high priest speaks of the temple at Bethel as the "king's sanctuary... a temple of the kingdom." Not God's? <br />
   But after the sermon was written, police shot black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis, and 5 police officers were killed in Dallas. Then the sermon needed to talk about a specific sort of "out of whack," and so the Good Samaritan joined the prophet Amos.

This started out to be a straightforward sermon on idolatry and how our lives get out of whack because of loyalties and allegiances to things other than God. The prophet Amos confronts this when the high priest speaks of the temple at Bethel as the "king's sanctuary... a temple of the kingdom." Not God's? 
   But after the sermon was written, police shot black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis, and 5 police officers were killed in Dallas. Then the sermon needed to talk about a specific sort of "out of whack," and so the Good Samaritan joined the prophet Amos.

Plumb Lines, Measuring Sticks, and Idolatry (Amos 7:7-17 and Luke  10:25-37)

Mainline  Christians may not think much about the "End Times," but having a sense of what God is up to, where history is headed, is important if we are to show the world the hope of God's new day. In this scripture passage, Elisha's ability to continue Elijah's ministry is dependent on his ability to see heavenly things. So is the church's ability to continue Jesus' ministry.

Learning to See (2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14)

The book of Revelation (a badly misunderstood work not about the end of the world) is addressed to seven churches. The last comes in for special disdain from the writer for being "neither cold nor hot," for being "lukewarm." That is precisely the status of the Israelites in this reading, worshiping the LORD or YHWH but also worshiping Baal. The prophet asks them, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If YHWH is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." It's a question we do well to ask ourselves, though our Baals are usually called by other names.

Limping between Gods (1 Kings 18:20-39)

Some people think of faith and doubts as incompatible. Some even think them opposites. In fact doubts and questions are crucial to faith, and in this reading from Genesis, Abram (later known as Abraham) comes to understand the nature of his relationship with God because he doubted and questioned God.

Questioning God (Genesis 15:1-18)

Luke's account of Jesus baptism is rather understated. There's no conversation with John the Baptist. Jesus speaks not at all, and Luke reports John's imprisonment prior to telling of the baptism. From what little Luke says, we can garner two things. Jesus seems to have gotten in line with all the other folks who went out into the wilderness to be baptized by John. And Jesus is praying when a voice speaks words rendered by the Cabbage Patch Gospel, "You're my dear Son; I'm proud of you." Does Luke mean to tell us that these two things Jesus does have something to do with God  being proud?

Luke's account of Jesus baptism is rather understated. There's no conversation with John the Baptist. Jesus speaks not at all, and ...

You're My Dear Child (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22)

This is the only passage in any of the gospels that mentions Jsus as a child, but Luke is not trying to satisfiy our naturaly curiousty about what Jesus must have been like. Instead he points to just who Jesus is and what his ministry will entail. Clearly that ministry will pose challenges for existing loyalities and relationships, including with one's own family.

A Little Christmas... But Not Too Much (Luke 2:41-42)

John the Baptist intrudes into our Christmas preparation, calling people a "brood of vipers" and demanding their lives show evidence of change, repentance. Curiously, those John yells at don't run away. instead they ask, "What then should we do?" It's a question we might all want to ask, and answer, as we prepare in this season of Advent.

What Should We Do? - Ethical U-Turns (Luke 3:7-18)

Each year the gospel passage for Advent 1 speaks not of preparing for a Savior's birth, but of being ready for his return. The "hope" of Advent is supposed to be bigger than hoping for a good Christmas. It is the promise that no matter how crazy and frightening the world may seem, in the end... God.

Heads Held High (Luke 21:25-36)

The gospel reading for Christ the King is a portion of Jesus' trial before Pilate (although John describes it more as Pilate's trial before Jesus). At  his trial, Jesus reaches out to Pilate much as he has to Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well, trying to help Pilate see things anew. But Pilate is too committed to images of power and masks of control to embrace the truth. In that he is not so different from many politicians today, or from me, and perhaps you.

Embracing the Truth (John 18:33-37)

In the book of Ruth, Naomi and her family are refugees in Moab, dependent on the hospitality of Moabites, who come in for a lot of bad press in the Old Testament. (see Deuteronomy 23:3) And when Ruth returns to Judah with Naomi, she is now the refugee among a people Moses told never to admit a Moabite into "the assembly of the LORD." Yet Ruth the foreigner becomes the hero in the story, the example of faithfulness who will be the great-grandmother of King David.

Bad Ole Moabites and Wrestling with Scripture (Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17)

I dropped the sermon originally prepared from this scripture following the shooting at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston. This sermon doesn't deal much with the passage, focusing more on grief and anger in the wake of the shooting, and a search for hope.

Anger to Action? (Psalm 22:1-11; James 3:13-18)

In church congregations, the word "stewardship" sometimes becomes a churchy way of saying "fundraising." But biblically speaking, stewardship grows out of a profound sense of God's provision and abundance. This is direct contrast the our world's "myth of scarcity" which says there is not enough for all, and I'd better secure my share before someone else does. As Brian McLaren says of those learning to live the Christian faith, " 'What's mine is God's, we are learning to say, 'and I want to use it for the common good.' "

Liturgy of Abundance: The Uprising of Stewardship (2 Corinthians 8:1-15)

In a world with growing disparity between rich and poor, haves and have nots, the Church has too often mirrored economic divisions (along with divisions of race, politics, etc.). This clearly is at odds with the teachings and activity of Jesus. It is nothing like the new community, the Kingdom that we are called to demonstrate for the world. But when we come to the Lord's Table, we often get it right. There are no distinctions; no one gets special treatment, no one gets excluded. For a brief, fleeting moment, none of the world's divisions matter, and the Kingdom becomes visible.

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