Sermons
Risen presence in you
By Roy Stetler
April 5, 2026
In Matthew’s resurrection account, the angel visits the women who have come to faithfully tend Jesus’ body. Death has not diminished their love for him. They have no concern for guards or decrees of religious authorities. So it is the two Marys who are met by the angel, see the empty tomb, and are sent to tell the others that…
A New Commandment
By Roy Stetler
April 2, 2026
Jesus’ mission is love. We do well to remember that his mission is not about power, for us to follow our instincts, and have our own way. Jesus did not get his own way. He surrenders to the will of God and invites us to follow. Jesus is the Love of God in flesh. He serves his disciples, washes their…
Transfigured
By Roy Stetler
February 15, 2026
Jesus’ shining presence before Peter, James, and John reveals his intimacy with the Jewish traditions about Moses, the giver of the law whose face glowed in God’s presence, and Elijah, the ancient prophet who spoke with God and learned in silence. Simon Peter is a business man. He has opinions. In the fishing business, he had to plan, expect the…
Unshakeable Hope
By Roy Stetler
January 25, 2026
Isaiah proclaims a creative hope for Israel and Judah 2600 years ago. Hope both for all who fear the army invading them, as well as for the many who live in grinding poverty. He invites them to the radical and hard to imagine decision to rejoice as God reveals light, peace, and abundance in darkness, oppression, and scarcity. Mind you,…
Justice for all
By Roy Stetler
January 18, 2026
Martin Luther King, Jr dedicated his life to proclaiming the Good News of God’s justice and peace for all people. He lived during a time in which the political and economic systems in our country strongly benefitted those with most of the resources, especially those with light skin. Then and now, even those who do not actively support unjust systems…
reflection on discernment
By Roy Stetler
January 11, 2026
This morning in worship, I offered a reflection against the backdrop of varying degrees of political violence in Iran, Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Venezuela, and the United States. I read it afterward, and I think this is what I was trying to say: Our understanding of what is going on around us is influenced by our use of social media and…
Epiphany light
By Roy Stetler
January 6, 2026
“Arise, Shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,” Isaiah 60:1. The returning Jewish exiles were tempted to despair in all the trouble they faced, returning to the homeland of which their grandparents spoke wistfully. Their contemporary reality was far from wistful. The story of the Jewish exiles “returning” to a new…
By Roy Stetler
December 28, 2025
Jesus is born. The prayerful (!) shepherds listen to the angel voices and rush to see this one announced as Savior, Messiah, and Lord. They share the good news with all they meet, including Mary and Joseph. Others will share prayer endowed messages with Mary and Joseph. Listening in prayer often involves hearing God speak through other people. In Matthew…
God with us
By Roy Stetler
December 21, 2025
In the first century, many in Palestine longed for a Messiah to save them from Rome and poverty. I doubt many were anticipating a birth, a child, or for a prophet/healer to walk the streets and care for the concerns of the masses. But there was a movement among the very poor, praying for a change, for the strength of…
Expectation brings Joy
By Roy Stetler
December 14, 2025
Patient expectation brings joy. James (5:7-10) speaks of the patient prophets who suffered greatly proclaiming the life-giving message of justice and mercy. They gave up their own comfort to proclaim the message. John the Baptist does likewise. From prison he asks, “Are you the one, Jesus?” Are you God’s moment in time drawing all creation into one voice: God’s justice…
Costly Faith
By Roy Stetler
December 7, 2025
Last week we began our year-long journey in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew begins his gospel with Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham. The four mothers included in the genealogy have difficult stories. One is neglected and forced to trick her father in law into fathering her son to carry on her deceased husband’s lineage–Tamar. Rahab might have been a sex…
Be Ready
By Roy Stetler
November 30, 2025
Be Ready! November 30 Jesus says the Son of Man is coming, at an unexpected time–and we must be ready. But Jesus says, “About that day and hour no one knows. Only God.” Not only do we not know the “when,” but we also don’t know the “what” of his coming–just that he is coming. And when it happens, suddenly…