The Wisdom of Foolishness

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Third Sunday in Lent1 Corinthians 1:18-31 The Apostle Paul has been busy, traveling across the known world spreading the good news of new life in Jesus Christ. And it hasn’t been an easy business. No matter where he goes, Paul finds opposition. Many of his fellow Jews think … [Read more…]

The Way of the Cross

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Second Sunday in LentMark 8:31-38 Last week we heard a story from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus and his identity. The gospel lesson this morning comes right after that key scene. Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is. And the disciples report to him … [Read more…]

Forty Days

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The First Sunday in LentGenesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15 Forty days. It comes up over and over again in the Bible. Noah and his family endured forty days and forty nights of rain in the ark. Moses spent forty days on the mountain with God. Goliath challenged … [Read more…]

Elijah and Moses Appeared

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King Transfiguration Sunday2 Kings 2:1-12; Mark 9:2-9 Today is a very special day. I’m sure you know that already. I’m sure you all have it marked on your calendar. Today is the last Sunday before the Season of Lent, a season of fasting and reflection as we contemplate Jesus’s road … [Read more…]

All Things to All People

by Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany1 Corinthians 9:16-23 The apostle Paul is a master of the humble-brag. He seems to be constantly promoting himself while simultaneously insisting that he is doing nothing of the kind. He’s doing it here in the beginning of our passage from First Corinthians. … [Read more…]

I Know Who You Are

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Fourth Sunday after the EpiphanyMark 1:21-28 This is Jesus’s first public appearance in the Gospel of Mark. He has just called his first disciples—fishers from the Lake of Galilee—and now he leads them back to Capernaum, a small fishing village along the lake, with about 1500 residents. It … [Read more…]

Follow Me

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Third Sunday after the EpiphanyMark 1:14-20 A stranger comes to town. No reputation. No name recognition. He walks along where the fishers are working. He points to a couple of them, and he simply says, “Follow me.” That’s all. No introduction. No explanation. Just, “Follow me.” And they … [Read more…]

Not Everything Is Helpful

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Second Sunday after the Epiphany1 Corinthians 6:12-20 The passage that we read this morning from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians is all about sex. You could probably tell that even if I just read you two of the Greek words that are used over and over in … [Read more…]

Ripped Apart

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King Baptism of the LordMark 1:4-11 I wasn’t planning to preach at all today. Like last Sunday, our District Superintendent, the Rev. Wendy Woodworth, provided a sermon for those of us in the Cascadia District to use this Sunday. She preached and recorded it about three weeks ago. A lot … [Read more…]

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The First Sunday of ChristmasLuke 2:22-40 Eight days after Jesus is born, in accordance with the religious laws in Leviticus, Jesus is circumcised and named. Then, thirty-three days after Jesus is born, in accordance with the religious laws in Leviticus, the family goes to the Temple in Jerusalem to … [Read more…]

Quiltmaker God

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Fourth Sunday of AdventLuke 1:26-38, 1:47-55 Featuring The Quiltmaker’s Gift We’ve heard the stories of two women this morning: the story of Mary and the story of the Quiltmaker. And interestingly, they are both stories about wealth and poverty and the way we use and relate to our … [Read more…]

A Witness to Testify to the Light

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Third Sunday of AdventJohn 1:6-8, 19-28 We continue our journey through the season of Advent, as we watch and wait and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ. In the first Sunday of Advent, we heard from the prophet Isaiah, “If only you would tear open the … [Read more…]

The Beginning of the Good News

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Second Sunday of AdventMark 1:1-8 This morning we continue together on our journey through the season of Advent, our journey of preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Advent is a season of waiting and watching and hoping; it is a season of introspection and preparation. The calendar … [Read more…]

Tear Open the Heavens

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The First Sunday of AdventIsaiah 64:1-9 This is the first day of the church year. We, like millions of other Christians around the world, follow the liturgical calendar, a progression of seasons and holy days. We just finished the long season of ordinary time, that stretched from Pentecost until … [Read more…]

As a Shepherd Separates

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King Christ the King SundayEzekiel 34:11-24, Matthew 25:31-46 We’ve read two bible texts this morning that share many of the same themes. On of them is quite familiar and has impacted the broader culture outside the church. The other is fairly obscure. Both are written in the wake of tragedy. … [Read more…]

Stay Woke

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King Sunday Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 In the last few years, many of us have learned a new word: “woke.” It’s gained popularity and usage through the power of the Black Lives Matter movement. As it is commonly used today, to be woke means to be enlightened. According … [Read more…]

Meet the Lord in the Air

Rev. Dr. David D. M. King The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 27A1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 In the section of the first letter to the Thessalonians that Janet read for us this morning, the three authors—the apostle Paul and his associates, Silas and Timothy—respond directly to a specific concern of the Christians in Thessalonica. And it … [Read more…]