Recent Sermons
from Revs. Janet and Jerry Duggins
From "Meditations on the Music of Christmas" based on Luke 2:2-12; John 1:1-5,14; and Mark 10:14-16 ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ December 26, 2010
The nativity scene is said to have its origin with St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order. Many Protestants don’t know much about saints because they belong more to the Catholic tradition than to our part of the Christian family, but most of us know about St. Francis. His statue is found in many gardens – he’s usually depicted with birds and other animals, because he was known for his love and compassion toward all God’s creatures. Tradition has it he even preached sermons to the birds. Although Francis came from a wealthy family and spent his young adult years living wildly and extravagantly, his life changed dramatically after he recovered from a serious illness and decided he would begin to follow Christ. He came to believe that following Jesus meant living humbly and simply, rejecting violence, befriending the poor, sharing with those in need, and honoring God’s creation.
At Christmastime in the year 1223, so the story goes, Francis
was visiting the little town of
From "Christmas Eve Reflections" based on Luke 2:1-20 ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ December 24, 2010
There are those who believe that focusing on the BABY Jesus distracts Christians
from the real heart of the gospel.
Talking about the baby encourages us to imagine that it’s all just a
sweet story which warms our hearts and nothing more. After all, a baby doesn’t seem too challenging
to our expectations or too threatening to our plans. These people have a point. We ought not to forget that this Baby became
someone who talked about the
The rest of the story is not to be forgotten. But for me, there is something compelling about imagining the BABY Jesus....
From "Advent: Announcing Good News", part 3, based on Genesis 3:20-24 and Luke 1:26-38 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ December 19, 2010
This
is the good news that comes in Advent. There is no recall to
But
we do not live in a perfect world and we are not a perfect people and we are
not meant to muddle our way through it alone. God sends the first couple into
exile together, not separately. They enter Mary’s world, which is our world
too; a world permeated by sin, within and without.
And
yet, in one sense they and we are right where we belong. We are not heavenly
creatures and scripture never suggests that we will become such. Again, the
good news is not that God is coming to take us away to heaven, but that God is
coming to share life with us here on earth. Even the book of Revelation ends
not with the ascent of God’s people to heaven, but with the descent of the
restored
From "Advent: Announcing Good News", part 2, based on Luke 1:26-45 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ December 5, 2010
At
the center of the stories of Mary and Elizabeth is the announcement of good news, the announcement
of God’s presence. These stories encourage us to become more receptive to the
encounter with God, to become open to recognizing it when it comes. I think so
few really believe it. I am afraid that the church has been driven to such
distraction it does not see it let alone speak of the encounter with God with
any clarity, authority or authenticity. We are too intent on worn out
structures, preserving old customs and criticizing new ways.
But
it’s Advent, a time for beginning, a time to mark a new encounter with a living
God. What question lies on your heart that will move you from caution to hope?
What question weighs on your mind that will open the surprise and fill it with
joy? For this is, I think, where the encounter with God intends to lead us,
into hope and joy. These paintings open up for us the power behind Mary and
Elizabeth’s stories. They invite us to renew faith, to see in an old story, our
own
From "Advent: Announcing Good News", part 1, based on Luke 1:26-38 and Isaiah 52:7-10 ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ November 28. 2010
Advent is about many things, and there are many biblical stories and writings that we typically associate with Advent – passages from the gospels and the prophets that talk about waiting, preparing, repenting, having faith and hope in God in dark times. But for me, this story that we call “the Annunciation” is at the heart of the season. Advent is, above all, annunciation; it is the announcement of good news. The Advent gospel stories tell us about several people who are graced with an announcement of the good news, but this is the story at the heart of the story. Mary is the first – though not the only - recipient of the news. This is the story that says “the promise of God is no longer a distant dream; it’s about to become real, in the world.”
From "Practicing Grace" based on Matthew 13:24-30 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ November 21, 2010
What
would happen if we really did nothing for the field of wheat? What if we never
added any fertilizer to the soil? What if we never irrigated the field so that
water was not distributed throughout it? What if we never watered it at all? We
might get lucky. The soil might actually be rich in the proper nutrients. Rain
might come at all the right times. And we might get a great harvest. But do you
really think Jesus wants his followers standing around just hoping for good
weather? Tolerance can look an awful lot like indifference, and I don’t think
Jesus means for us to be indifferent. He tells them not to pull up the weeds,
but he still wants the wheat to grow. “Let them grow together,” he says. Just
keep nurturing the wheat, feeding and watering so that it can grow strong and
plentiful. Do this even though the weeds will feed off your generosity. This is
grace.
From "Seven Species of Blessing" based on Deuteronomy 8:1-18a ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ November 14, 2010
If it had been
If I thought anything at all about these food crops mentioned
in Deuteronomy 8, I guess I just assumed it was a list of good things to eat
that could be grown in
Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates
are traditionally referred to the “seven species” of
From "A Watered Garden" based on Isaiah 58:1-12 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ November 7, 2010
Just
as Isaiah speaks to a people who have failed to live up to their calling so the
church also has its own history of straying from the right path. And yet, this
promise is for us as well: “you shall be like a watered garden….” But it will
require focus, a return to the qualities that characterize people of faith:
justice, mercy, grace, compassion, reconciliation. When we practice these, we
become healthy and beautiful. They are the water that makes the garden prosper.
On this All Saints Sunday, this day in which we remember the faithful who have left our lives, I want us to notice one other thing in this text. After this wonderful image of the watered garden, the prophet goes on to say, “you shall raise up the foundations of many generations….” The practice of these qualities will help us remember the saints, remember our loved ones in the best possible light. As we practice justice, it may help us recall those who taught us justice. As we render mercy, it may help us remember those who were merciful to us. As we live into grace-filled moments, it may help us see the grace that surrounded the lives of others now gone. As we exercise compassion, it may help us honor the great examples of the compassionate among the saints. As we practice reconciliation, it may help us to see its power in past lives. The saints are nutrients carried into our lives by the water that sustains the beauty of God’s kingdom. The best way to honor those we remember today is to refocus our lives on these things: justice, mercy, grace, compassion and reconciliation. These are the things that sustain the watered garden, the image of God’s kingdom in which we desire to live.
From "Will Work for Food" based on Isaiah 65:17-25 and Matthew 9:35-38 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ October 24, 2010
Isn’t
it wonderful that food puts forth such wonderful aromas when it’s ready, that
harvest time smells so good? But you don’t really get to enjoy it to its
fullest extent unless you’re willing to work. It doesn’t matter how plentiful
the harvest, if no one is willing to go out there and bring it in. The greatest
pleasure takes place after the work.
So
it is with our faith as well. There are so many beautiful things in the world
that we could just sit around and take in, but we’re not meant to be
spectators. We’re meant to pick that ear of corn, husk it, boil it, roll it in
butter and salt and sink our teeth into it!
Of course, Jesus isn’t talking about food here, he’s talking about people, a crowd of people that the gospel writer describes as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Not so enticing perhaps as a vineyard of maturing grapes. We don’t tend to look on a homeless man or a sullen teenager that way. We don’t see that hospital or funeral home visit as going out to harvest. We’ll spend time with a friend who has lost her way, but we expect to come away drained, not fed.
From "Sowing Seeds That Matter" based on Luke 13:18-19 ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ October 17, 2010
Last spring, I found a couple of packets of basil seeds in our shed and though I wasn’t sure they were still good – being a couple of years old – and I couldn’t be sure they’d get enough water to grow even if they sprouted, I decided to plant them anyway. What did I have to lose? So I scattered the Italian basil in one of the garden beds and hoped I’d get enough to make some pesto. The other packet was lime basil – I wasn’t sure what I’d do with that, but it sounded good and there were the seeds, so I planted that in a long row in another bed. Then we went away for six weeks.
When we came back, the lime basil had grown prolifically. The Italian basil that was supposed to become pesto had sprouted only one lonely plant. Oh well, this is the way gardening goes, sometimes. The next Saturday, I went to the farmer’s market and bought some trays of basil plants. I planted them out in the garden bed, tried to remember to water them, and a couple of weeks ago I made some pesto… even though my Italian basil seeds mostly didn’t grow.
I’d have been happier – and a few dollars to the good – if those seeds had grown… but it wasn’t a big deal. I never spent any time in real worry over it. I didn’t have much invested in the first place, and I always knew there could be a “plan b” … or “c”. And we can certainly get by without pesto!
I would guess that most of us who get out there in the spring and plant seeds take an attitude something like this. Of course, we’ll be pleased if the beans and basil and carrots grow. If they don’t, though, it will be disappointing but not the end of the world. We’ll get over it, and there are other options.
From "Covenant with the Land" based on Leviticus 25:1-12 ~ Rev. Jerry Duggins ~ October 10, 2010
...God has a covenant relationship with the
land. If we allow our scientists a word here, we must conclude that that
covenant has been around a lot longer than the covenant with humanity. For
billions of years, God nurtured in the land the condition under which life
might arise. It should be a little humbling to realize that God has lot of
years to work with and is apparently willing to take them. God is not in a
hurry. In fact it may be that God is tolerant of our use of the earth in the
awareness that if we manage to destroy the conditions under which human life
can be sustained, God will still have plenty of years to renew the earth.
From "The Place of Unity and Peace" based on Song of Solomon 4:7 - 5:1 ~ Rev. Janet Duggins ~ October 3, 2010
On World Communion Sunday, we are torn between two very different emotions: on the one hand, we love celebrating our oneness with our sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ around the world; we acknowledge our common bond with all people while appreciating the diversity of the human family; we are grateful for the gift of the world we share with all its variety and beauty and bounty.
On the other hand, this day reminds us that there is a great deal of suffering in our world; we remember how many are starving, or afraid, or without hope; we are troubled by the things that divide us; we grieve the wars and we pray for peace, though we can scarcely believe in the possibility sometimes.
What on earth does a few pages of ancient love poetry have to do with this tension we recognize this morning, and, truthfully, live with every day?
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