11
Mar 2022
In the Land of the Living Bob Stillerman Second Sunday of Lent, 3/13/2022 Psalm 27 In the Land of the Living Psalm 27 3-13-2022 A few notes about our psalm. Let’s remember the central role of the Jerusalem temple. Believers in the seven centuries preceding Jesus connected God’s presence to this particular space. God dwelled in the Temple. God’s presence meant safety and prosperity for the people of the region. To be in this sanctuary was to feel good and to feel God. Remember also, that believers throughout the diaspora were required......
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14
Apr 2019
A Final Word About Our Lenten Journey Bob Stillerman Sardis Baptist Church 4-13-2019 Palm Sunday Lenten Charge 4-14-2019 During this Lenten season, it has been our aim to explore the communities Paul first engaged, and the ones that have shaped our faith. And just like Paul, we’ve tried to be honest, maybe even cantankerous at times, as we’ve compared ancient voices with modern ones, and sought to reconcile their differences. To be sure, there are a number of verses in Paul’s authentic epistles and others bearing his name that give us pause......
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15
Mar 2019
Words From Corinth Bob Stillerman, 3/10/2018 A Word About Corinth big print 1 Cor 11.17-26 3-10-2019 During the Season of Lent, Sardis will explore the communities of Paul. On this the first Sunday of Lent, we remember the church at Corinth, and all her saints, and their walk of faith. They were not perfect people. Like each of us, they sought to follow Christ’s example of humility and equality in a world intent on promoting status and division. And like each of us, some days they excelled. Some days they didn’t. But......
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05
Mar 2017
A Table Beyond The Wilderness — Matthew 4.1-11 3-5-2017 A Table Beyond the Wilderness A Homily for Sardis Baptist Church Bob Stillerman Matthew 4:1-11 March 5, 2017 Today’s lection is strange. For starters, we’re just beginning our 40-day journey through Lent (47 if you count your Sundays). But in today’s text, Jesus has finished his. He spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. And he’s famished. Keep reading. Stranger things await. Satan makes an appearance. And Satan, that tempter to top all tempters, sees an opening: “Let’s see what this......
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20
Mar 2016
What’s Next Palm Sunday Luke 19.28-40 3.20.2016 What’s Next Palm Sunday Sermon for Sardis Baptist Church 3-20-2016 Luke: 19:28-40 It’s early in the morning, and Jerusalem still sleeps. But the vibrations are growing louder. The echo of a donkey’s deliberate trot and the banging of an eerie drum will soon wake this place. Two men are on a collision course. And Jerusalem will never be the same. Jesus: From the east, high atop the Mount of Olives, Jesus descends toward Jerusalem. He rides on a humble donkey. He is flanked by his......
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14
Mar 2016
Extravagant Service — John 12.1-8 3.13.2106 Extravagant Service Sardis Baptist Church 3-13-2016 John 12:1-8 Jesus is weary. Tired. Perhaps even homesick. Ministry is hard. He’s walked thousands of miles; he’s slept in too many strange places to count; he’s been a dinner guest at a thousand tables; and he’s most likely had tens of thousands of conversations with strangers. Jesus is always in motion. And that make me wonder: “Where does this sojourner call home?” Today’s text tells us that Jesus’ home is in Bethany at the residence of Lazarus and Mary......
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06
Mar 2016
Grace in a Flash — Luke 15.11-33 3.6.2016 Grace in a Flash A Sermon for Sardis Baptist Church Luke 15: 11-32 (The parable of the prodigal son and his brother) 3-6-2016 Each noonday it’s the same. A landowner makes his way to the top of a ridge that bisects his property. Atop this peak, he is able to inspect the activity of his entire estate. Orchards and fields are filled with workers tending to their daily chores. But it’s not the orchards and fields that capture the landowner’s attention. It’s the road......
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14
Feb 2016
2-14-16 – Lent’s Love Letters – Deut 26 1-11 LENT’S LOVE LETTERS Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Feb. 14, 2016 Today is Valentine’s Day. Today is the first Sunday in Lent, 2016. Though they may seem to be disparate entities, a similarity of these two events occurs in a determined response to love offered. (Make heart shape with hands.) We determine to accept and reciprocate; or we determine to reject and ignore. There are many kinds of love letters, but some of the most seminal are those delivered to us by our inheritance. The Deuteronomist......
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