23
Dec 2021
In Luke’s Gospel, Emmanuel comes into the world in a manger, runs back into it from a pigsty, resurrects as a stranger on the Emmaus Road, and visits all the margins of life in a forgotten Galilee. But whether child, or outcast, or stranger, Emmanuel is received by mamas and daddies, sisters and brothers, friends, kindred, all, with outstretched arms, ready to embrace God’s presence. There is a whole world out there ready to live out kin-dom moments by simply modeling the radical hospitality of Jesus....
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29
Dec 2019
Christmas in the Crook of Our Arms Christmas Eve Homily Bob Stillerman Sardis Baptist Church Luke 2:1-20 12-24-2019 Christmas Homily 2019 Luke’s birth narrative has captured our imagination for two millennia. And to be honest, the story is SO intriguing, it’s hard to decide which detail is the best. Senior citizens, who have been faithful and righteous their whole lives, become first-time parents, and to an important messenger, nonetheless. Meanwhile, their teenage cousin learns that she too will become a first-time mother. And her son is also special: he’s the long-awaited messiah.......
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24
Dec 2015
12-25-2015 Words from the Innkeeper Luke 2 1-20 Words from the Innkeeper A Sermon for Sardis Baptist Church Christmas Eve – December 24, 2015 Luke 2:1-20 It’s about ten o’clock in the evening, and I just received a knock on my door from a young family seeking shelter. I recognize these faces: Joseph is one of my distant kin, and his young wife Mary is expecting a child. Joseph and Mary aren’t the first relatives to make this request. Already, a dozen other family members are staying with us. The......
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