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Pentecost (ABC) The Joy of Being with People You Love

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Pentecost (ABC) The Joy of Being with People You Love May 27, 2012 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell On the Garrison Keeler , Prairie Home Companion Radio show , Garrison talks about the annual 4 th of July exercise of forming a human American flag. All the citizens of Lake Woebegone , wearing red, white, or blue T-Shirts, arrange themselves into our Red, White and Blue flag. Then in order to let everyone get a “bird’s-eye-view” of the flag, they excuse themselves one-at-a-time, so they can say they saw the human American flag on the 4 th of July. I was reminded of that story when I realized that none of you can see the full effect of the color red in the nave of this church. (Instead of coming up one-at-a-time, I’d like to take your picture and then post it for your enjoyment). Does the color red insight any special meaning to you? On our liturgical church calendar, the color red is used to remind us of the blood shed by martyrs. Today, the feast of Pentecost , the color red reminds us of ...
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Easter 7 (A) It’s Knowing Where to Look

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Easter 7 (A) It’s Knowing Where to Look June 5, 2011 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Have you ever stepped outside in the early cool of a summer’s day and breathed in the fresh morning air? Can you remember the sensation of that moment on your skin? It’s as though your whole body is saying, thank you, this is perfect! Then all the other senses come alive and you feel like dancing…. well…. maybe skipping. Yes, you say, God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.  Evelyn Underhill , who was one of the world’s guiding spiritual lights, encouraged her students to look more often for the deeper secret in our daily experience. “Look for holiness” she said, “Look for the holiness welling up from beyond the world of visible life.”  What most of us would call “ordinary experiences” she would call, “windows to heaven.” Sometimes seen (she would say) in the most unexpected situations.  I would like to share one of those moments from my own life’s experience for us to think abou...
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Easter 6 (A) A Plethora of Idols

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Easter 6 (A) A Plethora of Idols May 16, 1993 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell I’ve titled this sermon, “ A Plethora of Idols .” It was one of those ideas that just “popped” into my head after reading St. Paul’s reaction to the many “gods’ on display in Athens, Greece . When I looked up the definition of the word ‘ plethora ’ the dictionary said it referred to… “An often undesirable or hampering superfluity,” “something greatly beyond what is sufficient, necessary, or advantageous.”  Acts 17: 22-23 Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. On his walk through the city, Paul observed how many idols he passed along the way. Idols to gods; to protect, to bring good crops, to promote love, to ensure procreati...
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Easter 5 (A) My Place

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  Easter 5 (A) My Place May 14, 2017 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Have you ever noticed how we all seem to gravitate to the same place when we gather for worship? I believe that I have been leading worship at Grace Church for over twenty years and could probably do it with my eyes closed. That’s because when we come together in this sanctuary, we all head for the same places.  I remember a lady, a very particular lady, back at St. Paul’s who would insist on her place even if she had to wait for visitors to move while she stood in the center aisle. Everyone knew Genevieve ’s place.  Why is knowing our place so important? Because having compatible friends is more fun. Because being in positive relationships offers a greater sense of security, and self-confidence. Because if I felt out of place (really out-of-place), I would ask for prayers of reassurance. To me the most important gift of being human is knowing that you BELONG . The thought of being really out of place remi...
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Easter 4 (A) It’s About Life! May 7, 2017 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell If someone were to ask you what the Bible is about, what would you say? Wow! Uh, let’s talk about it. One year at Camp Cross we invited the Jr. High campers to express their thoughts on that question with no holds barred. Keep in mind that Jr. High kids can be ruthlessly honest! We wrote down their thoughts on newsprint. We asked, “What do you think the Bible is all about? Afterwards, our daughter Kathy (using their words), created a song which we learned and sang for the rest of the week.              The Bible Song It’s a big, long, complicated, happy, interesting, dull, exciting, hard-to-understand, book.   (sing three times) And maybe, just maybe, it’s the basis of our lives.  That’s what I would say the Bible is all about.  It’s about life! New life, abundant life, eternal life, joyful life, the best life has to offer! In John’s Gospel , the word “l...
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Easter 3 (A) God’s Surprises

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Easter 3 (A) God’s Surprises May 3, 1981 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Despite photographs from space showing our Earth in all of its spherical grandeur, there are those who tenaciously cling to the idea that the Earth is flat. There is even an International Flat Earth Club where those who can’t see the Earth’s curvature can find support for what they can see….  a flat earth.  Fortunately, we tolerate their claims with mild amusement and controlled smiles. We are not moved in the slightest way to condemn them like they did in medieval times by burning them at the stake. But, in the past (when the weight of the visual evidence was the other way around), it was dangerous to even suggest that the Earth wasn’t flat! Those who dared, were labeled Heretics and banished for their beliefs. But history has proved that it was their tormentors who were in fact guilty of heresy .   Heresy is not so simple as most people suppose. It has little to do with believing something that is wron...
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