Ernest F. Campbell Selected Sermons

  Proper 19 (A) The Forgiveness Initiative September 16, 1990 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell The theme of Sunday’s propers is forgiveness. With that in mind I would like to begin my sermon with a confession. When I sang in the Men and Boys’ Choir at Christ Church Winnetka , I can remember hearing sermons on sin. After several sermons, I figured out that sin was bad. I also know that bad people were put in jail. I was not in jail; therefore, the sermon, I presumed, was not for me. What was my sin? I was in a spiritual coma . A coma is a physical condition in which one is conscious of nothing. It is a very serious state and can lead to death. From a spiritual point of view, according to Louis Evely in his book The Word of God , there are innumerable souls in a state of “coma.” The process of sin goes something like this: We think of something that will not be good for us, or some other person. We savor the possibilities. We act upon the idea. We form a habit of acting. We fall into a...

Christian Conflict Management Proper 18 (A) September 7, 2008 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell We live in a contentious world. We contend with each other; group “A” gets up early and creates a plan for the day. Group “B” gets up at a more reasonable hour and decides that it doesn’t like Group “A’s” plan. The day is then spent, some would say wasted, arguing over which plan is best. We contend with ourselves. I go to buy a new suit and I hear my mother’s voice saying, “Make it practical.” I hear my father’s voice saying, “Make it affordable.” I hear my sister’s voice saying, “Make it stylish.” And, I hear my wife’s voice saying, “Make it soon!” I can tell by the clerk’s expression that I need to make up my mind! I hear myself sighing; it’s not as easy as it looks. When the church meets, be it vestry or bishop’s committee, keeping in mind (plan “A” versus plan “B” and the many voices we each bring to the table), it is no wonder that meetings run late. Then there are the “parking lot meetings”...

  Proper 17 (A) Transformed August 29, 1999 By Rev. Ernest. F. Campbell The verse I want to focus on is from today’s Epistle to the Romans : “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The same verse reads like this from The Message : (keep in mind this is a paraphrase and not a strict translation) – “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” I might express the same thought like this: I try – we all try – to fit in where we live. Where that promotes God’s purpose…. good. Where it gets in the way…. help us to change, to be converted, to be transformed. Transformed into recognizable disciples.  One of my favorite hymns says it like this: “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord to thee.” Becoming a Christian disciple i...

Proper 16 (A) The Question August 26, 1981 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Today’s Gospel contains the essential question asked by Jesus to all those who would be his disciples. The fact that Jesus asked the question implies our freedom to respond to it from the truth of our own experience. Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Never mind what somebody else says, never mind what it says in some book. Who do you say…not think…but who do you say I am? What do you confess with your lips…out loud, so others can hear it…about who I am? The answer that came from Peter’s lips must have shocked his own ears. Peter was a Jew. The Jews believed that the name of God was so holy that it must never be spoken aloud. So, in response to Jesus’ question, Peter says…“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God .” He says what a pious Jew would hardly dare to say: “You are God.” Why didn’t the other disciples appreciate that Jesus, the carpenter’s son, was at the same time God Almighty? Why only Peter...

  Proper 15 (A) A Faithful “Dog” August 15, 1999 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell I believe that there are two things in today’s Gospel that would be helpful to bring into focus. However, because my wife tells me that she enjoys her sermons one at a time, we will be focusing on just one of the two. Hopefully the one most pertinent to this congregation. I title the sermon, “A Faithful ‘Dog,’” subtitled: “An Irresistible Prayer Mode.” Let’s set the scene: Jesus and His disciples in an attempt to get away from the crowds and from the ever-conniving, ever-dangerous Pharisees , have crossed the border into gentile country. Their hope is that not many law-abiding Jews would likely follow. Remember, if you even brushed up against a “garbage” gentile, you were required by law to go through a ritualistic cleansing. Most Jews would not want to risk being contaminated. Jesus and His Apostles were no sooner out of reach from the Jews, when one of the local “foreign” women recognizes Jesus, and from...

Proper 14 (A) When We Have That Sinking Feeling August 12, 1984 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell How do we grow in faith? We know and understand the process of growing in knowledge.  You begin as a beginner in some subject or field of study—weather prediction, writing, arithmetic—and, as we master the basic fundamentals, we advance to more challenging exercises and complicated problems. Normally, we can track our advance by comparing grades or grade levels with other students working in the same field. When a dedicated student produces superior work over a prescribed period of time, they may earn the right to be called Doctor, as a recognition of their ability to apply their understanding in creative ways and so advance their field of knowledge toward new frontiers. Our growth in faith is not nearly so orderly or systematic. When Nicodemus , whom we might call Dr. Nicodemus, came to Jesus to discover more about Our Lord’s powerful faith, Jesus told Nicodemus that he would have to rely o...