Ernest F. Campbell Selected Sermons

Lent 4 C Parable as Mirror March 26, 1995 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell There is a poem “Counting on Sunday” by Margaret Britton Vaughn. The poem tells of her being bored in church and how she counted everything around her. [Maggi Vaughn was Tennessee’s poet laureate in 1995] Why are we amused by this? Because we’ve all done it. I can tell you that there were 29 light bulbs on the back side of the arch over the choir steps in Christ Church, Winnetka. We can all see ourselves in the poem’s truth. I remember a story that tells about a little boy who ‘discovered’ himself in the mirror…. “That’s me!” A parable is meant to work like a mirror. We look into the parable and discover something of ourselves looking back at us. Sooner or later, we will have to say, like the little boy, “That’s me!” If we fail to see ourselves reflected back to us from the parable it is not likely that we will appreciate any of the good news that it has to offer. With that in mind, let’s take another look at the par...

 Lent 3  C Bear Good Fruit March 14, 2004 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell [Ernie with his dad, Ernie] The word for today is Repent! In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a strong warning. Life is uncertain, we never know when it may end. Some Galileans were at worship when Pilate decided to mix their blood with the blood of their sacrifices…. (today, we call that terrorism). Then there were eighteen people in Jerusalem who were crushed when a tower collapsed and fell on them…. (we would call it tragic!). Jesus makes it clear that the victims were no better or worse than anyone else living in the city. A few months ago, I officiated at the funeral of a 54-year-old man who slipped while trimming a downed tree on his property. He was a safety instructo r.  Bishop Kellogg of the Diocese of Minnesota used to start his closing benediction with these words, “Lord, watch over us on this dangerous earth.”  We would be naïve to think otherwise. I was at a Community College, in the midd...

 Lent 2 C Our Citizenship is in Heaven February 24, 2013 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell This verse from today’s reading from Genesis caught my attention: “As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a " deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.” Abram was being sent off to a new and strange place to do something that he has never done before with people he has never met and he is afraid. I am sure that every one of us has suffered varying degrees of anxiety when we find ourselves in new situations with people we don’t know and who don’t know us. A homesick camper is real! A homesick camper is true to life! The camper wants to call home and check in with his or her family. Abram says to God, but I have no family, I have no offspring. Where do I turn for comfort and help? And God says, relax, don’t be afraid. Then the story continues: God brought him outside and tells Abram to count the stars; and Abram says, yeah, count the stars! And God says to Abram, “That wi...

 Lent 1 C Christ’s Way March 2, 2017 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Would we all agree if I said…. that our mission as Christians is to bring willing people into a relationship with God? If we do agree… then the next question would be, “What would be the best way to get that to happen?” What could the church offer that would catch people’s attention and lead them to a lasting commitment to God? Today’s Gospel lesson offers three temptations that can capture attention…but do not last. Jesus responded to all three….  One: Feed them! What did Jesus say when the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ If we were able to put on the town’s best pot-luck….would  that result in bigger and bigger crowds? Food works. What if we could turn stones into bread…. or pizza! We would have people queued up until the sun went down…and the moon came up. But, is that a go...

Ash Wednesday (any year) Dust to Dust March 4, 2003 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell On Ash Wednesday we dare come face to face with our mortality. No matter how good we look and feel right now… we mortals will all wither and die. Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return. End of story. For me, the most poignant moments in the Christian Liturgical year are the moments between hearing the words; “You are dust and to dust you shall return,” with the ashes trickling down on my nose, and then hearing the words; “The bread of Heaven.” “The cup of salvation.” As I receive the body and blood of our risen Lord. In the Genesis creation story, we read how God formed Man from the dust of the ground and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. It is that moment between the creation and the breath of life that makes the difference. Without the gift of God’s breath… God’s spirit, we are nothing but dust and ashes. The cross of ashes that is traced on ...