Sermons

As I was growing up in my family’s home, it was quite common for my parents to make changes to the house on a regular basis. In addition to routine wallpapering and painting, they also took walls down and put walls up (one wall both came down and then, some years later, went back up), changed…

I have seen parties, I have seen weddings, I have attended some, some I have not attended. I have gone to graduations; I have not gone to others. When those events are happening, you have a guest list and you start inviting people to those occasions. So this is why I want us to ask ourselves:…

(Note: due to scheduling issues, video of this week’s sermon is unavailable.) One thing we can say about Jesus – he was not very good at following the rules. Jesus was not afraid to be disruptive; to shake up the status quo; to do something new for the sake of the coming of the kin-dom of…

If you have attended any one of the six Open Forums that the Transition Team has held since last September, then you may recall that we began each session by Centering in Scripture and in Prayer. We did this by following an ancient contemplative practice known as Letio Divina (“sacred reading”). Lectio Divina is done in…

The 15th century theologian, Martin Luther, who’s radical beliefs form the foundation for Lutheran teachings today, is reported to have said “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake (their) life on it a thousand times.” This idea of faith as a living, daring confidence in…

How’s your week been? I’ve had a rather unusual week. Through the wonder of technology, I have been traveling back and forth between Holliston, North Easton, and Phoenix, AZ. While I have kept one eye on my responsibilities at home and one eye on my responsibilities at Holy Trinity as your transition minister, I have also…

My spouse John and I like to walk. Many mornings you will find us walking along the Holliston Rail Trail, a nearly 7 mile long path that meanders through our small town, from one end to another; extending from the downtown area through the woods in both directions. It’s a peaceful path. We see all kinds…

I have a friend who brought two young sons to the United States in 2012. They came here as refugees, to escape the violence in their home country, the Congo. We met about 6 weeks after they arrived here. We both agree that our meeting was an act of God; a God-moment. We’ve walked through life…

I learned a new song this week. It’s called “The Hippo Song”. Here are the words: In the beginning God made the seas and the forests filled with trees. God made the mountains up so high and at the top God placed the skies. God’s fingerprints are everywhere just to show how much God cares. And…

HTLC Transition Minister Susan Lindberg Haley spent last week as guest chaplain at Camp Calumet in Freedom, New Hampshire. She delivered the sermon below at Calumet’s Sunday Family Camp worship service on July 6.  For more information on Calumet Lutheran Ministries, including childrens camps, family camps, and retreats and special programs, visit the camp’s website at…

In my first call as a Minister of Word and Service, that is, as a deacon, I served with and among people who have disabilities. It was a wonderful call; a life-giving call. I got to do ministry with many wonderful people who share their love for God through the experience of their own unique lives.…

If you were listening closely as I read the gospel this morning, you may have been thinking that some of the language sounded a bit different to you. And you are right! It is. We don’t often, for example, refer to the Holy Spirit as “she” nor are we in the habit of calling God “Abba…

Today we celebrate the Day of Pentecost. It is the third major festival day in the Christian church, alongside Christmas  and Easter. We observe this Day for two related reasons – it’s the day the Holy Spirit was unleashed in the world,  leading to the birth of the Christian church. More about that in a minute.…

If you were listening closely to the first reading and the gospel reading this morning, perhaps you noticed that these two readings offer two different versions of Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Did you notice? According to the first reading, from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus ascended – he was lifted up –…

Before I get to this morning’s text, what I’d like to do is share with you just a little bit about the world that I come from in campus ministry. And I do that for two reasons. One, because I find that when I visit places, people often want to hear about what the church is…