Rev. Michael SwartzFebruary 9th, 2020Matthew 5:13-20 | Bulletin A City on a hill cannot be hid – Jesus said it; I believe it! Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barak Obama, and more recently candidates Mitt Romney and Ted Cruz have all alluded to a “City on a Hill” in American political speeches. On November 3, 1980, Ronald Reagan …
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Rev. Michael SwartzJanuary 26th, 2020Matthew 4:12-23 | Bulletin + There was a pecking order in the Holy Land – those from Jerusalem and Judah considered themselves ethnically purer, more religiously correct, enlightened, and sophisticated. And they thought those up north in Galilee to be bumpkins, more transient, Gentiles, less enlightened – in a land of darkness. They refer …
Rev. Michael SwartzDecember 29th, 2019Matthew 2:13-23 | Bulletin There are a number of ways to read and hear the Gospel account in Matthew read today of Joseph, Mary and Jesus fleeing a genocide in Judea and fleeing to Egypt for safety. It cam be read in terms of prophesy fulfilled. It can be read in terms of recurring …
Rev. Michael Swartz First Congregational UCCProper 15 yr C; 8/18/2109 Link to Texts | Bulletin The lectionary today places us on the second Sunday of a four-week reading from Hebrews. What we are reading is essentially a classic early sermon. Last week we began with the famous definition: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence …
Rev. Michael Swartz First Congregational UCC A Easter; 5/21/17 Link to Texts | Bulletin I am a baby boomer and for most of my life I have been a city person. Born in Indianapolis when the population of that city was about 750 thousand; grew up in Los Angeles when the number of students enrolled in the Los …
Rev. Craig Jan-McMahon First Congregational UCC A Easter; 5/14/2017 Link to Texts | Bulletin
Rev. Craig Jan-McMahon First Congregational UCC A Easter; 4/16/2017 Link to Texts | Bulletin
Rev. Michael Swartz First Congregational UCC A Holy Week; 4/14/2017 Link to Texts | Bulletin What language shall I borrow? Matthew 28 8 28% Mark 16 7 37% Luke 24 5 21% John 21 6 28% The first four books of our Christian scripture, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John devote a very large amount of their account of Jesus …
Rev. Michael Swartz First Congregational UCC A Holy Week; 4/13/2017 Link to Texts | Bulletin When I was a youngster in Indianapolis and was learning how to read I took pride in reading the comics in the newspaper, which we as a family called the “funny pages.” But not everything was so funny. We had Ripley’s “Believe it …
Rev. Craig Jan-McMahon First Congregational UCC A Epiphany +6; 2/12/2017 Link to Texts | Bulletin Wilderness Rules There are times and places when it is pretty simple and easy to follow the rules grow from necessity and survival, as, for example, when you are camping. Thou shalt not leave dirty dishes out at night nor …
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