Sermons on Joachim And Anne:

Water Into Wine

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Jun 5, 2003

The miracle at Cana is a sign of the mission of Jesus: transformation.

WATER INTO WINE TEXT: John 2:1-11 The story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, I think contains one of the most powerful messages in all of Scripture. But it seems that a lot of times, people get snagged on one of the ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Methodist

Going Out Of Your Mind

Contributed by Anne Robertson on May 26, 2003

The understanding of Holy Communion comes through experience more than rational thought.

GOING OUT OF YOUR MIND TEXT: Luke 24:13-35 One of my favorite books for mindless reading is the Science Fiction parody, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, probably because it contains one of my favorite illustrations of being mindless. The people of the universe are burning to know ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Denomination: Methodist

Restorative Justice #1: Zaccheus Pays Reparations Series

Contributed by Anne Grant on Oct 11, 2001

Jesus’ treatment of Zaccheus and the tax collector’s response is a model of God’s restorative justice.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE #1: Zaccheus Pays Reparations Luke 19:1-9 Restorative Justice Series #1 Trinity United Methodist Church, Providence, RI September 2, 2001 Rev. Anne Grant Introduction to scripture: Has anybody here climbed a tree recently? It’s not something adults do very often. Children ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:1-9

Denomination: Methodist

Restorative Justice #3: Two Josephs Series

Contributed by Anne Grant on Oct 11, 2001

Two 17-year-old Josephs, one 3900 years ago and one this week show us how God intends to bring good from even the worst human behavior. We must never let ourselves get so low or so high that we forget who we belong to.

Two Josephs Genesis 37:2-50:21 Restorative Justice Series #3 Trinity United Methodist Church, Providence, RI September 30, 2001 Rev. Anne Grant The theme today is that God intends to bring good From the worst human behavior. As the deadline for deporting Liberians has once again been extended ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Restorative Justice #4: Samson's Revenge, Jesus' Redemption Series

Contributed by Anne Grant on Oct 11, 2001

Two men made for God’s purpose: one chooses his own pleasure and becomes a terrorist bent on revenge, fighting a holy war. He commits suicide bringing down a building, killing thousands. The other gives up his rights, chooses death, and redeems the world.

Samson’s Revenge and Jesus’ Redemption, Judges 13-16 Restorative Justice Series #4 Trinity United Methodist Church, Providence, RI October 7, 2001 Rev. Anne Grant We have been hearing some powerful stories about heroism Over the past few weeks. We read them in newspapers and magazines. We hear ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Denomination: Methodist

The New Math

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Oct 30, 2006

God’s power plus our resources equals the needs of the world.

THE NEW MATH TEXT: 2 Kings 4:42-44; Luke 9:12-17 In my school years, I discovered that I was very good with words. I read well above my grade level, and the first drafts of papers were usually the only ones I needed to do. Math, however, did not come so readily. I dreaded math classes, and as soon ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:12-17

Denomination: Methodist

Apart From The Law

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Oct 30, 2006

The law is important, but only in the context of grace.

APART FROM THE LAW TEXT: Is. 40:1-5; Rom. 3:19-24 In the New Testament portion of our Daily Walk readings, we are moving from the book of Acts, which told us about the formation of the early church, into the writings of Paul. The writings of Paul in the New Testament begin ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:19-24

Denomination: Methodist

Living With Woodchucks

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Oct 30, 2006

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. It isn’t ours and on no day of creation did God make "pests."

LIVING WITH WOODCHUCKS TEXT: Genesis 1:20-31; Luke 20:9-14 If you’ve been on my website or if you listen to NPR, which profiled the story a couple of weeks ago, you’ll know I have some history with woodchucks. My defense of the woodchucks when I served St. John’s became the stuff of local legend ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:20-31

Denomination: Methodist

Live It!

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Oct 30, 2006

It isn’t enough simply to believe. Our faith must be lived to be an effective witness.

LIVE IT! TEXT: Colossians 3:1-17 Back in 2001, I had a conversation with a man named Tim, the bookkeeper at the place where I had rented a cabin, who told me about his past with the church. He grew up Irish Catholic, and as a child was very involved in the church. He was an altar boy, and he told ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17

Denomination: Methodist

While It Was Still Dark

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Oct 30, 2006

The greatest miracles are often done in the darkest times, when no one knows and no one is watching.

WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK TEXT: John 20:1-18 For those of us who practice Christian faith, the resurrection is the central, monumental event of history. Whether you’re the type of Christian that looks at it as historical reality or the type of Christian that sees it as a story of only spiritual ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-18

Denomination: Methodist

I Believe Series

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Sep 4, 2004

It is important to have a creed...to determine what, in fact, you believe.

I BELIEVE TEXT: 2 Chronicles 20:20-21; Mark 9:17-27 Now that our lighthouse is built and there is a light to shine on our way, I want to shift our point of reference from the lighthouse to a nearby ship. (Steve and George skit.) It is time for us to chart the course of our ship across the year. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:17-27

Denomination: Methodist

Maker Of Heaven And Earth Series

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Sep 4, 2004

The first phrase of the Creed, "I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth."

MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH TEXT: Isaiah 43:9-13; Romans 1:18-23 Across this coming year, we are going to be talking a lot about charting our course. What that means is that, as a church, we are going somewhere and that somewhere is greater mission and ministry in our community and world. As we ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-23

Denomination: Methodist

Jesus, The Son Series

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Sep 4, 2004

Phrase two of the Creed, "And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord."

JESUS, THE SON TEXT: Matt. 3:13-17; 2 Sam. 7:11b - 16 For those of you just tuning in, we have begun a look at one of the ancient maps of the Christian faith, the Apostles’ Creed. I think it’s fair to say that every line of this creed has been questioned and debated from the very beginning. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17

Denomination: Methodist

Conceived By The Holy Spirit Series

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Sep 4, 2004

The third phrase of the Creed: "Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary"

CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TEXT: Luke 1:26-38; Luke 1:46-55 As we delve deeper into the ancient church document called the Apostles’ Creed, we come to a line representing an issue that has sparked debate across two thousand years. The line we talked about last week, “And in Jesus Christ, his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-55

Denomination: Methodist

Suffered, Dead, And Buried Series

Contributed by Anne Robertson on Sep 4, 2004

The fourth phrase of the Creed: "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried"

SUFFERED, DEAD, AND BURIED TEXT: Matthew 27:27-31; Isaiah 53:1-9 So far in our look at the Apostle’s Creed, we have hit a lot of controversial lines. We have waded into the debates about God as “Father,” about the divinity of Jesus, and the Virgin Birth. This week, however, the phrase we are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:27-31

Denomination: Methodist