Read or download the text from past sermons. The most recent sermon is typically available online by 3 PM each Monday.
Sermons
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“A Provisional Demonstration …”
Gusti Linnea Newquist
November 21, 2021
Based on *Matthew 6:24-33. Jesus Gives Us Our First Priority.
*incarnational translation below
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The Lay of the Land
Gusti Linnea Newquist
November 14, 2021
Based on *Leviticus 25:1-7. The land gets a year of complete and total rest.
*Incarnational translation below
In the ancient world, in those lands with four seasons, planetary pilgrims celebrated the season of autumn with festivals for the harvest. Our Fall Festivals and even the uniquely American Thanksgiving holiday are remnants of those times when food in its autumn abundance was gathered and stored in a celebration of completion and contentment.
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"Lifting the Veil"
Gusti Linnea Newquist
October 31, 2021
Based on *Isaiah 25:6-10a. A Vision of Wholeness.
On this mountain, God will lift the veil
that has spread over all the nations.
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Forgive Us Our Debts
Reverend Gusti Linnea Newquist
October 24, 2021
Based on *Matthew 18:23b -34. The Parable of the Unjust Emperor
*Incarnational translation below
Forgive us our debts, we pray, in The Way of Jesus, as we forgive our debtors.
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
October 17, 2021
"Is There Enough"
Based on Exodus 16:13-21. Three Lessons From Wilderness School.
I am delighted to announce we have at least nine and perhaps more of our youth signed up for this year’s confirmation class. The curriculum for that class is Manna and Mercy: A Brief History of God’s Unfolding Promise to Mend the Entire Universe. [link: http://mannaandmercy.org]
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Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
October 10, 2021
Based on *Genesis 2:8-9, 15-16. An Earth-Based Creation Story.
*incarnational translation below
In addition to celebrating National Coming Out Day this week, we are invited to honor Indigenous Peoples Day, as a corrective to the Columbus Day holiday that many in our nation will observe tomorrow.
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Table Manners in The Divine Realignment
Gusti Linnea Newquist
October 3, 2021
Based on *2 Timothy 2:20-26. Words of Wisdom from Paul to Timothy.
*incarnational translation below
"Work, Worth and Worship"
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
September 26, 2021
Based on Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:1-11. God’s Work and The Sabbath for Everyone
If there is anything we can all agree upon in this era of increasing divisiveness, it is that the global COVID pandemic has precipitated a dramatic reappraisal of what it means to work.
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Based on Exodus 23:10-11 and Deuteronomy 15, selected verses. Introducing The Sabbatical Year
"This COVID Wilderness, Continued ..."
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
September 12, 2021
Based on *Numbers 21:4-9. Stinging Snakes of Fire in the Desert’s Last Days
*Incarnational Translation below
Tell the truth: how many of you thought we would have been long out of this COVID wilderness by now?
How many of you are complaining that we are still here?
How many of you are even more worried about your safety or the safety of someone you love than you were six months ago?
I am.
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"Work Matters"
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
September 5, 2021
Based on *James 2:1-5, 14-17. A Sibling of Jesus Insists Upon Radical Hospitality.
*Incarnational Translation Below
Many years ago, just after I moved to upstate New York, I found myself strolling the streets of the Capital District in downtown Albany. A scuffle along the east side of the Capital building caught my attention.
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"Love Matters"
August 29, 2021
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
Based on Song of Songs 2:8-13. The Song of the Lover, the Beloved, and the Love That Binds Them
What is this longing?
For companionship. For love. For wholeness.
For deep, intimate, knowing—with all that we are—that we might also be known, fully, in return?
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Space Matters
August 22, 2021
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
Based on Psalm 84. An ancient choir member longs to sing back in the Temple.
Our Lesson Learned from Lockdown this week is simple: Space Matters.
Yes, we know we can worship God anywhere. Yes we know “the Church has left the building.” But we miss this building. And we miss who we are in this building.
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Based on *Ephesians 5:15-20. Paul Jr, urges the Ephesians to Make the Most of The Time.
*Incarnational translation below
Making the most of the time, while living through the end of the world as we knew it. That, too, has been our task these past eighteen months.
So what have we been up to?
Catching up on our reading, for some of us. Snuggling in delight with a book in bed, for a great many of us.
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Based on *Psalm 130. The Pilgrim Laments and Finds a Deeper Union with The Divine
*Incarnational translation of Psalm 130 below.
My mother’s death was beautiful. So said a dear friend of mine when I asked her how death of her mother had affected her life.
Based on *Ephesians 4:1-4a, 14-16. A Student of Paul Urges Building Up the Body
*Incarnational translation below
The Second Marathon my colleagues are calling it.
This thing we are all gearing up for come September: Back to the Office, Back to the Classroom, Back to the Sanctuary, in a frantic frenetic “return to normalcy,” delta variant surge notwithstanding.
Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist
June 13, 2021
Based on 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13. Samuel Listens for God’s Choice to Be King
Can you believe it was only two years ago – next week – that Christopher and I made our way south to interview with the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church Pastor Nominating Committee?
It feels like two centuries, given our time with COVID!
Rev. Gussti Linne Newquist
June 6, 2021
Based on 1 Samuel 8:4-20. The People Clamor for a King
Poor Samuel. He has tried so hard.
By the time we meet him in our Scripture lesson this morning, he has given every part of his life to leading the people of God in ancient Israel. He has spoken prophetically of God’s justice and love. He has led priestly rituals as a steward of God’s mysteries. He has settled disputes, led the people into battle, soothed their wounds, and kept the peace. They cannot even begin to imagine their lives without him.