Sermons by Bob Tussing (Page 2)
March 7, 2021
March 7, 2021 Left with a Mystery John 2:13-22 I was in the tiny island town of Sobra in Croatia. There is not a lot in Sobra. A restaurant or two and grocery that is a third the size of our narthex. We had a room in an old house on the second story overlooking the bay. The shore was about 15 yards across the street, so I could look out my window and watch the small boats move…
February 21, 2021
February 21, 2021 “Light in Darkness” Genesis 9:8-17 I Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15 Psalm 25 Let me share a short story, points to some discomfort and then lets us wait until the light shines. Let me tell you about light shining in the midst of mess and emptiness. Do you recall a few years ago, there were some killings at a Jewish Synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark? A month later there were some killings in Paris at a Jewish place. Well,…
February 7, 2021
February 7, 2021 “On the Road” Isaiah 40:21-31 Mark 1:29-39 Today, Jesus and his followers are taking to the road. I rather like that we follow, Jesus along the road. Here is a Holy Man who was not one to only sit on a mountain top retreat but He traveled. His feet became dusty and he experienced the territory and the people. I think it’s good to have a God who has experienced the life which we live. Jesus is…
January 24, 2021
January 24, 2021 “Immediately They Left Their Nets” Jonah 3:1-5 Mark 1:14-20 A farmer awoke one morning and looked out his window only to find that overnight a field of daffodils had sprung up about his home. “How beautiful!” he exclaimed. “I should like to stay and wander among the flowers, but I have to plow the north wheat field today.” When he returned that evening, the daffodils had withered and died. The next day the farmer saw two small…
January 17th, 2021
January 17, 2021 “The Call” 1 Samuel 3:1-10 John 1: 43-51 When Jesus say Nathanael approaching, Jesus said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Now do you understand how Jesus knew the heart of Nathanael? Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree. The shade of a fig tree was…
January 10, 2021
January 10, 2021 “Spirit of Gentleness” Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11 I have a bottle of River Jordan water on my bookshelf. Actual, official, certified Jordan River water. The bottle was clear. The water was…reasonably clear. The top was sealed and waxed and on label is said that it was actual Jordan River water where Jesus was baptized. We read of that story in the Bible. I am not about to doubt the authenticity of the water nor the…
December 13, 2020
The Messenger of the Messenger Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:19-28 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. That is what the Gospel of Mark says in verse 4 of chapter 1. A question I get all the time is: Did the Jews baptize like we do? To answer that question let me tell you a story about Muslims. Every year we take the Confirmation…
November 15, 2020
November 15, 2020 Them That’s Got Shall Get Judges 4:1-7 Matthew 25:14-30 So Billie Holliday wrote and sang: “Them’s that got shall get, Them’s that not shall lose” So the Bible Says. I have heard that line or variations of it over the years and it seems to indicate that those who have much will just keep getting more and those that have little will get less. Now, just what folks are talking about gaining and losing is not clear…
November 1, 2020
November 1, 2020 “Find Out What it Means to Me” Matthew 23:1-12 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Here is the conundrum which we face each week. I get to wear this robe and about my shoulders is this stole. Both have some significance but it sets me apart. Rev. Lisa wears a white robe. Nevertheless, here in front of this congregation we wear these robes. I remember one time, a good friend in the congregation saw me in the narthex and I…
October 11, 2020
October 11, 2020 Matthew 22:1-14 Here is a rather strange parable. Jesus says that here is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like…Now, if you are listening as I did. You would expect Jesus to tell a story of wonder and delight with rainbows and angels crowding round the gates of heaven. But listen to the parable: A king gives a wedding banquet for his son. This sounds delightful! The king sends his servants out to call all who…