Category Archives: Sermonettes

A Psalm Of Ascents Check-Up

Posted on March 8, 2020 by

[These are the notes for a message that was given to the Portland UCG congregation on Sabbath, March 7, 2020.  The audio for the message can be found here.] Many of us are familiar with the reality of the annual … Continue reading →

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They Will Look Upon Me Whom They Pierced: Part One

Posted on February 9, 2020 by

How much foreknowledge does the Bible offer us in its prophecies?  There are hundreds of prophecies about Jesus Christ that are present in the Old Testament.  Today I would like to look at one of the more obscure ones that … Continue reading →

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The Art Of The Sermonette, Or, On The Difficulties Of Cultural Change

Posted on February 2, 2020 by

Just about every two weeks or so between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Days of Unleavened Bread, my congregation has a sermonette workshop for those of us who are involved in giving sermonettes.  It has always greatly amused me … Continue reading →

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Immortal Worms And Mortal Souls

Posted on January 12, 2020 by

[Note:  These are the notes to a sermonette spoken to the United Church of God congregation in Portland, Oregon on January 11, 2019.] How often do you think about immortal worms?  If I had to guess, it is not very … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

War Stories

Posted on November 3, 2019 by

[Note: This is the prepared text for a sermonette given at the Portland congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, November 2, 2019.] When I was an undergraduate student minoring in military history, one of the most interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Military History, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged | Leave a comment

It’s A Small World After All

Posted on July 28, 2019 by

Recently I was having dinner with some brethren in this congregation and, as is sometimes the case, I received a request to speak about a particular topic that one of the people at dinner was interested in, namely the connections … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Love & Marriage, Maternal Lines, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged | 2 Comments

Goats Behind The Door

Posted on May 12, 2019 by

[Photo courtesy of jewornotjew.com, in their discussion on Monty Hall.] [Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermonette given to the United Church of God congregation in Portland, Oregon on May 11, 2019.] How many of you here have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Some Thoughts On The Genre Of Sermonette

Posted on March 12, 2019 by

For at least three periods of my adult life (first, from 2004 to 2006, then from 2011 and 2012, and from 2015 to the present-day), I have been a writer and a speaker in an obscure genre of religious writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

For You Observe Trouble And Grief

Posted on March 10, 2019 by

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermonette delivered at the United Church of God congregation in Portland, OR on Sabbath, March 9, 2019.] One of my favorite genres of book to collect is called theodicy [spell out word].  … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings, Psalms, Sermonettes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Our Picture Of God’s Judgment

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

[Note:  The following is the prepared text for a sermonette given at the Portland congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, January 5, 2019.] Imagine the following scene.  You are on the third floor of the Washington County … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church of God, Musings, Psalms, Sermonettes, Sons of Korah | Tagged , | 6 Comments