Sermons by Rev. Andries Coetzee
The Sacred Pause
When we rush through a doorway, we miss what God is doing in the crossing. This summer, Melissa Kirsch of The New York Times talked about slack water, the brief pause in the tidal cycle when the tide has finished coming in and has not yet begun to pull back out. The wind may still blow, and the surface may still ripple, yet beneath it all, the current rests. Even when life stirs around us, we can find that rest…
The Courage We Forget
This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Sunday. We remember siblings who have gone before us and the full stories of their lives, their struggles alongside their courage. Pastor Dries meditates on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1–12, and “The Courage We Forget” and reminds you to give thanks for the saints in your own story, and discover how their courage might shape ours today.
“To Put the Protest Back in Protestantism”
“To Put the Protest Back in Protestantism” is inspired from church historian Diana Butler Bass’s provocative essay on the radical origins of the Reformation where she reminds us that Martin Luther and the early reformers were not necessarily polite; they were protesters who stood up against religious conventions in thrall to power, challenging systems of oppression and economic cruelty to embody God’s tangible bounty for all. Grounded in Matthew 22:34–46, our worship wrestles with the Great Commandment: to love God…
Not the Way Things Have to Be
Many of us grew up with the sentiment, “Well, that’s just the way things are.” Without realizing it, that phrase trained our unconscious minds to numb out, accept cruelty and injustice as normal, and stay silent. It forced us into hiding and fractured our sense of self. In the end, it resigned our society to the fatalistic lie that nothing can ever truly change. Through the parable in Matthew 22:1-14, Rev. Dries Coetzee invites us to pause, breathe together, and…
Bearing Abundant Fruit
Rev. Dries Coetzee discusses themes of integrity, sacrifice, courage, and community as essential elements for spiritual growth and social justice within the church and the wider global context. He reflects on how historical injustices, especially rooted in colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy, intersect with current American social and political realities and highlights the importance of acknowledging marginalized communities and living out authentic faith that combines worship with everyday ethics.
At the Threshold
Rev. Andries Coetzee’s sermon “At the Threshold” discusses 1 Samuel 9 and Ephesians 2. He discusses sacred searching, unexpected leadership, holy humor and resilience, liminal threshold spaces, and celebrating rich diversity (Ubuntu / Tutu’s Rainbow People).