Sermons by Rev. Tom Harris
In Defense of Committees
The early church did something that churches would continue to do for millennia: they formed a committee. When issue of caring and social justice arose within the early church they created a group to help make their ideals into reality. Pastor Tom will encourage us to consider doing the same today by joining one of the many committees at Govans. – Sermon from November 19, 2023.
Reflecting Faithfully on the Violence Between the Israelis and Palestinians
Pastor Tom reflects on how we might respond faithfully to news about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. He discuss how violence escalates into oppression when one power dominates another. Biblically we find God consistenly siding with the oppressed in the Exodus and in the person and teaching of Jesus. Yet, even more importantly, we must always turn our critque of this kind of violence back on ourselves. What can we do to respond to all kinds of oppressing whether…
Two Keys to Meaningful Daily Prayer
We read of David’s second attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his new capital in Jersusalem. Though there are several details that differ between the two attempts, we will look broadly at how his intention changed and the attention he paid to his body changed. How can paying attention to our intention and to our bodies in prayer make our daily prayer practice more meaningful?
Loving An Invisible God
The instruction to love God is central to both the Jewish and Christian faiths. So, how do we do it? How do we love a God who is invisible and completely beyond our comprehension? Pastor Tom reflects on this question by comparing how loving a person is the same as loving God and how it is different. In many ways, it is quite different and yet, if we practice our love for God we will improve the ways we love…
Irresistible Resistance
We read today of how Pharaoh represents the Kingdom/s of Men or Kingdom/s of the World with his hoarding, violent, oppressive, and extractive practices. Pastor Tom will lift up the women in the story who all engaged in different kinds of resistance against this oppression. The Church today is called to follow the example of these women as we seek to be the Beloved Community or Kin-dom of God. We are called to resist the Kingdoms of this world with…
We Never Stop Growing in our Faith
The story of Jacob wrestling with God is a classic initiation story. Jacob seperates, faces challenges, gains a new identity, and reintegrates. We go through initiations all the time including puberty, moving out, finding a partner, becoming a parent, and many more. Through it all God is with us and through it all our understanding of God and our faith can grow along with us. We are always invited into deeper understandings and a deeper relationship with God. -Pastor Tom’s…
Reading the Bible to Deepen Our Relationship with God
How can the Bible help us deepen our relationship with God? First, it is helpful to remember that the Word of God is theological concept much bigger than the Bible. We will also hear in this sermon what Presbyterian theology says the Bible is and what it is not. The answers may surprise you.
Carpe Diem in the Name of Jesus!
There are multiple divergent voices in the Bible that describe what will happen at the second coming of Jesus (aka the end of time, aka the Day of Lord). The voices diverge on the how, but they agree on the when. Or at least agree that we have no idea when and it will probably be unexpected. This teaching reminds us that life is impermanent and finite. Not only will we all die one day (and we don’t know when)…
Grieve with Hope by Knowing the Author of Our Story
There is no wrong way to grieve. We can prepare for times of grief by nurturing our relationship with the author of our story; the story of our life and of our common human existence. The second coming of Christ and the rapture are details in one understanding of the story but not critical to our faith. Nurturing a relationship with God as the author of life, can help us to grieve with hope and ease our suffering.
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around
The Apostle Paul is concerned that the Thessalonians will lose faith by being tempted to believe that we can be Christian without experiencing persecution. Pastor Tom makes the connection between our calling to always stand with the marginalized and our being destined to experience persecution with them. We will never by able to fix injustice. But, if we believe that some people will always seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others, we are called to stand with the…
“Revealing Yourself as a Child of God”
Who are you as a lover of the world? How do you express that love most authentically? And how do you and the world conspire to obscure and shroud your expression of love. Pastor Tom invites us to see our lives as an episode of the hit TV show, “The Masked Singer” and think about how we can show our love for the world even from behind our masks. Our audience is all of creation. Paul says “All creation waits…
Atonement Theology and Inviting Jesus into Your Heart
The doctrine of atonement suggests that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus changed something about our ability to access God and live well. Pastor Tom explores several “theories” about what that something was, and how we can access transformation in Christ regardless of how we think about his life, death, and resurrection. – Pastor Tom’s sermon from May 14, 2023