by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Exodus 3: 1-6; Psalm 100 The Elements of Worship Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. -Psalm 100 Most of you know that I’ve recently returned from Cuba as a part of my sabbatical leave, where I had the opportunity to...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 51: 1-3; Acts 17: 22-28 The Deeper the Wound, the Sweeter My Song[1] The place to start is in a grove of trees, deep in the Cuban countryside. We walked across a rutted track in a field, and as we walked, the sounds of drumming and singing...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Text: Luke 2: 1-20 The Exuberant Pluralism of Christmas[1] After returning from Mexico last month, I shared with you that rituals have come to play an important role in my understanding of the world. I told you about the Day of the Dead ceremony that...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 60: 1-5a; Matthew 2: 1-10 Can You Still See the Star? Here are a few lines from “The Journey of the Magi,” T. S. Eliot’s poem about the night passage of the wise men, as they follow an elusive star toward the manger in Bethlehem: A cold coming we had of...
by Mario Baldessari | Sermons
Texts: Isaiah 40: 1-5; Luke 1: 26-37 Mary, Gabriel, and the Blessings of Confusion[1] Most every morning, I get up early, and when it’s still dark, I leave the parsonage and begin running. As soon as it’s light enough to see, I step onto the forest trail...
