December 19, 2021 Sermon

A Refiner’s Fire Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Haggai 2: 6-7; Malachi 3: 2; Job 19: 25 December 19, 2021   “You must understand that your pain is trivial except insofar as you can use it to connect with...

December 12, 2021 Sermon

Visitations of the Heart: Hope Sings Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Luke 1:39-56 December 12, 2021 Visitations of the Heart: Hope SingsThe sense of wonder is a prayer.-Madeline L’Engle The red sled stands upright in the...

December 5, 2021 Sermon

The Waiting Game Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Psalm 84: 1-7; Psalm 130: 5-6; Mark 13: 36-37 December 5, 2021 This week, I came across a translation of Psalm 84 from the Book of Common Prayer, one that gave the Psalm an inflection I...

November 28, 2021 Sermon

The Call of the Wild Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Matthew 3: 1-6 November 28, 2021  Advent begins in the dust of the wild. At the beginning of the church’s liturgical year, we’re led into the wilderness, where we encounter John the...

November 21, 2021 Sermon

Pass the Grace Please: The Words That Come Before All Else Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Luke 14:7-24 November 21, 2021  Let gratitude be the pillow Upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer, And let faith be the...

November 14, 2021 Sermon

Spirit and Matter: A Few Words in Praise of Martha and Her Descendants[1] Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Luke 10: 38-42; James 1: 19-27 November 14, 2021  Last week we encountered a trio of siblings that circulate throughout the...

November 7, 2021 Sermon

Jesus In a World of Dead Souls Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Text: John 11: 1-44 (selected passages) November 7, 2021  As a college student I went through a brief phase when I became enamored of the so-called “Oxford Christian Writers,”...

October 24, 2021 Sermon

Telling Truths in Church Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: I Corinthians 13: 4-6; Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-16 October 24, 2021  “Galileo’s head was on the block, the crime was looking up the truth”-The Indigo Girls (Love) does not rejoice...

October 17, 2021 Sermon

An Instrument of Peace: To Bless and Not To Curse Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: John 21: 15-19; I Corinthians 13 October 17, 2021  A week ago I was sitting in a café in New Orleans visiting with a friend. It was a quiet night, and...

October 10, 2021 Sermon

Seeking Soul in an ER World: The Sacred Art of Paying Attention Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Psalm 71:1-6; Jeremiah 6:16; Jeremiah 7:1-7 October 10, 2021  “Thus, says our God, stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for...

October 3, 2021 Sermon

New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Challenge of Starting Anew  Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Mark 2: 18-28 October 3, 2021 In Gunter Grass’s novel The Tin Drum, a picaresque adventure about a young boy coming of age in Germany during...

October 3, 2021 Sermon

New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Challenge of Starting Anew Steve JungkeitThe First Congregational Church of Old LymeTexts: Mark 2: 18-28October 3, 2021 In Gunter Grass’s novel The Tin Drum, a picaresque adventure about a young boy coming of age in Germany during...

September 26, 2021 Sermon

He is Going Ahead of You Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Isaiah 30: 18-21; Mark 16: 7; John 14: 1-6 September 26, 2021  “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that Jesus is going ahead of you…”-Mark 16: 7 That phrase, from the very end...

September 19, 2021 Sermon

I Call You Friends Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Psalm 102; John 15: 12-17 September 19, 2021 Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only...

September 12, 2021 Sermon

More Faithful In This Present Crucial Hour Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Isaiah 43: 1-3, 18-19; Jeremiah 19: 10-12; John 14: 1-6 September 12, 2021 I have a special message for each of the populations gathered in the Meetinghouse...