by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
Twelve Gates to the City: Reflections on New Orleans Steve Jungkeit Beth Hamilton, and Martha Gibson with music by Rodney Brown The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Psalm 30; John 14: 1-4; Revelation 21: 9-14 March 27, 2022 We begin with a song made...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
The Glory of God is the Human Being Fully Alive The spotlight glowed on the shining faces of the five actors entering the small stage from the wings. They were shining like the sun. Each person moved individually and yet as one, twirling arms, making noises, twisting...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
Overcoming the Spider’s Sting: Original Sin and its Discontents Some years ago, I had an uncomfortable realization as I was reading a book called The Black Dahlia, by the great noir crime writer James Ellroy. Now, I want you to know that I love noir as a genre – it’s...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
I Have Called You Friends Here’s a story I recently heard about someone who needed a basic form of human contact, but who couldn’t find it. The story is about a man named Kevin Hines. He was suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as other, more...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
A World on the Brink: Lessons from a Minor Prophet Midway through Tolstoy’s War and Peace, we find this haunting description of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia: “On the 12th of June the forces of Western Europe crossed the frontier and the war began, that is, an event...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
Here Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Genesis 11: 1-9; I Corinthians 12: 7-14 February 6, 2022 One of the people from whom I’ve drawn inspiration over the past few years is the musician David Byrne. He was the lead singer for the...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
A Faithfully Hidden Life: Snowy Reflections upon Middlemarch Steve JungkeitThe First Congregational Church of Old LymeTexts: Genesis 11: 1-9; I Corinthians 12: 7-14January 30, 2022 I had us read that familiar parable that Jesus told about the sower and the seed that...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
All This Sainted Difference is What God Wants: The Spiritual Legacy of Robert Farris Thompson Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: John 3: 1-8; Acts 2: 1-13 January 23, 2022 “Keith’s death is incomprehensible. I refuse to believe that...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
Remember Your Baptism Steve Jungkeit The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Mark 1: 4-11; Acts 19:1-7 January 16, 2022 I want to begin by acknowledging the circumstances in which we find ourselves today. Winter has found us, which means that for the last...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
The Wrestling Place: On the Edge of Hope Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme Texts: Genesis 32:22-31 January 9, 2022 Everyday we are learningHow to live with essence, not ease. How to move with haste, never hate. How to live this pain...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
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...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
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...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
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...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
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...
by FCCofOldLyme | Sermons
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...
