Sermons by Rev. Tom Harris (Page 3)
Celebrating and Transforming Heritage
As we celebrate Heritage Sunday at Govans, Pastor Tom will reflect on how Isaiah envisions a day when we stand before the mountain of God as nations. Isaiah’s vision is not of individuals coming before God, but groups of people with the ethnic, cultural and even national diversity intact. Yet, Isaiah does not stop there and calls on those gathered nations to transform the harmful parts of their heritage into something new as they beat their swords into ploughshares.
Commitments vs. Callings
When King Solomon was offered anything from God, he asked for a discerning mind. We are called to discern how we are called by God to engage with the world. We are called to discern when we are called to move from hearing a calling to making a commitment.
Stewardships of Virtue and Goodness
We often think about being stewards of material things like money, stuff, or the earth. We also think about being stewards of our time and talent. But, can we also be stewards of goodness and virtue? Pastor Tom uses David’s prayer of repentance as a jumping off point to explore this question.
The Ten Commandments Explained by the Animals
How would the animals explain the Ten Commandments to humans? It seems like humans don’t do a great job following the commandments, so maybe we need to hear them from a different perspective.
Doing Hard Things Together Through Faith
The Crossing of the Red Sea is an archetypal story of communal rebirth. It is a story of a people acting on faith together and being transformed as a result. We can draw strength from this story as we face challenges that we haven’t chosen. We can also be inspired to choose to do hard things together so that we are stronger as a community when larger challenges arrive.
100% Responsibility: What It Is and What It Is Not
In our story today, Joseph is faced with almost impossible choices. He has no good options. Yet, in each situation he makes the best choice he can. Each time he takes 100% responsibility for his decisions, never blaming the unfairness of the situation. What does it mean for us to take 100% responsibility for our choices? And just as important, what does it not mean?
Discerning When It Is Time for One Thing to End so Another Can Begin
The Book of Genesis takes a long time to tell us how Noah decided the flood had ended and it was time to leave the ark. We hear about a mountain, a raven, a dove, and a voice from God. In this sermon, we look at how each of these apply to different ways we discern when it is time for one part of our life to end so something new can begin.
Christian Responses to War
How should Christians respond to war? We will look at the teachings of Jesus related to nonviolent resistance. These teachings call us to do the hard work of studying and practicing nonviolence in our every day lives. If we aren’t doing this foundational work we will find it impossible to discern an ethical course when war is on our doorstep.
Christian Responses to State Violence Against Its Own Citizens
How are we called to respond when the State uses violence against its own citizens? When Jesus was wrongly convicted, tortured, and executed by the State, does that inform our response? We will consider ways we as individuals can respond and ways we can advocate for meaningful change in US policing.
Speaking for Change – Leading Change: Radical Hospitality – Our Call to Welcome the Stranger
Pastor Tom continues his sermon series on important social issues. This Sunday he will be reviewing the biblical calling to welcome the stranger, how far we are from answering that call in the U.S. with our immigration policy, and steps we can take to turn things around.
Reproductive Rights: Privleging the Rights of Those Who Breathe
Pastor Tom continues the series on hot button social issues with this sermon on reproductive rights. He talks about the sacredness of a person’s autonomy and our calling to stand for a woman’s automony over her body as equal to a man’s. Biblically he surveys ways we can be guided and inspired by scripture while unflinchingly criticizing the injustice woven into it. He ends with hope as the actions we take today more than simply a vision of what we wish for.
Compassion and Justice for Transgender People
We all seek to match who we feel like on the inside with how we express ourselves on the outside. Transgender people were assigned a gender at birth that does not match who they are on the inside. As people of faith we are called to welcome, stand with, listen to, and fight for transgender people who are seeking to answer God’s calling to be who God created them to be on the inside and out. – Pastor Tom’s sermon…