Sermon for the 1st Sunday in Lent 2012

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Lent: A Season of Remembering
by the Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119840520

Sermon from Ash Wednesday; February 22, 2012

Open to God

by the Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119836780

Sermon from February 19, 2012; the Last Sunday of Epiphany

Transition, Transfiguration, Transformation
by the Rev. Dr. Ellen Richardson

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119836775

February 12, 2012 Sermon

Your Story and God's Story

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119826620

Sermon Preview for Feb. 12, 2012

Your Story and God's Story

How does your story shape what you think about life? This week we have the story of Naaman, 2 Kings 5:1-14; Naaman was a powerful man who was used to getting what he wanted by his own force of will, power, and money. But one day, he realizes that he cannot cure himself in the usual ways. He is forced to start looking at life in new ways, and as a result, opens himself to the grace of God. Some of our stories or the stories we have been told about ourselves are helpful, but many are not. How does God's story, as we learn from the Bible, connect with our story? Could the stories that we have been telling ourselves, or have been told about ourselves, limit our openness to grace? Come to church this week and every week to hear the stories that shape us and form us as people of faith.

2011 Year in Review

On Feb. 5, 2012, we held our Annual Parish Meeting. I created this collage to be a visual of my annual report. We had a great year in 2011. Many new people joined our church. Our Youth Group grew! We received a Lilly Endowment Grant to fund my sabbatical and to build a Labyrinth at the church. Our Food Pantry provided food to over 200 persons every month; during the year, 39% of those served were children. Sunday school got off to a great start, and has been a blessing to the children and the adults who teach. The pastoral care team made many visits to the home-bound and those in the hospital. We had several adult baptisms. We welcomed the local Rabbi to SPOTH the night we had the band "Girls in Trouble" give a concert at the church....the band performs original music about women in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The Shrine Mont Parish retreat, our 2nd, strengthened our relationships with each other and God.  Our October Blessing of the Animals was outstanding on the Labyrinth. Our Celtic Eucharists were lovely and offered wonderful experiences of worship once every month on a Saturday evening. Even in having to say "goodbye" to those who are longer with us, we experienced the love of God in our connections that cannot be ended by distance or death. There were many high points and even more moments of grace that we shared as a faith community in 2011.

Sermon Feb. 5, 2012: Healing and Christian Community

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119820233

Sermon January 29, 2012: The Exorcist

An excellent sermon from the Rev. Bruce Gallup, about addiction and grace. We are all addicts in the way that Bruce is considering the topic. Bruce is an United Methodist pastor licensed to preach at St. Paul's on-the-Hill.
http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119816593

Sermon January 22, 2012: For the Love of God

My sermon from January 22nd: For the Love of God

http://sermon.net/spoth/sermonid/119810297