Psalm 90:1-12 The Best Birthday Ever (Leininger)
A few years ago, when I turned 50, my mother called to say Happy Birthday. I asked her how it felt to be the mother of a 50-year-old. She said, “Shut up.”
Funeral Homilies web page
Funeral homilies NOTE: Most of these funeral homilies are very personal. You won't find much here that you can use "as is," but you will find lots of sparks to spark your imagination. The Rev. Charles Hoffacker is the author of A Matter of Life and Death: Preaching at Funerals, a book devoted to [...]
Psalm 84:1-12 Pilgrim Song (Hyde)
Have you ever been away from home, from family… and your heart aches to be there? You may have been a soldier in the trenches, a missionary on your first assignment, or a college student your first night on campus.
Psalm 78:1-8 A Matter of Influence (McLarty)
The psalm begins, “Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.” I don’t have to tell you, there are a lot of competing voices today clamoring for your attention.
Psalm 66:8-20 Steadfast Love (Wagner)
The steadfast love of God is a love “that won’t let our feet slip.” When I was a teen, my mother slipped on the ice and broke her ankle. It was the first time in her life she enjoyed a short break from the job of raising a family.
Psalm 62: 5-12 Count on God (Anders)
Ed Cone says, “Centering down, the Quakers call it, reaching a quiet core of yourself, is all the more essential today in a culture that has lost its appreciation for silence and gentle ambient sounds.”
Psalm 51:1-13 The Lenten Journey (McLarty)
In Jesus day, no self-respecting Jew would have anything to do with a Samaritan. But on his final journey, Jesus went straight through Samaria. Consider today: Where is Samaria on your map? Where do your deep-seated prejudices lie?
Psalm 51 If…Then… (Molin)
As children grow up, they learn a very important word; consequences. “Tommy, if you don’t finish your homework, you can’t go outside and play with your friends.” To children, consequences look a lot like punishment.
Psalm 51:1-17 Good News in the Ashes (Leininger)
The custom of using ashes is from an old ceremony. Christians who had committed grave faults were obliged to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday the Bishop blessed their hair shirts and sprinkled ashes over them––made from the previous year's palms.
Mark 1:29-39 Finding a Quiet Place-2 (Edstrom)
This story reminds us of the importance of silence - discovering a quiet place where we can think and pray. We may find ourselves in loud places where we work, go to school, and as we play with others. It is good to be together and feel the excitement of that, but we also need to locate a quiet place to be alone and feel peaceful. It is there we find rest and refresh ourselves so we are able to help with God's work of sharing His love with others.