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“Our One and Only” A sermon based on Psalm 91:1-2;9-16 Romans 10:8b-13 and Luke 4:1-13 delivered by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young on the First Sunday in Lent, March 9, 2025 at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan.
(Our Theme throughout Lent will be the Lord’s Prayer. Today we explore the opening words: “Our Father . . .”)
If you have ever questioned the importance of the Hebrew scriptures as a foundation for the Christian witness, look no further than this morning’s lectionary readings. Everybody is quoting from them! And I mean, everybody, including and most significantly and chilling of all, the devil. I guess the devil really is in the details! Quotes from the prophets Isaiah and Joel, the Psalms and especially from the last book in the Torah, Deuteronomy, are peppered throughout these readings. . . .To read the full sermon, click the Download Full Sermon button below.
© Copyright 2025 by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young
“Re-veil-ation” A Sermon based on Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; and Luke 9:28-36 delivered on Transfiguration Sunday, March 2, 2025 at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young
When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, “the skin of his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him,” (Exodus 34:30) . . . “Jesus . . . went up onto the mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” (Luke 9:29) What is going on here, we ask? What is the common denominator in these experiences of Moses and Jesus? The late Rev. Walter Wangerin Jr. sheds some light on the answer to this question. In an address to newly graduating Seminary students he relates the following experience:
My face burned when I was ordained. This is historical truth, no
image, no metaphor. My face became bright red and burned.
I suppose the people might have said, “Walt’s excited. Look at him blush.” . . . But I knew even then that the excitement of the ceremony was not cause enough for the fire in my face. This was more than mere blush. . . Rather, the burning came of this: for once in my long and vigorous struggle with the Lord Jesus Christ, the struggle itself had ceased. For the moment, the relationship had reached a certain purity. . . My faith, you see, was the flame in my face. (from Ragman and Other Cries of Faith pp. 56-57)To read the full sermon, click the Download Full Sermon button below.
© Copyright 2025 by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young
“Variety—The Spice of Life” A sermon based on Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 and John 2:1-11 delivered on January 19, 2025 at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young.
The proverbial saying, “variety is the spice of life,” comes to mind as we read our passage from Corinthians this morning. In the New Revised Standard version, the word used is “variety” for the different kinds of gifts. The fact is that we need variety. I was reminded of this fact as we changed the paraments from white to gold this week. The liturgical calendar says that they can stay white for a few more weeks, with the option of changing to green, so I chose gold—which is what we use in place of green during parts of the year. The green or gold signifies “ordinary” time in the church year. I felt it was time to go back to the “ordinary” as a relief from the “extraordinary” time that we have just experienced through Advent and Christmas.
To read the full sermon, click the Download Full Sermon button below.
© Copyright 2025 by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young
“Naming and Claiming” A Sermon based on Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 29 and Luke 3:15-17; 21-22 delivered on Sunday, January 12, 2025 by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan.
Names are powerful things. In our Isaiah passage this morning we are reminded of this. As the people of Israel are about to be released from captivity in Babylon, the author of Second Isaiah comforts them by quoting God as saying, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1c) Because God names and claims the people of Israel as his, the people will be saved. In the same way, when Jesus is baptized (Luke 3:21-22) the Holy Spirit descends upon him and God’s voice from heaven names and claims him in these powerful words, “You are my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” Later in Luke, in Chapter Four, we hear of the power this has given Jesus, when the scriptures tell us: “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.” (Luke 4:14) Being named and claimed by God through the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the power and authority to do his work in this world.
To read the full sermon, click the Download Full Sermon button below.
© Copyright 2025 by the Rev. Alison Andrea Young
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