Sermons by Rev. Patrice Ficken
2005
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"REMEMBER" - May 1, 2005; Psalm 66:3-20, John 14:15-21 "What a happy day this is – to welcome back our friend Bob Borden and his wife, Sue... It is a joy to have the opportunity to say, 'thank you' to Bob for the many gifts he shared, for his wisdom, his humor, for his love..."
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"WITNESS" - May 8, 2005; Acts 1:6-14 "This week at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, The World Press organization’s exhibition of the best photojournalism of 2004 was unveiled..."
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"JOY-FILLED" - May 15, 2005; Acts 2:1-21, I Corinthians 12:4-13 "Paul in his letter to the Corinthians said, '..we were all made to drink of one Spirit…"
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"NO WORD FOR IT" - May 22, 2005; Genesis 1:1-2:3 "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters..."
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"PROBLEMS AND PROMISES" - June 19, 2005; Genesis 21:8-21 "Poor Sarah, wife of Abraham. Here she thought her problems were solved, her dreams come true in the birth of her son, Isaac..."
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"A CUP A DAY" - June 26, 2005; Matthew 10:40-42 "How much are you willing to spend for a cup of coffee or tea?..."
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"WHEN THE SOIL IS ROCKY" - July 10, 2005; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 "Most of us have heard the parable of the sower many times by now. Perhaps most vividly a few weeks ago – when our young people dramatized the story for us..."
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"HERE, NOW" - July 31, 2005; Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-13 Matthew 14:13-21, "Today’s Gospel reading joins Jesus in the aftermath of a most violent and brutal act. Jesus has just heard the news that John the Baptist has been beheaded by Herod at the whim of Herod’s companion, Herodias..."
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"THE VOICE FROM OUTSIDE" - August 14, 2005; Matthew 15:21-28, "The Canaanite woman we meet in this morning’s scripture passage wants Jesus to heal her daughter. She will not be denied..."
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“WHAT'S IN A NAME?” - August 28, 2005; Exodus 3:1-15, “What’s in a name? Do the names we bring and mean and say – matter? Jesus seemed to think so when he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am’?”…
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"LIVING TOGETHER" - September 4, 2005; Matthew 18:15-20, "Today we reflect on the question, what does it mean to live together in community? The destruction caused by hurricane Katrina shows what happens when a community’s foundation is literally ripped to shreds..."
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"NOTHING WE CAN DO" - September 18, 2005; Matthew 20:1-16, "As many of you know through your own experience, the journey with a loved one through cancer or a chronic illness is much like a roller coaster ride: high moments, low moments, times of hope, times of despair..."
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"AT THE NAME OF JESUS" - September 25, 2005; Philippians 2:1-13, "Last Sunday, I led a hymn sing at the Belknap Nursing Home with the Protestant residents there. I conduct a service there every 6 months or so as part of a shared ministry by local area churches..."
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"GOD'S LOVE-SONG” - October 2nd, 2005; Isaiah 5:1-7, "On Friday, I attended a training session for clergy called, 'Ministry in Times of Crisis.' The session was offered by World Church Service to prepare clergy for disasters and catastrophes..."
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"THE INVITATION" - October 9, 2005; Matthew 22:1-14, "As the Chicago White Sox put an end to the hopes and dreams of Red Sox nation for another World Series series win, one commentator remarked how it brought an end to a year-long party at Fenway. What a ride it has been.."
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"WHO IS A STEWARD?" - October 16, 2005; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, Matthew 22:34-40, "If we did some word association with 'stewardship' – I wonder what words would come to mind? I suspect some of the words might be: money, pledge, tithe, budget, giving, more, not enough…you get the idea."
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"WHO'S IN CHARGE?" - October 23, 2005; Psalm 24, Matthew 22:15-22, "If you filled up your gas tank this week or picked up a carton of milk at the local convenience store, you may have noticed 'Powerball' fever taking hold on the region – the lottery game to purchase a chance at winning a jackpot of over $300 million..."
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"IMAGINE" - October 30, 2005; Matthew 22:23-33, "Recently I heard on the radio John Lennon's song, "Imagine…." In the face of all the violence in our world, I have to say that I responded to the lyrics in a new way. Remember?"
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"THE SHOUT AT MIDNIGHT" - November 6, 2005; Matthew 25:1-13, "In this allegory, Matthew wants to drive home an important lesson about the life of faith. Our lives are about choices, choices only we can make, and we are accountable..."
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"TAKE THIS MOMENT" - November 13, 2005; Psalm 90, "I dug out of my drawer something that I think may be a relic of ancient times, or at least an item that is considered old-fashioned these days…my charm bracelet from junior high and high school.."
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"CHANGE OF HEART" - November 20th, 2005; Matthew 25:31-36, "It is somewhat ironic that as we stock our refrigerators in preparation for the big feast of Thanksgiving, that we are given this lectionary passage, reminding us of one of the clearest mandates of the Gospels..."
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"HIDE AND SEEK" - November 27, 2005; Isaiah 64:1-9, "On this first Sunday in Advent, as we light a candle for hope, we join Isaiah who has lost hope. Isaiah has lost hope, because he senses that the covenant between God and God’s people has been broken..."
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"AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH..." - December 4, 2005; Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8, "John the Baptist, a crazy looking fellow out in the middle of nowhere, is proclaiming with urgency 'a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.'”
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"WAY WILL OPEN" - December 11, 2005; Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, "Last week, John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness to "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." This week we ask the question – how do we prepare the way of the Lord, when we do not know what the 'way' is?"
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