First Presbyterian Church Of San Anselmo

Lesson: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 "It doesn't matter where you come from, or who you are. You're welcome, you're loved. God rejoices at the sight of you. God's steadfast love surrounds, each and every one of you."

Lesson: Luke 13:1-9. "When the gardener asks for just one more year, I don’t believe that’s a threat. It’s just a reminder of the reality that we do not have unlimited time to come to our senses, to turn and move in a new direction, in God’s direction, which is all Jesus means by “repent.”

Lesson: Luke 13:31-35. "Lent is the time of year to look deeply, examine ourselves and reaffirm that we will accept and re-accept God’s invitation to be loved, to be gathered, to live into the vision of healing of wholeness for the world."

Lesson: Luke 4:9-13. "So this Lent, we are inviting you to explore different opportunities to pray and practice that build our relationship with God, that build our trust in God, that help us see things the way God sees them."

Lesson: Luke 9: 9:28-43. "There is always another hill – in life, in the life of faith. We do not climb alone. Lent begins this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. We will meet here, together, to kick off Lent, so to speak, with prayer and singing, communion and ashes. And my prayer for all of us for Lent is that we listen: Be open. Receive. Don’t try to walk to Maine. But stay on the trail; be aware; keep your eyes on Christ. And may our hearts be open to God’s vision."

Lesson: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13. "Then, as now, it is love that will endure. Now faith, hope and love abide, the greatest of these is love."

Lesson: Luke 4:14-21. "May we continue, each of us, and together, to follow Jesus' vision of bringing good news to the poor. May we stand in our rich tradition, and draw strength for the journey."

Lesson: John 2:6-11. "There are miracles of love, and justice, and hope taking place all around us, even in our own lives."

Lesson: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. "Jesus was baptized, and it made him part of the crowd, the crowd of broken and hurting people longing for wholeness, longing for life - this life - to be just and peaceful and safe. Our crowd."

Lesson: Mathew 2:1-12. "And that is what is at the heart of Matthew’s darker, more adult-oriented story of Jesus’ birth: the promise that it is precisely into this world that God came.[11] And that like the Magi, we can choose to take another road, the road away from Herod, from all the modern Herods who hold onto their power or profit when our lives are shaped by fear rather than wonder and joy."

Lesson: Luke 2:41-52. "For every life that God created and put on this earth, is of infinite value. And together we form a home, with enough space for everybody."

Lesson: Luke 2:1-20 ‘I know the cares and the anxious thoughts of your hearts. I know the hard time you often give yourselves.I know the hopes and ambitions that you have for yourselves and for others.I know your doubts, too – even while you seek to express your belief.On this night, I want to find a way of saying to you:You are deeply, deeply loved,just as you are, forgiven, lovedand challenged to be the very best you can be.So I’m speaking to you the only way I know how –from a stable,in a child born into povertysoon to grow to maturity,born to show youin a human life,the love of God.’[6][6] John Harvey, “You Are Deeply, Deeply Loved,” in Candles and Conifers, Ruth Burgess, ed. (Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications, 2005), p. 239.

Lesson: Philippians 4:4-7. "Earlier this past week, someone said to me that music is the best thing human beings do. I think I might agree. It stirs us. It brings us together. It restores our souls. And so today we answer the worst that people can do with the best that people can do."

Lesson: Luke 3:1-6. "Just turning toward and living into the good news that we are loved more than we dared hope and so is everybody else. Others will hear it; others will see it. Kids, our neighbors, our co-workers, the people sitting next to you in the pew this morning. And when other people hear it – and even more – when we see it taking place in our own lives – it changes us along with the world."

Lesson: Luke 21:25-36. "Those who hope in Christ can no longer put up with reality as it is. That is the call and the purpose and the prayer of advent."

Lesson: John 18:33-38. This sermon was preached during an At Table worship service and recorded later. During At Table services we worship in the tradition of early Christian meals around tables with food and drink to share.

Lesson: Psalm 16: 7-11 "A life that is centered in God, in trust in God and gratitude for God’s gifts, is a life more centered on the world and life, and finding more meaning in them."

Lesson: Mark 12: 38-44. "Every situation in which we find ourselves is an opportunity to teach love instead of fear."

Lesson: Mark 12:28-34.

Lesson: Job 38:34-41. "God is God, who sees it all, including us, in exquisite detail; and delights in it."