First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL

Matthew 2:1-12 January 3, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Today’s reading from the gospel of Matthew is the reading for Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, which is actually on January 6. We don’t always observe Epiphany in this church, but I like to lift it up for several reasons. The first reason is to remind us that Christmas is not one day, but a season, twelve days which begin on December 24 and end on January 6. The Western tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ for only one day with gifts and trees and overeating is a relatively modern innovation. It seems sad to me, that so often we have this huge buildup that begins around Halloween and then abruptly ends on December 25th. Christmas is not over yet! The second reason I like this celebration is that it invites us to consider the big arc of geography, history, faith, science and theology all in one observance. These “wise men” we hear about are actually Zoroastrian astron...

December 20, 2015, Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 52:7-10 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry The people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, were in exile, captives in Babylon. They had been taken away from their homes after they had again strayed from God’s law. Things weren’t quite as bad as they had been when they were slaves in Egypt. At least in Babylon, they had a little bit of freedom. But still, it was not home. They were waiting for God’s deliverance – some were waiting patiently, but mostly they were anxiously anticipating God’s deliverance. So when they heard the prophetic words of Isaiah that we are about to hear, they did not say to themselves, “Oh, that will be nice some day -- five or six hundred years from now!” They did not hear these words as a prediction of a Messiah to be born five centuries from then – they were ready to be delivered from their exile! As it eventually happened, Cyrus of Persia – the area that is now Iran, was Israel’s ...

December 13, 2015, Third Sunday of Advent First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry Luke 2:8-14 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’ Truthfully, it is really hard to imagine how I could add anything to the presentation we’ve all just enjoyed. But, it is Sunday, and somebody gave me a microphone… The Sunday of ...

Luke 1:46-55 December 6, 2015 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Luke 1:46-55 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” You have to wonder how she could sing. If we look at Mary, and really look closely; if we listen to Mary, and really listen closely; we have t...

Luke 1:67-79 November 29, 2015, Advent 1 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry If you have ever waited for something – a day to come, a friend to arrive, a phone call with the diagnosis – if you have ever waited a long time, waited to the point of despair, if you have ever waited until you are about to give up, you know how Zechariah felt. Zechariah was a priest in the order of Abijah. He was a righteous man. He had served God faithfully since he was young. For many years, he and his wife Elizabeth had served God, and for many years, they had prayed for a child. For many years, they had waited. It was a prayer that had gone unanswered until it was too late. They were elderly. There was no child. Zechariah was a good priest, a man of God. But all of his life, he had been waiting, waiting for a son that never would come, waiting for a Messiah that had never arrived, waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. The waiting had ended,...

Colossians 3:12-17 November 22, 2105 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Colossians 3:12-17 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Every now and then, I think I am very clever, and then I discover that...

Mark 12:38-44 November 8, 2015 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry It is the last week of Jesus’ life before the crucifixion. He has gone into Jerusalem, welcomed with shouts of “Hosanna!” Now, he is continuing his work, teaching and healing, observing the life of the city and the religious people around him. As we’ve heard in the last few weeks, Jesus has had several confrontations with the religious authorities. Then, just last week, we heard about a friendly and respectful dialogue with one of them, a scribe, a teacher of the law. Now, Jesus and his disciples are in the synagogue, and he is watching people come and go. When they leave the synagogue, their next conversation will be this: “As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’” That will come...