A sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 2/26/23, initiating a Lenten series about embodied spirituality. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. Today is the first Sunday of Lent, a season of reflection and self-discipline that helps… Continue reading “This Is My Hunger”
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“This is a Wilderness Road”
A sermon on Acts 8:26-40 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 1/22/23, initiating a series described within. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. Acts chapter 8 describes a divine encounter between Philip, one of the earliest Christians, and an unnamed Ethiopian eunuch.… Continue reading “This is a Wilderness Road”
A sermon for New Year’s Day
A short sermon on Matthew 13:1-23 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 1/1/23, New Year's Day, amid a series of reflective exercises. The manuscript is edited below for reading. This sermon was not recorded or live-streamed. Every few years, a fully-grown beech tree produces about 30,000 beech nuts. They have a spiky outer husk. Each… Continue reading A sermon for New Year’s Day
A sermon for Christmas Eve
A sermon on Luke 2:1-20 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 12/24/22, Christmas Eve. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. “Who would willingly choose this horrid condition?” I wish I could tell you this heart-wrenching question came up in a particularly meaningful… Continue reading A sermon for Christmas Eve
“Watch for the Light”
A sermon on Isaiah 2:1-5 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 11/27/22, the first Sunday of Advent. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. What is God going to do about all of this? I mean...all of it, you know? One week ago… Continue reading “Watch for the Light”
“Joint Account”
A sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 11/13/22, as part of our annual stewardship campaign. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. In what year does the story of the United States of America begin? It's a… Continue reading “Joint Account”
“Christ, Our Belonging”
A sermon on Ephesians 2:11-22 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 9/18/22, introducing a fall series called "All Belong." The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find a recording in the full service via this YouTube video. I want to invite you to call to mind a certain memory. Think of a… Continue reading “Christ, Our Belonging”
“It may be my undoing”
I played: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, originally released in the U.S. on the Nintendo 64 in October 2000. It's a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, borrowing many of that game's assets (e.g. background character models, music, etc.) but introducing a dramatically different narrative structure and melancholic tone that helped it become a… Continue reading “It may be my undoing”
“We Are: Made For Community”
A sermon on Luke 6:12-19 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 8/7/22, continuing our summer "We Are" series about identity and community. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find it in the full service via this YouTube video. Last week's communal practice of lectio divina was a refreshing rest stop in this… Continue reading “We Are: Made For Community”
“Who We Are Matters”
A sermon on Psalm 139 delivered to LaSalle Street Church on 7/10/22, introducing our summer "We Are" series about identity and community. The manuscript is edited below for reading, and you can find it in the full service via this YouTube video. I changed a few names in this manuscript for privacy. Two weeks ago at… Continue reading “Who We Are Matters”
Brent Bailey 