Current Sermons Available at RHUMC

Jonathan Chute - "Public Private Partnership"
Mark 1: 29-39. In this week's gospel Jesus experiences a popular response to his healing work in Galilee. Many hear what he has done and come out to see him. He cures many, but When the morning comes, he goes out by himself to find a place to pray. The disciples want him to continue to see the people, but Jesus has other plans.

Jonathan Chute - "The Power of the Word"
Mark 1: 21-28.

Jonathan Chute - "Hearing the Call"
Mark 1: 14-20. After the arrest of John the Baptist. Jesus launches his public ministry. He calls two sets of brothers, both fishermen from the Sea of Galilee, to leave their previous lives and follow him, and that's just what they do.

Jonathan Chute - "Come and See"
John 1: 35-51. When Philip tells his friend, Nathanael, about meeting the Messiah, Nathanael has trouble believing him, so Philip invites Nathanael to come and see for himself.

John Kwan - "Well Pleased"
Mark 1: 4-11. The gospel of Mark begins with Jesus already an adult coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. As Jesus comes up out of the water, we are witness to a revelation that remains hidden to those around him.

Jonathan Chute - "Extra-Ordinary"
Luke 2: 22-40. Mary and Joseph bring their child to the temple - to present him to God, as the law required for all first-born male children. But then something well beyond the ordinary happens. Anna and Simeon, two older members of the community who have been waiting for the coming of the Messiah, greet the baby as the One for whom they have been waiting.

Christmas Day
Jonathan Chute - Readings
John 1: 1-14. Readings on Christmas by Augustine of Hippo, Puritan records, and Pearl S. Buck from "A Family Christmas" by Carolyn Kennedy.

Christmas Eve
Jonathan Chute - "Hidden"
Luke 2: 1-20. Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem to meet Roman census requirements. The Roman empire was powerful and its authority unquestioned. But then, in a little village in the hill country, in the cramped confines of a stable, something else was happening. Barely visible, hardly noticed by those in charge, a child was born.

4th Sunday of Advent
Jonathan Chute - "Margin Call"
Luke 1: 26-38. The joy and hope of Christmas is drawing near! The angel Gabriel visits Mary to share with her the role she will play in the story of salvation. The angel tells Mary "Do not be afraid," but we understand why she may tremble. Yet, Mary is not alone; Elizabeth, her relative, is also unexpectedly pregnant. God will use these two women to bring the good news for which the world has been waiting.

3rd Sunday of Advent
Jonathan Chute - "Among You"
John 1: 6-8 and 19-28. When a group of religious leaders ask what he is doing, John the Baptist declares that he is simply a voice calling out in the wilderness - a witness to what God has already done. The people don't know it yet, but the Messiah is already in their midst.

2nd Sunday of Advent
Jonathan Chute - "A Long Time Coming"
Mark 1: 1-8. The first words of Mark announce "the beginning of the gospel - that is, the 'good news' - of Jesus Christ." But the story does not actually start where we expect it. Instead, we find ourselves out in the desert with John the Baptist, the messenger sent to prepare the way for the Messiah.

1st Sunday of Advent
John Kwan - "Sign of the Times"
Mark 13: 24-37. While sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple with four of his disciples, Jesus foretells the coming destruction of the temple . The disciples ask him what signs there will be, and Jesus advises them to "keep awake" as they wait.

Jonathan Chute - "Grateful"
Deuteronomy 8:7-18. During the people of Israel's time in the wilderness, before they enter the promised land, Moses addresses the people, offering encouragement and instruction about how to live in their new home. He invites their gratitude in advance, sharing pictures of the blessing and bounty that await them.

Jonathan Chute - "Well Done"
Matthew 25: 14-30. In this week's gospel, Jesus tells the story of a man who entrusts his property to his servants and goes away on a journey. When he returns he finds that each of them has responded differently to the trust placed in them. He praises the two servants who risked everything that he had given them, and reprimands the one whose fear prevented him from doing anything.

Jonathan Chute - "Bridesmaids"
Matthew 25: 1-13. This week Jesus tells his disciples a story about readiness and waiting. Ten bridesmaids are supposed to watch for the groom, who arrives later than expected. Because of the delay, five of them do not have enough lamp oil, and by the time they return with more oil, the doors of the hall are locked. Since they were not prepared for anything to go wrong, they end up missing the feast.

Jonathan Chute - "Something to Drink"
Matthew 25: 31-46. In one of his last times with his followers, Jesus paints a picture of the whole human family brought together at the end of time. The Son of Man separates the people, the righteous from the unrighteous. One aspect of what divides the two groups comes down to something as simple as "how did you respond to human need."

John Kwan - "Not One, But Two"
Matthew 22: 34-46. In today's scripture, we find that Jesus is being challenged yet again. A lawyer, an expert in the Torah, poses a question to Jesus in the hopes of entrapping him in some form of blasphemous teaching about the law. Jesus responds to his question and in the process offers a key to unlock understanding the law.

Jonathan Chute - "Image Problem"
Matthew 22: 15-22. A group of religious and political opponents ask Jesus a question to which there is no easy answer, hoping that he will stumble. Jesus finds a way to turn the question around, leaving them (and us) with a deeper question to ponder.

Laity Sunday
Earl Butler - "Happiest Place on Earth"
Colossians 3: 12-17. In this week's scripture, we see Paul concerned that the church in Colossae was reverting to pagan and old traditions opposite of Jesus' teachings. Instead of scolding them, he gracefully gives them instruction of life habits that are more appropriate.

Jonathan Chute - "Be My Guest"
Matthew 22: 1-14. In this week's gospel, Jesus describes a king who prepares a wedding feast to celebrate the marriage of his son but then discovers that none of the originally-invited guests still plan to come. The king is determined to hold the banquet, so he sends his servants to gather anyone who wants to come. EVERYONE is invited, but if you don't want to be there, you don't have to come - and you don't get to stay. So, implies Jesus, it is with the kingdom of God.

Jonathan Chute - "Says Who?"
Matthew 21: 23-32. Some local religious leaders see Jesus as a bit of a troublemaker. Hoping to discredit him, they ask who he thinks has given him the authority to say and do what he does. Rather than answer directly, Jesus tells them a story of two brothers, one of whom says he will do what his father asks, but doesn't, while the other refuses to help at first, but then does do what was asked. According to Jesus it is one thing to say the right thing, and another to do it.

Jonathan Chute - "Fair's Fair"
Matthew 20: 1-16. This week's gospel includes one of the most irritating of Jesus' parables. He tells of a man whose generosity toward some (but not all) of his workers creates jealousy and anger. One group received exactly what they agreed to as a fair wage for the day. But when they see others receiving the same pay for less work, they can't stand it. Jesus wants to show that God's grace operates differently from our ideas of justice and equality.

Jonathan Chute - "All That Counts"
Romans 14: 1-12. In his letter to the Romans, Paul offers a range of advice to the Christians there. Members of the church are looking down on each other. Paul says that there is only one standard that means anything - only God is in position to judge our actions. That is really the only thing that matters.

Jonathan Chute - "By Heart"
Exodus 12: 1-14. Passover was the basis of Jesus' sharing the Last Supper with his disciples. Both events are repeated and remembered by communities of faith as central to our ongoing life. We weren't there for the first of these celebrations, but still we are encouraged to "remember" them.

Jonathan Chute - "What Love Looks Like"
Romans 12: 9-21. In his letter to the Romans, Paul shares that we are saved by the grace of God, and he appeals to his readers on a practical basis, encouraging them to live out that grace in clear, hopeful and obvious ways.

John Kwan - Sierra Service Project Youth Sharing
Romans 12: 1-8. Divided by very different cultural traditions and histories, the Jews and the Gentiles, Christian and non-Christian alike find themselves living with an uneasy coexistence. Paul knows that this will not be solved overnight, but he believes that he can at least help them on their way.

John Kwan - "Letter of the Law"
Matthew 15: 10-28. Jesus has a debate with the Pharisees over ritual purity laws during which he encourages them to embrace the spirit in which these laws were given rather than remaining hard and fast with them.

Jonathan Chute - "Fear of Failure"
Matthew 14: 22-33. Shortly after feeding the 5,000 Jesus sends the disciples by boat to the other side of the sea. Later he catches up with them, walking across the water. Peter steps out in faith to meet him, but then, in the face of the strong wind, he sinks into the water. Jesus reaches out to rescue him, and they join the others back in the boat. As the winds calm, the disciples wonder at the power they have just witnessed.

Jonathan Chute - "A Taste of the Kingdom"
Matthew 14: 13-21. Jesus has gone out to the wilderness to be alone, but the crowds have followed him. Jesus spends the day teaching about the shape and character of the kingdom of heaven. As dinnertime approaches, the disciples tell him they haven't enough food and to send the people away. Instead, Jesus offers the people the chance to experience the plenty of heaven directly.

Jonathan Chute - "The Whole Enchilada"
Matthew 13: 31-33 and 44.52.

Jonathan Chute - "Be the Wheat"
Matthew 13: 24-30. Our gospel for this Sunday continues a series of farming parables by Jesus. During the night an enemy has sowed weeds among a farmer's wheat, but when the farmer's servants ask if they should pull the weeds, the farmer says "no." That will only make the situation worse. Jesus seems to suggest that the best approach to evil is not to be distracted by it. When we let our enemies set our course, we may actually be drawn into doing evil's work for it.

Jonathan Chute - "God, the Gardener"
Matthew 13: 1-9 and 18-23. In this beloved parable of Jesus, a sower goes out to scatter seed, but much of the seed falls onto less than promising soil. It would be more efficient not to waste something so precious as seed by throwing it onto the path, into rocky soil, or among the thorns, but, for whatever reason, God seems to have a different idea of farming than we do.

John Kwan - "The Sweetest Sound"
Matthew 11: 16-19 and 25-30. In this week's text, Jesus shares with his followers that those who are weary and under heavy burdens will find rest in him, that their burdens will feel light and his yoke easy.

Diane Rehfield - "You Can't Be Serious"
Genesis 22: 1-14. Sunday's scripture is certainly one of the most difficult and troubling passages in the Bible. Abraham has been blessed with a son, yet now Abraham believes that he has heard God's voice telling him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. How can it be? Would a loving God really demand such a sacrifice from one who has been as faithful as Abraham has been?

Jonathan Chute - "The Last Three Minutes"
2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 & Matthew 28: 16-20. Today's scriptures hold two examples of the power of loving support. In the first scripture, after trying to reach the Corinthians by teaching and scolding, encouraging and scaring, Paul closes his second letter to them with love and blesses them. In the second scripture, Jesus sends the disciples out into the world not with a challenge, but with a blessing and a promise to be with them always.

Jonathan Chute - "All Together Now"
1 Corinthians 12: 4-13. This week we celebrate Pentecost, the so-called "birthday of the Church." In Jesus' day Pentecost was a Spring harvest festival and a celebration of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It became a celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, encouraging them and empowering them to share the gospel with the whole world.

Jonathan Chute - "Zoom Out, Zoom In"
Acts 1: 1-11. It's Ascension Sunday, the last week in the season of Easter. It has been some forty days since the resurrection, and Jesus and his disciples have gathered one last time. He wants them to know that while he is leaving, the story of God's grace and love in the world is far from over. They do not know what to expect, but their own journeys are about to begin.