April 2014

Sermons
Didymus Thomas

Preached April 27, 2014 in Ankeny UCC by Rev. Nathan Willard Sermon Text: John 20:19–31 We see Thomas in a moment of pain, confusion, and weakness. For this, he has been judged by the west as "Doubting Thomas." But his story was different in India, where his disciples were found by Vasco De Gama in […]

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Sermons
Running to Resurrection

Preached April 20 (Easter!), 2014 in Ankeny UCC by Nathan Willard Sermon Text: John 20:1–18 Mary was so overcome by the disappearance of Jesus that she ran back to the other disciples, who likewise ran back to the tomb. What does the resurrection compel us to do? What are we running to?

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Sermons
Children in Palms

Sermon Text Matthew 21:1-11 Preached April 13, 2014 in Ankeny UCC What changes in the crowds between Sunday and Friday? When are we part of the anonymous acclimation, and when are we like Jesus's disciples who quietly procure the donkey and colt he needs? Where will we be when the work must be done?

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Sermons
The Pain of Resurrection

Preached in Ankeny UCC by Rev. Nathan Willard Sermon Text: John 11:1-45 Mary and Martha both suffer in their disappointment at Jesus's failure to save their brother. We don't hear Lazarus's reaction to his resurrection, but we spend a long time with his sisters' responses to his death. What do their reactions bring out in […]

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