Recent Sermons by Rev. Mark J.T. Caggiano
November 11, 2024 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons. We do not know how they died, but their names are suggestive. The sons’ names were Mahlon and Chilion. In Hebrew, “Mahlon” means “sickness” and “Chilion” means “wasting.” Not go-to names for most purposes, but for this story, the names explain what happened to these two men.…
November 3, 2024 Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more…”…
October 27, 2024 Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Mark 10:46-52 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. These are the final words of Job, spoken after the encounter with the whirlwind. The whirlwind that represented God’s response to Job’s cries amidst his great suffering.…
October 20, 2024 Job 38:1-7; Mark 10:35-45 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me…” Job is calling out to God, to find out why Job has to suffer, why his family has to…
October 13, 2024 Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Mark 10:17-31 Ah, you who turn justice to wormwood and bring righteousness to the ground! They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Who do they hate? They hate prophets, like Amos, those who are telling them they are doing something wrong. The Book of Amos…
October 6, 2024 Genesis 1:20-25; Matthew 6:25-29 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. It was good. That line from scripture is repeated. God creates the light from the darkness, and it was good. God…
September 29, 2024 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Mark 9:38-50 Last Sunday, I was speaking with someone after the service. Having read the bulletin, they noted that this Sunday we were going to be singing the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers.” That was noted and it was not out of their anticipatory delight. It was out of concern that we would be singing this…
September 22, 2024 Proverbs 31:10-31; Mark 9:30-37 Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. Jesus and the disciples were travelling around and, I am guessing, during those travels…
September 15, 2024 Isaiah 50:4-9a; Mark 8:27-38 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Book of Isaiah is written across the troubles…
September 8, 2024 Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Mark 7:24-37 [Jesus] said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” These are harsh words, buried under a layer of metaphor. Jesus was effectively saying that this child was no better than a dog. As a Gentile, she…