Sermons by Rev. Mark J.T. Caggiano (Page 8)

Stephen and Saul

May 7, 2023 Acts 7:55-60; John 14:1-7 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. I have had a few people ask about our post-Easter roster of scripture readings. In general, the comments are about why we are spending so much time…

Abundant Life

April 30, 2023 Acts 2:42-47; John 10:1-10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. That is the goal. That is the purpose. To have life and to have it abundantly. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, what exactly does it mean? You may have…

Certainty

April 23, 2023 Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Luke 24:13-35 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified. Peter is speaking to a crowd soon after the great moment of Pentecost, when fire descended from the heavens and the disciples were able to converse in many languages. Peter…

Thomas

April 16, 2023 Acts 2:14a, 22-32; John 20:19-31 But [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Thomas is the apostle known for his disbelief, “Doubting Thomas” being a common reference for him. How did…

Sins of the Past

March 19, 2023 1 Samuel 16:7-13, John 9:1-7 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Who sinned? The man, who was born blind? Or his parents, whose sin was to be passed along to their son? Jesus rejects that line of…

Sowing and Reaping

March 12, 2023 Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:31-38 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” This is a common Biblical metaphor. You reap what you have sown. That is a more accusatory version of the metaphor, however.…

Temptations

February 26, 2023 Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11 In the Book of Genesis, the first man and woman are offered paradise with one condition; that they not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And yet they are tempted to do so by the serpent. God cautioned that the man and woman would die if they ate from the…

Transfiguration

February 19, 2023 Exodus 24:12-18; Matthew 17:1-9 And [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It recalls the transfiguration of both Moses and Jesus. What does it mean to be transfigured? One becomes enshrouded in light, with the face and body and even clothing shining brightly. This…

To Be Perfect

February 12, 2023 Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Matthew 5:21-37 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering…

Under a Bushel Basket

February 5, 2023 Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 5:13-20 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. This is not intended as practical advice about illuminating one’s home. It is about how we are to act in this world. Not only to follow the ways of Jesus,…