| Click on the date to see the full text of the sermon |
| Sep 21, 2008 | This is the sermon that Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell preached to our congregation.... |
| Sep 5, 2008 | This is the sermon that Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield delivered to our congregation at the first evening of our Revive-All.... |
| Aug 10, 2008 | This is the fourth and final installment in the Gospel According to John Hughes series. Enjoy the video summary of The Breakfast Club.... |
| Aug 3, 2008 | This is the third of the Gospel According to John Hughes sermons. Again, this was preached without a manuscript. Enjoy the video summary.... |
| Jul 27, 2008 | This is the second in a series on John Hughes films. This is "Sixteen Candles." Each of the four John Hughes sermons are preached without a manuscript. What you will read here is a summary of the sermon.... |
| Jul 20, 2008 | Cate Wallace was our guest preacher. "If I'm morally obligated to be successful, and I can't define "success" in some clear and stable way, then where am I? Who am I?"... |
| Jul 13, 2008 | This is the first of four sermons on The Gospel According to John Hughes. The sermon is delivered without the aid of a manuscript. What you have here is Pastor Hudgins' summary and reflections.... |
| May 4, 2008 | So much of life is about escaping…finding ways to escape pain, uncertainty, and struggle. We surround ourselves with comforts and successes, to do lists and achievements…always looking to that next distant goal. We try to Escape. What Jesus is asking of us, and what Luke understands to be the identity of the Church is the opposite.... |
| Apr 27, 2008 | What does it mean to be judged by God? We are judged when we fail to Love. We are all God’s children. To live otherwise is to be under the Judgment of God.... |
| Apr 20, 2008 | Rev. Al Sharp, Executive Director of Protestants for the Common Good delivered this sermon.... |
| Apr 6, 2008 | The Gospel of the Lord according to Anthony Bourdain and Rusted Root? Really?... |
| Mar 23, 2008 | Easter is upon us! The Lord is Risen and he brings liberation to all.
Resurrection does not exist outside of time. It's not some far off reality, some pie in the sky vision. Resurrection is much more than Jesus simply getting up on the third day, some medical marvel or a historical puzzle to be solved. Resurrection is liberation.
... |
| Mar 9, 2008 |
How can we bring light into one another’s lives?
How can we bring life out of what brings death here in Wilmette?
We are called to give voice to what brings life here in Wilmette.
We are called to give voice to God.
We are called to uphold Wilmette and all our communities with compassion.... |
| Mar 2, 2008 |
It occurs to me that I must be afraid.
I must be afraid of what I will see. And what I will see
is my own culpability, my own sordid
and sad Acquiescence. I will see that I have sold out.
I sold out a long, long time ago.... |
| Feb 24, 2008 | There is a really deep well inside me.
And in it dwells God.
Sometimes I am there, too.
But often stones and grit block the well,
and God is buried beneath.
Then God must be dug out again. – Etty Hillesum... |
| Feb 17, 2008 | The movement of the Spirit brings understanding. And that same Spirit moves understanding from the head to the heart. This is the art of personal transformation...God desires the heart.... |
| Jan 27, 2008 | "I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples." - Henri Nouwen... |
| Jan 20, 2008 | On this day we honored the memory and faith of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ... |
| Jan 13, 2008 | This is the second of a series of sermons on the Christian Journey. What place does our Baptism play in our Christian journey? This allowed for a conversation between the pastor and the congregation, thus the outline format.... |
| Jan 6, 2008 | The life of faith is a Journey. It is mythical and personal all at the same time. The journey of the Magi exemplify this for us. How that stand before the tyrant, Herod, and how they kneel before the child, Jesus, are the paradigm for our journey. ... |
| Dec 30, 2007 | The First Sunday of Christmas - AnnMarie Kneebone was our guest preacher. ... |
| Dec 24, 2007 | Christmas is like bringing two things together that at first seem an impossible match. But in the end, they prove to be the presence of God. This Christmas Eve meditation is about that.... |
| Dec 23, 2007 | The Fourth Sunday of Advent is a Sunday of peace...And to find peace may mean to follow our dreams. The story of Joseph reminds us of that.... |
| Dec 16, 2007 | This is the sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of Joy. Mary is bearing to all the world a son. And that child is the salvation of all. Mary is his prophet.... |
| Dec 2, 2007 | On the first Sunday of Advent, we must remind ourselves what it means to prepare for the coming of God.... |
| Nov 25, 2007 | Bret Chandler preached for Christ the King Sunday: "We are called to be Christ-like, and this is something that neither our modern society understands nor that the Romans ever understood. A messiah does not save himself. A messiah turns to others, and not simply because others need a messiah, but also because the messiah needs others." Take a moment to read this.... |
| Nov 18, 2007 | This Sunday is our "Walk of Faith" Sunday. This is where we make our financial and spiritual pledges to the church. This sermon is about that faith journey, commitment and the promise of the "Peaceable Kingdom."... |
| Nov 11, 2007 | There is so much happening at Community Church! We are on the verge of something tremendous. But we have to remember that all we do is based on a promise.... |
| Nov 4, 2007 | The Feast of All Saints: In the midst of the ghoulies and goblins of Halloween, Christians also celebrate the dead, the saints who have gone before us and who still uphold us in prayer and song with God. This sermon speaks to our struggles around death and honoring the dead.... |
| Oct 28, 2007 | This week two lay members of our congregation preached. Marti Pechnyo preached about the reforming work of God. It is a wild fire. Kathleen Brennan gave a wondrous testimony about the race God sets before us. ... |
| Oct 21, 2007 | What is "sound doctrine?" Paul is instructing his friend Timothy on doctrine and how a church might function. There's also just a little about Ann Coulter in this.... |
| Oct 14, 2007 | Bret Chandler, our interim Minister for Outreach and Growth, preached about the centrality of praise and worship in the Christian life. It's a powerful message of hope and healing.... |
| Oct 7, 2007 | Obedience is not something we come by easily. It is a notion not often accepted in our culture. Dogs are obedient. People are not...well, are we? Slavery. Obedience. The Bible talks a lot about this and today's scriptures are no exception. To be obedient is to be faithful. Oh boy...?!... |
| Sep 30, 2007 | The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell was the guest preacher for our final sermon on Simplicity. ... |
| Sep 23, 2007 | Simplicity: Don't Forget to Share..."Simplicity" says Richard Foster "is an inward and outward discipline." This is the third sermon in a series on Simplicity. This Sunday, we focus on the outward nature of the discipline.... |
| Sep 16, 2007 | Readings: Ecclesiastes 2:24-3:15 and Matthew 25:31-46
Simplicity: God Cares
"Simplicity" says Richard Foster "is an inward an outward discipline." This truth is pretty self-evident to me. Our... |
| Sep 9, 2007 | Deuteronomy 8:7-18, Matthew 6:25-34
Simplicity: A Gift from GodWelcome to the Community Church of Wilmette. For those of you who have not heard, today is Rally Day. Our church program year... |
| Sep 2, 2007 | The Ladies Who Lunch
How many of you find yourselves being lumped into a stereotype from time to time?
Are you a jock? A punk? A suburbanite? A femi-nazi? Are you too rich? Are you too poor? Old? Young? Is there a certain ethnic... |
| Aug 19, 2007 | readings
Burning Down the House
How often do we pass the peace of Christ? At least once a month on Communion Sunday in this congregation. Our Lutheran brothers and sisters across the way... |
| Aug 12, 2007 | Sermon: Proper 14 (19)
Worship at the Beach – Gillson Park
Community Church of Wilmette and Wilmette Lutheran Church
August 12, 2007
"...That There is Need of... |
| Aug 5, 2007 | POVERTY AND WEALTH, WEALTH AND POVERTY
Luke 12:13-21; Psalm 107: 1-9
Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield
Executive Minister, ABC Metro-Chicago
“Them.”
Who’s “them” in this passage from the Gospel of Luke?
It might help, in answering that question, to... |
| Jul 15, 2007 |
Meditation: The Good Samaritan
Our culture professionalizes everything...childcare, justice, healthcare, farming, faith and even friendship. It's possible that western culture has exhibited this preference for centuries.
Perfection... |
| Jul 1, 2007 | Of Shepherds and Hired Hands
Rev. Dr. David Hogue
John 10:11-18
1 John 3:16-24
It’s a story I’ve told here before, but it’s just too good to pass over in light of the Scripture passages we are considering today. A mother was preparing... |
| Jun 23, 2007 | 1 Kings 19:1-15
Luke 8:26-39
The truth of God is always cast in history. It is manifested in the shared life of humanity and all of God’s creation. Faith, religious life, is inescapably human. It is thus... |
| Jun 17, 2007 | Grace Upon Grace: God’s Own Polyphony
When in our music God is glorified,
And adoration leaves no room for pride,
It is as though the whole creation cried,
Alleluia!
I know this will come as no surprise to anyone, but I love... |
| Jun 10, 2007 | The Unexpected Guest
Hear now a story from long ago…a story of prophets and gods, kings, queens, and a poor widow.
The widow and her son are hungry. They have not eaten. There has been no food. The drought has been lingering for... |
| Jun 3, 2007 | Trinity Sunday
Well, we made it. Today we celebrate one year of ministry together. And, for me at least, it has been a great pleasure and honor to be here with you. I just have one question…whose bright idea was it to start his tenure at... |
| May 20, 2007 | Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them,
"Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,
and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to... |
| May 13, 2007 |
Working on it…
I saw no temple in the city,
for its temple is the Lord God
the Almighty and the Lamb.
Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed, Alleluia!
In 313 AD, the emperor of Rome, Constantine, issued... |
| May 6, 2007 | Revelation 21:1-6
John 13:31-35
Citified
Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
Here are some song lyrics for you…ready? Sing out if you are so inspired.
Somewhere out there on that horizon
Out beyond... |
| Apr 29, 2007 | Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
 There is an icon of Jesus that I keep beside me when I prepare sermons. In the icon, he stands there with... |
| Apr 22, 2007 | Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
I have stood in this particular pulpit for almost a year now. And there was never a more helpful congregation when it comes to suggesting new ideas, giving pointers, or offering helpful... |
| Apr 15, 2007 | Authority or Authorship
Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed! Alleluia.
It may be hard to believe, but it is still Easter. This is the second Sunday of the Easter Season…so be ready, everyone, for who might walk... |
| Apr 8, 2007 | The Eighth Day
Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
You have heard it said that on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead.
On the third day he appeared to his friends and his family.
On the third day,... |
| Apr 1, 2007 | Story Time
When I was a little boy, my grandfather, Pappy, would read to me. He read from a series call “Old Mother West Wind Tales.” I loved those stories…tales of animals who had human personalities, sly, witty, brave, silly, hedgehogs and... |
| Mar 25, 2007 | What Fast Will You Make?
During our Tuesday Bible study, we focused on the... |
| Mar 11, 2007 |
Stand Fast
This sermon is the third in our series on Christian practices and virtues. On the first Sunday of Lent we prayed together, if you recall Augustine’s words: “Those who sing well, pray twice.” And last week we waited for the Lord. She... |
| Feb 18, 2007 | Have you ever had one of those experiences where time seems to stand still? Do you know what I mean? Maybe for you it was when you were lying under the stars one summer night. You were completely relaxed. And then you felt it, the turn of the planets, the will... |
| Feb 11, 2007 | Plain Speaking
The Beatitudes…The Beatitudes, or the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the better-known passages of scripture, one of the most beloved. But, at least in my experience, when I encounter them, I think of Matthew’s recollection and not... |
| Jan 28, 2007 | Sermon: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Community Church of Wilmette
January 28, 2007
What Did You Say?
1:9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.
1:10... |
| Jan 21, 2007 | Sermon: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Nehemiah 8:1-10
Luke 4:14-21
Stand in the Place Where You Live
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus the Christ…
Hear the words of an Orthodox monk, Father Lev. He speaks of the... |
| Jan 14, 2007 | The Hour has Come
One of the things I like about being a pastor is performing weddings. It is a gift to be involved in such a celebration. Yes, I said celebration. Now, those of you who have been integral in the planning of such a... |
| Dec 31, 2006 | Sermon: Jesus Stayed Behind
The First Sunday of Christmas, 2006
Community Church of Wilmette
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52
O God, by the leading of a... |
| Dec 24, 2006 | Sermon: The Fourth Sunday of Advent, 2006
Community Church of Wilmette
Knowing Mary
Welcome to the Fourth Sunday of Advent…
I need to ask you all to do a favor for me if you can. I need you to hold on tight. Because, believe it or not, it is... |
| Dec 24, 2006 | Sermon: Christmas Eve Candle Light Service
Any Ideas?
When you walk into the house you can smell the cookies. The aroma of chocolate and vanilla, sugar and spice (I like ginger best of all.) waft through the air.
Someone I love scurries around the... |
| Dec 17, 2006 | There was no sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent this year. In its stead, the choir sang the Saint-Saens Christmas... |
| Dec 10, 2006 | Sermon: Preparing the Way
Second Sunday of Advent, 2006
Community Church of Wilmette Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6 I want to know what preparing the way looks... |
| Dec 3, 2006 | Sermon: First Advent, 2006
Community Church of Wilmette
Peace on Earth
- U2
Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I'm sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing again and again
That there's gonna be... |
| Nov 5, 2006 | Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44
Building a Mystery
I try to record my dreams. It's an interesting discipline...one that I have cultivated for a while... |
| Oct 29, 2006 | Continuing the Reformation
It was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. Many of us may know a little of the history. The church in the West (This is an important distinction, for... |
| Oct 15, 2006 | Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Psalm 22:1-15
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 10:17-31
God Doesn't Want Our Money
One of the well-known interpretations of today’s scripture passage usually relies upon the notion that the Needle’s Eye was a passageway into... |
| Oct 8, 2006 | Villanelle
Love, Love was incarnate there
In childhood's glow and mystery,
Christ was around me everywhere.
On my knees I learned a bedside prayer,
Mother and father leading me.
Love, Love was incarnate there.
In his rough hug, in her girlish... |
| Oct 1, 2006 | Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Mark 9...
I had the great fortune last night to preside over... |
| Sep 17, 2006 | Gethsemane's Fruit: Disillusionment and Faith
Text: Matthew 26:36-46
Good morning and welcome to the second of three sermons in a series. Brothers and sisters, the work of tending a garden is never... |
| Sep 10, 2006 | One of my favorite stories is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnette. It is the tale of Mary Lennox and her adventures at Misselthwaite, the home of her uncle Archibald Craven.
The characters in this story are rich and full of life.
There is Mary, an... |
| Sep 10, 2006 | "Stir What Ya Got!"
2 Corinthians 4:1-12
September 10, 2006
Service of Installation
for
George V. Hudgins, III
and
Community Church of Wilmette
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I bring you greetings... |
| Sep 3, 2006 | As some of you know, I went on a retreat a couple of weeks ago. I am trying to create a regular discipline in my life of prayer and silence. As you would imagine, I have experienced varying levels of success. But that's just how this process is for me.
My retreat... |
| Aug 28, 2006 | I know that it's not Christmas. But every now and again a story comes to mind that won't leave me alone. Today's scripture passages speak about courage. We... |
| Aug 13, 2006 | lectionary
Last night Trish and I had dinner with some old friends. For me there is little better than dinner with old friends. We went out to a local Indian joint that we all... |
| Jul 31, 2006 | The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Bike Ride.
One of the things I did for a living before taking the big plunge and returning to seminary was to work for the AIDSRide. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the AIDSRide, but most simply it was a large... |
| Jul 16, 2006 | David is celebrating. He is celebrating a great military victory and the success of his political aspirations. All the house of Israel dances with him. He had set out to unify the nation under his leadership. Until his reign, Israel was a collection of tribes, a... |
| Jul 9, 2006 | I have been thinking a lot lately about the idea of the "separation of church and state." Primarily, this is due to a speech that Barak Obama gave at the "Call to Renewal" conference in Washington D.C. I don't know how many of you took the time to read that speech, but... |
