One of my favorite preachers is Barbara Brown Taylor.

Actually, I have never heard her preach, but I have read all her books.  In her book, The Preaching Life, she talks about a sermon as an act of creation with real risk as one foolhardy human being presumes to address both God and humankind, speaking to each on the other's behalf and praying to get out of the pulpit alive.  A sermon does not end when the preacher sits down because a sermon will pose questions and evoke responses long after it is over.  That might be wishful thinking!  A sermon should help us all to wrestle with scripture, to gain a better understanding of what God is up to, and should always remind us that it is God who comes to us, not we who work our way to God.  Taylor puts it this way, "When I preach sometimes I feel like Cyrano de Bergerac in the pulpit, passing messages between two would-be lovers who want to get together but do not know how.  Preaching is, above all else, an act of faith."

 The sermons printed here are pretty much what the congregation at Lake of the Isles hears each week, what is missing of course is the dynamic that takes place between the preacher and the congregation.  If you have questions or thoughts to share as you read these, I would love to hear from you.

Each Sunday when there is not an adult forum, we meet at 11 am to talk about the text for the day, the sermon, and how we can take that into our daily lives. I invite you to join in those discussions.

Pastor Gayle