SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11 and John 1:6-8; 19-28
©Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

Once upon a time, there was a man named John. You may know him as John the Baptist, but in the Fourth Gospel, he is referred to neither as the Baptist (that’s the Gospel of Matthew), nor as the Baptizer (as in the gospel of Mark), nor as John, son of Zachariah and Elizabeth (like in the Gospel of Luke). He is not the ‘one who lived in the wilderness.’ When the temple officials interrogate him, John tells them that he is not the messiah, not Elijah, not the prophet. Not, neither, nor. The Gospel remains coy concerning the identify of this man. The details, it seems, don’t matter. When pressed, John finally answers by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “I am the voice.” He says. “The voice crying out in the wilderness.”

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DATE: November 23, 2014
SCRIPTURE: Luke 17:11-19; Ephesians 3:20-21
©Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

DATE: November 15, 2014
SCRIPTURE: Luke 12: 32-34; Ephesians 3:16-21
©Alison J. Buttrick Patton

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DATE: November 9, 2014
Temple Israel

This sermon is unavailable.

DATE: November 2, 2014
SCRIPTURE:
Deuteronomy 334:1-12 and Ephesians 3:16-21 – texts printed following the sermon
©Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

Up Mount Nebo Moses climbed, up the winding path, until the voices of the Israelites faded behind him and an airy silence settled in, punctuated only by the scuffle of his sandaled feet on hard-packed ground and the occasional rustling of small creatures in the underbrush. He reached the summit and the view opened up before him. I wonder whether his heart pounded, just a bit; whether his legs shook. He’d climbed so many times: Mt. Sinai, mostly. But this climb was different. Continue reading →

DATE: October 26, 2014
SCRIPTURE:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18; Matthew 22: 34-40; Hebrews 13:2
©Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

It starts here, with this command:  Love God.  And another like it:  Love your neighbor. These are the hooks on which are hung all the other laws, all prophetic proclamations.  The foundation on which all faithful living is built. Continue reading →

DATE: October 19, 2014
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 15:11-32 – full text follows the sermon
©Rev. Willie Salmond

So at last we are nearly there.  After 3 years we are returning to the iconic church on the Post Road of Westport, Connecticut , continuing public worship at the mouth of the Saugatuck River which was begun by 36 members in 1832, and gave its name to the church Saugatuck Congregational Church. Continue reading →

DATE: October 12, 2014
SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 25:1-9 and Exodus 35:20-29
© Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

My family recently went to see The Boxtrolls – a whimsical stop-motion animated film about a community of characters – called Boxtrolls – that live in underground caves beneath the streets of the city. The Boxtrolls are artists and engineers – They scavange cast-off trash from the city above to build their own fanciful underground world. Continue reading →

DATE: October 5, 2014
©Rev. Alison J. Buttrick Patton

World Communion All-Ages Worship Service with interactive sermon by Rev. Alison Patton: ‘Kneading Dough and Needing Each Other.’

(Sermon begins at about 9:40.)

Trouble viewing this video? You can also find it here.

DATE: September 28, 2014
SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 17:1-7  Full text follows the sermon.

By
Michael Hendricks

For those of you fortunate enough not to recognize me in this setting, my name is Michael Hendricks.

I use the word fortunate, not out of some sense of humility, false or otherwise, but out of a real recognition that for three years in a row, Continue reading →