Adam Thomas

Ah! Bright Wings

Published on November 25, 2024December 23, 2024 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

Sermon for Sunday, November 24, 2024 || Reign of Christ B || John 18:33-37

Today, on the last Sunday of the church year, we celebrate the Reign of Christ. We celebrate the universal scope of God’s presence breathing life and meaning throughout creation. We celebrate that the true God is always bigger than our cramped understandings of God. And we do more than celebrate today. On this day, we renew our conviction to participate in the Reign of Christ as we pray for God’s reign to be present on earth as it is in heaven.

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Love and Good Deeds

Published on November 18, 2024December 16, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, November 17, 2024 || Proper 28B || Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25

Every night at dinner at my house, my family shares a simple ritual before we say grace. We go around the table and say where we saw kindness that day. When Leah and I take our turns, our kindness is often that the other person made dinner. Many times, mine also come from people at this church whose kindness ripples out in a multitude of ways. Every kindness we share at dinner stems from a small, simple act, and each alone doesn’t seem like it amounts to much. But when we collect the kindnesses together, we add them, like stitches, to a great tapestry of goodness and love.

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The Future

Published on November 11, 2024December 9, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, November 10, 2024 || Proper 27B || The Book of Ruth

Today, I am going to begin where last Sunday’s sermon finished, with the future. I ended by saying, “And Jesus is here, walking with us into the future where God is already, always, and eternally present.” For some of us, that future looks bleaker than it did a week ago. For others, that future looks brighter. But no matter our place on the ideological spectrum, none of us knows what the future holds. And such unknowing is prime fodder for anxiety.

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God is Present

Published on November 4, 2024December 9, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, November 3, 2024 || All Saints B || John 11:32-44

Here we are. November 3, 2024, the day we celebrate all the saints. We are two days before a momentous election that pits vastly different visions of this country against each other. The world is mired in the midst of multiple ongoing wars in which so many innocent people have died. We’re grappling with increasingly common and destructive natural disasters due to climate change. And on a personal level we are contending with issues ranging from physical and mental health to addictions to economic hardship to interpersonal relationships. Anxiety and stress are high. Time is fleeting. The future approaches, and we have no idea what it will hold. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been holding tension in my shoulders for so long that I don’t remember what it feels like to be relaxed.

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Listening Well

Published on October 28, 2024November 18, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, October 27, 2024 || Proper 25B || Mark 10:46-52

This sermon is about the art of listening, specifically about how Jesus listens and how we can emulate his practice. Our ability to listen impacts every relationship we have: our spouses and families, our friends and neighbors, our church and community members, our political and ideological opponents, and our partners in God’s mission.

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New Book: “How to End Christian Nationalism”

Published on October 21, 2024December 9, 2024 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

Recently, I was given the opportunity to be part of the team of folks helping to launch Amanda Tyler’s book How to End Christian Nationalism. After pre-ordering the book, the launch team sent me an uncorrected proof PDF of the text to read ahead of the book’s launch. I finished it just in time to get this reflection out ahead of the official release date, tomorrow, October 22nd. I was so glad to read this book, written by the lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism, because of Amanda Tyler’s long personal history with the issue, as well as her connections with so many others who she interviewed for the book.

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A Loving Prescription

Published on October 14, 2024November 4, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, October 13, 2024 || Proper 23B || Mark 10:17-31

Two weeks ago, we talked about clinging to the impediments that stand in our way of the abundant life that God yearns for us to live. Last week, we talked about Jesus’ desire for everyone to find deep, meaningful connections and build loving, mutual relationships. And today, we are going to tie those two ideas together as we talk about Jesus meeting someone on the road. Notice that I’ve just said that Jesus met “someone” on the road. I’m saying “someone” here for a specific reason. I know it’s not like me, but I’m being vague on purpose.

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Never Alone (updated)

Published on October 7, 2024October 28, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, October 6, 2024 || Proper 22B || Mark 10:2-16

Taking the lead from the Gospel reading this morning, today we are going to talk about divorce and adultery. But mostly, we are going to talk about Jesus’ surpassing dream for all creation – that none of us and no part of that creation will ever truly be alone.

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Letting Go the Grail (Updated)

Published on September 30, 2024October 28, 2024 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

Sermon for Sunday, September 29, 2024 || Proper 21B || Mark 9:38-50

*My sermons are now available in podcast form.* Click here for Apple Podcasts or search
*“WheretheWind.com Sermon” on your podcast app of choice.*

Just so we’re on the same page, I want you to know that this sermon is about idolatry, but that is the only time I will use the word in the whole thing. And I’m going to spend the first third talking about Indiana Jones. So here’s the scene:

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The Unbroken Circle

Published on September 23, 2024October 14, 2024 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

Sermon for Sunday, September 22, 2024 || Proper 20B || Mark 9:30-37

Imagine with me the memories of the Apostle Peter, near the end of his life, thinking back to that day in Capernaum that is described in our Gospel reading this morning.

We didn’t think Jesus could hear us on the road. He was lagging behind us, chatting with people who had come in from the countryside to see him. Only Philip, his self-appointed bodyguard, had hung back with Jesus. The rest of us were hungry and eager to get to my house, where they knew my mother-in-law would put out a fabulous spread. But for the moment, our hunger and exhaustion had gotten the better of us, and a stupid argument broke out. We argued about which one of us was the greatest of Jesus’ disciples. I thought I had a pretty good claim on the title, given that I was always by Jesus’ side, but so were the sons of Zebedee. Others thought it might be Thomas for his devotion or James the Zealot for his zeal. Bartholomew, ever the jokester, voted for Jesus’ shadow because it followed him everywhere.

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