Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | February 5, 2023 Matthew 5:13-20 When I was seven years old, I spent a week in the hospital because of pneumonia. For the most part, this was a great vacation. People paying a lot of attention to me – bringing my meals on a tray – my…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | January 29, 2023 Matthew 5:1-12 Something I enjoyed about British culture was the queue; what we call, getting in line. People over there respect the queue. If there is a queue to be gotten into, folks there instinctively get in it. It’s a really bad thing to…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | January 22, 2023 Matthew 4:12-22 Six years ago, I attended a “pre-retirement” conference for ministers. Lindsay went along for the ride. The aim of the conference was to help ministers prepare for the golden years, when we would no longer be encumbered by the demands of work….

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | January 15, 2023 John 1:29-42 Many years ago when I was single, I went on a date with a woman who told me she had a checklist of one hundred traits and qualities that she was looking for in a partner. Some were considered deal breakers, and…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | January 8, 2023 Matthew 3:13-17 Baptism changed the course of my life journey; literally. Twenty years ago, it was time to move on. There was no sense of finding greener pastures. Just the sense that it was time to follow the Spirit’s call to the next place….

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | January 1, 2023 Isaiah 63:7-9 There was a time when we wished people, “Happy New Year!” and thought of it as a general holiday greeting. Of late, the greeting is more like a prayer of hope. We hope the year to come is better than the last…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | December 18, 2022 Matthew 1:18-25 When I was in seminary, there were churches in the area that would call the school looking for someone to lead worship and preach, often at the last minute. My name was on the list. I was invited to lead worship on…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | December 11, 2022 Matthew 11:2-11 The older we get the more we learn how to deal with disappointment. I remember as a child being told, “Don’t get your hopes up.” It was a way of saying that if you aren’t hopeful, then you won’t be disappointed. But…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | December 4, 2022 Isaiah 11:1-10 and Romans 15:4-7 Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be…

Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | November 13, 2022 Luke 21:5-19 There’s an old Twilight Zone episode in which a group of thieves steal a truckload of gold bars. They take it to a cave in the desert. They have the technology to put themselves into a state of suspended animation. The plan…