10-8-2023 “Sacred Serendipity” (Matthew 21:33-46) ~ Pentecost XIX

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2023, John Tamilio III Serendipity.  It means accidental discovery, or when something desirable occurs accidentally.  Maybe this sermon title is wrong then because what I am about to share is not something that is accidental.  I think God’s hand was involved. It began Wednesday night.  I was watching a […]

9-24-2023 “It Isn’t a Competition” Matthew 20:1-16 Pentecost XVII  

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2023, Dr. Tamilio When I was twelve years old, I played Little League.  I only played for one season.  The reason might have been (might have been) that the year I played, I was on the worst baseball team in the history of the Beverly Little League organizations.  I […]

9-10-2023 “Our Next Chapter” Pentecost XV

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor  © 2023, Dr. Tamilio Things looked a little different when you came into the church today.  I do not mean that we are now worshipping in the sanctuary as opposed to the chapel.  I do not even mean that it is Rally Sunday — the day that we kick off […]

9-3-2023 “Christian” Ethics Romans 12:9-21 Pentecost XIV

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2023, Dr. Tamilio I think the pendulum may now be swinging the other way.  For decades, we have been talking about how mainline Christian churches are in a state of decline.  Many prognosticators predicted that denominations would soon be dead — relics of the past.  However, the pendulum may […]

8-27-2023 “How Fragile We Are” Matthew 16:13-20  Pentecost XIII  

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor © 2023, Dr. Tamilio There is a moving song by Sting (singer, songwriter, bassist, and former frontman for the ‘80s British trio The Police), and there is a song by Sting entitled “Fragile.”  Its chorus proclaims: On and on the rain will fall Like tears from the sky Like tears […]

8-20-2023 “Words that Defile, Words that Build Up” Matthew 15:10-20 Pentecost XII

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor On the surface, today’s Gospel Lesson seems to be about dietary restrictions that the Jews followed.  The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) enumerate foods that are considered unclean for Jews to eat, such as pig and shellfish.  In this passage, is Jesus saying that all foods […]

8-6-2023 “Rejuvenation” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Pentecost X

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor I love my summer sojourns to Sebago Lake.  Not only is it a time of rest and relaxation, a time to recharge my batteries, but ever since I started going there eleven years ago with Cindy, it has also been a spiritually enriching time for me.  It’s hard to pin […]

7-16-2023 “The Good Soil, the Good Seed” Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Pentecost VII

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor If you are a regular church attendee and have cycled through the lectionary a few times, then you’ve heard the parable of the sower before: the story of the man who sows seed into different kinds of soil.  Even if you aren’t a regular churchgoer, you may have heard the […]