Theologian & pastor Matthew Tennant's blog
In 1738, a young Anglican minister walked along the streets of London. He was not just a Christian, but someone who had answered God’s call and responded to the gospel … Continue reading “Strangely Warmed Hearts” Sermon from Isaiah 1.10-20
When we start each day by counting our blessings, we can develop a sense of gratitude for all of the good things that surround us. Gratitude can be hard to … Continue reading “Plenty of Bread in the Bible” Sermon from Exodus 16.1-7a
Most of what we emphasize in most churches comes from the noösphere. If you haven’t heard that word before, it’s okay, and there won’t be a test later. The noösphere … Continue reading What are the dolphins saying? A sermon from 1 Corinthians 12.14-26
What would it be like to have everything work out okay? Imagine making a mistake—or, not even a mistake—imagine things went really bad and you had no control and lost … Continue reading “The Sabbatical Year” a Sermon from Deuteronomy 15.12-18
The story of Zacchaeus is familiar territory, and familiar stories are dangerous. We tend not to stop and reread them. We come to the beginning of Luke 19 and say … Continue reading “The Repentance of Zacchaeus” Sermon from Luke 19.1-10
Deuteronomy 26.1-11 is available here. The Monkey King (or A Warning Against Following Foolish Leaders) One night the King of the Monkeys noticed a glorious golden moon lying at the … Continue reading “Not Stuff, but Good Stuff” – Sermon from Deuteronomy 26.1-11
Link to the biblical text. This sermon followed the following combined choirs singing “We Shall Overcome”: University Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir, Jubilate, and Charlottesville High School Choirs. You can see … Continue reading “A Different Kind of Mountaintop” – Sermon from Luke 9.28-36
Where I Was Hannah’s struggle was real. She had a problem and she saw it through the lens of her world. In her day, her value was in producing a … Continue reading “Hannah’s Struggle” a Sermon from 1 Samuel 1.4-20
Our gospel lesson is the story of the widow’s mite. This story always reminds me of the seventeenth-century metaphysical poet Richard Crenshaw’s poem based on this passage: Two mites, two … Continue reading “Heroic Generosity” a sermon from Mark 12.41-44
What is important to you? Is our priority the same as God’s priority? Mark 9 is about how people see others. John felt like people should follow Jesus the way … Continue reading Resituating Priorities – a sermon from Mark 9.38-50
Our reading is a part of one of three speeches in Proverbs attributed to women. The first word in our reading is חָכְמוֹת (khok-moth’) which is a form of חָכְמוֹת … Continue reading Learning from the Wisdom All Around Us – a Sermon from Proverbs 1.20-33
Prayers are biblical. 1 Thessalonians 5.17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” In Jeremiah (29.12), 1 John (5.14), and 2 Chronicles 7.14, it says God hears us when we pray. … Continue reading “God, don’t you remember what you said?” – Sermon from 1 Kings 8.22-30