Sermons & Sermon Starters

SERMONS

Earth Day 2008

Winner of our Earth Day sermon contest:
"Noah's Promise" by Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, Pastor for Parish Life at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington, VA. Text: Genesis 6-9 excerpts

Runners-up (in alphabetical order):
"A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: Earth Sunday" by Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann Faeth, Rector of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill in Alexandria, VA.

"Alive in This World" by Pastor Joseph M. Smith, Interim Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg in Gaithersburg, MD. Go to the church's website to listen to the sermon - scroll to April 20, 2008. Text: John 21:1-14

"Climate Change: A Rabbi Speaks Out" by Rabbi Warren G. Stone, Rabbi of Temple Emanuel in in Kensington, MD.

Other Entries:
"It All Matters" The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A, RCL) by Rev. Paul Roberts Abernathy, Rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.

By Mike Anderson: "What will the Meek Inherit?" text: Matthew 25:31-45. "Eating the Roots" text John 10.

"6 Easter & Stewardship of Creation Sunday" by Rev. Rosemary Beales, St. John’s Ellicott City. Texts: John 14:15-21 & Acts 17:22-31

"A Dwelling Place" by Rev. David Ensign, Pastor, Clarendon Presbyterian Church. Text: John 14:1-14

"A Sermon for Creation Season" by Pam Garrettson at
Memorial Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland.

By Jack Harper (two sermons in same document): "Back to the Future" 2008 Earth Day sermon and "Earth to Humans: 'Love me or leave me'" 2007 Earth Day sermon

"Creation Sunday April 20, 2008" by Rev. Dr. Roy W. Howard, Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, MD. Texts: Genesis 1 and Colossians 1.15-19

"For the Beauty of the Earth" by Rev. Shana Lynngood, All Souls Unitarian, Washington, DC. To listen to the sermon, scroll to April 20, 2008 on the All Souls sermon page.

"Earth Day Sermon" by Rev. Brian Merritt, Senior Minister of The Palisades Community Church in Washington, DC.

Sermon by Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, Pastor, Western Presbyterian Church. Text: Romans 8:18-25

"April 23, 2008 – Earth Day Sermon" at Wednesday Chapel Service, United Methodist Building, Washington, DC. By Jamie Michaels, Seminar Designer, US-2 for the General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church. Text: 1 Peter

"How Long, O Lord?" by Rev. Steve Robertson, at the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.

"Earth, and Humankind’s Role in its History" by Laird C. Towle, Chairman, Green Sanctuary Committee at Goodloe Memorial Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Bowie, MD.

"Less is More: Reappraising our Values for the Sake of our Planet and Spiritual Health" by Doug Weisburger, Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring.

"Menuha: Homily on a Rogation Theme" by Evelyn Wheeler, Olivet Episcopal Church. Texts: Ps 104, vss 1-2, 10-14, 25, 28-29, 31, 37; Jeremiah 14:1-9; 1st Timothy 6: 7-10, 17-19; Matthew 6: 19-24

General

Sermon during lent by Rev. Erika Takacs, Christ Church, Alexandria, VA, on March 1, 2009. Readings: Genesis 9:8-17.

Sermon for the Harvest Service by Rev. Matthew R. Scott, Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke, VA on November 9, 2008. Readings: Genesis 8:13-22; Psalm 128; 1 Corinthians 15:19-28; Luke 12:13-21

4-part "Season of Creation" sermon series by Rev. Scott Davis, pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Alexandria, VA. From worship services in September 2008, the sermons are available by podcast on the church's sermon page.

"AIMing for Responsibility: or, Levinas sings, 'I Owe You, You Owe Me, We’re a Happy Family'" delivered on Yom Kippur morning 2008 by Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, MD. Note: This is an example of incorporating climate change into a larger theme.

"This little compact fluorescent light of mine" by Rabbi Daniel Swartz, former GWIPL coordinator

"Radical Amazement: Our Judaism, Our Environment and our New Year" a sermon for the High Holy Days by Senior Rabbi Amy M. Schwartzman, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, VA - September 12 & 13, 2007 / 1 Tishrei, 5768.

"Environment Justice Sunday: Mother is Melting" by Rev. Louise Green, All Souls Unitarian, Washington, DC. Summary: The effects of global warming are evident on a planetary scale, so nature as we know it is shifting. How might this change us as global residents, social justice seekers, and a sprit-growing community? To listen to the sermon, scroll to Feb. 26, 2006 on the All Souls sermon page.

"Living in God’s Creation: Justice and Symbiosis" by Rev. Ann Deibert, Central Presbyerian Church, Louisville, KY.

Evangelical sermonic resources

Environmental sermons, and commentaries on the lectionary readings

Earth Ministry’s compilation of sermons

Compilation of sermons from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sources (PDF)

Compilation of sermons courtesy of California Interfaith Power and Light

SERMON STARTERS

Mountain Top Removal, Global Warming, Justice
1. Mountain top removal mining devastates our Appalachian communities by contaminating drinking water and causing flooding that destroys homes and property, and sometimes takes lives. "If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food… and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?" (James 2:15)

2. Coal companies are supposed to restore the mountains, but this usually means that a bald top and a few species of grass replace the once diverse forest. “Out of the ground the Lord God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at…” (Genesis 2:9)

3. Excerpt from "A Spiritual Field Guide" by Drs. Bernard Brady and Mark Neuzil (Brazos Press: Grand Rapids, MI): "After reading ancient texts, one might add that perhaps mountains are among the most spiritual spots on earth. There are more references to mountains and hills in the Bible than any other geographical feature. The list of significant events that occurred on mountains seems endless: Noah’s ark came to rest on a mountain; God tested Abraham in an incident sometimes called the “binding of Isaac” on a mountain; Moses meets God as a burning bush and is later given the Ten Commandments on a mountain; and there are several references in the Old Testament to God’s holy mountain. In the New Testament, the significance of mountains continues. Jesus often goes to a mountain to pray; we refer to a famous moral teaching moment as the “Sermon on the Mount”; the miracle of the loaves and fishes happened on a mountain; the night before his death, Jesus prays on a hill, the Mount of Olives; and indeed he is finally crucified on a hill. Ultimately, his great commission to his disciples and ascension occur on a mountain. All of these references give some credence to the idea that mountains and hills are “thin” places."

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