Sermon Media

Dear Summerfielders, Today the shining star that came to my mind was a woman I saw preach when I was in seminary. One day a week we had a worship service in the chapel that was quite a big to-do and guest preachers were invited from around the world. Following worship they would come to […]

Dear Summerfielders, If you weren’t with us in worship today, you missed a very special service. We had about 20 people, so it was very intimate, and Margarita was not one of them so we sang Christmas carols without accompaniment. The choir sang, but to the CD we had be rehearsing with instead of the […]

Dear Summerfielders, Before I begin our devotion today, I want to remind you that we are going Christmas caroling after the meal program this evening. Be at church by 6pm if you want to come with us. And speaking of Christmas carols, I have been slow in getting the Christmas Eve service together this year. […]

Dear Summerfielders, Wow, 20! Only four more days of Advent left. How quickly this month has flown by. If you have been thinking, “I really should right something about_____” now is the time. Your reflections are still welcome, but you don’t have much time. Today WPR announced that Jim Fleming who hosts their nationally broadcast […]

Dear Summerfielders, A shining star in my faith journey has been the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To me, he is more than just a day off in January. In fact, part of the reason I chose to attend seminary at Boston University was because that is where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. became […]

Dear Summerfielders, A week until Christmas! Wow. You are running out of time, so if there is someone you would like to acknowledge as a shining star in your faith journey you need to hurry up and let me know soon. In October of last year I attended an Urban Ministry conference in Los Angeles. […]

Dear Summerfielders, I cannot believe there is only one week left of Advent. If you have someone you would like to lift up as a shining star in your faith journey, now is the time! Today I would like to look at someone most of us have probably never heard of, Roy Plunkett. Finding Jesus […]

Dear Summerfielders, I invite you to read Romans 1: 1-7. It is written by Paul. Paul, considered by many to be the greatest evangelist of Christian history, should be held up as one of our shining stars this Advent season. In this passage, he talks a lot about being “Called” – Paul makes it sound […]

Dear Summerfielders, The same in private as in public Francis de Sales is one of the revered saints of French history. A bishop planned to write a biography of de Sales, so he wanted to know what de Sales was really like. Therefore, when he visited de Sales, the bishop drilled a hole in the […]

Dear Summerfielders, Today I ask you to consider one of the primary characters in the Christmas story, Joseph. Joseph was willing to adapt his plans to God’s surprising purpose when he found that the woman he was going to marry was pregnant. The birth of the child for whom Joseph was to care was the […]

Dear Summerfielders, I think we would be remiss if we went this entire Advent season without lifting up one of the greatest shining stars of our time, who recently passed away. This is an excerpt from a United Methodist article on Nelson Mandela’s recent memorial service: Great leaders like Nelson Mandela do not die but […]

Hello Summerfielders, Today’s devotion is by Andre Robitaille, who has only been at Summerfield a very short time. If you were with us the day we had to go to the basement for the tornado warning, you may remember him being there with his young son. In recent years I struggled to overcome various doubts […]

Dear Summerfielders, Miracle. It is a word we hear at this time of year a lot. “A Christmas Miracle” Two Christmas movies come immediately to my mind, “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Pocket Full of Miracles”. Then there is the hockey movie too. Have you experienced a miracle? I know I have. They are not […]

Dear Summerfielders, We often hear about children who are sick and their great courage. We marvel at their strength. Today I would like to share with you a woman who wowed me with her courage and sense of peace that God was in her situation no matter what. I have no doubt that God orchestrated […]

Dear Summerfielders, Our devotion today comes from Lynn Priebe who grew up in Summerfield. She is the daughter of Mabel Byron. My “shining star” as it were was (I HATE having to use the past tense for this person) was Professor Jeffery Howard Offutt (lovingly referred to by all of us who were blessed with […]

Dear Summerfielders, Isaiah 11: 1 – 10 Reflection According to Isaiah, the transformation from a culture of fear to a world of peace begins with a stump. Out of something that appears finished, lifeless, left behind, comes the sign of new life – a green sprig. This is how hope gets its start – it […]

Dear Summerfielders, A shining star I would like to hold up to you is my husband, Matt Templeton. He has positively shaped my faith more than anyone else in my life. He has helped me grow. He supports me and encourages me in my ministry, parenting, and everything else that is important to me. One […]

Dear Summerfielders, We speak with our lives A story is told that Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to preach in a nearby town. The monk was honored to even be asked and readily accepted the invitation. All day the two monks walked through the streets and […]

Dear Summerfielders, Today I have mentors on my heart. Have you had a mentor? Been a mentor? If you have had a good experience with a mentoring relationship, I bet you found a shining star. There are lots of examples of mentor relationships in the Bible: certainly Paul helping Timothy to feel prepared for ministry […]

Dear Summerfielders, Today’s devotion comes to us from Rebekkah Priebe, who grew up at Summerfield and is the Grand daughter of Mabel Byron. The shining star I think of was the older lady who taught Sunday school to me at Summerfield. I remember how kind she was. She made us all tote bags and Grandma […]

Dear Summerfielders, Praying in color: I had a Sunday School teacher when I was in grade school who was totally outside the mold of all the Sunday School teachers I had had before, who were pretty grandmotherly. Miss Greene was different. She was young, and had long blonde hair. She lived in a condo with […]

Dear Summerfielders, The letter below is from a distant relative by marriage who shared part of her faith journey with me as a response to some of the issues I have been dealing with in regard to my mother. She shone light into my life, and so is a guiding star. I would like to […]

Dear Summerfielders, As I mentioned last week I will be sharing devotions with you every day of Advent. The theme this year comes from the story in Matthew of the Wise Men following the star to Jesus. You are invited to share a story of a “guiding star” in your faith journey. This person could […]