THE BOOK THAT MAKES US WEEP Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills January 23, 2022 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Luke 4:14-21 The scene opens in Jerusalem at the Water Gate, near the spring of Gihon. It was the time of Nehemiah and Ezra, some 2,400 years ago. […]

SIGNS OF CELEBRATION Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills January 16, 2022 Isaiah 62:1-5 John 2:1-11 The first four books in the New Testament of the Bible—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are called Gospels, which means literally “good news.” Each of them tells the story of Jesus, who […]

CALLED BY NAME Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills January 9, 2022 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Isaiah 43:1-7 Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, was explaining to a TV interviewer why her remarkable work has come to have such a strong grip upon […]

AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills December 24, 2021 Jeremiah 31:7-14 John 1:1-18 It seems that nothing is as over as Christmas when it’s over. The tree comes down, the wreath comes off the door, the decorations are neatly packed away for […]

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills December 19, 2021 Micah 5:2-5a Luke 2:1-7 Christmas week is here, and I know some of our number have already left town to spend the holiday elsewhere. The flip side of that is that some of us will […]

REJOICING Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills December 12, 2021 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 2:8-11 We’re told this is “the season to be jolly,” but despite the relentless good cheer that is in the air these days, there is an “alternate narrative” rumbling along beneath the surface. It […]

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills December 5, 2021 Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 In the year 2000, Stuart Manley, a used-book seller in Northumberland, England, was rummaging around in a box of old books. A colorful piece of folded paper at the […]

THE WORK OF WAITING Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills November 28, 2021 Jeremiah 33:14-16 Luke 21:25-36 We find a lot in the Bible about watchful waiting. “I wait all day long,” the psalmist said. “Be alert. Watch,” Jesus said. “Stand up and raise your heads, because […]

JESUS THE SON OF MAN Sermon Preached by the Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills November 21, 2021 Psalm 93 Daniel 7:13-14 Our second lesson comes from the Old Testament book of the prophet Daniel. We believe Daniel to be the last book of the Old Testament to have been written, […]

IT ISN’T OVER YET Sermon Preached by The Rev. Dr. Lindley G. DeGarmo Union Church of Pocantico Hills November 14, 2021 Psalm 16 Mark 13:1-8 It is the season of Thanksgiving, and you may have noticed that this morning’s gospel text is not an obvious fit with that gentle holiday. In fact, on the surface, […]