Rev. Dr. Jeff Garrison
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesMay 15, 2021Hebrews 12:1-13 Sermon taped at Bluemont Church on Friday, May 13, 2021 Thoughts at the beginning of worship: We’re on a journey. It’s a familiar Christian metaphor that we’ve seen through our time in the Book of Hebrews. As Christians, we are not settlers on this earth, we’re pilgrims. … Read more Keep Going: Hebrews 12:1-13
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesHebrews 11:23-40May 8, 2021c2021 The recording was made on May 7 at Mayberry Church. Thoughts at the beginning of worship For the past two weeks, I have been slowly reading Garrison Keillor’s memoir, That Time of the Year. I savor a chapter or two each night before bed. Keillor often gives praise for … Read more Be a Vehicle for Something Greater than Yourself
Series introduction In the summer of 1976, I began working at Fox Holsum Bakery in Wilmington, NC. I had just finished my first year of college. For the summer, I had a job traying bread. At the end of the summer, as I wrote about last week, the plant manager asked if I would be … Read more Harvey and Ernest in the Bakery
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry ChurchesMay 2, 2021Hebrews 11:8-22c2021 Introduction at the beginning of worship: Again, this week, we’re talking about faith. Too often, we think of faith meaning we have arrived. It’s as if faith is our purpose.[1] However, the definition of faith we read last week, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of … Read more Hebrews 11:8-22, Stepping Out in Faith
This is the second story in my bakery saga. Unlike the first story about Linda, which I wrote years earlier and revised, this is a new story. While the bakery was always hot, this post isn’t nearly as steamy as the first one. It also has more technical detail that’s required to fully understand what … Read more A College Boy in the Bakery
Jeff GarrisonMayberry and Bluemont ChurchesApril 25, 2021Hebrews 11:1-7 Sermon taped on Friday, April 23, 2021 at Mayberry Church Introduction to worship As I mentioned last week, the Session of both churches have spent time planning the future as we, God willing, come out of the COVID pandemic. Therefore, now is a good time to tackle … Read more Hebrews 11:1-7, The Difference Faith Makes
I’m catching up on some recent reading… Tilar J. Mazzero, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It. (Harpers Business, 2009), 264 pages. Late last year, I listened to the author’s “Great Courses” lectures on “Creative Nonfiction.” She often used examples of her own writing including this book. I … Read more Four Books: Champagne, Skid-row, Generosity, & Mountain Midwifery
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian Churches April 18, 2021 Acts 16:1-10 The sermon was recorded on Friday, April 16, at Bluemont Presbyterian Church At the beginning of worship The sessions of both congregations, Bluemont and Mayberry, are engaged in planning for the future as we come out of the COVID pandemic. While we all … Read more Times are Changing: Where is God leading us?
In last week’s sermon, I mentioned this blog post, which failed to transition from my old “thepulpitandthepen.com” blog to this one. So I am posting it again. The highlight of Christian worship is the Lord’s Supper. We break bread and share wine together, uniting ourselves through a very ordinary act with all the saints who … Read more A Lighthearted Yet Serious Look at the Lord’s Supper from a Protestant Perspective
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian Church Mark 10:23-27 April 11, 2021 Sermon recorded at Mayberry Church on Friday, April 9, 2021 At the beginning of worship As Christians, we need to laugh more. Too often we think of humor as inappropriate in churches. God is seen as some stern judge up in the sky, … Read more Laughter as a Spiritual Discipline