Rev. Dr. Jeff Garrison
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
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. I was hired for a summer job, to tray off bread. At the end of the summer, the plant manager asked if I would be interested in continuing to work … Read more Coming of Age at the Bakery
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Churches Easter Sunday 2021 Mark 16:1-8 Sermon recorded at Bluemont Church on Friday, April 2, 2021 At the beginning of worship: Why do we come here this morning? Do we come because it’s the thing to do on Easter Sunday? To get all dressed up for church. Do we come … Read more A new day, but will we tell anyone?
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian Churches March 28, 2021 Mark 11:1-11 Sermon recorded on Friday, March 26 at Mayberry Presbyterian Church Thoughts at the Beginning of Worship Palm Sunday! A triumphant day when we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Jesus arrives at the royal city, greeted by a cheering crowd. From a strictly earthly … Read more The meaning of Palm Sunday
For some reason, this post didn’t make it over from the transfer from my old thepulpitandthepen.com blog. So I decided to “resurrect” it and add a few photos of the river from which this journey begins. Resurrection There is a section in the Hastings Cemetery in Michigan where children who died during or before birth … Read more Resurrection: A Poem
Jeff Garrison Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian Churches Hebrews 10:19-31 March 21, 2021 c2021 Recorded at Bluemont Church on Friday, March 19, 2021 Information at the beginning of worship We’ve spent the last three months making our way through the first three quarters of Hebrews. Last week, I mentioned we were at an end of a section of the book … Read more Hebrews 10:19-31: Worship
Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer (2014) This is the story narrated by an unnamed man who doesn’t fit in, anywhere. A bastard. His father was a French Catholic priest and his mother a Vietnamese maid. In many ways, the narrator is of two minds. Given the opportunity to study in the United States, he learns the ways … Read more Two Books: A spy thriller and a self-congratulatory humorous look at gumption
Jeff Garrison Mayberry and Bluemont Churches March 14, 2021 Hebrews 10:1-18 c2021 The sermon was taped at Mayberry Church on Friday, March 12, 2021 At the beginning of worship Over the past few weeks, as we’ve worked our way through the Book of Hebrews, we have been in an advanced Christological class. We’ve experienced Jesus as our High … Read more Hebrews 10: Sacrifice
Lisa Deam, 3000 Miles to Jesus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life for Spiritual Seekers (Minneapolis Broadleaf Books, 2021), 211 pages including notes and a few drawings and maps Early pilgrims In the centuries between the crusades and the Reformation, there were many devout Christians who made pilgrimages. While Rome and Santiago de Compostela (the Way … Read more Two books on Pilgrimage
Jeff GarrisonBluemont and Mayberry Churches March 7, 2021 Hebrews 9 c2021 At the beginning of worship: So far, in the book of Hebrews, we have seen that Jesus is superior to everything. He tops angels and folks like Moses as well as the temple priests. He’s divine, having come from and returned to God’s heavenly throne. … Read more Hebrews 9: The True Sanctuary