FirstPresabq Blog

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE LAW Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Sermon – "Ten" Rev. Matthew Miller It is, I suppose, the nature of the world of commercial pop culture that we live in that according to a survey not long ago more people could name the seven ingredients that make up a Big Mac sandwich from McDonald’s (two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun!) than could name all ten of the Commandments. Even if not everybody can re

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE LETTERS Philippians 2:1-13 click here to watch the sermon "Empty" One of the gifts of the pandemic five years ago- and yes, for as difficult as that season was for everyone there were still gifts to be found in it- one of the gifts for our family at least was the TV show Ted Lasso on Apple TV. So, you can imagine our delight when it was announced that the creators of the show we putting out a fourth season. We were a little cautious in our enthusi

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE LAW Exodus 16:2-15 click here to watch the sermon “Daily Bread” Last week one of our daughters sent us an Instagram post about a sourdough starter that has been cultivated and handed down from one generation to the next since one family set out from Missouri on the Oregon Trail in 1847. Eventually, the starter was passed down to a then 10-year-old Carl Griffith in 1930 in a Basque-American sheep camp in southeastern Oregon where his family was est

Rev. Dr. José Irizarry FROM THE GOSPELS Matthew 18:21-35 click here to watch the sermon “Forgiveness" When in Rome, as you have often heard, follow local customs. So, in respect for the simplicity and directness of sermon titles that you're accustomed to, because I look at your website and so the titles from the sermons from the last month, I decided to title this message forgiveness. No exegetical juggling can extract any other message at the heart of this text than this tha

Rev. Essie Koenig-Reinke FROM THE GOSPELS Matthew 18:15-20 click here to watch the sermon“In the Midst of the Mess” When I was in the youth group, there were two things my youth director referenced all the time. First, he would always ask us, where did you see God today? This has become so engrained in us as a community that to this day, it is not uncommon for us to ask each other this. Second, he would quote us the following scripture all the time, “For where two or thre

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE LAW Exodus 3:1-15 click here to watch the sermon “Name” Names matter. What someone, or something is called is a critical part of shaping their identity. Some of you have noticed that when I take the stage around town I use the shortened version of my name. I do it in part to distinguish between my avocation on stage and my vocation as pastor. Think about your own name, what people have called you all your life, and how it affects the way you thin

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE GOSPELS Matthew 7:21-27 click here to watch the Sermon“Build" It’s been fifteen years, but I’m not sure that I’ll ever forget the summer of 2011 in northwest Iowa. Sometime around Memorial Day weekend people noticed the Missouri River had risen. That itself wasn’t too surprising. Rivers rise in the late spring into early summer. Around here it happens when the snowpack melts and makes its way into the Rio Grande. In our corner of the Midwest, it w

Rev. Matthew Miller FROM THE GOSPELS Matthew 7:1-6 SERMON “Specks and Logs” We have moved into the final act of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. This summer we have listened as Jesus describes for us life in the kingdom, or kinship of Heaven that has come near; what Jesus would have us turn toward and hear as good news. It’s good news that can get lost when we reduce faith and this project we call church to little more than one of sin management. Wh