Sermons by “The Rev. Della Wager Wells”

Ash Wednesday – Ashes for Growth – February 26, 2020

View Sermon

Last Sunday After the Epiphany – Bright Clouds of Glory – February 23, 2020

View Sermon

Epiphany 6 – Hope and Memory – February 16, 2020

Hope and Memory

I always call Psalm 119, our psalm today, the Lawyers’ Psalm.  We sang a few verses of it this morning — that’s 8 out of a total of 176, by the way.  It’s the longest psalm we have, and the longest whole chapter in the Bible.  No laughing about long-winded lawyers out there!

The reason I call it the Lawyers’ Psalm is that the language is focused on decrees, commandments, statutes, and judgments.  The psalmist uses 8 DIFFERENT words for laws and even exclaims every 10 verses or so, Oh, how I love your law!  It is my meditation all day long.  I feel that way myself — I know it sounds pretty nerdy, but …

View Sermon

Epiphany 5 – You Are the Salt of the Earth – February 9, 2020

View Sermon

Epiphany 4 – Awesome Anna – February 2, 2020

View Sermon

Epiphany 2 – Come and See – January 19, 2020

Come and See

Well, this is the week!  We will gather today after the 10:00 service for our Annual Meeting.  I have been looking forward to seeing our congregation come together since my first day at Emmanuel in September!  

It has been a whirlwind little over four months — about 19 weeks — and I’ve gone from trying to learn where all the light switches are to the joy of meeting more and more of you individually, and getting to know you better.  This is where the really good stuff is — our connections with each other in Christian community, knowing each other and being known, and leaning into our common efforts here at Emmanuel.

I am thankful for the …

View Sermon

Epiphany 1 – God Untamed – January 12, 2020

 God Untamed

            Today we celebrate two beginnings in our church year:  the First Sunday after Epiphany, and the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.  Epiphany is at the beginning of Jesus’ life, when the Magi arrive in Bethlehem to worship the new baby king.  And the Baptism of Our Lord is at the beginning of Jesus’ approximately three-year earthly ministry.

Both events challenge our assumptions and understandings about power and authority — and strength and weakness — and love and safety.

The Magi — mysterious VIPs from the East — leave Herod’s court in Jerusalem to follow the star to the manger side in Bethlehem to worship a baby, born King of the Jews, they …

View Sermon

Christmas 2 – The Most Excellent Journey of the Magi – January 5, 2020

View Sermon

Christmas I – Found in Translation – December 29, 2019

View Sermon

Christmas Eve – First Lobster – December 24, 2019 8pm

View Sermon