Author: toddweir1

I am a progressive pastor, writer and leadership coach in Northampton, MA. I blog at Bloomingcactus about spiritual and religious issues, I also enjoy cooking, gardening and biking.

Matthew 4:12-23 “The Dawn’s Early Light”

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

I am a morning person.  When I wake up in the morning there is never any punching the snooze button and going back to sleep or lying around in bed.  When I wake up I just pop up and start my routine, because that first hour is the best part of the day.    I love … Continue reading Matthew 4:12-23 “The Dawn’s Early Light”

Isaiah 7:10-16 “God with us”

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

Last month, one of the largest statues of Jesus ever erected, measuring 108 feet from head to toe, was raised in a Polish field near the small town of Zwiebodzin.  The video on Youtube is fascinating to watch as a crane raises first the outstretched arms and then the head is placed on the body.  … Continue reading Isaiah 7:10-16 “God with us”

Matthew 11:2-11 “Hope over Disappointment”

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

As Christmas draws near, hope abounds.  Stores offer discounts raising hopes of giving and getting what we want.  Family makes plans to get together, plane tickets are purchased, menus are planned, trees are raised, lights ablaze and our hearts are warmed at the thoughts of a joyful Christmas.  Working in a homeless shelter gives me … Continue reading Matthew 11:2-11 “Hope over Disappointment”

Jeremiah 32:1-15 “Are You Ready to Buy the Farm?”

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

Jeremiah has delivered dire warnings, desperate weeping, and discouraging words for the last three weeks in the lectionary.  Now that the Babylonian siege is an immanent reality he is ready to offer hope.  This small section in chapters 30-33 is called the Little Book of Consolation.  It certainly is small compared to his words of doom, but this section … Continue reading Jeremiah 32:1-15 “Are You Ready to Buy the Farm?”

Luke 12:13-21 – Greed is Good?!

by toddweir1, posted in sermons, Uncategorized

Greed is good! This phrase was popularized 20 years ago in the movie Wall Street, where Michael Douglas played Gordon Gekko, who liked to merge companies for his profit and the employee’s nightmare. The movie was meant to be an indictment and warning against Wall Street greed, but instead Gordon Gekko became a hero to many who would now eat him for breakfast. Many people are now calling big bankers “banksters.” Now we are in such as mess and learning the lesson that greed is not good, rather it is wrecking our country.

Isaiah 40:21-31 “Grasshopper Eyes and Eagles Wings” Epiphany 5B

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

Isaiah 40:31 was one of the first scriptures I memorized in my youth. It was a great hope to feel that God could lift me up on Eagle’s wings and it still is. I love the idea of soaring above it all, being the swift and strong eagle, with a bird’s eye view of all the grasshoppers below. … Continue reading Isaiah 40:21-31 “Grasshopper Eyes and Eagles Wings” Epiphany 5B

Mark 1:21-28 “What Will You Do With Us, Jesus?” Epiphany 4B

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

I wrote this sermon nine years ago, when I ran homeless programs for 120 people.  I can imagine many of our residents as the man with an "unclean spirit," people who blurt things out in our comfortable space.  But he asks the right questions-"What will you do with us, Jesus?" Todd     There is … Continue reading Mark 1:21-28 “What Will You Do With Us, Jesus?” Epiphany 4B

John 1:6-8, 19-28 Advent IIIB

by toddweir1, posted in sermons

There are so many evocative symbols surrounding John the Baptist in the four Gospels.  Each gospel emphasizes a different point of view about John the Baptist.  Mark and Matthew emphasize the prophetic nature of John, noting that he is out in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey.  They link John the Baptist’s message to … Continue reading John 1:6-8, 19-28 Advent IIIB