Dave Buerstetta on striving to do justice and love others while walking humbly with God
This has been, to say the least, a very difficult week. COVID continues to run rampant in our country with daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as high or higher than they’ve ever been. We’re averaging 3500 deaths, the equivalent of a 9/11 attack or more per day now. Then Wednesday we witnessed armed insurrectionists attempt …
Happy New Year! I must admit that Sunday feels like a lot longer ago than 5 days. (Or is it 6 days ago? Depends on how you count it I suppose.) And Christmas Day really feels like a lot more than a week ago, even though we are still in the midst of the (in)famous …
Merry Christmas Eve! Most years this one of my biggest work days with multiple worship services to co-preside and a sermon to offer. This year, due to the pandemic, we recorded our indoor Christmas Eve service a couple days ago and we are only gathering outside for a brief time of reading scripture and praying …
This time I got in my Hamilton reference at the very beginning: "The Advent season draws to a close. Does that mean Christmas is here and we are finally free from waiting?! Not. Yet." Ok, so it's a bit oblique, but sometimes that's just the way the reference needs to go, ya know? Talking some …
Yeah, ok, I'm not entirely sure what I mean by that title either. Maybe, if you take in my sermon from Sunday, you can help me figure it out? See, "what had happened was"...with our office schedule greatly reduced due to Thanksgiving week, I had to choose my sermon title four days earlier than normal. …
What are the stories that stay with us? Great stories that are compelling and rich? That question opens my most recent sermon. A sermon influenced by Jesus' parable on talents from Matthew's gospel -- but a sermon responding much more to the book of Esther (we couldn't read the whole thing so joined here with …
Sometimes the pieces fall into place. Look, I know there are plenty of reasons to be infuriated with a whole lot of Christian churches and people: White supremacy and nationalism; spreading QAnon nonsense; supporting Trump, to name three of the worst. But at Woodridge UMC we are doing our very best to be as open, …
Sermon time! Boy, if that doesn't get you excited, what will?? This was one of those weeks that I suspect happen to all preachers at some point: "Still trying to find that spark for the sermon," I texted my colleague Saturday afternoon. Did I find it eventually? That, dear reader, is up to you. The …
My sermon from Sunday based on the Lectionary texts from this week: Jonah 3:10-4:11 and Matthew 20:1-16. Both texts offer a parable, though Jonah is a much more extended story...and not always recognized for the tall tale that it is. Jonah is also my favorite book (other than the Gospel of Luke), as I've shared …
How about a Labor Day-themed sermon? That's what I offered on Sunday. Inspirations this week: Scripture texts from Romans 13 and the Gospel of Matthew 16. Local broadcaster and Chicago treasure, Laurence Holmes has long been my favorite radio show host. He is fantastic at interviews and I enjoy a good origin story, so his …
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 