Posts by pwsadmin

Outside the tomb. When I think of Easter, I think of a farm. I think of green fields and grass, and I think of a cross. The farm is gone now. The fields are gone. The cross disappeared the day after Easter that year. I don’t remember exactly what year it was. I know I…

Called to Be Faithful, Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, April 13, 2025 Is it OK if I let you in on a little secret? Somebody nod yes. OK. My little secret is this. In terms of sermon preparation, every week I wait for a hook, I call it the hook. I’ve been doing this for 35-plus years now, and I still…

I’d like to inform everyone that it was in total consciousness that I’m making sure that you hear this story more than once. This is very much by design. Many years ago, decades ago, I had a marketing expert in the church that I served at the time. I mean, this guy wrote books about…

Let’s talk a little Jungian dream analysis, what do you say? Yeah? Who had a dream last night? Let’s analyze it. Ready? I’m not an expert. I dabble a bit. One of the ways to approach Jungian dream analysis – and it’s all theory. That’s one of the nice things about theories. “This is my…

What time is it? This is the controlling question that I looked up today. And I’ve come armed for bear this morning. I have about eight pages of notes right there. I’ve got two books. I might read the entire books to you this morning. Or not. But I’ve really enjoyed this week preparing my…

Psalm 27, it is part of our lectionary this morning – “My Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” This whole message this morning is all about that. We always feel that way, right? We are never afraid. The…

So here we are, the first Sunday of Lent, 2025. Throughout my entire ministry I’ve always been energized by the concept of Lent. It’s never been a conscious choice. It just comes naturally to me. I love the notion of taking 40 days and 40 nights – and by the way, if you’ve ever used…

What We Hope For by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat on February 23, 2025, at Mount Vernon, Ohio based on Luke 7: 1-10 In January, last month, I was able to attend my annual gathering of United Church of Christ pastors at St. Pete Beach, Florida. As I say every year, this is an annual…

Stretch Out Your Hand by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat on February 16, 2025, at Mount Vernon, Ohio based on Luke 6: 6-11 I’m not sure what is about to happen here, so I want to lead with my vulnerability and tell you that I’m not sure what I’m sharing with you this morning. I’m…

Deep Water by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat on February 9, 2025, at Mount Vernon, Ohio based on Luke 5: 1-11 So, do you believe me when I tell you that you’ve got a phone inside of you, ringing, every day? An old-fashioned phone with a handle. And every day we receive a call. We…