Holy Communion

“Holy Communion” by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, October 6, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Mark 10:13-16 I want to read some words to you from my favorite Bible commentary regarding what Dave just read for us. Quote: “The disciples here are attempting to enforce the standard social mores. The standard social mores…

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Salt and Light

“Salt and Light,” by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, September 29, 2024, based on Matthew 5:13-16 More than once, usually in the setting of a classroom but now in the setting of this message, more than once I’ve said this to people to just try to make my point and I’m going to do it…

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Greatness

“Greatness,” by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, September 22, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Mark 9: 30-37 I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll mention it again. I don’t write sermons. I prepare them, and I create them. There’s a blessing to that, and I don’t know if it’s a curse, but there’s two…

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Who Is This Guy?

“Who Is This Guy?” by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, September 15, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Mark 8:27-38 I’d like to open up myself a bit here at the beginning of my message and let you know where I’m at spiritually, and I need to tell you it’s a good place. I…

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Be Opened

“Be Opened,” given by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, September 8, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Mark 7:31-3 As I mentioned earlier, this story only appears in Mark. It’s not exactly a well-known, considered pivotal passage of scripture. Nevertheless, I really love it. I love this. I’ll read it one more time, not…

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A Clean Heart

“A Clean Heart,” by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, September 1, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Mark 7:1-8, 14-15 So far in our service I’ve been fairly confident that what I want to happen is happening. As we’ve already touched upon, this is one of our lectionary readings, what we just heard, and my goal…

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There’s No Place Like Home

  There’s No Place Like Home, by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, August 25, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on Psalm 84:1-4 There’s no place like home. I think most people when they hear that probably think of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” Click your heels three times, I think, and say, “There’s…

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A Loaf of Bread

A Loaf of Bread, by Rev. Dr. Jay Marshall Groat, on August 18, 2024, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, based on John 6:25-34 Today, last week, the week before, in the lectionary, lots of talk about bread. Lots of talk about bread. We hear Jesus saying things like this – I am the bread of life,…

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