Sermons

I Can’t Breathe — Come Holy Spirit!  Phyllis Felton & Rob Hoch Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Phyllis speaks all bold font May 31, 2020   Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23             Maybe Zoom feels like it has helped us . . . or maybe it feels like a desperate measure…

Curtain-Twitching Robert P. Hoch May 24, 2020   John 17:1-11 One of the bonuses of being married to a Brit is that you learn folksy expressions that you would never know about otherwise. One of my favorites is “curtain-twitching.” You almost guess the meaning by how you might be caught by your neighbor, and they…

I Will Not Leave You Orphans Robert Hoch May 17, 2020 John 14:15-21   Jesus says, Because I live, you also will live. This idea of the living Jesus is really important in John, perhaps more important to John than the other gospel writers. Raymond Brown points out that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you…

Farewell Conversations Robert Hoch May 10, 2020 John 14:1-1 It’s probably universal the way children interrogate their parents before they leave the house: We’re going out for a little while, say the parents. Where are you going? Can we come? Just out on a little errand, no, we won’t be gone long. Who is looking…

An Open Door Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 May 3, 2020 Acts 2:42-47 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together…

A Dubious Gift Robert Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 April 26, 2019 First Reading Acts 2:14a, 36-41 14aBut Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them [14b-35 cut from the lectionary] 36“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord…

Passing from Death to Life Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore, MD 21201 Easter Sunday April 12, 2020 Matthew 28:1-10 1After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an…

A Cry for Help  Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 Palm Sunday April 5, 2020 Matthew 21:1-11 1When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find…

Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 March 29, 2020 Ezekiel 37:1-14   1The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all around…

First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore, MD 21201 March 22, 2020 John 9:1-41   1As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that…

Come Now to the Water Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 March 15, 2020 John 4:5-42 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting…

Next Time You’re Tempted to Turn a Stone into Bread Robert P. Hoch First & Franklin Presbyterian Church Baltimore MD 21201 March 1, 2020 Matthew 4:1-11 1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.3The tempter…