The Rooster Crows LPCC Podcast

In Seeing Clearly, Rev. Stephen Milton reflects on Paul’s short letter to Philemon, written unusually in Paul’s own hand to plead for the freedom of a slave named Onesimus. Drawing on insights from Candida Moss’ God’s Ghostwriters, Rev. Milton explores how enslaved scribes may have preserved much of the New Testament itself, making “nobodies” essential to the gospel story. Paul challenges Philemon to move beyond obedience to rules and instead act from love—seeing Onesimus not as property, but as a brother. In the same way, Rev. Milton invites us to put on “ethical eyeglasses,” to see strangers as family, and to let compassion, not command, guide our choices in a world where public good often depends on personal will.

In Meditating on Manners, Rev. Roberta Howey takes a playful look at Jesus’ surprisingly sassy lesson on etiquette. While manners may seem trivial, they shape how we communicate respect, status, and belonging. In Jesus’ time, seating arrangements at a banquet reinforced rigid hierarchies—but he flips the script, urging humility and hospitality toward the marginalized. Rev. Howey reminds us that Christians need not throw out the “rulebook” entirely, but we are called to rewrite it: to treat every person with dignity, to mean what we say, and to embody God’s love in both word and action.

In The Problems of Prophets, Rev. Roberta Howey reflects on Jeremiah’s reluctant call to speak truth to power—and the heavy cost of doing so. Like a scientist in a disaster movie whose warnings go unheeded, Jeremiah faced mockery, persecution, and even violence for proclaiming that Israel had forsaken its covenant with God. Yet God promised to be with him, not to spare him from struggle, but to sustain him through it. Rev. Howey draws connections to modern prophets like Martin Luther King Jr. and Greta Thunberg, who also confront the powerful with inconvenient truths. This sermon challenges us to listen for God’s voice in those who call us to justice, and to resist the temptation to silence them when their words are hard to hear.

 

 

 

In Pulling an All-Nighter, Rev. Roberta Howey reflects on the awe-inspiring Book of Kells—an illuminated Gospel painstakingly created by monks who poured decades of vigilance and devotion into every page. Their work, born not of fear but of love, becomes a living vigil: a way of staying awake to God’s presence in beauty, art, and hope. Drawing on Jesus’ call to “keep watch,” this sermon invites us to shift our vigilance from threats alone to the sparks of divine love around us. To keep awake, Rev. Howey reminds us, is to be ready to welcome God at any hour, and to see the Spirit glittering even in the darkest night.

In The Blueprints, Rev. Roberta Howey explores how the United Church of Canada was shaped not by dramatic upheaval, but by patient, faithful compromise. From the creation of the Moderator role to the balance between local autonomy and national vision, our structure reflects trust in both God and one another. Just as Abraham and Sarah trusted in God’s covenant without knowing the outcome, so too every Moderator steps into a sacred covenant—part pastor, part prophet, part ambassador—helping the church discern where God is leading next.

In this week’s sermon, True Riches, Rev. Stephen Milton explores the deeper meaning of wealth through Jesus’ parable of the rich fool and a forgotten story from the Acts of Thomas. When a king commissions a palace, Thomas gives the money to the poor instead—claiming the real palace is being built in heaven. Like the farmer who hoards his harvest only to die that night, both stories challenge the illusion that we own what we’ve been given. Rev. Milton reminds us that true riches aren’t stored in barns or banks, but in how we share with others. In a world obsessed with more, Jesus calls us to simplicity, generosity, and trust in God’s abundance.

In The Sacrifice, Rev. Stephen Milton tackles one of the most troubling stories in the Bible: God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. How can such a horrifying test be part of a faith rooted in love? This sermon explores the difficult demands of discipleship, from Abraham’s silent obedience to the radical courage of Jesus and modern-day figures like Martin Luther King Jr. Far from a comfortable faith, we are invited into one that asks us to walk into fire—against injustice, racism, and complacency. Real faith, Rev. Milton reminds us, isn’t always easy—but it is transformative.

In this week’s sermon, Who Are You?, Rev. Stephen Milton reflects on Abraham’s encounter with three mysterious strangers—figures who turn out to be divine messengers. Through radical hospitality, Abraham welcomes what he cannot yet recognize: the presence of God. Drawing on scripture and stories from Mother Teresa to modern-day homelessness, Rev. Milton explores how divinity is often disguised, especially in those the world overlooks. The sermon challenges us to look again at the stranger, and to remember that God may be sitting right across the table.

In this week’s sermon, Hagar’s Hope, Rev. Stephen Milton explores the story of Hagar, an enslaved woman cast out while pregnant with Abram’s child. Drawing connections to modern issues like declining birth rates, immigration, and reproductive rights, he shows how the politics of birth still marginalize the vulnerable. Yet in the wilderness, Hagar encounters God and becomes the first person in scripture to name the divine. Her story reveals a radical truth: God sees and blesses the outcast, calling us to do the same.

In this week’s sermon, Abraham Leaves Home, Rev. Stephen Milton reflects on the moment when God calls Abraham to leave everything familiar and journey into the unknown. With no miracles, no signs, and no clear reason why he was chosen, Abraham responds with pure trust—faith in a voice he has never heard before. Rev. Milton explores how this act of faith, rooted not in proof but in promise, becomes foundational for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Drawing connections between Abram’s story and our own struggles with uncertainty, identity, and self-worth, the sermon highlights how God’s grace often arrives unearned, inviting us to trust even when we feel unqualified. As Paul later affirms, it was faith—not ritual or rule-following—that made Abram righteous. In a world still full of unknown paths, the sermon calls us to step forward like Abraham, trusting in a God who believes in us first.