Sermons

Sermons delivered by C. David Hess at the West Henrietta Baptist Church.

These sermons are streaming audio files in mp3 format. Most computers have software installed that will play them, e.g. Windows Media Player. You may download Windows Media Player (free) by clicking here. You may save a sermon on your computer by right clicking on the link and then left clicking on "Save link as."

2014

January 16, 2014 - Dealing with Uncertainty, James 4:13-16

2012

December 23, 2012 - The Sound of Christmas Preached on the occasion of our rehanging our church bell. The bell was originally hung in our steeple in 1838.
September 30, 2012 - The Great Divide

2011

October 16, 2011 - The Backside of God
October 9, 2011 - No Bad Days
September 18, 2011 - It Isn't Fair!
June 3, 2011 - The War Within
May 22, 2011 - If We're Still Here
May 15, 2011 - Is Gandhi in Hell?
May 8, 2011 - Is Osama in Hell?
April 10, 2011 - "When Jesus Arrives Late"

2010

February,14, 2010 - Have You Been to the Mountain?
February 7, 2010 - Fishing Failures
January 31, 2010 - Joseph's Kid?
January 3, 2010 - "After Bethlehem"

2009

November 22, 2009 - "Don't Worry? Be Happy?"
November 15, 2009 - "It's the 'End of the World Time' Again"
November 7, 2009 - "Fearless Giving in Fearful Times"
October 18, 2009 - "We're Number Five! We're Number Five!"
May 31, 2009 "Waiting for the Spirit"
May 24, 2009 - "Goodbye to Jesus"
May 3, 2009 - "The Shepherd and His Sheep"
April 26, 2009 - "Jesus, Cleopas, and You"
April 19, 2009 - "Doubt"
April 12, 2009 - "Expecting Death"
March 15, 2009 - "Christians---What Brand Shall We Wear?"
March 1, 2009 - "Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness"
February 22, 2009 - "I've Been to the Mountain"
February 15, 2009 - "The Lepers Among Us"
February 8, 2009 - "Where They Are, Not Where We Are"
February 1, 2009 - "One with Authority"
January 22, 2009 - "The Christian Difference"
January 11, 2009 - "Thirty Years Later"

2008

December 21, 2008 - "Whom Do You Trust with a Treasure?"
November 23, 2008 - "Missing the Gift"
November 16, 2008 - "Investment Choices"
November 2, 2008 - "Our Costumes"
August 10, 2008 - "A Feng Shui Life"
July 13, 2008 - "What a Waste!"
June 29, 2008 - "Too Great a Sacrifice"
June 22, 2008 - "The Fine Print of Discipleship"
May 25, 2008 - "Remembering the Fallen"
May 18, 2008 - "Just Who Is This God, Anyway?"
May 11, 2008 - "Our Multiple Mothers"
March 16, 2008 - "Rock or Clay?"
March 2, 2008 - "The Power of Knowing One Thing"
February 24, 2008 - "The Delusion of Hope?"
February 17, 2008 - "The Kingdom and Identity Politics"
February 10, 2008 - "The Blessing of the Wilderness"
February 3, 2008 - "Don't Count on It!"
January 20, 2008 - "Another Way to Resist Evil"
January 13, 2008 - "When the Heavens Open"
January 6, 2008 - "Joy and Fear"

2007

November 11, 2007 - "Examining Our Priorities"
November 4, 2007 - "A Good Theology of Death"
October 14, 2007 - "The Power of the Word"
October 7, 2007 - "A Mustard Seed Will Do It"
September 23, 2007 - "A Balm in Gilead"
August 5, 2007 - "Foolish Wisdom"
July 29, 2007 - "When It Seems Useless"
July 22, 2007 - "The Awful Judgment of God"
June 10, 2007 - "Dying Before Graduation"
June 3, 2007 - "God's Triple Claim on You" - a sermon on the Trinity
May 27, 2006 - "Jesus Is God"
May 20, 2007 - "Why Be Baptized?"
May 13, 2007 - "Living Stones"
May 6, 2007 - "Defining the Boundaries of the Church"
April 15, 2007 - "After Easter--Fear and Doubt"
April 8, 2007 - "Trusting a Mirage?"
April 5, 2007 - "Chocolate Jesus"
April 1, 2007 - "Beware the Mob!"
March 25, 2007 - "Uncalculated Love"
March 4, 2007 - "The Frustration of God"
January 28, 2007 - "What the World Needs Now"
January 21, 2007 - "The Glorious Problem of Church"
January 7, 2007 - "Getting to Bethlehem"

2006

December 17, 2006 - "Peace Beyond Understanding"
December 10, 2006 - "The Problem with Positive Thinking"
December 3, 2006 - "Redemption Draws Near"
November 26, 2006 - "The Authority of Truth"
November 19, 2006 - "The World's Greatest Philanthropist"
November 5, 2006 - "When You've Lost It All"
October 29, 2006 - "The Communion of Saints"
October 22, 2006 - "Questions from a Despairing Age: And Justice for All?"
October 8, 2006 - "Questions from a Despairing Age: The Question of Death"
October 1, 2006 - "Unexclusive Gospel"
September 24, 2006 - "Superwoman"
September 17, 2006 - "Watch, What You Say!"
September 10, 2006 - "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero"
September 3, 2006 - "A Passionate God"
August 27, 2006 - "Dressing Up Like a Christian"
August 13, 2006 - "Too Eager for Armageddon?"
August 6, 2006 - "Sinking in Deeper"
July 9, 2006 - "When God Says No"
July 2, 2006 - "The Faiths and the Faith of America"
June 25, 2006 - "Fearful Disciples"
May 28, 2006 - "Truth in an Age of Truthiness"
May 21, 2006 - "I'm the Decider--Not!"
May 14, 2006 - "Abiding in Him"
April 30, 2006 - "Believing in the Risen One"
April 23, 2006 - "The Only Judgment that Matters"
April 16, 2006 - "The Rumor of Hope"
April 13, 2006 - "Betrayed with a Kiss"
April 9, 2006 - "My God, My God, Why...?"
March 19, 2006 - "Preaching Foolishness"
March 12, 2006 - "God's Geriatrics"
February 26, 2006 - "When Glory Shines Through" (Mark 9:2-9)
February 12, 2006 - "What Makes Jesus Angry" (Mark 1:40-45)
January 22, 2006 - "Jesus' Revolutionaries" (Mark 1:14-20)
January 15, 2006 - "Let's Get Physical" (I Corinthians 6:11-20)
January 8, 2006 - "The Blessing of a New Start" (Mark 1:4-11)

2005

Christmas Eve, 2005 - "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years" (Luke 2:1-20)
December 11, 2005 - "Carol of Revolution" (Luke 1:39-56)
December 4, 2005 - "Still Looking for His Coming?" (2 Peter 3:8-15) - The last portion of the sermon did not make it onto the recording.
November 20, 2005 - "Don't Forget" (Deuteronomy 8:7-18)
November 13, 2005 - "God's Investors" (Matthew 25:14-30)
November 6, 2005 - "Grieving with Hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
October 30, 2005 - "Seeing the Other Side" (Revelation 7:9-17)
October 16, 2005 - "Subjects of Caesar and of God" (Matthew 22:15-22)
October 9, 2005 - "The Waters of Death and Life" (Matthew 3:13-17)
September 11, 2005 - "The Obligations of Grace" (Matthew 18:21-35)
September 4, 2005 - "Did God Send the Hurricane?" (I Kings 19:1-13)
August 28, 2005 - "When Disciples Sound Like Satan" (Matthew 16:21-28)
July 24, 2005 - "Don't Despise the Small" (Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52)
July 10, 2005 - "Be Not Afraid" (Matthew 14:22-33)
June 5, 2005 - "A Church Full of Sinners" (Matthew 9:9-13)
May 29, 2005 - "Born Again" (John 3:1-17)
May 22, 2005 - "Housewives and Other Desperate Folk" (Matthew 23:25-28)
May 1, 2005 - "The Way Home" (John 14:1-14)
April 10, 2005 - "Precious in the Sight of the Lord" (Psalm 116:15)
March 20, 2005 - "Were You There?" (Matthew 27:11-26)
March 13, 2005 - "Resurrection's Downside" (John 11)
February 20, 2005 - "When Christians Disagree" (Romans 14:1-10)
January 23, 2005, - "The Foolishness of God" (I Corinthians 1:18-31)
January 16, 2005 - "The Savior of the World?" (Isaiah 49:1-7)
January 2, 2005 - "Dealing with Time" (Psalm 90:1-6, 12)

2004

Christmas Eve, 2004 - "Christmas Wars"
December 19, 2004 - "Scandal in Nazareth" (Matthew 1:18-25)
December 12, 2004 - "Disappointed with Jesus" (Matthew11:2-11)
December 5, 2004 - "Getting Ready"(Matthew 3:1-12 )
November 14, 2004 - "Endings on the Way to The End" (Luke 21:5-19)
November 7, 2004 - "Recognizing the Owner" (Haggai 2:1-9)
October 31, 2004 - "The Vote of the Dead" (Luke 20:27-38)
October 24, 2004 - "What Is a Christian?" (Acts 11:25-26)
October 17, 2004 - "Confidence without Instant Results" (Luke 18:1-8)
October 10, 2004 - "Making a Home in Babylon" (Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7) - gay "marriage" is discussed
October 3, 2004 - "Spiritual Smokescreen" (Luke 17:5-10)
September 26, 2004 - "Tears and Hope" (Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15)
September 19, 2004 - "The Parable of the Sleazy Businessman" (Luke 16:1-13)
September 12, 2004 - "Lost and Found" (Luke 15:1-10)
September 5, 2004 - "God the Recruiter" (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
August 29, 2004 - "Jesus on Manners" (Luke 14:1, 7-14)
August 15, 2004 - "The Peace of God, It Is No Peace" (Luke 12:49-56)
August 8, 2004 - "Certain of the Things We Cannot See" (Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16)
July 25, 2004 - "Pray Like This" (Luke 11:1-13)
July 18, 2004 - "Jesus Caught Between Two Sisters" (Luke 10:38-42)
July 11, 2004 - "Looking for Loopholes" (Luke 10:25-37)
June 13, 2004 - "Thinking About Your Funeral" (Deuteronomy 34:1-8)
June 6, 2004 - "A Lot to Learn" (John 16:12-15)
May 30, 2004 - "You Are Not in It Alone" (Acts 2:1-21)
May 23, 2004 - "Are You Saved?" (Acts 16:16-34)
May 16, 2004 - "The Continuum of Evil" (Genesis 3:1-13)
May 9, 2004 - "A God Built Church" (Acts 11: 1-18)
May 2, 2004 - "Meeting the Risen Christ After Easter" (John 21:1-19)
April 25, 2004 - "Fear Factor" (Matthew 28:1-10)
Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004 - "On the Way to the Cemetery" (Mark 16:1-8) The last part of the sermon did not make it onto the recording. What's there is worth listening to.
March 28, 2004 - "At the Cross: The Soldiers" (Luke 23:44-48)
March 21, 2004 - "At the Cross: Comrades in Death" (Luke 23:32-43)
March 7, 2004 - "At the Cross: The Religious Folk" (Matthew 26:57-67) A portion of the sermon deals with gay marriage. The last portion of the sermon did not make it onto the recording.
February 29, 2004 - "At the Cross: The Politician" (John 18:28 - 19:6) The last portion of the sermon did not make it onto the recording, but listen anyway. It's a great sermon, even if I do say so myself! --David
February 22, 2004 - "Playing the Cards You're Dealt"(Genesis 45:1-10, 15)
February 15, 2004 - "The Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong!" (Luke 6:17-26)
February 8, 2004 - "No Stereotypes Here" (Luke 5:1-11)
February 1, 2004 - "Leaving Church Mad" (Luke 4:21-30)
January 25, 2004 - "An Unexpected Happening in Church" (Luke 4:14-21)

2003

December 21, 2003 - "When Obstetrics Becomes Theology" (Luke 1:39-55)
December 14, 2003 - "You Snakes!" (Luke 3:7-18)
December 7, 2003 - "What Do You Want for Christmas? Anything?" (Luke 3:1-6)
November 9, 2003 - "Recognizing the Owner" (Mark 12:38-44)
November 2, 2003 - "Essential Religion" (Mark 12:28-34)
October 26, 2003 - "Can You Trust a Happy Ending?" (Job 42:1-6, 10-17)
October 19, 2003 - "You Gotta Have Faith!" - (Hebrews 11:1-16)
October 5, 2003 - "Optimistic? Why?" (Hebrews 2:5-12)
September 28, 2003 - "Don't Go to Hell!" (Mark 9:38-50)
September 14, 2003 - "Understanding Evil" (Romans 12:9-21)
September 7, 2003 - "The Bush Still Burns" (Exodus 3:1-17a)
August 10, 2003 - "The Winner Who Lost" (II Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33)
Pentecost, 1998 - "The Holy Spirit: Have You Inhaled?" - (Acts 2)