Charles Hoffacker
The Rev. Charles Hoffacker lives in Greenbelt, Maryland, with his wife, Helena Mirtova. He is the author of A Matter of Life and Death: Preaching at Funerals from Cowley Publications. Many of his sermons appear on sermonwriter.com.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Trust, Not Fear, Proper 28 (A) – 2014
Today we should remember something that all of us sometimes forget – that what God requires of us is not success, but faithfulness. The gospel we just heard is known […]
Can You Keep A Secret?, Proper 16 (A) – 2014
Ask a group of people to keep a secret, and you’re looking for trouble. More than likely, somebody will let it out. Especially if the secret is astonishing. Simon Peter […]
The Big Surprise, Lent 3 (A) – 2014
The story we just heard about Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at the well outside Sychar is a story full of surprises. The first surprise is that the conversation […]
The Name of Jesus On Our Lips, Holy Name Day – 2014
If we start with Christmas Day, December 25, and count eight days, we come to today, January 1. It is on the eighth day of Christmas that the church celebrates […]
Repeatedly Lost, Repeatedly Found, Proper 19 (C) – 2013
Jesus puts before his audience two stories of lost and found. In each case, the one who loses goes to extraordinary efforts to find what is lost. Having recovered it, […]
A Home to Long for, Easter 6 (C) – 2013
Today we come to what is, for practical purposes, the conclusion of the biblical story, the climax, the consummation, the finale. We hear from the last chapter of the last […]
Jesus’ Mission Statement, Epiphany 3 (C) – 2013
Today’s gospel presents us with Jesus’ first act of public ministry, described for us in Luke’s gospel. Following his river baptism and his long wilderness fast and temptation, Jesus returns […]
Goliath Moments, Proper 9 (B) – 2012
“David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. … David occupied the stronghold, and named it the City of David. David built […]
A Run Through the Thorns, Proper 22 (B) – 2012
This morning, may we dare to run through the field of thorns and find the great treasure that awaits us there. In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy […]
The Greatest Show on Earth, The Great Vigil of Easter (B) – 2012
Welcome to the circus! Yes, that’s what I said: welcome to the circus. Tonight this place of worship becomes the big top, the circus, the greatest show on earth. For […]
We Are Welcome to Rest, Ash Wednesday – 2012
RCL: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 103 or 103:8-14; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Ask people how they’re doing, and often the answer begins with a single […]
The Royal Doors Open, Advent 3 (B) – 2011
Imagine the scene. You are downtown in one of the world’s great cities. You’re standing at the main entrance of a huge, opulent hotel, whose solid stone walls soar upward […]
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