“How to Get From Point A to Point B” The Rev. Aaron M. G. Zimmerman (07/13/2025, The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

Rev. Aaron Zimmerman opens with a humorous personal anecdote about attempting a major plumbing repair using YouTube tutorials, requiring six trips to Lowe's before vowing never to do it again. He expands this to universal experiences where things start seeming easy but prove difficult: marriage, parenting, career promotions, and Christianity. For marriage, he references Mandy Patinkin and his wife Catherine's 45-year marriage with two separations they call 'the troubles,' marked by a ring with bumps. He notes a mentor's saying that 'every marriage dies two and a half times.' Zimmerman critiques cultural expectations shaped by movie montages and social media preachers who make spirituality seem easily achievable. He turns to scripture, noting Deuteronomy 30 where Moses tells Israelites God's commandments aren't hard or distant, yet the Bible continues because people fail to obey. Zimmerman observes this mirrors modern struggles like trying to sleep eight hours or avoid social media despite knowing better. He questions how transformation happens if willpower fails, referencing a Buddhist psychotherapist who said decades of practice didn't stop his reactive emotions. Zimmerman analyzes Luke 10's Good Samaritan parable, noting Jesus tells it to a lawyer seeking self-justification, showing appeals to effort drive people deeper into self-centeredness. He highlights the Samaritan was 'moved with compassion'—an internal shift not from duty. Zimmerman cites Billy Preston's song 'Nothing from nothing leaves nothing' to argue love must come from somewhere external. He shares a story of a British singer discovering his mother had always loved him despite abandonment, illustrating how unexpected love transforms identity. Zimmerman connects this to Colossians 1:6 where St. Paul says fruitful Christian life comes from comprehending God's grace, not demands. He admits breaking a 'pastoral rule' by not just urging listeners to be Good Samaritans, instead declaring Jesus is the true Good Samaritan who comes to people in failure. Zimmerman links this to the Eucharist, where bread and wine symbolize God's nearness and sacrifice. He closes praying for recognition of God's love as the foundation for change.

As heard by us

A plainspoken sermon about obedience, resistance, and the God who stays close.

A plumbing repair gives the sermon its opening, then the priest uses a few wry jokes and Deuteronomy 30 to press on the gap between knowing what is good and actually doing it.

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Why you'd press play

You want a sermon that starts with plumbing and lands on grace.

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