October 17, 2021
For millennia we humans have been awed by the beauty of the earth, inspired to give thanks to God and deepen our connection with God and all creation. Sadly, far too often we have also seen the earth as a resource to exploited, which has lead to our current climate crisis. But maybe our experiences of wonder at the world could spur us to find common ground and love our neighbors, as we hear Christ's call to live not as tyrants and rulers, but as servants of all...
October 10, 2021
When a rich man asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus tells him to sell all he owns and give the money to the poor. Today, whether we're the richest person on earth or not, we still struggle with this idea that we can buy happiness or earn eternal life. But when we accept Jesus's free gift of life, things are never the same, and we start to learn to give as freely as Jesus gave...
October 3, 2021
The Bible is a holy and powerful book, but we can also do great harm with the Bible when we read it without care and compassion. Today we read one such dangerous passage about marriage and divorce. But when we look closely, we start to see that Jesus is not laying out rules and laws, but instead giving us a vision of what a holy relationship looks like. On World Communion Sunday, this vision might even show us how to live together as a global family, united in God's love...
September 26, 2021
The disciples argue about who is the greatest, and Jesus responds, "Whoever wants to be first must be the last." It's a hard concept for any of us to understand, and often we need teachers along the way who show us more practically what Jesus means. To learn from these teachers, Jesus says we need to start welcoming children and others who won't help us get ahead or gain status. In them we find the presence of God, transforming us so that all can know the depths of Jesus's love.
September 24, 2021
Our Lay Leader Cheryl Charles preaches a timely and powerful message about Jesus's call to compassion.
September 12, 2021
On Homecoming Sunday, we explore Jesus's identity as our Messiah. He comes to save us, yes, but how, exactly, he saves is another question. Like the apostle Peter, we often find ourselves trying to fit Jesus into a box of our own making. But when we take Jesus on his own terms, we find a savior who desires more for us than we can even imagine.
September 5, 2021
Labor Day is a great time to remember our heritage of Christians who fought for better wages and safety in the work place. Like some of these union activists, our reading from James invites us to ponder which side we are truly on, and how Christ is inviting us to put our faith into action.
August 29, 2021
It's one of the most common refrains in churches: "That's how we've always done it!" In our reading from Mark's Gospel, Jesus invites us to find a balance between honoring the wisdom of tradition and being a part of a totally new thing. As it turns out, any practice - new or old - will prove its worth by how it leads us to share the love of Christ.
August 22, 2021
It’s the end of our “Bread of Life” worship series, but this conclusion doesn’t seem very satisfying. Instead of a rich, soft loaf, it feels like we’re chewing on a dry, tough scrap of bread. Jesus’s calling for our lives can indeed be challenging and even offensive. But when we start to truly hear Jesus’s invitation, we see how deep our need is for the nourishment that only comes from the Bread of Life…
Scripture: John 6:56-69
August 15, 2021
Everyone's on board with this whole "Bread of Life" metaphor until Jesus starts telling them to eat his flesh and blood. It seems pretty strange, but then again, Jesus's offer of free grace and unearned love are also pretty odd. When we start to see that Jesus has already set the table for us throughout his entire life, then we start to see how radical the welcome he offers really is...
Scripture: John 6:51-58
