A Peculiar Sort of Joy The holidays are joyful – and we need more joy these days! But divine joy is not rooted in happiness, it is rooted in justice and wholeness. Divine joy is always communal rather than personal. Read Matthew 11:2-11 and ILuke 1:46-55 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, “A Peculiar Sort of Joy.” Join us at…
Love is Weird We talk about love ALL THE TIME. Especially as we head toward Christmas. And well we should. But the love we celebrate at Christmas is not always an easy or convenient love. It is a radical love that changes our lives when we receive it. Read Matthew 3:1-12 and Isaiah 11:1-10 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon,…
A Strange Hope Isaiah and Paul both remind us that, as people of faith, we live in hope. But the hope to which we are called is not like hoping to give or receive a great gift. It is a hope for a world that looks radically different than the world we live in. But that dream of a transformed…
How Shall We Live? The prophet Micah lays out succinctly and beautifully the life God’s people are called to lead – to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Our whole lives – not just our financial gifts – are an offering to God. Read Micah 6:1-8 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, “How Shall We…
Not for Ourselves The life of faith is not measured primarily by how much it helps us or comforts us, or even in how many people we attract to worship, but in how much we love others and make the world a more just and loving place. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus uses the words of the Prophet…
A Story of Redemption Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus from Sunday School? It’s a simple story of the ‘wee little man’ who meets Jesus, but (seemingly) simple stories are often surprisingly complex. The story Zacchaeus reminds us that we all stand in need of redemption, and that we are never far removed from God’s love. Read Luke 19:1-10…
Wrestling with Love The story of Jacob wrestling with the angel is well-known, but what does it mean? Does God wrestle with us? Will we, like Jacob, find ourselves changed by our struggles with God? Read Genesis 32:22-31 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, Wrestling with Love. Join us Sunday at 9:00 You can download the bulletins from the…
The Upside Down The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man Although this parable is set in the afterlife, it’s about the here and now. The Kingdom of God is an upside down kind of place where the wealthy and powerful find themselves at the bottom of the heap and the lowly are lifted up and blessed. Read Luke 16:19-31 in…
The Lost and Found Sheep get lost. Coins get lost. We get lost. Being lost in a store or in a new city can be unsettling enough. Being lost in our life – feeling unsure about how we got here, or where we should go – can be a crisis. But it’s also a normal part of the human experience,…
Can You Believe It? (The Faithfulness of Authentic Questions) Scripture is filled with stories that stretch our imagination and challenge our understanding. What do we make of miraculous stories? Do we just accept them? Is it dangerous to question them? What does it mean to be faithful when it comes to questions about the Bible? Read Mark 4: 35-41 in…
Honest to God (The Importance of Authentic Witness) What does it mean to be a witness for Christ? What does it mean to bear witness to the Gospel? Are we supposed to knock on neighbors’ doors and invite them to worship? Or is there a deeper way that our lives demonstrate that a new world – one rooted in love…
How to Build an Authentic Community There are all kinds of gatherings, organizations, and groups to which we belong. But what marks authentic Christian community? How do we build the kind of community that is transformative for those who are in it, and for the common good of all? Read Romans 12:3-21 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, “How to…
