The Welfare of This City Jeremiah brings an unexpected word to those in the Babylonian exile – seek the welfare of the foreign city in which you find yourself. The ancient words of the prophet resonate for us today: God is ever at work for the welfare of all people, and the people of God are called to be avenues of…
No Boundaries, No Borders In Christ, God is at work reconciling the world to God – and the foundation of that work is the love of Christ removing the boundaries and barriers that we have erected. The hope of the world lies in seeking the commonwealth of all people. We’ll be sharing Communion on this World Communion Sunday. Please have…
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…
Who Can Be Trusted? One of Jesus’ strangest parables – The Dishonest Manager – might raise more questions than it answers. In a world that praises shrewd (and even conniving) business, what does it mean to live in God’s Kingdom? In whom and in what do we place our faith? Read Luke 16:1-13 in preparation for Sunday’s sermon Who Can…
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…
Can We (Really) Talk? Having Authentic Conversations Connecting on the surface is easy: “How are you? Did you see the game? Man, it’s been hot, hasn’t it?” But, because Christ invites us to be an authentic community, we have to be willing to engage in real talk and conflict resolution. But, we can trust the work of God’s Spirit 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…
What a Difference Authentic Faith Makes Rev. Danna Drum will be kicking off the sermon series “Authentic” for August with What a Difference Authentic Faith Makes based on Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16. Danna and Rev. Steve Sprecher will offer Holy Communion as well. Read Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, What a Difference Authentic Faith Makes. Join us…
What’s the Plan? Luke 12:13-21 is a slightly less well-known story, and a parable about the futility of planning for our own future. Does Jesus really want us to never think about the future, or to save some of our resources for tomorrow? Read Luke 12:13-21 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, “What’s the Plan?” Join us at 9:30 on…
How Should We Pray? Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, and we’ve been praying those familiar words in the 20 centuries since. But there’s more in this passage, and some interesting questions about the nature and purpose of prayer. Read Luke 11:1-13 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, “How Should We Pray?” Join us at 9:30 on Sunday…
