Text: Luke 4:18-19, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4, 38-39 One of the things that we have re-discovered and remembered this year is that church is not a building. We have a building, sure. But the church is the people. You and me. The body of Christ. In the same way, the presence of God is not confined…
Kenotic Words
worship, sermons, lectionary
You Will Be My Witnesses
Text: Luke 24:44-50, Acts 1: 9-11 Forty days after Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death, he led the disciples out to the countryside to the little town of Bethany. And he reminded them of everything he had done. Jesus reminded them of how he healed and forgave. He reminded them of his words…
Shoulder to Shoulder
Text: John 15:9-15 Exactly one month before the pandemic began, I got away for a few days with some of my best friends in the world. Stasia and I have been friends since Kindergarten. Cara and I were assigned to the same table group in fourth grade. Jana moved into town in seventh grade. And…
Like a Shepherd
Text: John 10: 11-18; 1 John 3:16-24 Last week in our time of worship we remembered that WE are EASTER people. We are the living proof of the resurrection. We are the body of Christ, alive, serving, sharing the good news with the world. That’s all well and good… But what does it actually look…
Living Proof
Text: Luke 24:36b-48 Did the resurrection actually happen? I know what you are thinking… that’s an awfully strange question for a pastor to be asking. But I wasn’t there. You weren’t there. It happened a really long time ago. If someone asked me that question today, if I had proof that Jesus is alive, what…
Again & Again, the Sun Rises
Text: Mark 16: 1-8 Three women made their way to a lonely tomb just after sunrise… Have you ever thought about a sunrise? Scientifically speaking, it happens every single day, at every single moment, somewhere across this globe. Our planet travels each year in an orbit that is 584 million miles in circumference, but every…
Again & Again, We Draw on Courage
Text: John 12:1-19 Over these past few years, our church has become a sacred space for a group of folks who once called Myanmar home. Their families came here to the United States seeking opportunity and possibility and escape from violence they found welcome not only in our city, but here in this building. This…
Again & Again, God Loves First
Text: John 3:14-21 One of my favorite books is “Hope for the Flowers.” It tells the story of a little caterpillar named Stripe who is looking for something… he just isn’t sure what it is. He just knows, deep within, that there is something more out there. One day, he comes across this mound… this…