Sermons on John
Being Comfortable In Our Own Skin
John’s gospel begins by telling us that “the Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14) Reflecting on the gospel of John, preaching professor Karoline Lewis writes: “This is a full sensory Gospel. Sometimes it’s tasting (John 6), sometimes it’s smelling (John 11), sometimes it’s hearing (John 10), sometimes it’s touching (John 13:23), and sometimes it is seeing. This is what it means to be human and to experience relationships as human beings. A full, intimate, meaningful relationship will…
Rooted In Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness
While Jesus is teaching in the Temple, some scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus to put both him and a woman caught in adultery on trial. Their questioning intensifies as they cite Mosaic Law and put the woman’s fate in Jesus’ hands. Instead of focusing on punishment, Jesus flips the script and invites each person to consider their own sin; Jesus defuses the spectacle by condemning no one. Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804
So Good, It Catches Us By Surprise
John’s Gospel doesn’t begin with a temptation story but instead opens Jesus’ ministry with a wedding miracle, a miracle Jesus enacted seemingly for the sole purpose of expanding joy by keeping the good vibes flowing (literally). It may feel a bit lavish to start the season of Lent with a wedding banquet, but the good news begins with joy. This week we focus on the subversive and playful nature of the good news. The kin-dom of heaven is so good…
WHO IS THIS? JOHN INTRODUCES JESUS
Our scripture reading for this week features John – known as the baptist – introducing Jesus. John suggests two aspects of who Jesus is: “Lamb of God” and “Chosen One.” Later, Simon-Peter and Andrew call Jesus “Rabbi” (“teacher”). Jillian Nelson writes: “What is particularly poignant to me about this passage is that these markers of Jesus’ identity are not used to elevate him above everyone else, making him unapproachable. Instead, Jesus invites his new disciples into participation with him. He…
Roots and Home
This week, in order to find God in our midst, we look into our family and the families we create together. Diana Butler Bass notices that sometimes we find wisdom in the oddest places, “for example, in a real-estate blog. Blogger David Marine writes:” ‘The English word “home” is from the Old English word hâm (not the pig), which actually refers to a village or estate where many “souls” are gathered. It implies there’s a physical dwelling involved, but the…
Dirt and Water
In the book of Genesis, dirt (or ground) and water are created in the first narrative of the creation story and “given” to humankind to have “dominion” over all creatures living in both earth and seas. This narrative reinforces the hierarchical and anthropomorphic understanding of God–”God the Father, Humankind the children, Creation the subject”. Diana Butler Bass invites us to change our understanding of God, quoting the 20th Century German theologian, Paul Tillich, and the teachings of 4th century BCE…
Sky and Air
This week, in order to find God in our midst, we look into the vastness of the sky and heavens and take a deep breath to fill our lungs with life giving air. Diana Butler Bass believes that our experience of God is paradoxical, at times. That is to say, our encounter with God is often one of the most mysterious and intensely personal experiences in our life, all at the same moment. As Bass says: Unlike the ground and…
Genesis
This week we begin at the beginning in both the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis) and the New Covenant (The Gospel of John). Diana Butler Bass contends that our understanding of God and Jesus in the role of Creator (i.e., Genesis as the original act of creation and as a dynamic creative process that extends throughout history) is drifting away from the dominant theology of top-down, vertical institutions that describe God as the “majestic, transcendent, all-powerful, heavenly Father, Lord, and King” to…
Trinity Sunday: The Divine is DEI
This is the second in a four-week worship series on the centrality of DEI in our Christ tradition. We welcome guest Dr. Lisa Asedillo for today’s Message. Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804
God’s Love in Us
This Sunday we conclude our 3 week series at the Table called Agape focusing on Divine Love and we welcome guest Bishop Sally Dyck to share today’s Message. Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804
Love God
This Sunday we continue our new 3 week series at the Table called Agape focusing on Divine Love and we welcome guest Kathy La Point Collup to share today’s Message. Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804
Love One Another
Today we begin a new 3 week series at the Table called Agape focusing on Divine Love and we welcome guest Motoe Yamada-Foor to share today’s Message. Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804
