Sermons on growing in faith (Page 16)
Make Christianity Great Again
Linda’s message is rooted in Mark 9.30-37. Jesus asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. What does greatness look like for followers of Jesus?
Bread from Heaven
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes into me will never be thirsty” (John 6.35). Linda’s message invites reflection on the ways John 6.35, 41-51 is rooted in Exodus 16 and challenges us to wonder about the ways God might be sending us bread from heaven today.
Dinner is Ready
Linda & Cesca’s message is grounded in John 3:24-35 and Jesus’ saying, “I am the bread of life.” What does it mean to “believe into” Jesus as we receive the bread of life? How might we allow communion to break through our isolation and invite us into the “real presence” of Christ?
Philemon
While Paul’s letter to Philemon is often overlooked, this short book has been laid in the foundation of our Christian tradition. Matt’s message reflects on the impact of this short letter as an invitation to see through the eyes of God.
Habakkuk
Matt’s message invites reflection on the often overlooked book from the Hebrew bible called Habakkuk. Habakkuk 2.4 says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Wendell Berry’s “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” echoes these ancient words: “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” How might we be called to “be joyful though we’ve considered all the facts today?
Do not be afraid, only believe.
Linda’s message is rooted in Mark 5.21-43. When Jairus finds his daughter at the point of death, he brings Jesus to her. Jesus responds, “Do not fear, only believe.” Many among us feel an epidemic of fear spreading in our nation & around the world. How might the this story of Jesus inspire and challenge us to let go of our fear and believe that the long arc of the moral universe really does bend toward justice?
Rethink.
Linda’s message weaves reflections from four persons from our community of faith with Mark 3.20-35 and the revival of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. How might this encounter from the Gospel of Mark challenge & inspire us to rethink our understandings of family and the social structures in which we move? How might this witness lure us deeper into the messiness of love?
Trinity as Divine Dance…Work it!
Matt’s message for Trinity Sunday is rooted in John 3.1-17. What are our conscious and unconscious images of God? How might Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John 3 guide us toward more evocative and faithful images of God? Matt’s reflection weaves writings from Richard Rohr’s The Divine Dance with the work on intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw. Here is a link to Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED Talk in 2016. Here is a link to the band Matt encountered while visiting the National…
Easter Sunday
Pastor Linda’s Easter message holds the resurrection story from the Gospel of Mark in conversation with Resurrecting Easter by John Dominic & Sarah Crossan. What might ancient images of resurrection from Eastern churches have to teach us in the West about resurrection?
Holy Friday
Pastor Chris’s Holy Friday message is rooted in the story of Jesus’ crucifixion from John 18-19.
Recovery
Linda’s message is rooted in John 3.14-21.
Program
Chris’s message reflects on ten commandments (Exodus 20. 1-17) as God’s program for the people of God as they came out of enslavement in Egypt.