Sermons on reaching in love (Page 12)
Reaching in Love
Linda’s message is rooted in Mark 10.35-45 and invites reflection on reaching in love. What does greatness look like to Jesus? How might God call us from our “drum major instinct” to a life of servanthood?
Our Vintage Church’s Future: Tony Soprano, Pablo Escobar, & Jesus
Our gathering was rooted in Mark 9.38-50. Matt’s message invites reflection on how followers of Jesus have drawn lines of exclusion, yet Jesus is always on the other side of our lines…Jesus is always with the outsiders. How might this shape our vintage church’s next five years? Daryl Black joined our phenomenal music team again this morning as we continued our celebration of #thetableturns5. This is the third week in a three-week series called Our Vintage Church.
The Table Turns 5
We celebrated The Table turning 5 in worship this morning. Our gathering was rooted in Mark 9.30-37. This is the second week in a three-week series called Our Vintage Church.
An Audacious Legacy of Love & Justice
Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto, Lead Pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, looks back on our vintage church by reflecting on the life of Lizzy Glide. Lizzy was a loose woman with audacious faith that led her to live for others. The holy ground of The Table at Central UMC and Glide are Lizzy’s legacies of love and justice. Like Lizzy, John Wesley modeled an audacious & generous way of living. Karen dares us, double dares us, to use…
Climate Change
With sanctuary restoration still underway, we gathered on the front lawn for worship once again at 9:30 & 11:00 am. Matt’s message is rooted in the first story of creation from Genesis 1. How might the first story of creation shape our responses to climate change? What might dominion look like in our day?
Consumption
With sanctuary restoration underway, we gathered on the front lawn for worship at 9:30 & 11:00 am. Matt’s message is rooted in James 1.17-27. How does our faith call us to relate to consumption and materialism? What might the tradition of Christian asceticism teach us about opening up, treading lightly, living simply, & simply living? The podcast includes a clip from worship of our music team leading Michael Franti’s Earth from Outer Space.
Communion
Linda’s message is rooted in John 6.56-69. How does our faith call us to relate to food? What might communion teach us about our everyday meals? The podcast includes a clip from worship from The Brilliance’s Brother and Michael Franti’s Earth from Outer Space.
Caring for Creation
Matt’s message is rooted in Psalm 139 and Romans 8.19-23. How are we called to care for creation as followers of Jesus? What might our faith tradition have to teach us about honoring the earth? This is the first week in a four-week worship. The segment from the closing song for the podcast was recorded as our prayer of confession in worship. The song is called Hymn of Remorse by Brian McLaren and Tracy Howe. Here is a link to…
Salvation
Matt’s message invites reflection on Salvation and is rooted in James 2.14-26. What are you saved for? How might you notice the salvation that IS at hand in the world? This is the fifth week of our five-week worship series called On Ramp. The music featured in this podcast includes live versions from worship of Make a Difference by Rachel Kurtz and Benediction by Josh Garrels.
Prayer for Charleston
We gathered with people of faith around the world in prayer & lament for the people of Charleston, South Carolina. Our prayer included sections of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Eulogy For The Young Victims Of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing and Peace Stronger Than the Storm by Steve Garnaas-Holmes (Unfolding Light, June 20, 2015) read by Keith Dabney and Pastor Matt Smith.
Birth Stories
Our worship series, This Christian Life, is based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories this morning are rooted in Acts 2 and invite reflection on church birth stories.
Waiting Sucks OR Forcing It
Our worship series, This Christian Life, is based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories this morning are rooted in Acts 1 and invite reflection on the tension between waiting and forcing.