Sermons from 2018 (Page 3)
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Sermons from 2018 (Page 3)

Sit Down

Matt’s message holds the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 (John 6.1-21) in conversation with Mama Cat and the Pot Bangerz in St. Louis. Jesus and Mama Cat see the needs of those in their midst and call them to sit down in preparation for breaking bread.

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?

Micah

Linda’s message on Micah encourages our community of faith to make this short passage, within this short book, part of our library as we return to the basics of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.

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?

Peace! Be Still!

Matt’s message is rooted in Mark 4.35-41. How might this story of Jesus journeying “just as he is” to the other side as a storm rages call us to engage the storms of our world today? Into the chaos and fear…Jesus calls out: “Peace! Be still!” How might our voices join with his today?

Repeat.

Linda’s message is rooted in two parables from Mark 4:26-34. Jesus uses parables about scattering seeds and mustard plants to challenge & inspire followers in his day and all of us today to notice the kin-dom of God growing all around us.

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?

Resist.

Matt’s message is rooted in Mark 2.23-3.6 and the revival of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. How might we be inspired and challenged by Jesus’s reclaiming of sabbath-keeping as resistance to the religious & political establishment’s desire for stability at the expense of those who are hungry & suffering?

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…

Complicated Relationships

Linda’s message is rooted in Acts 1:13-17, 21-26 & the 2017 Academy nominated film “Lady Bird.”  Relationships are complicated. Whether it is a group of disciples choosing to replace one among their ranks or Lady Bird and her mother, this scripture points to prayer as one of the ways to listen to God’s guidance. When you are in a complicated relationship what guides your choices?  Is there a way in which pausing for prayer this week might inform your next…
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