Sermons on Love
Carpe Diem in the Name of Jesus!
There are multiple divergent voices in the Bible that describe what will happen at the second coming of Jesus (aka the end of time, aka the Day of Lord). The voices diverge on the how, but they agree on the when. Or at least agree that we have no idea when and it will probably be unexpected. This teaching reminds us that life is impermanent and finite. Not only will we all die one day (and we don’t know when)…
“Revealing Yourself as a Child of God”
Who are you as a lover of the world? How do you express that love most authentically? And how do you and the world conspire to obscure and shroud your expression of love. Pastor Tom invites us to see our lives as an episode of the hit TV show, “The Masked Singer” and think about how we can show our love for the world even from behind our masks. Our audience is all of creation. Paul says “All creation waits…
Unbinding Grief, Unbinding Life: Whom do You Love?
In this week’s story, Jesus risks his life by returning to Judea to heal Lazarus, despite the warnings from his disciples. We’ll talk about what motivates us to take risks like that and how we can cultivate that kind of love throughout our lives.
There’s Hope for Closeted Jesus Followers
At first, Nicodemus is a secretive disciple of Jesus, but, after Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus finds the courage to come out as a Jesus follower. Nicodemus’ story is good news for all of us in need of a second chance to respond to God’s calling to show up in love for others in need.
Dealing with People Who Don’t Play by Your Rules
How do we deal with people who don’t play by the rules we thought everyone had agreed upon? Rebekah is a woman with a message from God in a patriarchal society. She has to resort to deception to realize God’s message. Can we ever meet Rebekah’s example and learn how to nurture God’s blessings?
Thank You, Omu!
Faith without works is useless, says James – what does that mean? We finish our Summer Stories Sermon Series this week with our final lay preacher, Adam Allen. Adam shares some short remarks about faith and works and the hospitality exhorted by the author of James and practiced by Omu in our final children’s book for the summer, Thank You, Omu!
Love Your Neighbor
Wendy Smith preaches on Mark 12: 28-34 and our children’s book for the week, Maybe I Can Love My Neighbor, Too by Jennifer Grant.
We Are Beloved, Our Enemies Are, Too.
Daniel in the lion’s den is a beloved Bible story, but what does it teach us about loving our neighbors and enemies, too? Pastor Billy talks about lions and tigers, and being the beloved community to everyone we meet, including our enemies.