Who We Are: Rooted in Christ’s Love – October 13, 2024
In 2021, as we began to emerge from the chaos of pandemic life, we as a congregation and the elders at the time engaged in a process of thinking, planning, dreaming, and discerning. Out of that process came two statements: a statement of our mission, our answer to the question “why are we here?”, and a statement of call, our answer to “how do we do that?” Today, and for the next two weeks, we’ll be taking a deep dive into what this mission and call really says about us as a church. Because I recognize that on the surface, most of this doesn’t seem that new or exciting. But there is so much...
Read MorePlaying Together – World Communion Sunday, October 6, 2024
Today, we meet Jesus in the gospel according to Mark. We find him in the middle of his travelling ministry – in chapters 9 and 10, he’s been in Capernaum, travelling through Galilee, and now he’s in Judea and the region beyond the Jordan. A group of religious leaders just came up to test Jesus, asking him about particular points of the law, and he answers them. That’s where we pick up the story. Scripture: Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might lay hands on them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and...
Read MoreSeeds & Shelter – 30th Anniversary Sermon, 9/22/24
Our Scripture reading this morning comes from the gospel according to Matthew. It’s a short one, just two verses, so let’s zoom out and get a little context. This whole chapter is full of parables, with Jesus repeating over and over and over again ‘the kingdom of heaven is like…’ It’s like a little bit of yeast, mixed in with a whole bunch of flour – and suddenly the whole thing is leavened. It’s like a treasure hidden in a field – when someone finds it, they go and sell everything to buy that field in order to have the treasure hidden within it. In the midst of all that, Jesus says...
Read MoreInside Thoughts – 9/15/24 Sermon
We find ourselves once again in the book of James this morning. If you were with us last week, you might remember that James is zeroed in on the internal workings of the Christian community – reminding the people who are already seeking to follow Jesus of what we are called to be and do in the world. Scripture: James 3:1-12 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in...
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