Month: April 2022
Mapping Your Neighborhood w/ Linda Sitterley, Ceeja Malmkar, Bibi Sanchez, & Juanka Barrero
Sermon for June 26, 2022 – Proper 8
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 · 1 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 · Galatians 5:1, 13-25 · Luke 9:51-62 The theme for this week is taking the next right step. Our call to worship, Psalm 77, presents the psalmist in trouble, and he responds by remembering another time when Israel was pinned between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, and God’s solution to their troubles was different than expected. 2 Kings 2 recounts the story of Elijah being taken up to heaven, including the uncertainties that Elisha faced in continuing ministry without his mentor. In Galatians 5, we are reminded that the freedom to love is always the best choice, resulting in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And in our sermon text, Luke 9 shows Jesus’s singular focus in heading toward... Read the article
Sermon for June 19, 2022 – Proper 7
Psalm 42, 43 • 1 Kings 19:1-4, 8-15a • Galatians 3:23-29 • Luke 8:26-39 The theme of this week is God the deliverer. In Psalm 22, the psalmist tells us of the Lord who sees and cares for the afflicted and saves them from their afflictions. In 1 Kings 19, we encounter Elijah, wracked by guilt and despair after fearing for his life, yet God speaks to him in the still voice, girding him for the work ahead. Paul reassures us in Galatians that we have been freed from the law and delivered to become heirs in Christ of God's promises. Finally in Luke 8, our sermon passage for today, Jesus delivers a man from subjection by evil spirits, freeing him to declare the Good News and showing us that no situation is beyond Jesus' saving power. ... Read the article
Sermon for June 12, 2022 — Trinity Sunday
Psalm 8:1-9 · Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 · Romans 5:1-5 · John 16:12-15 The theme for this week is the delight, comfort, and counsel of God. On this Trinity Sunday, our call to worship in Psalm 8 speaks about God’s delight in creation, especially the creation of human beings who are “made a little lower than God.” In Proverbs 8, Wisdom is personified as a woman, and she speaks of her delight in the created world and the human race. Our justification by faith, the way suffering will ultimately produce hope, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit is addressed in Romans 5. Our sermon text for Trinity Sunday is John 16:12-15, where Jesus is comforting the disciples (and us) by explaining that even though he will be leaving them, they... Read the article
Sermon for June 5, 2022 — Pentecost
Psalm 104:24-35b • Acts 2:1-21 • Romans 8:14-17 • John 14:8-17, 25-27 This week is Pentecost; as we celebrate the Father sending the Spirit after Jesus’ Ascension, our theme is the Spirit who sustains. The call to worship Psalm declares that when God sends his Spirit, life is created and renewed – sustaining the creative work of Jesus at the foundation of creation. Romans 8 tells us that the Spirit prevents us from falling back into slavery to fear – instead, he sustains our sonship bought for us by Jesus. Acts 2 recounts the coming of the Spirit, who immediately continues the ministry of Jesus in turning the disciples into "fishers of men." In John, we see Jesus telling the disciples that the Spirit is going to come and... Read the article
Intimidating Encounters
It can be intimidating working with young people. Here are some tips to keep you focused on them. While I was in college, my work-study job was at the South Boston (the locals call it Southie) Boys and Girls Club, and it was my pleasure to work there for four years. My first day was a “baptism by fire.” I was placed in the gym with my co-worker Craig and about 50 eight and nine-year old kids. While I was trying to find my way among the chaos, a kid walked up and stood right in front of me. He was just shy of four feet tall, skinny as a rail, with a Boston Bruins baseball hat pulled down so far he had to crane his neck back to look at me. He said, “Who are you?” I said, “I’m Dishon. Who are you?” “I’m Michael. You... Read the article
Spiritual Practices for Easter Season
As we observe the fifty days of this Easter season, let’s recommit our allegiance and devotion to God. By Jillian Morrison, Associate Pastor, Glendora, California “Let go of everything that doesn’t serve you and embrace my joy.” This is what God inspired me to practice every day during the Easter Preparation season (Lent). Regardless of how you may have observed the season, consider what God might be leading you to let go of and embrace in this new season of the Christian Worship Calendar. We are now in the Easter season, the fifty days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost, a time in the worship calendar that gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we just celebrated: The resurrection of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the... Read the article
Christ Centered Engagement
There is a big difference between following the mission of the church and becoming a parachurch ministry or organization. By Bill Hall, National Director, Canada It was an interesting conversation that day in Toronto. I was there as the Saskatchewan representative of Food Banks Canada’s national advisory council. I had been involved for a few years in running a food bank in my community and was also Executive Director of Food Banks of Saskatchewan. During a break between meetings, I asked a friend why he was so passionate about helping the hungry. He responded that he wasn’t a person of faith; rather, he considered himself a humanist and believed in supporting the dignity of all people. As such he had a heart for those living in... Read the article
Listening to the Spirit
The Love Avenue includes listening to the voices of your church neighborhood. By Sam Butler, Pastor, Ravenna, MI Have you ever been in a conversation with another person, where they are talking but you are already working on your response? This is more common than we would like to think. We often listen from the perspective of our own agenda rather than listening to what the other person is actually saying. (Link to article on autobiographical listening) The art of listening can often be a lost skill. This has particular application when it comes to the mission of the church. Compelled by the love of Jesus Christ we desire to participate with him in what he is already doing in our communities. We want to be “out there” doing... Read the article
