4.6.25 Message (5th Sunday of Lent)

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Our Lenten theme, “Everything In Between” invites us to embrace life’s in-between spaces with faith and openness. Each week, we’ll explore pairs like “faith & works” or “grief & hope” — ideas we often see as opposites but are actually connected. Scripture shows us that life isn’t just black and white; it’s full of nuance and complexity, where God meets us in the middle.

This Lent, we invite you to step beyond easy answers. Let’s explore where God is present—not just in the extremes, but in all the colors in between.

3.30.25 Message (4th Sunday of Lent)

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Our Lenten theme, “Everything In Between” invites us to embrace life’s in-between spaces with faith and openness. Each week, we’ll explore pairs like “faith & works” or “grief & hope” — ideas we often see as opposites but are actually connected. Scripture shows us that life isn’t just black and white; it’s full of nuance and complexity, where God meets us in the middle.

This Lent, we invite you to step beyond easy answers. Let’s explore where God is present—not just in the extremes, but in all the colors in between.

3.16.25 Message: Everything in Between (2nd Sunday in Lent)

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Our Lenten theme, “Everything In Between” invites us to embrace life’s in-between spaces with faith and openness. Each week, we’ll explore pairs like “faith & works” or “grief & hope” — ideas we often see as opposites but are actually connected. Scripture shows us that life isn’t just black and white; it’s full of nuance and complexity, where God meets us in the middle.

This Lent, we invite you to step beyond easy answers. Let’s explore where God is present—not just in the extremes, but in all the colors in between.

3.9.25 Message: Everything in Between – Stranger & Neighbor

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The parable of the Good Samaritan begins and ends with the question, “Who is my neighbor?” and the answer is surprisingly, “the stranger.” The Samaritan, whose place of worship and customs are different from the lawyer who questions Jesus, is both a stranger and a neighbor to the man who was beaten and left in a ditch. In our world, many of our physical neighbors are strangers to us, and many of our neighbors—those closest to us—feel like strangers in divisive political climates. If we align our intentions and actions, then maybe we need to reconsider who we label as “stranger,” and ask ourselves if we have acted as good neighbors.

1.12.25 Message: More Than Just Baptism

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11.24.24 Message: Christ the King

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11.3.24 Message: Imagine Together – Vitality

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Imagine Together: Vitality (John 3:1-10) 

Vitality expresses a quality of life that is full, animated, and enduring, with the capacity for continual growth and development. The capacity for growth and renewal is essential to healthy and thriving relationships, vocations, and churches. Over time, and as we age — ourselves and the institutions we may serve — a kind of spiritual calcification can set in.

We can get stuck and stagnant, not only resisting that which is new, but perhaps even fearing it. We likely know we are not living as vitally as we might, but even if we deeply crave a renewed life, the prospect of change — even change for the better — can seem a risky enterprise.

In what ways do you see our church engaging in the work of Vitality? In what ways could we do better?

10.27.24 Message: Memory Issues

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10.20.24 Message – Imagine Together: A Sense of Wonder

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Imagine Together: A Sense of Wonder (Matthew 6:26-30)

What do you see when you look at the world around you? Do you experience awe and gratitude or take things for granted?

A sense of wonder, a rich blend of surprise, curiosity, contemplation, and joy are essential components of our faith, and help us connect with God and God’s creation. They can be big, extraordinary events, or more everyday moments. Either way, our attitude of awe and wonder affects our faith and our ideas about generosity.

Jesus reminds us to let go of our worries, which is often what detracts from our ability for awe and engage God’s creation and be open to wonderment. What have you been in awe of today?

 

10.13.24 Message – Imagine Together: Enough at Every Table

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Imagine Together: Enough at Every Table (Isaiah 55)

How do we decide what has value and what doesn’t? How do we find our way through difficult times with our hope intact?

From ancient times to today folks have worked their way through hard times and learned what is most meaningful in their lives. Sometimes, those thoughts are deeply connected, and other times, not so much. Questions about meaning and value can make us feel uncertain, and lead to questions about our faith. There’s nothing wrong with those questions, because eventually they will help strengthen our faith.

Isaiah’s encouraging words in chapter 55 remind us that God’s presence is strong in our lives, whatever our circumstances. The poetry of this chapter invites us to remember that streams can flow in deserts, swords can be made over into plowshares, and ordinary people can envision and build something better, together.