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Showing posts from September, 2018

Sermon, "Building Community: Hindrances," Acts 11:1-18

Sermon 9/23/18 Acts 11:1-18 Building Community: Hindrances We have some family stories in our collective knowledge that we love to tell. If you spend a lot of time with us, we will tell you about how my big brother Jim used me as leverage to stand up when he was six and I was a newborn, making my mother quite anxious indeed. We will tell you - or at least my mom will tell you - about the note I got home from my sixth grade teacher saying that I was doing a much better job at not correcting him in class all the time, even though my mom never got the first note that was sent home - which I have no recollection of receiving… We will tell you lots of stories about Tim and Todd as toddlers, born 14 months apart and always getting into trouble together, like when Tim, who we’d nicknamed BamBam, tore the lining of the playpen infant Todd was in and pulled him out and dragged him underneath the buffet table that now sits in my dining room, causing my mom to wonder how her childre

A Sung Communion for World Communion Sunday: For the Beauty of the Earth

For the Beauty of the Earth: A Sung Communion Liturgy for World Communion Sunday Tune: DIX, 77.77.77 (“For the Beauty of the Earth,” UMH 92) Gather, friends, from far and near Gather, friends - you are welcome Come to the table, join the meal God invites us, every one. Sing together, voices raise to our God this song of praise. Lift your hearts up to the Lord! God, we lift our hearts to you. Give to God your thanks and praise. It is right to give our thanks. Sing together, voices raise to our God this song of praise. God, you made us out of love, Each one different, yet like you We’re one people, all the earth Many nations, many-hued Sing together, everyone! Tell the world what God has done! Though we are one, we’ve built up walls, Nurtured fears and pain and strife, In our anger, turned away From the gift of God-breathed life. Holy God, we turn to you. We repent and start anew. So you sent your holy child, Come to share your rei

Sermon, "Building Community: The Bold and the Faithful," Acts 4:23-31

Sermon 9/16/18 Acts 4:23-31 Building Community: The Bold and the Faithful You might be surprised to know that years ago I used to be a regular watcher of daytime soap operas. It was something of a family tradition. My grandmother watched them, and my mother watched them, and I watched them - the same ones that they had watched. We were a CBS family, so that meant The Young and the Restless , As the World Turns , Guiding Light , and of course, The Bold and the Beautiful . The Bold and the Beautiful centered around some families who were part of the glamorous fashion industry, and the plotlines suggested the being bold generally meant making sure that you could get your way, what you wanted, no matter the cost. I can still hear the theme song in my mind. I will admit I had that soap on my mind when I chose our sermon title for this week: The Bold and the Faithful. As we continue our sermon series on Building Community, we’re following the early church, the first followers o

Sermon, "Building Community: Things in Common," Acts 2:37-47

Sermon 9/9/18 Acts 2:37-47 Building Community: Things in Common Today, we’re beginning  new sermon series called, “Building Community.” We’ll be focusing on some readings from the Book of Acts. The book is actually “the Acts of the Apostles,” and it is a collection of stories about how Jesus’ first disciples, his apostles - his sent-ones - began to build what eventually becomes the church. How do they go from a small group following Jesus around and listening to him teach to a group that has a vision of sharing his message with the whole world, and building communities of people who are committed to living and serving in the same way? The Book of Acts traces what is truly an incredible story, and each week this month, we’ll think about some aspect of the early church community, and how the church became the church.   As we follow the birth of the church in Acts, we’ll be thinking about our own community of faith. What makes us who we are as a congregation? What are o