Sermon Quote from Sunday June 1, 2025

from “The Plight of the Jailer” by Rev. Tonya Barnette

The plight of the jailer (and all oppressors, especially the cogs in the wheel of larger systems) was that he was both oppressor/tool of the system AND oppressed by the same system. We should remember that those who oppress now are also part of the system and need to be freed from those chains. It may be dangerous to touch their hands gently and offer kindness before they are made ready by some event that opens their eyes. We can, though, hold them in our hearts as human beings - flawed, as we are and trapped in systemic oppression, as we all are.

God’s Home is With(in) Us

"It was through that kind of love-agape-that Jesus came into the human world. It was that kind of love that led Jesus all the way to death - I believe so that he could be truly steadfast in “staying with us” all the way through the human experience, even suffering and death. It was that kind of love that proves death is not the end-not for Jesus, not for love, not for us.

When we love in that selfless way, the Kin-dom of God shines through in the midst of us. Jesus showed us what God dwelling among us might look like - not shining glorious victory, not riches and jewels and streets of gold - but humble service, here on earth, bringing God’s presence near. God’s home is with us and within us; we reveal glimpses of that Kin-dom each time we practice agapaic love."

Feathers on the Breath of God

I believe that as individuals and as a church community we are called to recognize and resist the addiction to materialism from which our culture suffers. This should be making all of us feel a little uncomfortable. We’ve been taught to believe that we deserve comfort and freedom to choose the best, the latest, the biggest. We’ve been brainwashed to believe that we now need what used to be considered luxuries. Spoiler alert – we don’t need these things. We may want them, but we don’t need them. We need air to breathe, water to drink, clothing for our bodies and shelter to protect us. 

Ceil Sheahan

Sexuality-A Gift from God

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies”

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV).

“This scripture has been interpreted in ways that seek to shame us about our bodies and sexuality, but that is not the only -or even the best- interpretation. Yes, my body can be described as a temple of the Holy Spirit; I want to honor God with my body, to treat it as a temple. However, I believe that trying to suppress or hide my sexuality - trying to separate my body/sexuality from my spirit - is the REAL harm done to that temple. God desires wholeness for us: mind, body, and spirit in harmony. Cutting off sexual desires or feeling shame about them does not allow us to be whole - to be the beautiful, EMBODIED creations that God created us to be.”

Sermon Quote April 7, 2024

“Today, when violence and hatred seem to hold sway in our world, there is something crucially important about being part of a spiritual community where we remember the courage and compassion of Jesus, and remember that he offers us a different Way – a different image of God, a different kind of faith, a different way to be human – that is rooted in God’s Boundless, Unconditional Love for the world.”

From “Going Deeper, Together” by Rev. John Gill

Easter Sunday Sermon Quote

After Easter, the question remains: Will we flee, or will we follow? Will we go home in despair, or will we hear our names being called? Will we lose hope in the face of the mystery of our lives, or will we choose to affirm that “the mystery of life is a mystery of infinite goodness,” as the old prayer says. To believe this – to choose to believe this despite all the evidence – is to align one’s life with God’s Boundless Love, come what may, as Jesus did.

from “Between Two Stories” by Rev. John Gill

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024