Authenticity (gold). Vulnerability (myrrh). Intimacy (frankincense). The magi bring these gifts to Jesus. So can we. Matthew 2:1-12.
Who Knew?
Who knew that the narrative of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus seeking refuge in Egypt to escape Herod would continue to resonate two millennia on? Matthew 2:13-23
Our New Humanity The Birth of God-With-Us
Jesus' birth name is profoundly relational: Emmanuel, or God-With-Us (Matthew 1:18-25). Let us celebrate the new humanity this unbreakable relationship offers us!
December 7 - Here's to the Eccentrics!
John the Baptist was one: yes! This Advent: what can we learn from him about being the church? Matthew 3:1-12.
November 30: Where Does our Hope Go?
Does our Advent hope go into waiting for Christmas? Or does it live into the coming of the Son of Man - i.e., the New Humanity - today? Matthew 24:36-44.
November 23 - The Three Outcasts
This final Sunday of our church year, we encounter Jesus' final moments - as one of three undocumented criminals, in the Empire's eyes, who are crucified. Luke 23:33-43.
November 16 - "The Serenity to Accept - the Courage to Resist
In our land, Jesus has metamorphosed from a humble servant into a triumphal nationalist. How can we resist this trend? Luke 21:5-19.
From Eternal Life to Eternal Love: Resurrection Reimagined.
Luke 20:27-38. For those with little agency, resurrection means liberation through our offering of God's love eternal. How do we offer resurrection - in the here and now?
November 2 - Holy Intruders
Jesus and Zacchaeus, Luke 19:1-10. Per All Saints' Day: who has been a holy intruder in your life? Per All Souls' Day: how might you be called to be one?
October 26 - Persistent Cries and Prayers for Justice
The parable of the unjust judge and persistent widow reminds us that with God, all things are possible in an unjust world. Pulpit guest: Jan Moody, M.Div.
Sunday, October 19: "There but for the Grace of God?"
What's wrong with this phrase? And what's right about God's mercy? Rev. Booker offers a personal testimony. Luke 18:9-13
October 12: The Hope & Blessing of the Immigrant Leper
Scripture: Luke 17:1-9. 'Midst the ICE storm around us, let us lift up our most vulnerable immigrants - how they are being treated as lepers - and what we, in our moments of distress, can learn from their experience.
Sunday, October 5: An Active Faith
A mustard seed faith: it's all we are given - and need. From there, to know what we believe, let us see what we do. Luke 17:5-10
September 28 - What's Good for the Least Is Good for the Whole
"And at the rich man's gate lay a poor man named Lazarus ..." Why is Jesus so interested in the poor? Luke 16:19-31.
September 21 - Shrewd Justice
As the mass targeting of the undocumented and the most vulnerable in general continues, what can the land manager-on-the-make teach us about our discipleship part in it all?
September 14 - The Joy of Welcoming the Lost
It's not on the Lost - translation: the Left Out - to try hard enough to belong. It's on us to create the Welcome. What a Joy it is to do so!
September 7: Preaching to the Choir?
As our DC crisis rages, Jesus heads to Jerusalem. A large crowd now follows him. Are they just curious - or committed? Are we? Luke 14:25-33
August 31: Habeas Corpus and the Kingdom of God
Jesus teaches us that it's our responsibility to"have the bodies" - especially, the most wounded bodies - before us, at the table. How do we make that happen? And how does that respond to our Chief Executive's present denial of habeas corpus?
August 24: All In A Day's Work
While life is not fair, Jesus' generosity saves the day. Guest message from Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block on Matthew 20:1-16.
August 17: "The Fire This Time"
Can't avoid it: the summer climate around us - the incivility surrounding us. What does Jesus mean when he cries, e.g., "I have come to bring fire on the earth"? Where's the Good News in these teachings?
