Scripture: Acts 15:1-21 - the Council at Jerusalem. How can a church comfortable with its particular practices open its doors to be challenged by those excluded by its present form?
July 2 - The Two Gates of Freedom
Scripture: Acts 12:6-17
Affirmative action, student loans, the Fourth: these current news events are addressed in the story of Peter's liberation from the gates of prison - and the ironic lack of welcome he initially receives at the gate of his own people. Can we trust our God of the Exodus to liberate us through Gate 1: the prison of our privilege? Can we trust our Christ of the Common Table to free us to open Gate 2: the equity of the Beloved Community?
June 25 - Pride Sunday: How Free Do We Want to Be?
Rev. Chuck shares Pride stories of bold church witnesses these past two decades - including one at BPC. Scripture: Acts 8:26-40. The apostle Philip, who had not understood how healing his community could be, is freed by his willingness. The Ethiopian eunuch, who had not experienced the healing community of faith he so desired, is freed from his otherness. How free do we want to be: via our willingness, and from any sense of our otherness?
June 18 - The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon ... Us!
What can the scandalous summit meeting of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 and the interaction of our church with our Sunday Farmers Market neighbors and the AA clubhouse - teach us about the mutually transformative nature of the Holy Spirit? Part 2 of our "It Takes a Church!" series from Acts.
June 11: To Welcome the Stranger
What happens when we do? Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15
June 4 - Holy Intent in a Purpose-Driven World
... or, Enjoying God's Given in a World of Driven. God's intent for the world is embedded in the goodness of Creation. Our temptation: to get lost in being driven in a world of holy given. After all: why enjoy God's goodness when we are trying so hard to be good? Why learn dominion over what is given when we can domineer by being driven?
May 28 (Day of Pentecost) "This Holiday Weekend"
What to make of the Day of Pentecost when it falls - as it does today - on Memorial Day Weekend?
May 21 - "Overcoming Ascension Deficit Disorder: Church Community and Belonging in Our Hybrid Age"
Whoever wants to act the angel, acts the beast" - Blaise Pascal. What are ways we can turn our attention from the lonely task and temptation of ascension - rising above concerns in our life, which we try to face all alone - to help us address these concerns as one and create a place for belonging?
May 14 - "What Have We Done?"
In honor of Mother's Day, the Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, Director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness, addresses the scourge of violence over our land and our Christian response to it all.
Sunday, May 7 - Pass It On: BPC at 300
Sunday, April 30: The Intimate Immensity of Psalm 23
From Welcome to Belonging: Part 3 of 3. Rev. Chuck shares how the heart of this beloved Psalm - verse 4-5 - speaks intimately to us in the valley of the shadow of death ... with immense implications for communing with our enemies in the process.
April 23 - From Welcome to Belonging, Part 2: Seeing Jesus in Our Midst
Rev. Booker shares three church stories of Jesus moving incognito in our midst - and deepening the meaning of belonging each time: of a transgender woman bringing her resurrection experience to the church ... of a church member bringing resurrection to a bereaved daughter ... of a late member who was fed by our church and who fed others in turn.
Sunday, April 16 - Beyond "Welcoming and Inclusive"
"Welcoming and Inclusive." This phrase serves as the benchmark for many a progressive congregation. Then, Christ Resurrected appears - and offers something more than our welcome: *belonging* ...
Easter Sunday - To Experience Resurrection, We Must Release Our Fear of the Empty
Easter morning is about encountering the empty when anticipating the full. The two Marys in Matthew's gospel account (28:1-10) were bidden by both the angel and the resurrected Jesus to "be not afraid" of that emptiness. As for us? ...
Palm Sunday - The Joy of a Church That Flies Low and Travels Light
Compared with Caesar's militant and massive crowd control for Passover: scholars generally agree that the "very large crowd" greeting Jesus was modest in size. Part of our Palm Sunday-like small church appeal is that we can pivot quickly, experiment, and make bold social justice gestures larger churches with various constituencies may hesitate to make. Enjoy Rev. Chuck Booker's stories of how this is played out!
Making Conscious Contact (Steps 10-12) - March 26
Spirituality can be defined as awareness - that is: making conscious contact. How can we make conscious contact with self, God, and others in a way that creates spiritual space in our busy lives?
"From Apologies to Amends (Steps 8 & 9): Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry?" - March 19
"I apologize." "My bad." "I'm sorry." Too often, these expressions provide easy-outs from the responsibilities and consequences of a compulsive behavior. How can we - broken humans that we are - engage in the spiritual practice of making amends?
March 12 - Steps 6-7: Our Prayer Depends on Us, Our Work Depends on God
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character (discovered in Steps 4 & 5)
Step 7: Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
How do we pray as if it all depends on us ... and work as if it all depends on God? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Enjoy this message from Rev. Chuck and 12 Step speaker "Ursula W".
March 5 - Steps 4-5, "Who Do You Trust? From Resentments to Restoration"
Who do you trust to take moral inventory of your life? Elijah apparently trusted no one - which led to him hearing "God" tell him to commit genocide. Following Rev. Chuck's message: we hear from our guest AA speaker Jewel H. of her experience, strength and hope from these steps.
Sunday, February 26 - Steps 1-3, "Let Your Shipwreck Speak"
Part 1 of a 5-part series: "The Twelve Steps: Spiritual Practices from the Church, for the Church." "These are the only genuine ideas: The ideas of the shipwrecked. All the rest is rhetoric, posturing, farce." - Jose Ortega y Gasset. How have you experienced "shipwreck" in your life? Have have you "bottomed out"? How has that experience given you – and continues to give you -the genuine, spiritual ideas and ways that serve you to this day?
