Forgiveness is hard work. Our recall of those who have hurt us can be instant. How can that recall become less potent over time? Power of Forgiveness, Part 5 of 8. Scripture: Matthew 18:21-33.
October 1 - Why, God? Part 2
Sometimes, we find it hard to imagine that forgiveness is possible - until something comes along and shakes us up a bit. Power of Forgiveness series, Part 4 of 8. Scripture: Jonah 3:10-4:11.
September 24 - Why, God?
Might be the oldest question in monotheism! Can we forgive God when bad things happen? And is that forgiveness important - or even necessary? Scripture: Job 23:1-9
The Power of Forgiveness, Part 2: Only as Sick as Our Secrets
Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:15. Through stealth and power, King David murders the husband and marries the wife. What do we wish to keep secret - that honesty and grace might be a stranger to us?
September 10 - The Power of Forgiveness, Part 1: From Enslavement to Liberation.
Joseph forgives his brothers - who had sold him into slavery (Genesis 45). His enslavement: hurt people hurt people. Here, he breaks the chain. Can we? And how?
Sunday Message, September 3: "Self, Self-Denial, & the Ballad of Emmett Till"
In response to Emmett Till's death, his mother Mamie & great-uncle Moses model for us an authentic calling of self that denies self for the sake of the whole.
August 20 - The Faith You Have Is ...
Our Guest: Rev. Pat Jackson. We have a thing in our society for going BIG!! Enter the mustard seed. Suddenly, there's something small that's also potent. Something so small that can be, well, huge!
August 13 - From Fitting In to Belonging
Scripture: Acts 19:1-7 Our church's 300th anniversary credo is "Love in Action - A Place to Belong". In this final of a summer series of Acts of the Apostles messages, Rev. Chuck outlines how the Holy Spirit can take us all to that special belonging place.
Sunday, August 6 - To An Unknown God?
Scripture is Acts 17:22-28. In Athens, the Apostle Paul shares with the learned how he has just found an altar inscribed, "To an unknown god" - then proceeds to share how our Creator God is made known to all. In essence, he is saying: the spiritual desires of those in and out of church are no different - and that everyone and everything belongs. What kind of difference might that affirmation make in how we see the world?
Rev. Chuck's 7/30 Message: "The Gospel: From Sin and Salvation to Enslavement and Liberation".
In Acts 16:16-34, a slave is set free. How might this story speak to our important Christian witness of antiracism? Also in this passage, prisoners experience release. Rev. Chuck shares a story of personal incarceration - and what it taught him about the liberative gospel message.
July 23 - "Our Faith and the Farmers Market"
For the upscale Sunday Farmers Market patrons next door to our church, buying fresh, farm-grown food is a prayerful act. In Acts 16:16-34, the Apostle Paul wanders out among the "non-chosen" to a prayerful place - and in the process, meets a wealthy stranger named Lydia, with spiritual needs as deep and as similar as his ...
July 16 - "I Was Hungry And": Where Discipleship Meets Diaspora
Scripture: Acts 6:1-6. It takes a church to understand: What's Good for the Least Is Good for the Whole. And it takes a church to fly low, travel light, and discover a local solution for feeding the hungry.
July 9 - Who's In Charge? And Who Says It's You?
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?
