Walking on Water
August 9th 2026 Scripture: Psalm 85:8-13 & Matthew 14:22-33 Today’s gospel story picks up where last week’s story left off. You may recall that last week, Jesus was on his way to take some time alone, likely to grieve the murder of John the Baptist, when he got distracted by a crowd of thousands who gathered on the shore, seeking healing. Jesus had compassion on them and fed them dinner with just two loaves and 5 fish. Now he’s back it at again, trying to get that alone tim
Wrestling with the God who Feeds 5000+
August 2nd 2026 Scripture: Genesis 32:22-31 & Matthew 14:13-21 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will have their fill!’ I’m sure that these words from Jesus’ sermon on the mount were ringing throughout crowd as 5 loaves and 2 fish turned into a feast for thousands. This story of the blessing of abundant food, given without being asked for or demanded, makes an interesting contrast to our first reading, where Jacob engaged in an all-night wrestling match for
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like..
9th Sunday after Pentecost July 25th 2026 Scripture: Romans 8:26-39 & Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, yeast that makes dough rise, hidden treasure or a pearl you’d trade in everything you own to possess, and like a net dragging everything to shore it can hold. These are really odd metaphors to compare to the kingdom of God.. some of them don’t even seem to make sense together. And yet, they all tell us that the kingdom of God is present
Let Them Grow Side by Side
Parable of Wheat and Weeds July 19th 2026 Scripture: Romans 8:12-25 & Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 How do we know what is good and what is bad? Who gets to decide? Especially when what is good for some is bad for others and vice versa, depending on a LOT of factors, for example, biology, where you were raised, in what culture and environment you were raised in, and what religion or spiritual understanding you were taught. I’ve sometimes been told that I think in too big
Rooted in Love
Open and Affirming (ONA) Sunday June 28th 2026 Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8 & Matthew 10:40-42 “Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” This reminds me that only when we call a thing what it is can it live up to its full potential. Einstein said once, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I cannot confirm Einstein actually said this, but it is o
That All May Be One
UCC’s 69 Birthday, Juneteenth, Father's Day June 21st , 2026 Scripture: Galatians 3:23-29 & John 17:9-11, 17-23 Today is a joyous day as we celebrate who we are, where we’ve been, and look toward where the Spirit might be leading us next. Ancestral wisdom plays an essential part in who we are, why we are, and where we’re going. Or in other words, we have to know where we’ve been to know where we’re going! Therefore, today we remember the past 69 years of the United Church of
Costly Discipleship
3rd Sunday after Pentecost/Ordinary Time June 14th 2026 Scripture: Exodus 19:2-8 & Matthew 10:1-23 Sometimes, the news headlines are so grim, that I get to thinking that we live in the most divisive time in history. We have trillionaires and we have people without shelter, food, or water. We have right wing and left wing politics. We have pro-life and pro-choice. We have pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. We have movements in play for equality and movements to take away the rights
Dream New Dreams
Pentecost Sunday May 24th 2026 Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 & John 20:19-23 Today is the day of Pentecost, the 50th day after Easter! Today we celebrate and remember when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples with tongues of fire! This is said to be the birthday of the church. Arguments could be made for other events that happened between Jesus’ ministry and Pentecost that signified the beginning of the church, but I think I’ve come to like this idea of Pentecost being the chu
Nurturing Love of God
Mothers/Graduates Day Sermon May 10th 2026 Readings: Isaiah 49:13-18 & 1 John 4:7-21 Mother’s Day is always a mixed bag, isn’t it? As adults, we have opinions about our own mothers.. and many have experienced motherhood themselves. This means that there are probably as many good feelings about Mother’s Day as there are negative feelings about Mother’s Day in this room. Many had/have amazing mothers, mothers they think of fondly and lovingly. Many have complicated, non-exist
Road to Emmaus
5th Sunday of Eastertide May 3rd, 2026 Readings: Psalm 23 & Luke 24:13-35 When I was planning for this morning’s sermon, I came across a reflection piece written by Lisa Kelly, an author and a woman of the Ignatian tradition within the Catholic church. Her reflection really spoke to me and I could have put her thoughts into my own words, but I’d rather give her the credit and read to you what she wrote. She said, “Like many of us today, the disciples on the road to Emmaus wer
