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
Feed My Sheep
Creation Sunday / Celebrating Earth Day! April 19th 2026 Readings: Psalm 148:3-13 & John 21:1-19 Wednesday is Earth Day, but honestly.. isn’t every day Earth Day? Even for those of you who don’t like to get dirty or think the Earth is icky or scary, our faith begs us to remember that we are dirt and to dirt we shall return. We are created by the very same things that make up the entire Earth, in fact, the very same things that make up the entire universe! So, to love and ca
Joy, Doubt, and Peace
Holy Hilarity Worship April 12th, 2026 Readings: Acts 5:27-32 & John 20:19-31 Christ is risen! Alleluia! We proudly proclaim this truth throughout the Easter season and throughout our entire lives. This would be enough.. ‘but wait! There’s more!’ Christ not only rose from the dead, but appeared to the disciples inside a locked room. At his execution, all the disciples (except the women) ran away terrified. When Jesus returns, he finds they are still so terrified that they
Easter 2026
Happy Easter! Readings: Isaiah 65:17-25 & John 20:1-22 Christ is risen! Alleluia! Today is the day we rejoice at the empty tomb, at the resurrection of Christ Jesus, at the proclamation of salvation! Today we shout with joy over the promises of a new heaven and a new earth! All things are reconciled to and made new in Christ! Alleluia! I can be joyful about this because joy comes from a deep place of knowing, but if I’m honest, I struggle to be happy. As I look around at the
Maundy Thursday
Ecumenical Worship with PCUSA and UMC Readings : Exodus 12:1-14 & John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Holy Week Back in February at the beginning of this journey toward Easter, Pastor Pam propositioned you on Ash Wednesday. We heard then about Jesus’ time in the desert/wilderness and how he resisted temptations and walked away knowing more fully WHO he was as God’s beloved child. Pastor Pam challenged us, as we walked through the desert this Lent, to journey toward self-discovery, toward
