This week we reflected on Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan and what it reveals about identity, community, and calling. Before Jesus teaches, heals, or serves, God names Jesus beloved, grounding mission in grace rather than effort. In the same way, baptism reminds us that we are not the source of light but people who receive it, reflect it, and help one another stay connected to it. From that shared belovedness, we are formed into a community and sent together to bear God’s light into a heavy and hurting world.

As we end the series, Herod is still in power. Christ is born, but it feels as if the world has not changed. The temptation to give up is strong, especially in the face of violence. But the magi don’t let Herod’s fear-driven demands stop them from honoring the newborn Christ or returning home by a different way. They model for us what it looks like to be led by hope, moving through fear without letting it paralyze you. As this series ends and a new year begins, we proclaim: our journey continues, and fear won’t have the last word.  

The Christmas season can be filled with saccharine images of Mary, meek and mild, with a quiet, sleepy Jesus in her arms. But the host of angels shouts to the skies, “Glory to God in the highest!” What would it look like for us to proclaim the good news loudly, with overflowing joy? In a world that weaponizes fear, where algorithms decide what gets weight, what gets circulated, and what takes up space, let us be disruptive with our joy. Let us be loud and unruly, amplifying the good news like the shepherds running into the streets of Bethlehem. In a world where good news never feels loud enough to drown out fear, let us shout with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!”

2025 121425 Year A – What Do You Fear - Trembling Yes

“Give me your hand” might be counter to how we usually respond to fear, but what if fear can result in connection instead of isolation? Joseph sets aside his fear of rejection and shame in order to stand in solidarity with Mary, shielding her from harm. Their bond makes them each stronger. We don’t live out our callings in isolation—our communal flourishing depends on each person stepping into their calling despite their fear. How can we offer support to one another? Where can we reach out when fear makes us feel isolated? And can we use our power and privilege, like Joseph, to stand in solidarity with people whose lives are at risk?

2025 120725 Year A – What Do You Fear - Take My Hand

Luke begins his gospel by orienting us within “the time of King Herod,” and we begin the series by fleshing out what it might have been like to live in the days when Jesus was born—a time not all that different from our own. As an elderly priest, Zechariah had witnessed the fall of Judean independence and the beginning of Roman occupation. He longed for the coming Messiah, and he longed for a son. The author of Lamentations cries out in personal pain while his homeland is under Babylonian rule. Our global and personal heartache are intertwined, and the wait for promised rescue is hard to bear. Whether in exile, under the rule of a puppet king, or in the depths of personal pain, we long for God to break through the fear and bring us hope.

2025 112325 Year C - Strive First - First Presbyterian Church - Shreveport

This sermon challenges the notion of Christ's reign as domination, contrasting earthly power with divine vulnerability. It explores how Jesus's kingship manifests through sacrificial love rather than force, using the crucifixion as the ultimate demonstration of God's different kind of sovereignty. The message emphasizes that Christ's reign operates through compassion, mercy, and solidarity with the suffering—inviting believers to participate in this transformative kingdom by embracing similar values of service and humility rather than pursuing worldly power and control.

November 9 – "Alive to God" (Luke 20:27-38)

Summary When Sadducees present Jesus with an elaborate hypothetical about resurrection to embarrass him, he responds by shattering their narrow assumptions with a vision of resurrection life that transcends earthly constraints and categories. Jesus anchors his teaching in God's self-revelation as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," declaring that to God "all are alive" because divine love transcends death. This truth reshapes understanding of both eternity and present life, particularly in ministries like Drive a Senior Northwest that serve those our culture often devalues based on productivity or mobility. Providing transportation to seniors becomes a declaration of resurrection values, proclaiming that every person remains fully alive to God regardless of age or ability. The connection between resurrection life and financial stewardship runs deep—Jesus challenges what we trust for security and significance, calling us to invest in eternal values rather than temporal securities. When we give generously and serve vulnerable populations, we live as people belonging to the age to come, making stewardship a form of prayer that declares trust in God's kingdom values over worldly economic promises.

November 2 – All Saints Sunday: "Called by Grace" (Luke 19:1-10)

Summary Zacchaeus, a wealthy but notorious tax collector, climbs a tree like a child desperate to see Jesus, and experiences life-changing grace when Jesus calls him by name and invites himself to dinner. This encounter illustrates the scandal and beauty of grace—it arrives uninvited and unearned, disrupting assumptions about who deserves God's attention. Grace doesn't just save souls but transforms systems, relationships, and priorities in ways that ripple through communities. On All Saints Sunday, Zacchaeus reminds us that sainthood isn't reserved for the morally pristine but for those willing to be found by grace and changed by love. The celebration of baptism connects to this story as God's voice declares over each child "You are my beloved," marking them with the promise of belonging based not on achievement but on divine claim. When we share communion, we join Zacchaeus in his transformed home, feasting with Jesus and experiencing radical hospitality that breaks barriers and builds beloved community, tasting the grace that calls us from safety into generous participation in God's mission.

October 5 – World Communion Sunday / Women's Storybook Project: "Mustard Seed Faith" (Luke 17:5-10)

Summary When disciples plead "Increase our faith!" Jesus responds not with a growth plan but with images of mustard seeds and mulberry trees, revealing that faith operates through rootedness and humble persistence rather than size or spectacle. The mustard seed metaphor suggests that authentic faith, however small, can accomplish seemingly impossible things like uprooting deep-rooted obstacles. The accompanying parable about servants doing their duty completes the teaching—faithful action flows naturally from relationship and calling, not from seeking recognition or reward. World Communion Sunday reminds us that our small faith participates in a global body whose collective witness embodies Christ's presence everywhere. The Women's Storybook Project exemplifies mustard seed faith through volunteers quietly stepping behind prison walls to help mothers read to children, creating bridges of love across barriers of concrete and steel. These small acts may seem insignificant compared to massive systems, but they plant seeds of hope and connection that grow in ways we cannot predict or control.

Round Rock Pride - Faith Leaders Panel