Bethany UCC

On Sunday morning, Jan 11th, we started worship by staring at the front of our bulletins, acting like absolute newbies.  Together we asked: What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find?

The questions come to us from Visual Thinking Strategies, by way of some people doing great work on the value of uncertainty in medicine and what’s possible when doctors really pay attention to the person in front of them.

In her sermon (from Luke 13), Pastor Rebecca said God has given us infinite pictures to try and really look at: Pictures of the world as God dreams it. Likenesses of what They themselves are like. Images of how They will save us. Listen with us to the image Jesus offered in his parable about decisive landowner and a gardener who had eyes of love and resources to waste.

*More on “uncertainty in medicine” from The Nocturnists and Alexa Mille here

Pastor Rebecca started the year with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18: 1-5 that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we’ve got to change and become like little kids — after everything we’ve learned and accomplished??? But the unself-conscious humility of children is, apparently, where it’s at. 

There were a lot of bells and whistles, and musicians, and candles, and decorations, and kids, and people, and shadow puppets* on Christmas Eve but the story is always the same: it’s about God’s embarrassing attachment to us, and the unnecessary lengths they’ll go to, out of love.

This week, Pastor Rebecca preached on Psalm 130, which isn’t a reading you typically hear on the 4th Sunday of Advent. But, with our worship this month centered on Keeping Watch, this reading reminds us that God is listening and God is on the way, as sure as the morning is coming.

In his sermon this week, Vince grapples with the privilege of being reliable, and what it means to let go of control and really wait on God.

On Sun, Dec 7, Pastor Rebecca preached about the obligations we may incur by keeping watch. She preached on Deuteronomy 22: 1 - 4 and referenced the poem Every Riven Thing by Christian Wiman. We hope you enjoy!

Many of us in Chicago have spent the last two months on high alert, on watch for danger. But what is it we’re watching for in Advent? What is the vigilance that saves us?

In which we end and celebrate our stewardship campaign and November series, both called Free-for-All with a litany of thanksgiving from Bethanian Dave Scott, and some interstitial preaching from Pastor Rebecca from Ephesians 3. You’ll also hear the laughter, cheers, and noisemakers from the congregation. It was truly a free-for-all to end all free-for-all’s.

Using Genesis 1 and the Exodus story, as well as a heavy dose of inspiration from the Neo-Futurists and Rev Will Bouvel, Pastor Rebecca preaches our first free-for-all sermon — which really lived up to its name.

Does Vince believe in levitation? He wants to! Preaching on Matthew 19: 16-26, his sermon asks: what value is there in believing in the impossible?