Our Advent theme is "Longing for light". The days are shorter, so we do miss actual sunlight at this time of the year. But the world seems darker, in metaphorical ways, too. The first Sunday of Advent we light a candle of peace, and we consider our call to be messengers of peace to a world that traffics in discord.

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on December 1, 2024.

The scripture reading was from Isaiah 52:1-10.

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Victor Floyd on November 24, 2024.

The scripture reading was from Isiah chapter 6.

A sermon delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on November 18.

The scripture reading was from Isiah 43: 14- 21.

The profit Isaiah tells his people that God is about to do a new thing. He asks if they can perceive it. But his people are in exile in a foreign country and the 'new' things they've experienced have been terrible.

A sermon delivered by Rev. Joann H. Lee on November 10, 2024.

The scripture reading was from Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 [4:1-11].

The story of Jonah is one of a God who will not let us go, even when we're on the run. This whale of a tale is one of a God whose mercies and grace abound even to people whom others hate and cannot forgive.

A sermon delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on November 3, 2024. The scripture reading was from 1 Kings 17:1-24.

In the story of Elijah, he delivers a word from the Lord that is not good news. The punishment for the evil of King Ahab is that a drought will come upon the land. Where do we think God is when we hear news of droughts, famines, earthquakes and other disasters? We understand how the weather forms differently than Elijah and his people did. Is there still a word for us from the Lord in stories like this?

A sermon delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on Sunday, October 27, 2024.

The scripture reading was from 1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:27-30, 41-43.

As we read the story of Solomon building a house for God, let's think about what we're building in our world, in our families, and in our community.

Does God anoint the unjust to rule over us? Many Christians currently say so. After all, God chose King David, and he was far from virtuous. But God's covenant transcends David. God's covenant promises us a society of dignity, freedom, and community. 

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Victor Floyd on October 20, 2024. Preceding the sermon, Reverend Victor played Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on the piano.

The scripture reading was from 2 Samuel 7:1-17.

Today we hear a story of a woman whose faith in God is so complete that she hands her only child, the one she prayed so desperately for, over to the Temple, as an offering. She's all in. What would it take for us to have that much faith in God, that we could be 'all in', give up our illusions of control and entrust things to God?

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on October 13, 2024.

The scripture reading was from 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10.

When the Israelites are waiting in the wilderness for Moses to come back down from Mt Sinai, they get restless and anxious. They take matters into their own hands and fashion their own golden god by melting down their earrings and their grandmother's candlesticks. 

Why are we like that? What makes us forget who we are the minute we get anxious and worried? How can we build up our resilience to protect ourselves from idols?

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Marci A. Glass on October 6, 2024.

The scripture reading was from Exodus 32:1-14.

The story of the Passover and subsequent Exodus is THE defining story of the Israelites. When God liberates the Hebrew people from slavery and bondage in Egypt, God proclaims a preferential option for the poor and oppressed. Liberation is the promise of Passover, and God's work in the world. Let us join God in that work!

The sermon was delivered by Rev. Joann H. Lee on September 29, 2024.

The scripture reading was from Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8.