When I think of hope, I think of rainbows - that biblical symbol God gave Noah. With it, God promised to not punish us but rather stay in covenant with us no matter what; and God promises to sail through the storm with us guiding us to a new land where we are reconciled with God and one another.

I also think of the famous song from the great Wizard of Oz. In the movie, Dorothy, who feels unjustly treated by a neighbor and unheard by her loved ones, dreams of something more. She says, "Some place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat, or a train. It's far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain….” And then she begins to sing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Life is a journey of searching for that place, those people - the space and time in life where God’s dreams for us can come true. No, you can’t get there by boat or train or even an airplane. You get there by faith and live there through acts of unconditional, sacrificial love.

T.C. Morrow is a friend and colleague who embodies just such faith and love in the midst of the storms of life raging in our world and our church. She has an abiding compassion for all, wisdom that clearly comes from the Holy Spirit, courage that has inspired me personally countless times, and so much more. Her anointing for ministry shines from her, and yet the United Methodist Church has not let her be ordained because she is happily married to Logan. But, in sum, she is a living witness of faithfulness and love. I’m so excited she share this sermon with CHUMC this Sunday to unpack the lectionary Scriptures and help us celebrate our 13th Anniversary of becoming a Reconciling Church as she preaches “What Hope?” In the process, we learn to “Hope in Color!"

Before this sermon, we honored four young people who have participated in Confirmation this Spring.

Did you take Confirmation classes as a young person? I did. In all honesty, I don't remember any content. I remember going to eat at McDonald's during a one-day "seminar" held at our church. A few weeks later, we went on a retreat to Lake Texoma with kids from a couple of other churches, but I really only remember the sleeping accommodations. The closest thing to content that I remember was watching on an old-fashioned film projector this claymation video produced in the early 80s about the history of the UMC in America. Even then, I didn't remember content. I just remember that we watched a claymation video.

I hope that our confirmands will remember more than this video (though I still make them watch all 4 minutes of it)! But in watching it again (and again), I'm both amazed at the many great things United Methodists have done throughout our history, but as the video explicitly reminds us, there is still work to be done - on many fronts.

Using the Scriptures below for inspiration, I hope this sermon helps us think through our role in bringing the light of hope to a world in need.

When I say “charcoal,” you say “grill.” Or at least that would be a logical response for Memorial Day Weekend. After all, for many of us, this weekend means a time to unwind with family and friends at a barbecue or on the beach.

For others, this weekend is a reminder of the memories of their military service that are burned into their being, opportunities and challenges that have altered them and many of us forever.

Interestingly, a burning charcoal appears in one of the Scriptures for this sermon. When God calls Isaiah to service, the prophet immediately recognizes God’s holiness and names his lack of it. Then God touches a coal to his lips and alters him for service. And so this Sunday, in the midst of our celebrations and remembrances, we will wrestle with the holiness of God and what on earth that has to do with what we do at the cook-out, on the beach, or any place we find ourselves invited to offer not just lip service, but our whole lives to God. Read the Isaiah passage and pray the Psalm a few times as you prepare to come into contact with our Holy God with this sermon.

When we've scarcely seen the sun for a few days because of dreary rain; when so many events and things in the world cover us in darkness; when life seems stale and musty; when things just don't make sense, it is easy for our spirits to become dampened and our hope diminished. But there IS hope!

The Holy Spirit is coming.

The flames of the Spirit bring light, warmth, and community. The wind of the Spirit breathes new life into and around us and lifts us up to soar like a dove. And the Spirit guides us into Christ's truth and way of life and also steps in when we don't even know what to say or pray.

This is what we celebrate this Pentecost Sunday as we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit creating the Church. Here, Pastor Alisa wraps up the Dare to Dance Again sermon series.

Everything that goes up must come down, or at least that's how the saying goes. In this sermon, we celebrate Ascension Sunday, the day the Resurrected Jesus leaves earth and rises “up” to sit at God’s side. The Scripture for this sermon tell the whole story. But in sum, once again, God defies the laws of this world. Yes, Jesus who rose up in esteem and power on earth was brought low with the merciless death of crucifixion. But he rose to earth through Resurrection and does not come down. He keeps rising through Ascension to remind us that with God nothing good is ever fully defeated or done. God’s love keeps rising.

Another law of life: Every intern that comes to CHUMC must leave and go out into the world. Three years ago, we were abundantly blessed to meet Jess (the preacher for this sermon) for a 2 year internship. Then, we had the extra blessing of her coming on staff this past year. Jess has helped us in countless ways this year, including revamping our new member classes, expanding our hospitality throughout Sunday morning, and creating a “welcoming” ministry. Our worship attendance has grown by over 15% in 2018, and I attribute lots of that to Jess’ faithful work. Her leadership in worship has also been Spirit-led and transformational. One of you shared with me last week, “Jess’ sermons always speak to me. They seem to hit right in the place I need a word from God.” And, CHUMC, please know that though she was already amazing when she came to us, you have done wonderful work in maturing and affirming her gifts!

Yes, every intern/staff member must go out into the world beyond us. And Jess will do just that. She has been chosen to be the Director of the Wesley Foundation in Kalamazoo, Michigan! We may shed a tear. But, like Ascension, this is not an ending but a beautiful beginning of God’s love at work through the Davenports’ in Kalamazoo and at CHUMC as we live out what we have learned in our time together.

Recently, I read an article: "In Defense of Breakdancing Priests." This struck me for 2 reasons: 1) I’d never seen a priest breakdance; and 2) I didn’t know such “holy rolling” would need to be defended.

But, apparently, many were deeply offended and concerned that the priests should not be mixing the sacred with the secular. Each thing should have its place, they surmised, and there was no need to integrate the one with the other!

How often do we do this in our world - insist that each thing have its place, limit one thing or person to a particular purpose or stereotype?

Easter erases these lines, and Resurrection walks through our human barriers and divisions. So if we are going to "Dare to Dance Again the Easter Dance of Freedom," then we, too, must let God free us from artificial divisions in our own hearts and throughout our lives. So read the Scriptures for this sermon and ask yourself, where in my life might God want to “break” out JOY and break down some barriers?

Where will you GO this weekend? The usual places or somewhere out of the way? Why?

At the first Resurrection appearance, Jesus tells the women, “Do not be afraid; GO and tell my brothers to GO to Galilee; there they will see me.” While it's true what we discussed last week, that God wants “You to be You” in the Easter Resurrection Dance of Freedom, it’s also true that God will likely send you to GO somewhere unfamiliar or to a place you have avoided. We might find the true freedom God has for us in a wild land with a stranger like Philip does in the Acts Passage for Sunday, or maybe we find true freedom when we follow Jesus’ command in our gospel passagefor Sunday to GO out with God and “make disciples.” God may send you to the depth of your heart, to the friend you avoid, the work you fear, or the fringes of the universe where ”no one has gone before.” But remember, God sends us to dance…to learn and to share the Easter Dance of Resurrection.

Where is God asking you to GO and dance in this stage of your faith?

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”– Oscar Wilde

“You be you” is a phrase that I often say to try to remind myself when plagued with insecurity. But who am I, really? And who are you?

The Scripture from from John 10 for this sermon says who Jesus is: "He is the good shepherd, and we are his little lambs." In other words, YOU are a EWE. Usually, we hear that sheep are dumb, stubborn, and prone to get lost. While some of this is true, ask any shepherd, and they can tell you about the beautiful differences in their flock. In fact, worldwide, there are more than 1,000 distinct sheep breeds.

Interestingly, later in John 21, when Jesus appears resurrected, he tells Peter and us to be shepherds too, to tend to and care for God’s children and all of creation. He also insists that just as the first good Shepherd laid down his life, so must we. So think about what God is calling you to lay down, especially the expectations others lay upon you that you need to release. And consider how God may be calling you to be a shepherd caring for God's creation.

For each of us sheep have our own dance or way of moving in and caring for God’s world. Come to this sermon as an opportunity to explore our own.

Also, in this sermon, we have a special sharing from the Zambian Mission Team and their dance to help orphans and about a wonderful event on May 5.

"If you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you’ll dance."

Can you imagine Jesus saying these words to the still-confused-and-scared disciples during a post-resurrection appearance?! His friends were locked up in the upper room when Jesus came to visit again. No one had locked them in. They did it themselves… but Jesus wasn't having that. He had been raised so we could experience freedom, true freedom to live and love, serve and rejoice as God designed. So Jesus came into their self-made prison, shared a meal, and then invited them, in their uncertainty, to leave this tomb of their own making and dance freely… to join in the celebration of Easter where there's no holds barred.

Where in your life is Jesus inviting you, even in your uncertainty, to get out on the metaphorical dance floor? Read these passages for this sermon. Listen to the popular song, "I Hope You'll Dance," and imagine Jesus singing it to you today. Then get ready for Jesus to shimmy and shake right into the uncertainty in your life and invite you to dance right there.