Claremont United Church of Christ

Sermon from Claremont United Church of Christ

We continue our series "All I Want for Christmas," with the fourth candle on our Advent wreath: Love. We talk A LOT about love in the church, but what does it actually mean to love someone? Is there a way to quantify our love? How do we know if we are actually becoming more loving? Pastor Jacob tries to define love so that perhaps we can give and receive love this holiday season in more ways than ever before.

Sermon from Claremont United Church of Christ

Each week during our Advent sermon series, Pastors Jen and Jacob will be comparing a classic Christmas toy to one of the candles of our Advent wreath: hope, peace, joy, and love. This week Pastor Jacob questions whether the vision of peace presented in Scripture is simply a fantasy, or is our faith the most real and authentic part of our lives

Now is your chance to ask Pastors Jen and Jacob your burning questions! With a Spirit of humility and humor, Pastors Jen and Jacob will turn the chancel into a conversation space where no questions are off limits. Congregants both online and in-person will be able to submit questions “live” and Pastors Jen and Jacob will answer those questions on-the-spot with no prior knowledge of what the questions will be!

Now is your chance to ask Pastors Jen and Jacob your burning questions! With a Spirit of humility and humor, Pastors Jen and Jacob will turn the chancel into a conversation space where no questions are off limits. Congregants both online and in-person will be able to submit questions “live” and Pastors Jen and Jacob will answer those questions on-the-spot with no prior knowledge of what the questions will be!

This Sunday we welcome back guest preacher Rev. Dr. Craig Hadley! Pastor Craig grew up in Redlands, studied architecture in Montana, and then returned to Riverside to get his Masters of Divinity degree from La Sierra University. After working for a global Christian denomination for seven years, he, along with several of his friends, started Paradox Church in Redlands. Today, Paradox is one of three open and affirming churches in Redlands. A few years later, Craig graduated from Portland Seminary with his Doctorate of Ministry degree with an emphasis on Biblical contradictions. He currently lives in Redlands with his wife, Kimi (who is WAY out of his league), and his daughter, Maya (who sleeps on the top bunk in her own room) and his son, Bode (who cried tears of joy when he got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas).

As we head to the polls in the United States, Pastor Jacob's sermon is a reminder that the work of the church will not change come Wednesday morning regardless of the results. We will still be called to stand up for our LGBTQIA+ siblings, to dismantle racism and the patriarchy, and to strive to love all people equally.

As Election 2024 approaches, our special two-week sermon series reminds us that we are called to something greater: something greater than our political parties, something greater than the boundaries of our country, something greater than our single church. The Kingdom of God transcends any one election year or political leader and calls us to be part of God’s ongoing work in the world.

Our annual Animal Blessing Sunday! Pastor Jacob explores the language we use during times of war when people are described as dogs or animals in an attempt to dehumanize them. Why did this language ever become an insult? What does it have to say about how humans consider themselves as more important than other species?