Claremont United Church of Christ

For World Communion Sunday, Pastor Laurel talks about how we are called to come to the table from a child's point of view. What does it look like when communion is playful?

Finishing up our Wabi-Sabi sermon series, Pastor Jen considers how the brief lives of our animal companions helps us accept the impermanence of this world and find beauty in being present each day.

Ancient Christians used to be slandered as donkey worshippers. The donkey was a symbol of foolishness and what could be more foolish than worshipping a God who died on a cross? Join Pastor Jacob as he teaches us how to embrace the foolish aspect of our faith

Although King David’s abuse of power and assault of Bathsheba is extreme, his story reminds us that we all fall short of God’s dream for us. By acknowledging our sins and failures, we open ourselves up to new healing, transformation, and wholeness. Like the Japanese art of “kintsukuroi” in which cracked pottery is mended with golden lacquer to highlight rather than hide the flaws, our stories of overcoming our issues become beautiful testimonies to the life-changing power of our faith in God.

In Exodus 4, God calls Moses to go to Egypt to rescue God's people. But, Moses has a few objections first. Sometimes we too have objections to the idea that God might have a calling for us in this world. Join God and Moses as they have a conversation about these objections and discover that God calls each of us, imperfections and all.

Historically, the story of Martha and Mary paints Martha as the harried housewife and Mary as the devoted student at Jesus’ feet. But a closer look at the original Greek offers a slightly different understanding of these sisters. Join Pastor Jen as we kick off our new sermon series and consider what it means to find contentment and even joy in our imperfect lives.

During this sermon series, we have seen God part the waters of seas and rivers on behalf of the Israelites, but what happens when we come to a river that won't part at all?

As the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the long-awaited Promised Land, God asks them to get their feet wet this time as an act of faith. They are also invited to gather stones from the riverbed and build an Ebenezer to remind them of how faithful God has been throughout their long, strenuous journey. Let us take a moment today to pause and remember how God has carried us this far in our own wilderness and let us have faith that there is new life waiting for us on the other side.

So many world religions worry about who is next in line: as pope, as imam, and head of the church. In 2 Kings, the people are worried that there will be no more prophets once Elijah is gone, but Elisha appears to take up his mantle and continue his work. In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares that we are ALL his successors, and that we have all been called to carry on his ministry, in fact to exceed it! Join Pastor Jacob as he reminds us what it means for us to possess the Spirit of God.

When the Israelites fled Egypt they were fleeing enslavement, violence, chaos, and oppression. God parted the Red Sea to lead them toward freedom, life, and a new future filled with hope. In our chaotic world today, we must have faith that God will deliver us if we just keep moving in the direction of freedom.