Romans 4:1-13

Paul has set up a double straw man (accusations that the Jews have against the Gentiles and vice versa) in the chapters preceding this one. In this chapter, he argues that we are all made family through our faith in Christ. So quit dividing the family over things that don’t matter! Sadly, we used this very letter to do exactly that – divide us up.

Romans 1:15-17

This sermon sets up the series where we examine how the letter to the Romans often gets misused, by quoting the passage that kicked off the Protestant Reformation and is often is cited as justification for biblical literalism. There are problems with both understandings that we need to confront.

Isaiah 11:1-9

I hate Charles Dickens. Actually, it is more accurate to say I hate the writing of Charles Dickens. Yet I will not let an Advent season go by without watching at least one version of A Christmas Carol. The story of Christmas, the Dickens one and the biblical one, invite us to learn how to love better. They also invite us to let go of our own expectations and live into a better story than the one we might tell.

Matthew 1:18-25

In "Spirited", we learn that Ebenezer Scrooge has regrets still in the afterlife. He still feels like he has to earn God’s love. We will look at that soul crisis up against Joseph having to change his understanding of God’s righteousness.

Luke 2:8-20

The heart of "A Christmas Carol" is a man experiencing change after an encounter with four spirits. Probably the most dramatic moment in the birth of Christ is the appearance of the angels, spiritual beings who reorient the lives and faith of the shepherds on the field. Are we open to the same kind of change?

Luke 2:1-7

The full reality of humanity is on display in the birth of Christ, including our struggles and strains and conflicts, our willingness to love and our tendency to reject. Funnily enough, one of the best displays of the reality of humanity is found in A Muppet Christmas Carol, where over half of the cast are puppets. We look at the walk through the streets of puppet London with the traveling on a donkey for Mary and Joseph and their rejection at the inn.

Matthew 2: 1-12

Who owns Christmas? Or who tries to control Christmas? Or who tries to profit from Christmas? It has been a question since Christ was born. This week’s movie is Scrooged, and we will look at the ways people in power have tried to control Christmas as we look at Scrooge and King Herod.

Colossians 1:9-14

Bishop Whitfield will reflect on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, asking, “Does your vision of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ require a new perspective in which we love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously?”

Matthew 25:14-30; Joel 2:23-29

Pastor Michelle offers our annual State of the Church address and invites us to envision a new future.

Genesis 2:10-15; Revelation 22:1-5

We have been through death and come alive again. We need to be cleansed, cradled, and renewed by the living water of God’s love. We are at the river, the source of life abundant. And in these passages, we are at the rivers of the garden. We are back around, ready to be companions of God once again.