Hearts Open to the Word

In this week's sermon, we explore Luke 18:1-8 and 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, examining the parable of the persistent widow and what it teaches us about prayer, justice, and hope. Through historical context and modern application, we consider how different forms of justice work parallel the widow's persistence at the city gates. The sermon challenges us to find sustainable ways to participate in God's ongoing work of justice while acknowledging the need for both action and rest. Special attention is given to how we can support those who must persistently navigate broken systems, and how our collective persistence can help bend the arc of history toward justice.

Join us for a reflection on Luke 14:15-24, where Jesus tells a parable about a great dinner party and unexpected guests. On this World Communion Sunday, we explore what it means when those initially invited make excuses not to come, and how God's table becomes a place of radical welcome for those who have been historically excluded. This message challenges us to move beyond superficial acceptance to genuine welcome, reminding us that God's invitation knows no borders.

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells a challenging parable about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus that goes far deeper than a simple morality tale about wealth. Drawing on Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," Samuel Wells' A Nazareth Manifesto, and contemporary insights about isolation and community, this sermon explores how we create and maintain barriers between ourselves and others - barriers that can become permanent spiritual chasms if we're not careful. The parable invites us to examine what walls we build, what we're walling in or out, and how we might work toward the kind of beloved community God intends, where no one suffers alone outside the gate.

In this sermon from September 14, 2025 (14th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 19/Year C), we explore Luke 15:1-10 and Psalm 51:1-10, examining Jesus' parables of the lost sheep and lost coin. These stories challenge us to consider God's relentless seeking of the lost and the true nature of celebration in community. Against the backdrop of recent events and social division, we wrestle with questions of who we consider "lost" and our role in both seeking justice and extending welcome. This message coincides with the ordination and installation of new church officers, connecting their call to leadership with the broader themes of radical hospitality and communal wholeness.

In this sermon exploring Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18, we examine how God works both individually and communally to shape us into vessels for justice. Using imagery of pottery and knitting, we consider what it means to remain malleable in God's hands while navigating the tensions between personal spiritual formation and systemic change. The sermon reflects on how covenant community bridges the gap between individual transformation and broader societal reformation.

In this sermon on Luke 14:7-14, Rev. Dr. Howe reflects on Jesus' teachings about power, vulnerability, and radical hospitality in the context of another tragic school shooting. Jesus' words about dinner party etiquette reveal deeper truths about the upside-down nature of God's kingdom. This sermon examines how our cultural obsession with power and control contributes to violence, while Jesus calls us to intentionally choose vulnerability and authentic community. Through the metaphor of the shared table, we are challenged to examine the ways we cling to false power and invited to participate in dismantling systems of violence through radical welcome and genuine relationship.

In this week's sermon, we explore Jeremiah 23:23-29, examining how we often try to contain and domesticate God to fit our human expectations. Using imagery of cats in boxes, wheat and straw, and various types of hammers, we consider the difference between temporary comfort and lasting spiritual nourishment. The sermon addresses current events like challenges to civil rights, connecting them to the biblical call for justice and authentic prophecy. Through Jeremiah's metaphors of fire and hammer, we examine what it means to speak difficult truths in love while resisting the temptation to soften God's transformative word.

In this sermon exploring Hebrews 11:1-16 and Genesis 15:1-6, Pastor Charissa examines what it means to live by faith rather than sight. Through a personal story about navigating unfamiliar roads in England, she illustrates how faith calls us to journey forward even when we can't see the complete destination.