June 3, 2018

Rev. June Cooper, City Mission

Interrupted Church

Readings: Psalm 23 and Luke 7:36-50

Dear Beloved,

It’s our distinct pleasure to welcome the Rev. June Cooper to our house. I pray you’ll welcome June, and hear her preach to us, “Interrupted Church.”

Love,

Laura Ruth

May 27, 2018

Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett

This week’s readings: Psalm 29 and 1 John 5:7-8

May 20, 2018

Rev. Courtney Jones

Pentecost: Speaking Our Truths

Readings: Acts 2:1-21 and John 15:26-16:13

This Sunday is Pentecost! As we remember what is commonly referred to as “the birthday of the Church,” I will be preaching on the importance of speaking our truths to one another and listening deeply to another’s expression of truth as the very words of the Divine. If we are going to be a church where equity is a goal, where binding up the broken-hearted and proclaiming God’s liberation are at the center of our work in the world, then we can use the ancient example of the Day of Pentecost to inspire us to connect more deeply to God and one another.

~Rev. Courtney Jones

May 13, 2018

Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett

After the Ascension, What?

Readings: Psalm 47 and Luke 24:44-53

April 22, 2018

Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett

The Good Shepherd

Readings: Psalm 23 and John 10:11-18

April 8, 2018

Rev. Courtney Jones

The Momentum of Resurrection

Readings: Psalm 4 and John 20:19-31

This week, I am preaching on The Slow Work of Resurrection.  Our Scripture passage is the one we often call “Doubting Thomas.” Easter is more than just one magical day–it’s a season of ongoing revelations that show us a God who is more powerful than the forces of death.  This week, Dr. King’s life, death, and legacy are heavy on my mind and heavily influence my thinking about the story of Thomas and the disciples.  Resurrection hope doesn’t magically obliterate grief any more than powerful marches topple empires.  But the momentum of resurrection, like the momentum of resistance, carries through generations.

~Rev. Courtney Jones

April 1, 2018

Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett

Easter, Being a Fool for Christ: The Magic Resurrection

This week’s readings: Jeremiah 31:1-6 & John 20:1-18

Beloved,

March 25, 2018

Ella Verinder, Sari Mauro, Kelly Lynch, Beth Chandler, Ash Temin, Andreè Zaleska, Aimee Van Wagenen, Ben Perkins, Laura Ruth Jarrett, Kathy Bermingham, and Courtney Jones

This week’s reading: Psalm 31:1-5, 9-16 and The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Mark

Beloved,

Our Gospel and sermon is the readers theatre, the Passion Play according to the Gospel of Mark. We pray you come be the collected beloved community as we recount this most Holy Week together. Ella Verinder plays the part of Mark, the Evangelist. Kelly Lynch plays the part of Jesus.

~Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett

March 18, 2018

March 11, 2018

It’s arguably the worst kind of open secret that Christianity has sometimes aligned itself with empire, most notably, the emperor Constantine.  And more recently, there’s the role of the church in supporting empire’s role in slavery, segregation, subjugation of women, and so on.  If we are to be in the world but not of it, how are we, the Body of Christ, to escape the clutches of empire and its many guises and disguises and to become the leaven, salt and light of the world?  The good news is that there are countless examples of the church as a body of resistance against empire, and in my sermon, “Et Tu, Ecclesia,” we’ll examine what our abundantly rich heritage bequeaths to us in scripture and practice.

~Rev. Benjamin Perkins