HopeGateWay

Vulnerability: not the easiest choice. Listen as Randy unpacks the story of the woman with the alabaster jar, anointing Jesus with oil.

The only thing constant is change! Change can evoke anxiety and fear; but with faith as our compass, trusting in God's guidance and wisdom, we can face life's transitions courageously, with hope and confidence in the future. During this series, we'll explore what it means to lean into our faith as we anticipate change within our own lives, change within the HGW community, and change within our denomination and within our world.

Come, Holy Spirit! Today is Pentecost Sunday! In this sermon, we celebrate the dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit in wind and flames — God’s gift to the early followers of Jesus and to us. 2,000 years ago, Pentecost launched the early Christians into a bold, expansive movement. We celebrate all the ways the Holy Spirit is working in us, individually and together as a community of faith. Take some time in reflection: where do you see the Holy Spirit at work in your life and community?

The hope of Easter continues, because Easter isn’t just one special day - it’s a season - and a way of being in the world. Christ is risen! Will we rise up, too? In a world of gun violence, bigotry, extreme poverty and obscene wealth, xenophobia, racism and ecological devastation, let’s listen for the voice of God calling us to embody the hope of Easter! Rise Up!

For Mary and the early disciples, it seemed that the empire had won – that death and decay and devastation had had the final say – and it's easy for us to feel this way, too, but Easter reminds us that Love wins! Easter reminds us that goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, and life is stronger than death! Easter invites us to rise up!