JR.'s Sermons

We often think of prayer as asking God for things. And while that's part of prayer, it's far from the whole. Prayer is one of the daily rhythms God invites us into. Prayer, reading Scripture and meditation are spaces where we can order our day and remember God is always with us. How can these daily rhythms transform our daily life?

The last year and a half, many of us have felt unmoored and adrift. As we're opening back up, going back to school and trying to find the new normal, how can we rediscover and reclaim those spiritual rhythms that bring us to life?

Everywhere we look today, people are afraid. And fear makes us do ugly things - all justified by a need for safety and security. The new flagship Star Trek series - Discovery and Picard - inhabit a fearful universe as well, and they invite us to choose to boldly go with them somewhere better: a world of love and freedom. How can we begin that journey, grounded in God's love for us that drives out fear?

Symbols are powerful. What do you feel when you see a Christmas tree? Or an American flag? What about your favorite band’s logo? Of course, the most powerful symbols mean different things to different people. The cross for many of us is a symbol of liberation and hope. But for many others, it’s a symbol of oppression and violence. How do we reclaim the cross for the sake of our neighbors? Surprisingly, Sam Wilson’s journey in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier offers us some clues!

Star Wars is no stranger to religious themes, and The Mandalorian is no exception. What happens when Mando's strict code contradicts itself? Will he choose law or love? The Mandalorian's way of mercy illustrates for us Jesus' own injunction to choose mercy over sacrifice. This is a teaching with real-world consequences!

Breaking Bad was a show about a man who consistently chose to be bad. One decision after another took him down the path from beloved high school teacher to murderous drug kingpin. His transformation is a dramatization of what we all know: sin is insidious, and we feel trapped by our choices. Fortunately, Jesus offers us a way out of the Walter White Doom Loop - a way to freedom from and victory over sin.

Stranger Things runs on two things: nostalgia and a fear of the Upside Down. But is turning the world upside down really so scary? Maybe only to those who benefit from the way things are. The Upside Down could be a blessing to those who struggle for justice and hope in our day-to-day reality. How can we live upside-down lives?

Does the devil make us do it? The Lucifer TV show says no. And James (Jesus' brother) agrees! James says temptation happens because of our own desires. So: how can we learn to want the right things?

Philosopher Jean Paul Sartre famously wrote that “Hell is other people.” But The Good Place begs to differ. According to the show, other people might be our best chance of truly being changed. How can we discover the path to authentic community? From Arizona trash bag to whole, healthy and loving? If we’re willing to choose vulnerability, we’ll find Sartre was wrong. It’s heaven that’s other people.

Before the Golden Age of Television was the rise of Reality TV. From Real World to the Bachelor to Survivor to cooking shows, we can't get enough of real people on camera. Why is that? What does our obsession with reality television say about our desire for authenticity? And how can we resist the temptation to produce our own lives?