JR.'s Sermons

Relationships in COVID have taken a big hit - no surprise since we've had to cut down our social interactions. But it's left many of us feeling unmoored, struggling to feel connected. What does a church that's serious about relationships do in that space? We find our guide in the God who is intentional about making space to be with us.

This close to the election, there's a lot of anger. Like... a LOT. What does it mean for a people of faith to be angry? How do we know if our anger is righteous or not? And what are we supposed to do with it?

Jesus said, "I am the truth." So why are Christians so susceptible to conspiracy theories? God call us to be a people of sound teaching. How do we do that in a world of fake news and alternative facts?

When we vote, we tend to think about our own wants and needs. But Jesus implores us to put others before ourselves. How do we do that in politics? Rev. Sonya Brown invites us to consider how the practice of lament can help us hear the voices of the most vulnerable among us.

It feels harder and harder to disagree well. We hear frequent calls for civility and niceness. But for a people of faith, nice isn't enough. Rather than settle for a superficial niceness, God calls us to imitate Jesus in offering a deep kindness. Kindness insists we treat others as though they are part of our family. How do we pursue kindness together in the next month?

Every system has roles. In football, it's quarterbacks and receivers, linemen and tight ends, coaches and referees, fans and commentators. As we conclude our Faith & Race series, Sandra Maria Van Opstal joins us to talk about roles in the Church, how they've been racialized, and what it looks like to decolonize our faith.

Every institution has rules, both written and unwritten, that make it run. How should Christians engage a system with unjust rules? We explore another meal Jesus shares with Pharisees to discern how we can respond to voter suppression specifically as a people of faith.

Suburbs exist in large part because of the racialized history of American housing. How should a suburban church respond to that reality - especially as our suburban demographic is changing?

All systems are comprised of physical artefacts. As we begin our exploration of systemic racism in America, we investigate the Confederate monuments we're removing all over the country. How should persons of faith understand this issue, and more importantly: how does that illuminate how the artefacts in our daily lives are racialized too?

We've spent the whole summer learning all kinds of tools to read Scripture. But if we approach the Bible with the wrong attitude, we'll still miss the God to whom the Scripture points. With some help from John and C. S. Lewis., we learn how to read the Bible mythically.