Can we say out loud that sometimes our good and graciously God doesn't seem so good? There is a tradition within faith to question God. Call out God by calling for God. Our sister Hannah teaches us about lament, a response to unresolved issues that tax a heart and spirit. Hannah does not stop praying to God, and this could be a model for us. God can handle our harsh disbelief and our angst. God can take our pain and disappointment, even our disbelief. God will let us say that God does not seem so good. Our sermon series Strong Women of Scripture continues with this sermon from June 30, 2018.

We need light. Our lives can be consumed by shadows and chaos, leaving us longing for light. Ruth is light. For her embittered, lamenting mother-in-law. For the entire book of the Bible, placed as her story is after the shroud of fear that is the final verses of Judges. For us to remember that our lives are marked and shaped by God's light piercing the night. Our summer series on strong women continues with Ruth June 24, 2018.

Who rescued you? We of the church world banter around the word "saved" and give it all sorts of lovely descriptions. As much as words are great, we humans need dirt, flesh, blood, bread and wine, objects of the earth. We are saved by grace. And we are saved, or rescued by God. Deborah rescues her people from captivity across the border because God hears their cries. God rescues us because God hears our cries. For this love and Grace, we are turned to listen for the cries of God's people and be the earthly response of God's love and compassion. Our summer series, Strong Women of Scripture, continues with this sermon from Sunday, June 17, 2018.

Invisible, unknown, silenced, never hearing her own name. Hagar lived enslaved to Abe and Sarah, two prominent Bible characters who try to overshadow her presence. Yet chapter 16 is Hagar's story, they can step aside. Hagar has her own plans, she takes her life in her hands, she cares for herself even as she suffers injustice and defeat. And God sees Hagar through all of it. God loves Hagar, blesses Hagar and names Hagar, giving her an identity that can model faith and hope for us. Our first sermon in our summer series, Strong Women of Scripture.

A sea of empty pews in a once thriving congregation. Another report of heinous violence at a school. A valley full of dried up bones. God grants brother Ezekiel a vision that reflects his known reality, that sometimes all we can see is what we see. And sometimes, when we're blinded by our doubt dismay, God asks strange questions. Can there be life when the only signs are for death? A sermon about our hope in God from Ezekiel 37.1-14 given May 20, 2018.

Seems so long ago, that beautiful day when God's glory was revealed, the best songs were sung, the best bonnets were worn, the best news was proclaimed. A couple weekends down the mountain and we're feeling, like the disciples, a little less. Toss in some tough news about missile strikes, racism in coffee shops and, well, all of it and its no wonder the disciples cannot believe its Jesus. Even when he's standing right here! The sermon this week is out of Luke 24.36-48.

Prophet Jeremiah is sitting in the ash and dust of what was once the promised nation of God. In the aftermath of war, he's not so sure about where God resides. In the midst of death and disappointment, we cannot be sure about the nearness of God. To these questions and all the fears of facing death, God responds with a new covenant. One in which God takes all the risk and we receive our call to live. Our sermon from Sunday, May 18, 2018 on Jeremiah 31.31-34.

Our reading from Numbers 21 tells of God bringing snakes to the plains of the wilderness. Some read it as punishment against the Israelites. Others as divine explanation of a strange animal event. its bizarre and we're not sure what it tells us about God. Or us. A reminder that our relationship with God is a mystery and that, beyond our explanations and good order, God is God. God will do what God will do to get us back in relationship with God. God doesn't make sense. Neither does God's love for us wayward wanders. And yet, God is our God.

Human history is marked by global, regional and local plagues. On this very day the plague of violence visited yet another school as human sin was manifest against children. To whom do we turn in the midst of disaster? The prophet Joel calls us to solemn assembly, to return to God for reckoning that we might be reconciled. And God promises that these days we know will end on the new day of the Lord that is coming. God be with our people in Florida as God is with us in our devastation and sin, leading us to new life through a cross. Our Ash Wednesday sermon on Joel 2.1-2,12-17.

Mark describes Jesus like a superhero. Christ can heal anyone, cast out demons from anyone, be anywhere and everywhere. No wonder Peter wants to build a house in his honor. Too bad we can't lock our Lord down in a building or a moment, keeping his healing powers close would be easier. Unless, he's closer than we already realize. Our sermon on Mark 9.2-9 from Feb 11, 2018.