On Saturday evening, a startling revelation from his wife over dinner stopped the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel in his tracks. This compelled him to rewrite his sermon for this morning. In his first sermon upon returning from sabbatical, Rev. Kerbel offers a pastoral and yet challenging message about who and how we need to be in this moment.

What examples do our readings this morning hold for us on what it means to become a beloved community? How does a beloved community act? What should we watch for? And how does our Becoming Beloved Community plan address these lessons? Rev. Carol Duncan guides us through these questions and reminds us that, "Whoever is not against us is for us."

Barb Ballenger's sermon this morning uses the story of “The Selfish Giant”, abbreviated from The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) by Oscar Wilde to illuminate Sunday's lectionary and Jesus' spiritual practice for his disciples: Radical Hospitality.

In this week's passage from Mark, we see Jesus preparing his disciples for the end of his life. What we are seeing here is an example for us - of gladly taking up our crosses, but of also enlisting those around us in the community of faith for support.

When James calls us out on our human condition of partiality in today's scripture lesson, it is uncomfortable to hear. Almost as uncomfortable as what Jesus says in today's reading from Mark. And yet, we see a Jesus both fully human and fully divine in these verses. What does that teach us this morning?

Barb Ballenger brings us back to the mid-1990's and her time in a performing arts ministry. One of the characters she created was Annie Wim, one of the anawim (ah-nah-weem) of the Hebrew scriptures - the lowly ones, the bowed down. Annie was certain she would be married to God. Her radical belief in being the beloved of God may make some uncomfortable but has something to teach us as well.

With the voter engagement efforts coming out of St. Martin's in the works, Rev. Taylor talks about Joshua and the people of Israel as they voted for their God. What does it mean, and what do we agree to when we vote for our God?

How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Sit down and mull that one over anew with Rev. Carol Duncan in her sermon from August 19, 2018. Her understanding of the Eucharist has grown and deepened over the years and she invites you to consider where your understanding is today.

A tragic story from the news this weekend, and Paul's word for us this Sunday, remind the Rev. Phyllis Taylor of all the ways we must remember and reflect the example from God on managing our anger.

On our celebration of Emancipation Day, Barb Ballenger asks who we depend on, and wonders if our independence gets in the way of our freedom.