Some weeks feel like too much. The news. The heartbreak. The weight of it all. From senseless gun violence to growing division, many of us are wondering how to keep going, where to turn, and whether hope still has a place.

This week’s episode offers space to sit with it all. To lament what’s broken. To remember the world we’re still dreaming of. To honor our anger without letting it consume us. And to cling to hope, not because it’s easy—but because it’s necessary.

For anyone feeling discouraged, angry, or just plain tired—this one is for you.

And please, continue to hold the victims, families and the Minneapolis community in heart and prayer in this difficult time as they reel from a mass shooting that killed 2 young kids, and injured countless others.  Peace, healing and hope be with them in this time... 

Show Note - See the photo referenced of woman running to the school here

This week on Sunday Sermons, we’re not sugarcoating it.

From defrocked mega-church pastors to Bible-wielding culture warriors, a whole lot of Christianity is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Again.

But right in the middle of that mess, we baptized two kids. And it reminded me — baptism was never meant to be a religious loophole or a spiritual status symbol. It’s not a ticket to heaven or a shield from accountability.

It’s a calling.

A commitment.

A chance to live a life rooted in compassion, justice, and love — not fear, shame, or control.

So let’s talk about what baptism really is, what it’s absolutely not, and why reclaiming it might just be part of saving the soul of the church.

Tune in. Reflect. Share.  And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and pass this along to someone who needs to hear it.  

What do forgiveness, humility, and a goldfish have in common?  Turns out, quite a lot.

This week’s message, a throwback sermon from a few years ago, is inspired by the unlikely wisdom of Ted Lasso — a coach who reminds us that kindness matters, curiosity beats judgment, and sometimes, the holiest thing you can do is let it go.

Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, this one will speak to your soul.

This sermon first aired in 2023, right when the world needed a little more kindness, a little more hope, and maybe… a little more Lasso. It’s still just as relevant today.

So enjoy this throwback sermon episode and please, head to either the Faith UCC Dunedin Facebook or YouTube page to see the powerful ‘Pulpit Talk’ from Faith UCC member Ellery Albrecht-Subia from this past Sunday.  You don’t want to miss this one! 

And please remember to share, subscribe, like and rate the podcast.  Your support is so appreciated!   

When God Meets You in the Mess, things happen – things change. 

Some seasons of life feel like a fight you never signed up for. You’re tired. You’re unsure when it started, and you can’t see when it will end.

But what if the struggle you’re in isn’t here to break you — but to grow you?

What if it’s the very place God meets you, wrestles with you, and blesses you in ways you don’t yet see?

This week’s episode of Sunday Sermons with Pastor Mike is rooted in one of Scripture’s most powerful stories — Jacob wrestling all night at the riverbank — and what it has to teach us about fear, transformation, and God’s relentless presence in our own dark nights of the soul.

This week’s episode of Sunday Sermons with Pastor Mike starts with a question from psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais, shared on The Rich Roll Podcast -“What are you in the process of becoming?”

It’s the kind of question that stops you in your tracks — because it’s not just about goals or dreams. It’s about who we are, and who we’re becoming — both as individuals and as a spiritual community making some big decisions around going to solar energy.

At Faith UCC, we’ve been on a long journey of becoming. Now we’re asking if the next step is becoming a church that leads with action — one that cares for creation not just in words, but in real, tangible ways.

This episode invites reflection, imagination, and bold hope — for your own life

and for the future we can build together.  

This week on Sunday Sermons with Pastor Mike we gather around a story: A war. A man haunted by what he did. A teacher who saw his pain and said: "You can begin again."

This week, we’ll talk about what it means to let go—not just of the past, but of the stories we tell ourselves: about guilt, about who we think we are, about what can or can’t change.

We’ll pour the sand of our Mandala, each grain a prayer, a release, a possibility. We’ll open ourselves to starting over—not once, but as many times as it takes. We'll learn from wise teachers – 

'“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Jesus

So if your soul needs space to breathe, if your spirit is carrying too much, tune in today. Let’s breathe together. Let go together. And start again.

Socrates, Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, and LBJ walk into a bar...

Sounds like the setup to a joke, right?

But it’s not.  It’s the foundation for tomorrow’s sermon (minus the bar) about faith, politics, conscience, and power—and what happens when the church starts playing campaign manager.

This week, we’re talking about the fall of the Johnson Amendment, the cracks forming in the wall between church and state, and what Socrates, Jesus, and Jefferson might say to us right now.

Why did Socrates choose death over compromising his beliefs?  What did Jesus really mean when he said, “Render unto Caesar…”?  Why did Jefferson fight to build a wall between religion and government?

And what does it all mean now that pastors can legally endorse political candidates from the pulpit?  Let’s get into all of this and more on Sunday Sermons with Pastor Mike.... 

This isn’t your typical 4th of July sermon. This one might make you a bit angry.

In a week that exposed the deep cracks in our country’s soul — from cruel immigration policies to brutal budget cuts masked as reform — we’re asking: why do we claim to be a “Christian nation” when our actions scream the opposite?

This episode wrestles with the grief, anger, and betrayal many of us feel in these times, and offers a fierce reminder: faith doesn’t look away from injustice. It speaks up. It shows up. It resists.

If your heart is heavy and your hope feels shaky, you’re not alone. Let’s stand in the truth together — and remember that the work still matters. The dream still lives. And the light? It’s ours to carry. 

Welcome to Sunday Sermons with Pastor Mike.