Over the next four weeks, Chelsea, Claire, and Dana will offer short reflections on the weekly themes of Advent: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.  These themes connect to the traditional Scripture readings that are presented throughout the Advent season and remain consistent from year to year.

In today's episode, Chelsea reflects on Hope. 

Learn more about the history of Advent at the links below: 

https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-do-the-candles-in-our-advent-wreath-mean

https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-what-is-the-history-of-advent-for-united-methodists

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

In today's episode, Dana tackles the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31. Listen as she reflects on what it means to choose a life not of self-centered indifference, but of inclusivity, joy, and and openness. 

Follow us on instagram @The.Collective.Table, and check out our website at thecollectivetable.org! 

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

On today’s episode, Claire gets into the weeds as she shares her take on Matthew chapter 13, the parable of the weeds and the wheat. Maybe you have heard this parable preached in a way that is supposed to scare you out of hell - but we hope you come away from this podcast knowing that actually, Jesus is painting a picture of our loving creator who will dig deep enough to uproot the lies that tell us that we are not worthy of love. So get out your gardening tools and let’s dig! 

Follow us on instagram @The.Collective.Table, and check out our website at thecollectivetable.org! 

Today our TCT Book Club sits down with author Valarie Kaur for a virtual Q&A on her book, See No Stranger. 

How do we love in a time of rage? How do we fix a broken world while not breaking ourselves? Valarie Kaur—renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer—describes revolutionary love as the call of our time, a radical, joyful practice that extends in three directions: to others, to our opponents, and to ourselves.

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

In this episode, Claire explores Luke 12:13-21, otherwise known as the parable of the Rich Fool. But shouldn't we just call it the parable of the really lonely guy? Listen in as Rev. Claire unpacks what this parable has to say about greed, wealth, and loneliness. 

Follow us on instagram @The.Collective.Table, and check out our website at thecollectivetable.org! 

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

In this week's sermon, Chelsea explores Jesus' parable found in Luke 10:25-37, otherwise known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Listen to a recording of TCT’s September Book Club Author Q&A with John Pavlovitz about his book, If God is Love, Don't Be a Jerk. 

Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.

This conversation was recorded on September 28th, 2022.

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

In this week's sermon, Chelsea explores Jesus' parable found in Matthew 20:1-16, which is typically called the Parable of the Workers in the Field. But Chelsea likes to call it the Parable of the Generous Landowner. She hopes you'll see why by the end of this episode! 

During season 6, Rev. Chelsea, Dana and Rev. Claire will be taking a deep dive into some of Jesus’ most known and beloved teachings. But these stories are not just sweet, little children’s stories meant to make us feel good. They are radical and challenging and would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. They point to God’s grace, God’s upside-down Kin-dom, and the ways in which we are invited to respond.

In today's episode, Dana shares a sermon on Luke 15, a collection of three parables: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son, or the prodigal son. 

Today Chelsea & Claire are joined by Grace Baldridge, a.k.a. Semler, to talk all things music, spirituality, queerness, and how these things are reflected in their song, Late Bloomer.  

Semler is a queer-identifying musical artist whose songs have topped the charts in the Christian music world. Their new album, Stages of a Breakdown, is available now. Follow them on Instagram @gracebaldridge. 

Want to be a part of The Collective Table? Follow us @the.collective.table!