Matt, Krystal, and John tell you what's coming up at University Presbyterian Church Austin this weekend.

All are welcome at Christ's table, without exception. It fills us to bursting with the joy of celebrating all that is good, just, beautiful, and hopeful. But don’t think for a moment that all this abundance comes cheap. When we extend our hands to receive a piece of bread, we hear the server say, “The body of Christ.”

The Reverend John Leedy preaches from I Corinthians on World Communion Sunday, October 7, 2018.

Forgiveness isn’t a virtue in and of itself, but goes hand in hand with grace and truth. It’s a God-given tool that we use for the building-up of God’s kingdom. It flows from people with power to those without it. When power demands forgiveness from the powerless, forgiveness is weaponized, in opposition to the Gospel. The Reverend Matt Gaventa preaches from Matthew 18:21-35, Sunday, September 30, 2018.

As the disciples argue over who is the greatest, Jesus makes the disciples - and us - pay attention to a child, perhaps a servant or slave serving the meal, who no one noticed until Jesus pointed them out. Do we pay attention to the ones that could just as easily be written out of the story? Austin Seminary Intern Caroline Barnett preaches from Mark 9:30-37 Sunday, September 23, 2018.

The truth is I’m not sure the church has figured Jesus out at all. And if the church is truly supposed to be the body of Jesus Christ in the world then the question, "Who do you say that I am?" is an indicting one for us today in 2018. So, what is the Good News?

The Reverend Matt Gaventa preaches from Mark 8:27-38 Sunday, September 16, 2018.

The unnamed woman is passionately doing the hard work of advocacy. When Jesus snaps, she responds with empathy; seeing this situation from Jesus’ perspective. She picks up the rubber band of Jesus' humanity, ties a knot in it, and hands it back with a smile and a witty retort. And Jesus' whole world expands.

The Reverend Krystal Leedy preaches from Mark 7:24-37, Sunday, September 9, 2018.

In John’s Gospel, the crowd has been bingeing on bread and fish, as far as the eye can see. Jesus sees them stuffing themselves with food that perishes. Jesus knows they are hungry for something else, for something more satisfying, hungry instead for God's presence, for God's promises, for God's deliverance.

The Reverend Matt Gaventa preaches from John 6:24-35, Sunday, September 2, 2018

When Jesus tells the lakeside crowd to gather up the pieces, they understand the reference to manna in the wilderness But Jesus isn't just talking about daily rations, or God’s abundance. Jesus insists on gathering the fragments: fragments of bread, fragments of fish, fragments of people - all the broken pieces.

The Reverend Matt Gaventa preaches from John 6:1-15, Sunday, August 26, 2018

Mark says “they fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid,” full stop. All of a sudden, Mark doesn’t have any more words, like the sentences aren’t sufficient to carry their own weight, like the story itself bursts its own boundaries.

The Reverend Matt Gaventa concludes the series "God's Promises Unfolding: Sermons from the Easter Vigil Texts" with an Easter sermon from Mark 16:1-8. Sunday, August 19, 2018

Staring at these holy words in this holy book, we ask the question the church has been asking itself for 2,000 years,"How is this story saving us?" It’s a great question, but perhaps it’s not the first question. First, we have to ask, "What do we need saving from?" Pastor John Leedy preaches from the Easter Vigil text Isaiah 55:1-11 August 12, 2018