Jesus often crossed paths with others not from his “tribe.” He did not shy away. Actually, he most often sought out these opportunities. He met people in their daily lives and locales, such as the Samaritan woman at the well and her community, and engage with them at the point of their deepest yearning. When we seek out and open to new encounters, new people, new relationships, we allow ourselves a spiritual rendezvous with humanity. And in this act, we discover more spiritual depth within us than we previously imagined. How can we shift our perception, redefining “strangers” as “friends we have not yet met?”

Sunday, August 24, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

Whether you travel far away or see your local surroundings as if for the first time, pilgrimage has long been a spiritual practice, and “journey” a deeply-felt metaphor for our spiritual lives. “Quest” comes from the Latin root meaning “ask, seek.” This week we begin a four-week worship series that will encourage us to open ourselves more fully to the curiosity and wonder, reflection and transformation that travelers–not merely tourists–experience when they choose to immerse themselves in soul-widening adventures. Step one: leaving home.

Sunday, August 17, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

In our life stories and the stories of Hosea and Luke, we are invited to see the very surprising and unexpected ways that God shows up in our lives. We are pleased to welcome our own Rev. Dr. John Holbert to the Sanctuary pulpit where he will preach from Hosea 11:1-9 and Luke 23:32-38. John is an active leader in our congregation in his retirement. He is also Professor Emeritus of Homiletics at Perkins School of Theology at SMU.

Sunday, August 10, 2025Rev. Dr. John Holbert

This week we conclude our series on New Testament letters, with some advice for life in Christ: it should make you a whole new person.

Sunday, August 3, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

Our scripture includes an invitation to resist temptations common in chaotic times—including the temptation of easy answers— and instead remember the power of our life in Christ, grounded in divine grace.

Sunday, July 27, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

We are living through an era of profound religious and political polarization. Mending this division can feel impossible, and yet we know that all things are possible through God. That is the message given to the church community in Thessalonica, who were experiencing their own divisions. How might the advice within this letter be useful for us today?

Sunday, July 20, 2025Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter

The letters of the New Testament aren’t abstract theology—they’re real words, written by real people (Paul or someone in his footsteps), to real churches trying to live faithfully in challenging times. In Colossians, we hear a word of encouragement and blessing, like a letter of recommendation, affirming the faithfulness already present in the community and calling forth more of that good fruit: acts of justice, compassion, and steadfast hope. Paired with Psalm 82’s cry for justice and care for the vulnerable, we’re reminded that our work as the church isn’t just about belief, but about how we live: how we show up, feed the hungry, stand with the oppressed, and love our neighbors relentlessly. We can look to examples, like the faithful women known as Las Patronas, who have been faithfully tossing food to migrants on the train across Mexico that is known as "The Beast," we’re invited to persist in simple, holy acts that bear witness to God’s reign. Friends, this is what fruitfulness looks like—and it is sweet.

Sunday, July 13, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

This summer, we're diving into the New Testament letters—real, heartfelt correspondence between early church leaders like Paul and the communities they helped shape. Today we hear Paul writing to the Galatians, his handwriting literally on the page, urging them—and us—not to give up. He’s reminding us that we belong to one another, not because we’re the same, but because Christ has torn down all the old dividing lines. In a world that often feels like it’s pushing us apart, Paul says: keep sowing seeds of compassion, justice, and mercy. It will matter. He pushes back on rigid religious gatekeeping and instead calls us to something deeper: a transformation of the heart, not the flesh. He wants a new creation, not a new rulebook. And that’s the heart of our faith—not violence, not domination, but love that endures, even through death to resurrection. As we gather at Christ’s table, may the bread and cup remind you of who you are and to whom you belong. You are already part of this body. You are already loved. And you’re invited to keep going—to keep showing up with love, to keep planting hope, and to trust that, together, we are part of a story far bigger than ourselves.

Sunday, July 6, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

This new sermon series focuses the epistles, exploring how the early church used personal, relational communication—like Paul’s letters—to nurture faith and build community. Unlike the chaos of a group chat, letters offer depth, patience, and intimacy—much like a sermon grounded in lived relationship. In Galatians, Paul reminds us that life in the Spirit brings freedom—not self-centered isolation, but connection. The “works of the flesh” are not about condemning bodies but rejecting ego and division. The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, kindness—are embodied, communal gifts. On this Pride Sunday, we celebrate the holy beauty of queer lives and recognize how our liberation is bound up together. Like dark matter holding galaxies in shape, God’s unseen love connects us all. The gospel calls us to a radical, joyful love of neighbor—not abstractly, but in tangible action and solidarity. May we be drawn deeper into this mysterious, liberating love.

Sunday, June 29, 2025Rev. Molly Vetter

Everest Harvey first came to Westwood in Fall of 2023, after finishing a year-long Fulbright teaching grant in Taiwan. They graduated from University of California Santa Cruz in 2022 with a double major in Literature and Sociology.

They have been involved in queer ministries since seventh grade, when they first noticed that the exclusion of LGBT+ people from Christian spaces didn’t make any sense. They have been working to create queer-embracing, intergenerational, justice-centered spiritual spaces ever since. Their ministry work has also led them to facilitate youth programs centered around the radical idea that children and teenagers are people and deserve to be treated as such.

Everest seeks to build communities that prioritize growth, compassion, abundance, and curiosity. Outside of church, you can find them reading, sitting in a park, line dancing, or wandering the streets of Los Angeles in search of a nice place to think. They lead Grapple (the middle and high school group), Queer Group, the Westwood Organizing Team, and other community partnership and service opportunities at Westwood.

Sunday, June 22, 2025Guest Preacher: Everest Harvey