Sep 14, 2024 |
Backtalk
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Backtalk
Are you beset with gloom?
Gloomy because someone like me refuses to accept your dehumanizing
dream, crushing his nose for an answer?
Oh well, still I rise. Maya audacious,
defiant backtalk is a sassy refusal to accept the life restricting consequences
of the denials, discrimination, and oppression by a dominant center and
patriarchal system.
Today we hear of a similar sassy refusal to accept a denial of life in our Gospel reading. Here too, we hear backtalk to someone in a position of power, supernatural power, that is, whose denial of life and wholeness is also one of discrimination and exclusivity. The episode is tense, upsetting and complicated.
I cannot speak for you, but such is certainly true for myself and in fact, the same appears to be true for the author of the Gospel of Mark who locates a tired and possibly quite aggravated Jesus in the region of Thyre, a Gentile dominated territory. It is hard to imagine Jesus being at ease. He is alone, attempting to go unnoticed in a house in a region in which there is some history of animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
Today we hear of a similar sassy refusal to accept a denial of life in our Gospel reading. Here too, we hear backtalk to someone in a position of power, supernatural power, that is, whose denial of life and wholeness is also one of discrimination and exclusivity. The episode is tense, upsetting and complicated.
I cannot speak for you, but such is certainly true for myself and in fact, the same appears to be true for the author of the Gospel of Mark who locates a tired and possibly quite aggravated Jesus in the region of Thyre, a Gentile dominated territory. It is hard to imagine Jesus being at ease. He is alone, attempting to go unnoticed in a house in a region in which there is some history of animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
Sep 04, 2024 |
The Hate We Carry
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
The Hate We Carry
I need to say this, by the way, in this conversation, if
I don't say this, I will be very remiss.
Anger and hatred are not the same thing.
And many of you were raised, especially women, were raised to believe
that anger was bad and you should not have it or keep it to yourself. We were taught that you
shouldn't be angry about anything.
And you might be worried that what I'm saying right now is that you should never be angry because that's bad friends. Anger is not inherently bad. In fact, anger is a very natural part of our lives. Anger is a base emotion that we all must have sometimes. In fact , there is a problem if you see injustice, hatred, violence, murder, oppression, cruelty, and hatred, and anger does not arise in you.
We're supposed to feel angry in the face of that which is deeply wrong. I'm not saying don't be angry, but as the epistle writer James says, your anger is not the thing that makes God righteous. We do not want to allow our anger to become self-righteous.
And you might be worried that what I'm saying right now is that you should never be angry because that's bad friends. Anger is not inherently bad. In fact, anger is a very natural part of our lives. Anger is a base emotion that we all must have sometimes. In fact , there is a problem if you see injustice, hatred, violence, murder, oppression, cruelty, and hatred, and anger does not arise in you.
We're supposed to feel angry in the face of that which is deeply wrong. I'm not saying don't be angry, but as the epistle writer James says, your anger is not the thing that makes God righteous. We do not want to allow our anger to become self-righteous.
Aug 26, 2024 |
Living Transformed
| Guest Speaker
Living Transformed
We pray that God will take ordinary things. Things like bread and wine and water and oil and use those ordinary elements to convey God's extraordinary grace and love. It matters. It matters that we recognize these gifts from God and it matters too that we acknowledge the reality of evil. I don't envision a return to three years preparation for baptism, or it's once a year occasion, or even necessarily that whole facing west and facing east business that our forebears practiced. But I do give thanks for the fact that we hold those ancient promises That we reaffirm those renunciations and those affirmations every time we renew the promises of our baptism
The Apostle Paul probably wrote the letter to the church at Ephesus, which has been the focus of your preaching series over these last weeks, while he was in prison in Rome after his third missionary journey. Paul would have visited that region three times over the course of his ministry. First, just for a few months to establish the church, establishing also leaders in that place who would continue the ministry that he had begun. And later in his second voyage, for three years, he stayed with the Ephesians. And finally, he went back as part of his last journey to Jerusalem. Over that time, Paul saw the church grow into a body of multiple cultures.
In his letter, Paul teaches that through Christ all creation has been reconciled to God. In doing that, God has reconciled all of us to each other, and so because we are reconciled to God, because we're reconciled to one another, God calls us to live differently.
To live as a people who have been transformed.
The Apostle Paul probably wrote the letter to the church at Ephesus, which has been the focus of your preaching series over these last weeks, while he was in prison in Rome after his third missionary journey. Paul would have visited that region three times over the course of his ministry. First, just for a few months to establish the church, establishing also leaders in that place who would continue the ministry that he had begun. And later in his second voyage, for three years, he stayed with the Ephesians. And finally, he went back as part of his last journey to Jerusalem. Over that time, Paul saw the church grow into a body of multiple cultures.
In his letter, Paul teaches that through Christ all creation has been reconciled to God. In doing that, God has reconciled all of us to each other, and so because we are reconciled to God, because we're reconciled to one another, God calls us to live differently.
To live as a people who have been transformed.
Aug 19, 2024 |
Be Careful
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Be Careful
For me, the third grade was probably one of the best times of my life. I could pick out my own Umbro shorts, scrunchie my own ponytail, And ride my bike freely around the neighborhood from sun up to dinner time, getting into some good and maybe not-so-good trouble with the other kids who lived nearby.
I learned to cook, spent unnumbered hours creating trampoline routines, and made prank phone calls to my friends from school. Is your refrigerator running? Better go and catch it.
I vividly remember a Saturday morning in July of 1994, climbing the gutter at the elementary school down the street and slipping in through an unlocked window, and scaling down the bleachers into the gymnasium. So that we could swing on the big rope in the open gym. Being eight was great. Life was good, not a care in the world.
Nostalgia set in earlier this summer when I realized with sentimental longing and wistful affection that the mothering of my own eight-year-old children has been marred by the same two words that begin our reading from Ephesians today; be careful.
Aug 12, 2024 |
Nothing to Prove
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Nothing to Prove
And then what happened is as many of you know, I had a sort
of a conversion experience when I was 20 and I realized, oh gosh,
dang, I do believe in God. This is real that I believe in God. And in fact, I
think I'm Christian. I do believe in Jesus. And from the moment that that
happened, I felt this sort of need to prove some things.
From the moment that I was called back into my faith, I felt the need to prove myself. In my case, I didn't feel the need to prove to other Christians that I was Christian. In my case, I needed, I felt the need to prove to my friends and those who knew me for the last few years that just because I was Christian didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to become a jerk. It was really important to me.
I wanted people to know that even though I believed in this Jesus guy and I was in on this, I was very concerned and wanted to prove to my friends that this wouldn't change the way that I loved them and hopefully it wouldn't change the way that they loved me.
From the moment that I was called back into my faith, I felt the need to prove myself. In my case, I didn't feel the need to prove to other Christians that I was Christian. In my case, I needed, I felt the need to prove to my friends and those who knew me for the last few years that just because I was Christian didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to become a jerk. It was really important to me.
I wanted people to know that even though I believed in this Jesus guy and I was in on this, I was very concerned and wanted to prove to my friends that this wouldn't change the way that I loved them and hopefully it wouldn't change the way that they loved me.
Aug 06, 2024 |
Unity
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Unity
This certainly is not unity. Is unity a difficult ask for today? Today America has become more divided than ever. For many, unity is viewed as a threat to peace. to one's personhood or individual identity altogether. Unity requires someone must win and someone must lose. Unity means a loss of freedom.
Unity means a loss of merit or a loss of dignity. Unity also means a loss of stability, a loss of security, and a loss of safety. Today, to some, unity is indeed frightening. Unity And yes, unity is indeed frightening because unity requires vulnerability. Unity often takes its victims to unchartered and unknown territories.
Unity might lead to becoming friends or falling in love with someone you never dreamed possible. Unity might lead to agreeing with or even having compassion for another person that they have been conditioned to hate. Unity might lead to someone challenging their own worldviews, then to confusion, and then maybe some resolve.
I've never heard or read anywhere that unity is easy.
Unity means a loss of merit or a loss of dignity. Unity also means a loss of stability, a loss of security, and a loss of safety. Today, to some, unity is indeed frightening. Unity And yes, unity is indeed frightening because unity requires vulnerability. Unity often takes its victims to unchartered and unknown territories.
Unity might lead to becoming friends or falling in love with someone you never dreamed possible. Unity might lead to agreeing with or even having compassion for another person that they have been conditioned to hate. Unity might lead to someone challenging their own worldviews, then to confusion, and then maybe some resolve.
I've never heard or read anywhere that unity is easy.
Jul 29, 2024 |
End of August
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
End of August
Now that this is my last Sunday with you, it’s time for me to tell you my real name, because in so many ways, our name defines us, roots us in this world, gives us our identity. My real name isn’t the name that my parents put on my birth certificate and that I was called at my baptism. It’s the name my grandmother gave me when I was born. My father’s mother, Ah Yun, was the name-giver for the Chin family.
An ancient Chinese saying goes, “The family is essential under Heaven.” The family is the foundation, the center of Chinese culture, with the male child responsible for continuing the family lineage and, importantly, passing on the family name. So girls are traditionally not valued.
But the birth of the first child, male or female, is always an occasion for celebration and joy. So when my parents’ first child was born, a girl, Ah Yun named her Mei Li, meaning “Beautiful Daughter.” Girls are often named lovely names like that—Coral Flower, Beautiful Girl, Lustrous Pearl, and so on. I think it makes the girl more appealing when the time for marriage comes along.
Jul 24, 2024 |
Carriers of Love
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
Carriers of Love
We live in a time when the proclaiming of Christ's word may
sometimes be used to divide us, not unite us.
To judge us, separate us from one another. The distortion of Christ's message of love
may be used to sound exclusive instead of the inclusive example Jesus actually
taught and lived. Sometimes it feels
heartbreaking that truth and faith and love can become so distorted and
weaponized for very human agendas.
In our very human lives, we may witness many divisions from politics to economics, to ecology, to healthcare, to diet, to education, to government, to justice. The list could go on and on. We see these divisions in headlines, in conflicts involving power, violence, manipulation, and distortion. We see these in our communities, in country, and around the world.
And we often experience divisions in close relationships, within families, friendships, with colleagues, neighbors, others in our communities. We can be very clear about our experiences, our judgments, to respond to others. And we respond to others with judgment, accordingly, without effort, to find a place of listening, of reconciliation, of unity.
In our very human lives, we may witness many divisions from politics to economics, to ecology, to healthcare, to diet, to education, to government, to justice. The list could go on and on. We see these divisions in headlines, in conflicts involving power, violence, manipulation, and distortion. We see these in our communities, in country, and around the world.
And we often experience divisions in close relationships, within families, friendships, with colleagues, neighbors, others in our communities. We can be very clear about our experiences, our judgments, to respond to others. And we respond to others with judgment, accordingly, without effort, to find a place of listening, of reconciliation, of unity.
Jul 16, 2024 |
Superlatives
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Superlatives
When I was graduating high school, our yearbook staff held an election for hope in the form of our senior superlatives. You all may remember these from that time in your life. Each day at the lunch period, for a week, students could go to the special table in the lunchroom and cast their vote for their peers, that they felt were well deserving of a title that would mark the reality of the present, but also to help propel that person forward into the world with a community affirmed identity.
There was most likely to succeed. Life of the party, most kind, class clown, best smile, and most likely to run for president.
We waited with anticipation for the votes to be counted, the answers would be printed in our senior yearbook, enshrined for all to see, a symbol of our hope for what was to come. I remember huddling in the hallway with my friends as I ran my finger down the list, reading at a rapid pace. There was my name, Melanie Jonakopoulos: biggest tree hugger.
Jul 08, 2024 |
In Weakness, God is There
| Tym House
In Weakness, God is There
I do believe Paul's point is easily made at the end of our
reading. And that is that God's power is
made stronger in our human weakness.
Therefore, boasting and weakness allows for Christ's power and grace to be made more evident. Or, in our English translation of this, it's perfected. But why? Why is the divine's power perfected in weakness? Maybe because when human weakness is exposed, we get to see our gracious and compassionate God do things our humanity cannot do well on its own.
Maybe because in weakness, one must rely on something else beyond themselves to overcome. Maybe because in weakness, God likes to use those spaces to do things that exceed our expectations. Or maybe because in our boasting about our strength, we lose sight for our need of God and we think we can do things on our own.
Therefore, boasting and weakness allows for Christ's power and grace to be made more evident. Or, in our English translation of this, it's perfected. But why? Why is the divine's power perfected in weakness? Maybe because when human weakness is exposed, we get to see our gracious and compassionate God do things our humanity cannot do well on its own.
Maybe because in weakness, one must rely on something else beyond themselves to overcome. Maybe because in weakness, God likes to use those spaces to do things that exceed our expectations. Or maybe because in our boasting about our strength, we lose sight for our need of God and we think we can do things on our own.
Jun 10, 2024 |
Are We There Yet?
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
Are We There Yet?
I think we are all familiar with “Are we there yet?” In fact, I can’t help thinking that the question, so familiar to family travelers, is an inborn genetic trait that is triggered one hour after the car leaves the driveway. Sometimes children even make a repetitive chant out of it, thus increasing its output a hundredfold before the parents put a stop to the noise. When I was young, my mom and dad piled me and my brother and sister into the car, and we headed out on our first trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, 400 miles from home, or eighty hundred miles if you’re a kid.
After about 20 minutes traveling and every five minutes thereafter, we children asked the question that seems to be imbedded in all children’s DNA, to be turned on when they go on trips: Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Finally, my father said, “When you see Sleeping Beauty Castle, you’ll know.” Finally, it happened. An eternal seven hours later, Sleeping Beauty Castle loomed up next to the freeway, and we knew. There was the Magic Kingdom. The final destination on our journey isn’t the Magic Kingdom; it’s the heavenly Kingdom of God. And our landing spot isn’t Sleeping Beauty Castle. Instead, our new home will be what Paul calls “God’s building” and what Jesus calls “my Father’s house” with many rooms, where Jesus promised there is a place prepared for each of us.
May 29, 2024 |
The Apostles Love Song
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
The Apostles Love Song
I don’t remember when I started seeing the oval decals on cars that say just 26.2, but for a long time, it puzzled me. I assumed it referred to a Bible verse, so I looked up all the “26.2’s” in the Bible to see what message was being proclaimed. There was Exodus: “The length of each curtain shall be 28 cubits, and the width of each curtain 4 cubits; all the curtains shall be of the same size.” 1 Chronicles: “Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth…” And then I came to the one I thought was the right one, from Proverbs 26:2: “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.” On the back of your car, that’s the message for the guy who swears at you when you cut in front of him in traffic. I finally found out that it’s the number of miles in a marathon and that the sticker is bragging rights you earn when you’ve run a marathon.
But don’t blame me for thinking 26.2 is a Bible verse. I was raised with the number 3:16—John 3:16, that is, which I had to memorize at the church I attended in my youth, along with the books of the Bible and the 23rd Psalm
May 20, 2024 |
On The Fringes
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
On The Fringes
Are we, perhaps, a little bit afraid of Pentecost? And what the spirit? A couple of weeks ago,
our neighbors invited us to attend worship with them at their church. Word of
deliverance. I'd been there a couple of
times before, but this was my first outing there with my children. The band was poppin, the speakers were
blaring. The choir was on fire. Little
Arlo instinctively covered his ears when entering the space.
It was loud. Seriously, three organs, I'm not sure, could hit this decibel. We swayed our hips and waved our hands in the air, and we sang as the soloist led us in a gospel tune called You Are Worthy. When the preacher got up to preach, he both sang and spoke rhythmically from one to the other, like it was just the most natural thing he had ever done.
I looked over at my boys to gauge their reception of a preaching style quite different from my own. This man was incredibly passionate. And just watching him made me wish I were a bolder preacher. And then, he started speaking in tongues. I looked at my children, wondering how they might react. Now, because of my work in the interfaith community here in Cincinnati, my kids have been to synagogues and mosques and Buddhist temples and Sikh Gurdwaras, but never before have they heard someone speak in tongues.
I bent down to Arlo and whispered, Are you okay? Yeah, he replied nonchalantly. I don't know why, but then I asked, Do you understand what he's saying? Yep! He affirmed with great clarity, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. Something I myself could not understand seemed so natural to this little child.
It was loud. Seriously, three organs, I'm not sure, could hit this decibel. We swayed our hips and waved our hands in the air, and we sang as the soloist led us in a gospel tune called You Are Worthy. When the preacher got up to preach, he both sang and spoke rhythmically from one to the other, like it was just the most natural thing he had ever done.
I looked over at my boys to gauge their reception of a preaching style quite different from my own. This man was incredibly passionate. And just watching him made me wish I were a bolder preacher. And then, he started speaking in tongues. I looked at my children, wondering how they might react. Now, because of my work in the interfaith community here in Cincinnati, my kids have been to synagogues and mosques and Buddhist temples and Sikh Gurdwaras, but never before have they heard someone speak in tongues.
I bent down to Arlo and whispered, Are you okay? Yeah, he replied nonchalantly. I don't know why, but then I asked, Do you understand what he's saying? Yep! He affirmed with great clarity, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. Something I myself could not understand seemed so natural to this little child.
May 13, 2024 |
Sent Unto the World
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Sent Unto the World
Think of someone who is suffering from addiction, from depression, from loneliness, self-rejection, rejection by the world. Distress due to finances. Meaningless of life. Think of them as being tossed into the ocean. Do we not hold on to Jesus, believe in our God and Christ so that we can be a lifeboat to others.
By us sitting here, standing here, and being here, a community that believes in the power and love of God and Christ, I believe we're in a position to help others and be helped by others even those struggling in the ocean trying to stay afloat. Because let's face it, there are times when we fall out of the lifeboat and need help getting back in.
Amen? Being a set, being set apart from this world does not mean that we are better than anyone else. But what it means to me is that we have been given a gift to receive and live by and give that gift to someone else in need. So, as Jesus says, as you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world.
May 06, 2024 |
The Bigger Picture
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
The Bigger Picture
I don't know about you all, but I feel like I've had more than the usual number of encounters with geese this spring. Maybe you've had that experience too. Frequently as they're crossing a road... And if I don't see them immediately when I'm behind other cars, I will find that I'm experiencing considerable frustration.
'Why are these people not moving?' I tend to cut my timing short and, 'why is this car stopped?' And then feeling very sheepish to realize that this car has stopped to allow some geese to waddle past. And frustration turns to appreciation at the other driver's respect for these geese and for tending to God's creation, including the waddling ones.
It is the same phenomenon though, that anytime we are so tunnel-focused, we miss the larger picture. It's very easy to miss the larger picture and when something calls us to that larger picture, it is really a gift to change our perception and our engagement with the world.
May 02, 2024 |
The Vine and the Backyard
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
The Vine and the Backyard
A few years ago, when traveling anywhere was out of the question because of you-know-what, many homeowners thought of turning their own yards into destinations worthy of traveling to—and the staycation was born.
My backyard was a blank slate full of weeds. I wanted a place outside that was worth traveling to, a yard that reminded me of places I’d been to and loved—Clear Lake, the working-class resort of my early childhood with its woods and hammock; Olympic National Forest; Glacier National Park; the Japanese Garden in San Francisco and Spokane; and finally, Children’s Fairyland in Oakland and anything Alice in Wonderland.
I’m too scrawny to dig a hole deeper than three inches, so I hired a landscaper to plant the trees I bought. In my usual getting-carried-away habit, I eventually ended up, in a medium sized backyard, with 2 redbud trees, 3 magnolias, 7 dogwoods, and 13 Japanese maples, all different.
After they were planted, I told the trees, “You’re on your own.” I didn’t want to have to actually work in my yard. I’m all for no-maintenance gardening here. The trees had to take care of themselves. It was a transactional relationship between me and my trees. I give them dirt; they give me beauty, shade, and supplemental oxygen. I wasn’t going to fuss over them, water them, hug them—or prune them. I’m not a gardener. I’m a stay-at-home tourist.
My backyard was a blank slate full of weeds. I wanted a place outside that was worth traveling to, a yard that reminded me of places I’d been to and loved—Clear Lake, the working-class resort of my early childhood with its woods and hammock; Olympic National Forest; Glacier National Park; the Japanese Garden in San Francisco and Spokane; and finally, Children’s Fairyland in Oakland and anything Alice in Wonderland.
I’m too scrawny to dig a hole deeper than three inches, so I hired a landscaper to plant the trees I bought. In my usual getting-carried-away habit, I eventually ended up, in a medium sized backyard, with 2 redbud trees, 3 magnolias, 7 dogwoods, and 13 Japanese maples, all different.
After they were planted, I told the trees, “You’re on your own.” I didn’t want to have to actually work in my yard. I’m all for no-maintenance gardening here. The trees had to take care of themselves. It was a transactional relationship between me and my trees. I give them dirt; they give me beauty, shade, and supplemental oxygen. I wasn’t going to fuss over them, water them, hug them—or prune them. I’m not a gardener. I’m a stay-at-home tourist.
May 02, 2024 |
A Spectrum between Selfless and Selfish
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
A Spectrum between Selfless and Selfish
While coming down the hill into Hyde Park on Ridge, I noticed a car stopped in the middle of the intersection, and a man standing at the back of his car. Without thinking it through, I pulled off to the side, saying to my sister, hold on, a guy is stuck in the intersection. I'll call you right back. And as I jumped out of my car to see what was going on, I heard her yell through the speakerphone of my car, It's not safe! Don't be a martyr, Melanie! The intersection was filled with honking cars.
One guy flew around us full speed and then only one other man, a guy driving a semi-truck, got out to help me push this other guy's vehicle to the curb so that everyone else could get back to what they were doing before someone's bad luck completely inconvenienced them.
When was it lord that we saw you in need and did not come to your aid? And Jesus answered, just as you did not do it for one of your fellow humans in small things, you did not do it for me. The voice of our shepherd showing up, even in small things.
I got back in the car, and as promised, I called my sister. What happened? I'm glad you're alive. I laughed too. A guy just needed a little push. It wasn't until then that I realized how silly I might have looked pushing a car in my collar, or how annoyed I was that only one other guy got up to help us.
One guy flew around us full speed and then only one other man, a guy driving a semi-truck, got out to help me push this other guy's vehicle to the curb so that everyone else could get back to what they were doing before someone's bad luck completely inconvenienced them.
When was it lord that we saw you in need and did not come to your aid? And Jesus answered, just as you did not do it for one of your fellow humans in small things, you did not do it for me. The voice of our shepherd showing up, even in small things.
I got back in the car, and as promised, I called my sister. What happened? I'm glad you're alive. I laughed too. A guy just needed a little push. It wasn't until then that I realized how silly I might have looked pushing a car in my collar, or how annoyed I was that only one other guy got up to help us.
Apr 04, 2024 |
Recognizing Resurrection
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Recognizing Resurrection
Our hope rests in God. When God shows up and does the
work of transformation, and resurrection in our lives, our part is to recognize
God. And if you're not sure how to recognize God, look for love. And I mean, every time. Look for the love in
your life. And when you look there, you see God and you recognize that God has
been at work in resurrection all around you all the time.
This is when you begin to believe. When you cut someone off in traffic, because you're thinking about something, you didn't mean to do it, you're a very good person, we all know, but you cut someone off, and then you realize you do it, and then that person drives by you, and instead of giving you the finger, waves at you, and is like, I get it, it's okay. Recognize God's presence, please. That's God.
When you're at the airport, and you see two people that you have no idea who they are, and they clearly haven't seen each other in a while and they grab each other and embrace when they see each other, recognize God's presence.
When you're coming off the highway, and you see that man who's standing on the side asking for money, you know, that guy, maybe you give him a dollar and maybe you don't, but when you see him, you make eye contact with him and you say, hello. And when he looks at you and you look at him and you see each other's eyes, friends, that's God at work.
This is when you begin to believe. When you cut someone off in traffic, because you're thinking about something, you didn't mean to do it, you're a very good person, we all know, but you cut someone off, and then you realize you do it, and then that person drives by you, and instead of giving you the finger, waves at you, and is like, I get it, it's okay. Recognize God's presence, please. That's God.
When you're at the airport, and you see two people that you have no idea who they are, and they clearly haven't seen each other in a while and they grab each other and embrace when they see each other, recognize God's presence.
When you're coming off the highway, and you see that man who's standing on the side asking for money, you know, that guy, maybe you give him a dollar and maybe you don't, but when you see him, you make eye contact with him and you say, hello. And when he looks at you and you look at him and you see each other's eyes, friends, that's God at work.
Apr 04, 2024 |
Trust God
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Trust God
How many of you have been through hell with God by your
side, through the trials of your life, possibly testing you? How about when you get to the other side and
God is still there? You know in your
heart that you've made it through the hard times and hardships because of that
presence that you can always count on.
The presence that always seems to provide, you know that very well. How many of you know in your hearts, in your bones, in your body that without God you couldn't, you wouldn't survive? For us, our belief and trust in God does not result from merely pondering or meditating on God, but on having a relationship with God.
It's important to know that if your faith and relationship doesn't look like Abraham's, that's okay. But what is important is that you pursue a relationship. And our journeys with God are going to be different. We're going to experience God differently. That doesn't mean your faith is not as strong as someone else's faith.
It just means that they're different. And as long as we're working on our faith and relationship with God, I don't believe that God is going to look at a gauge and say whether or not you have enough faith that you pray enough. God knows each and every one of us, and meets us where we're at.
We experience God, we sense God, and we need God. And we know that we can trust God with our dreams, with our successes, and our failures. During our lives at every stage, God has proven to be faithful and steadfast. Even when we know we haven't always been. We know that we can count on God without full understanding or complete knowledge of what God is doing.
The presence that always seems to provide, you know that very well. How many of you know in your hearts, in your bones, in your body that without God you couldn't, you wouldn't survive? For us, our belief and trust in God does not result from merely pondering or meditating on God, but on having a relationship with God.
It's important to know that if your faith and relationship doesn't look like Abraham's, that's okay. But what is important is that you pursue a relationship. And our journeys with God are going to be different. We're going to experience God differently. That doesn't mean your faith is not as strong as someone else's faith.
It just means that they're different. And as long as we're working on our faith and relationship with God, I don't believe that God is going to look at a gauge and say whether or not you have enough faith that you pray enough. God knows each and every one of us, and meets us where we're at.
We experience God, we sense God, and we need God. And we know that we can trust God with our dreams, with our successes, and our failures. During our lives at every stage, God has proven to be faithful and steadfast. Even when we know we haven't always been. We know that we can count on God without full understanding or complete knowledge of what God is doing.
Mar 30, 2024 |
God's strategy is forgiveness and healing
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
God's strategy is forgiveness and healing
People were getting healed. There were rumors of a savior. We would overthrow our oppressors and be our true selves again under our true ruler. There were some disagreements among us at first, and some confusion, and some people got pretty belligerent, and they started arguing against us. And then, at the end, it's as if they got carried away with their inflammatory extremist ideas, and here we are.
But it wasn't that sudden. There were signs. We just didn't pick up on the signs, because the signs were warning about us, not about them. So we kept going, and then we crossed the line, and we couldn't go back. We always assumed we were the good guys. We are the good guys. So then how did I end up holding these nails and this hammer in my hand?
How did we get to be the executioners instead of the saviors?
Like I said, it seems so sudden, but it wasn't really. There was a road we went down, an imperceptible slide down the road towards that cross. And at some point, we made a turn down the conventional path that tells us to conform to the empire's moral code.
