On Trinity Sunday, the Rev. Candy Snively considers the hopeful message of unity in diversity, especially in a time of doubt, fear, and anxiety (Matthew 28:16-20).
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Sermons (Page 28)
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista reflects on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21) and the hope it offers for our own broken world: “God doesn’t need more preachers, politicians, or heroes. God just needs you to join the throng of those who have witnessed God’s justice and love, a cloud of witnesses who choose life not in spite of but in the face of calamity, persecution, war, grief, death, and loss. Are you ready to learn new ways of belonging and being together?”
The Rev. George Adamik celebrates the Feast of the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11): “Sometimes, it’s easier to look up at the sky than it is to do what Jesus did: to look at each other. To look into the eyes of each other. During this pandemic, this Feast of the Ascension can be a powerful message for us.”
On Youth Sunday, high school seniors Emily Schertz and McKenna Jeffries reflect on what the St. Paul’s community means to them, especially during a global pandemic.
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista discusses the story of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60) and mourns the recurring violence against black people in our communities: “I am saddened like many of you by what we have lost with the passing of this young man. I am saddened every time lives are stolen from us before we get the full story. I am saddened every time a life is cut short before they get to do the good work they have been placed on this earth to do.”
The Rev. Carr Holland reflects on the metaphor of the shepherd in Psalm 23 and John 10:1-10 and what it means to inhabit the uncertain, liminal time of COVID-19.
Eddie Bricio and Elise Hubbard share their experiences helping families in Appalachia as part of the Appalachian Service Project.
On the Second Sunday of Easter, the Rev. George Adamik shares insights on Jesus’s appearance to his disciples (John 20:19-31), Christ’s surprising message of forgiveness and new life, and the depiction of the Resurrection in Eastern icons.
On Easter Day, the Rev. George Adamik reflects on a phrase that resonates with so many of us right now: “I just want to get back to normal again.” Instead, “Easter invites us to something quite different. As we gather today, I’d like to propose during this Easter season, as we still walk in the midst of this pandemic, that we see our call as something different. Not something that we’re called to go back to again, but something we’re called to lean forward into.”
On Holy Saturday, the Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista asks what it means to wait (esperar) for Easter joy to arrive: “The streets are too quiet for me. Where I long to rejoice as Easter bells ring, all I do is dread the alarm of ambulance sirens. The days flow together; the future seems uncertain. I don’t know how to run and tell the good news of Jesus’s resurrection filled with joy. I feel like the best I can manage is to sit still and wait.”