The Rev. J. Carr Holland III discusses Matthew 5:38-48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Sermons (Page 47)
The Rev. Javier A. Bautista reflects on 1 Corinthians 3:1-9: “In the face of division, God can bring a reconciling world. In the face of fear, God can bring love. In the face of despair, God always brings a ray of hope.”
The Rev. George Adamik discusses Isaiah 58:1-9a and the movement from “what can we do for others?” to “what can we do with others?”.
The Rev. Candy Snively considers 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and “what happens when the wisdom of the world is challenged by the wisdom of God.”
The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista contemplates Matthew 4:12-23: “Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into the call of the first disciples in a movement that would soon take the world by storm…”
The Rev. Carr Holland reflects on John 1:29-42: “Jesus goes in this section of the Gospel from unknown to Messiah… The following has begun, and we are part of that following. Here is the question that the Gospel leaves for us, ‘Where do we see Christ, and how do we follow?'”
The Rev. Tony Wike considers Luke 2:1-14: “As we gather here this morning, we bring with us all the hopes and fears of the past years — in some ways, the accumulation of all the hopes and fears of our lives… Scripture tells us that the very first Christmas happened in a mood of fear as well.”
On Christmas Eve, the Rev. George Adamik reflects on the origins of the manger scene: “Jesus Christ comes into our world to show us God’s love for us, to show us how good we are, to show us the possibilities in our lives. Jesus came into this world not to change God’s mind about us but to change our mind about God and to know this great, incredible love that God has for us.”
On Christmas Eve, the Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista considers the shepherds in Luke 2:1-14: “One night, a long time ago, a group of shepherds was huddled together for warmth as they were watching their sheep, and an angel shows up… The shepherds were surprised they had been visited by an angel, but they were also surprised for another reason. They had traveled far and wide. Yet in all that time and experience in the world, they had never ever been invited to the birthday party of a prince.”
The Rev. Carr Holland meditates on Matthew 1:18-25: “In Matthew, it is Joseph who cradles Jesus in a blanket woven of character and compassion. He offers the lineage that gives shape to the Christmas crib. He lives the ethical dilemma: law or love. He dreams a way into a compassionate life and yields to it as God’s gift of life for him. His actions become the straw of Christ’s comfort. Perhaps for each of us there is a gift that waits for us as Advent yields to Christmas.”