In this first sermon in the series, Russ looks at the story of Eve and how she grew through her curiosity and heartbreak. In so doing, she teaches us that it is ok to want to know more, be more, and to keep finding ways to push the envelope.
A great sermon by guest preacher Rev. Paul Gaffney, a chaplain for people who live outside, on the labels that we use and sides that we take, inviting us to open our hearts and minds to be more loving.
One of our favorite guest preachers, Rev. Sandhya Jha, preaches on the story of Hagar and weaves it in with the story of Khadijah, the prophet Muhammad's first wife. She invites us to stand with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, living in true community.
Rev. Hope and Scott Attenhofer recently rode their bicycles across the United States to raise funds and awareness for Week of Compassion. In this message they tell about their experiences and learnings.
On this Fathers' Day, Rev. Arne Larson, preaches to us about the importance of ministering to men and helping them become men of deep faith.
Like the churches in Galatia, there seem to be a great deal of division among us in the world today. But, ultimately, we belong to one another; depend and count on one another. If we are going to see this through, we need to do so together. In many ways, that's what Paul was telling the Galatians: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
In this Pentecost sermon, Russ points out that on that day, each heard the Good News in their own language. There was not one way that the message was received. The message was clear: ALL people are loved by God. And if the church is to be vital and thrive: we need to reclaim that Spirit of reaching out to all!
All are invited to receive the grace of God.
All means all, or it means nothing. Blacks and whites; gays and lesbians; Native Americans and immigrants; liberals and fundamentalists and even aging bald white guys – ALL are invited to the table, or no one is.
As the church, our job is to open our doors as wide as God's heart and proclaim that there is room in the family of God for everyone. But it goes beyond making sure people are welcomed, they need to know they are wanted; and they are not just accepted, they are loved. For some people, when they find a place like that, it’s like finding water in the desert.
We often look at the early church in Acts as the blueprint for how church should be. But if we look closely, we see some conflict and tension. In fact, it looks more like a mirror of problems that we are all-too-familiar with in churches today.
Each day we are given the opportunity to bear witness to the power and love of God. We are given the opportunity to link arms and bear witness to the world that in this place we can pull together and invest in one another’s lives and lives yet unseen; that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves, but helping others win.
Here is the link to the video to the is shown during the sermon.
Powerful things happen when the church stops being afraid, hiding behind locked doors, and surrenders its desire to convert people or convince them to join. But it is when the church acts boldly, gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting noting in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display
This sermon was delivered at the Annual Gathering of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California / Nevada by Rev. Dr. Mary Donovan Turner. In it she talks about the extravagance of God's grace.
We often look at Easter as big finish, the crescendo, the grand finale! “He’s done it! He’s risen from the dead!” But the truth is, Easter wasn’t the end of the story, it was just the beginning; just the opening chapter to an incredible narrative of hope and new life.
In this sermon, Russ looks at how Easter might connect with the woman sitting among us whose cancer has returned after years of remission, the 17 year old anxiously trying to decide what to do with his life, the man who at age 55 just lost his job, the woman who goes every Sunday afternoon to place flowers on her husband’s grave. In other words, all of us.
In this Easter sermon, Russ looks at how many of us come to hear not of how the resurrection happened, and more interested in what it means for us here, now. We come to church on Easter with hopes, longing of experiencing resurrection today! We all long for resurrection in our lives in some way, shape or form.
Much of modern Christianity has been built upon certainty and head knowledge, assume the more certain you are, the more strong your faith is. This completely misses the point.
Faith was never meant to be a set of beliefs. Faith, the way that Jesus speaks about it, is about what you are willing to commit to. It’s not about how certain you are, its whether you are willing to act in the face of your uncertainty.
When your faith is just too heavy to carry, by the grace of God, you discover you don’t have to carry it alone. There are others who will have it for you. Thats what it means to be a part of a community of faith.
“Doubt is the mechanism by which faith evolves.” “It keeps our faith alive, but certainty freezes it.” In other words, doubt stirs us. It shapes us. It forms us. It teaches us. Without doubt, our faith can become stagnant, dead, stalled. Doubt keeps our faith awake.
Author and activist Chris Heuertz says that doubt is not something to be feared or eliminated, but embraced. That both for individuals and communities of faith, “doubt is a gift.” In this sermon, Russ encourages us to continue to embrace the gift of doubt in this community of faith, humbly carry one another in doubt, and trust that God is in the middle of all the mystery, wonder and even doubt.
In this second sermon on his series on Doubt, Russ looks at our fear of doubt. Perhaps rather than fearing those seasons of struggle -- when it feels like the rug gets pulled out from under us and nothing seems to make sense -- we lean into them, trusting that on the other side will be growth and transformation.
In this first sermon in the Lenten series on doubt, Russ looks at the story of Nicodemus, who comes to Jesus under the cover of darkness, and invites us, as people of faith, find the courage to wrestle with our doubts and use them to grow closer to God.
In the final sermon in this series, Russ looks at finding the courage to change and evolve. For some people, if anything about their faith or faith community ever changes, then it feels like their whole faith life is not real. But for others, if their faith is not constantly being restated, evolving or growing, then it feels like it must be stale and irrelevant.
The biggest barrier to change is fear. But the gospel continues to move us forward; to find courage and fearless faith to change the things in us that need to change.
In this series looking at some of the stories in the bible when God's people of faith faced challenges and survived (and even thrived), Russ looks at the epic story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were asked to go against everything they believed in. Even when facing death in a fiery furnace, they stood strong in their beliefs!
In the story, Esther, when presented with the opportunity to serve and save her people, she stands tall and strong, and acts in a way that is gracious, humble, resolute, and ready. Out of a place of privilege and comfort, she risks everything to save those who need her most in that moment: “I’ll do this. I will go. If I did, I will die.”
Why are you here? Why are you alive at this time? What task has God set before you?
For a time such as this you’ve been brought to this place and time. What are you waiting for? What are you being called to do right now?
Forgiveness is essential to our lives. Without it, no marriage can survive, no family can stay together, no society can be sustained. But it doesn't come easy. In fact, we often do everything we can to avoid it! But if we don’t find the courage to forgive, we wither and die.
This week Russ looks at the issue of trust through the lens of the story of Ruth and Naomi. Developing a healthy sense and level of trust -- in others, ourselves, and the world -- is one of the most important developmental steps any of us will ever take. Trusting is a risk. But its the only life worth living.
In this first sermon in a new series he's calling Fearless Faith, Russ looks at the notion that some of the hardest things in life require tremendous courage to just show up. Looking at the story of Abram who is called by God out into the wilderness, away from the comforts of home. But God meets him there, blesses him, and through him blesses the world. The truth is, everything you want is on the other side of fear. You must do the things you think you cannot do, so that they lose their power over you. Tackling your fear is the only way to beat it!
Once every year the church takes a stop by the river Jordan to overhear God whispering to God’s baptized son, “you are my child, whom I love; whom I am deeply proud of.” We do this not just for an interesting history lesson about Jesus’ baptism, but to remember who we are and who we are called to be through our baptism into Christ!
