U-turns Permitted

Today we look at two very different people Jesus spoke with: the Pharisee Nicodemus and the anonymous Samaritan woman. In this sermon we will explore the differences and similarities between them, next week we will explore what Jesus actually said to them.

Last week we looked at the first thing God did when He showed up in the person of Jesus. This week we look at the second thing God in Jesus did: he took a whip to the Gentile Court of the temple and cleared it out. Quite a different thing!

Last week we heard the first words spoken about God as He appeared in Jesus. Today we look at the first thing God, in Jesus, did as recorded in John. He provided 180 gallons of the best wine at a wedding! We're going to connect that with the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and learn about humility and receiving God's gifts.

"Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." These are the first words spoken about God as He appeared on earth in the person of Jesus. There's more in these words than you might think.....

Today we read two sections from John 1:1-18. This is some of the deepest theological material ever written. Two things are made crystal clear by John: Jesus is God, and Jesus became human. In Jesus we see life, light, glory, grace and truth. 

Today Dr. Kyuboem Lee of Mission Seminary preaches on the essential communal nature of Communion.

Today Dr. Kyuboem Lee from Missio Seminary leads us through John 16:16-33, a passage where Jesus speaks to his disciples about the trouble they are going to encounter in their world.

Today we begin a new sermon series on the Gospel of John. The Gospel is one of the most complex writings of all time, and there are a thousand ways to approach it. We will read John looking for the ways that Jesus shows us what God is like. As Brian Zahnd puts it: God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. We have not always known what God is like, but now we do.

Today we kick off our new church year. The question that lies before us is: what is our common calling? To help us understand how we got here, we go back to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and even back to the first church council in Jerusalem.

Today we listen to two versions of the song "Respect Yourself", the first by the Staple Singers, the second by Melissa Etheridge, many years later. Both songs arise from a context of the "stranger" who cries out to be seen and heard. Which is, of course, exactly what Jesus was about. 

Today we listen to "Down by the Riverside" by Muddy Magnolias. The theme of "down by the riverside" is a popular one in spirituals and folk music. In these songs the riverside is a place of reflection, refreshment and renewal. We look at Psalm 137:1-6 to see how the Israelites handled despair down by the riverside.

Today we listen to "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas from 1976. Then we read the story of the Prodigal Son, as it is known. Actually, there are two wayward sons in the story. But there's more to the story: how is this story more than the call to the individual to know that he/she is "beloved" of God? And what is the claim laid upon us by this story?

This is the first in the 2022 version of "Finding God in Your Songs" series. We listen to "Wishlist" by Pearl Jam (1998), then work through the story in Genesis 22 of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac at God's behest. Abraham had a wishlist; but so did God!

James concludes his letter by zooming in on the community of Jesus-followers and suggesting to them that the only way they can survive the in hospitable world in which they find themselves is with open, authentic and vulnerable community.

James 5:7-11 calls us to patience in the face of suffering. What does James mean by "patience"? And to what kind of suffering does he refer? And James does point to Jesus, who suffered more than any other person on earth, from whom we should learn.

James launches a brutal attack against us rich people in 5:1-6. He has no time for pleasantries or the typical notion that it is not about how much wealth you have, it is about your attitude. So what do we do with this? 

Today we read James 4:13-17. James begins a two-part diatribe against rich people (us!). In this first section, he encourages us to think about our focus on inventing, designing, producing, and selling widgets to make a profit. Why are we doing this? Are we doing it (just) to make a living, or also to "live"? And what does that "living" look like?

Today we look at James 3:13-18. What is wisdom? What is the opposite of wisdom? James challenges us in strong words to think about our envies and jealousies, and to choose the way that makes for peace. How can we do that in this time of FOMO and bitter partisan division?

Today we look at James 3:1-12, the famous passage in which James talks about the danger of destruction caused by the tongue. Certainly, this is an issue for the individual at home, work and out and about. But there is also a kind of "dangerous speech" that we are seeing more of in our society today. How do we deal with dangerous speech on any level? James shows us: it is heart issue.

Today we read the well-known passage from James: 2:14-26. James speaks of the relationship between faith and works, not with the goal to figure out what we need to get into heaven when we die, but to show us that salvation is about the "here and now, making wounded people whole" (Diana Butler Bass).