First Presbyterian Church Of San Anselmo

Lesson: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. "We are the body of Christ. May we be neither neutral nor detached. May we choose community."

Lessons: Psalm 62, Mark 1:14-20. "Maybe not tomorrow, my friends, or next year, or in our lifetime, or even in a way that the rest of the world understands it. But brothers and sisters, believe the good news: the kingdom of God is here and we are called to work in it and for it and toward it, and everything’s gonna be all right."

Lesson: 1 Samuel 3:1-20. "Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Lessons: Isaiah 43:1-7, Mark 1:4-11. "And we belong to each other. When we are baptized with Christ, we are baptized into his ministry of grace, to love others as we are loved, to stand with everybody whose life is messy and complicated and hard which means: with everybody."

Lesson: John 1:1-18. "My New Year's prayer for all of us is that although Christmas is over, we will live a Christmas life, so that the light might continue shining on in even the darkest of places."

Lesson: Galatians 3:23-4:7. "Our totally true, totally present and unconditionally loving parent has adopted us not because of who we are but because of who God is."

Lesson: I Corinthians 1:3-9. "The path of love is the pathway out of the dark and toward the Advent hopes of peace and justice for all. These goals are worth working towards – they are worth the wait."

Lesson: Psalm 34:1-10, 22; Matthew 23:1-12. "To be a saint is to be our selves, working together with God in the creation of our own lives; not some perfect or false life but a humble life, a servant life that is in fact an exalted life because of the connection to each other and to God that humility expressed in service makes possible."

"May we practice. May we find time, regularly, to dwell in the presence of our God – the Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. May we be still-enough that the love and peace of God be known in our hearts this morning and always."

Lesson: Jeremiah 17:5-8. "Yet, our faith tells us of a radically different reality–one in which we have access to new life, in which evil and suffering are not the victors, in which we are nourished by God to bear fruit in defiance of the powers of death."

Lesson: Philippians 4:1-9. "When was the last time you rejoiced? I saw a New Yorker cartoon with a father and son in a car, and the father, who is driving, says to the son, “If you bring joy and enthusiasm to everything you do, people will think you’re crazy.”[8] No. They will think you’re Christiian.

Lesson: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20. "The path to freedom is through a wilderness of uncertainty and hard choices, and it takes a community of encouragement and discernment to help us figure out exactly how to love God and our neighbors, which is the only sure way we all will be free."

Lesson: Matthew 18:21-35. "We used to pray debts and debtors; many traditions pray trespasses rather than sins; but it all means the same thing. We are praying that God will forgive us, which Scripture says God does, freely, again and again, and we are praying for the ability and the will to forgive others – which does not come as naturally to us as it does to God and that’s why we need to pray it, week after week after week."

Lessons: Matthew 20:1-16. "Every creature God has made. Every single one, the apple of God's eye. God claims you. Today. That is grace. Reach out and accept the gift. May it be so for you and for me."

Lesson: Matthew 18:15-20. "Jesus promises to be with us as two or more of us gather.[1] To “Gather” is not the same thing as to “agree.” When we do the holy work of building community based in God’s inclusive love, God promises to be right there in the midst of our struggles."

Lesson: ! Corinthians 12:12-14, 27

Lesson: Matthew 16:13-20. "Who do you say that Jesus is? This is not a test. You don’t have to have a great answer this morning. The church, the community of Jesus, gathers this morning, and off and on all week, and every year, and every century, so that we can help each other answer that question, and figure out together how it will shape our lives and even our world."

Lesson: Matthew 15: 21-28. "John's Gospel says it this way, 'On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." There seems to be a dwelling within us and if we can hear thyself, we've got to be on the right road."

Lesson: Luke 10:25-37. "For Christians, we should walk in the sandals of Jesus. Inside his ministry of love. After all that was what his ministry is all about. We are not meant to be martyrs, but we must filter our actions not through judgment and fear, but through the love and grace as shown us by our Christ.