First Presbyterian Church Of San Anselmo

At the Threshold of Trouble – the gap between the world as it is, and the world as God is re-creating it to be –  Jesus walks toward the trouble, and expects us to do the same. 

In the waters of baptism, Jesus welcomes us into the threshold of belonging – each of us God’s beloved child.

In every threshold, God is with us liberating and empowering us into the next new thing.  Thresholds open up the opportunity for us to pause and to ask – Where have I been and what have I learned there? What is being made manifest here and now?  And, how shall I now live?

What is your song of Christmas?  How will you bear God in the world in the unfolding days to come?  How will you share the birth of Christ in the world? 

As we continue with our Advent theme Embracing Love and Tender Mercy, our worship centered on monologues adapted from Carol Howard Merritt's "I Am Mary."  The monologues were adapted by Jessica Powell, with permission of the author.

With the world whirling around her, in this moment of calm, Mary hears of the Christ to come, and embraces a love and tender mercy that will upend and change the world for good.  The images and art discussed in the sermon can be found, along with the sermon text, at https://www.togetherweserve.org/post/the-call-of-mary-luke-1-26-38-first-sunday-of-advent

The practice of gratitude is a daily practice.  Every minute of every day.  God is near. And, every year, once a year – on Thanksgiving – no matter what’s going on in the world – we stop and give thanks.  

As we celebrate the Reign of Christ, we sing our part in God’s new song that sings of loving God and loving neighbor.

On All Saints Day, the past, present, and future converge in one eternal moment before God, as we live forward together toward a better day.

God’s generosity requires the practice of generosity at the heart of community, in the systems we inhabit, and in our everyday lives.

In the heavenly throne room, John hears Lion but sees Lamb.  Whether we recognize it or not, we are tempted to see God as a Lion, one who conquers through might and strength.  But God's power and strength is most clearly expressed in the self-giving sacrificial love of the Lamb.

In a world full of displaced peoples seeking shelter and home, welcoming each other is the work we are called to do.

The wisdom of God turns the wisdom of the world on its head.  The wisdom of God is embodied in Jesus and in a community that stands with those whose backs are up against a wall – in ways of living that lead to more life for all people.

When Woman Wisdom rises up off the page, she smashes through the confines of patriarchy and invites us into a more expansive, freer world. 

Created in the image of a God who speaks worlds into being, our words have the power to speak realities into being. Wisdom helps us use that power for good.

Wisdom invites us to into lives of reflection, rethinking, and action – to live out the life of Christ in the lives we live.

On Labor Day weekend, we share a conversation about work in the time of pandemic -- wisdom at the intersection of work and our life of faith.

Wisdom is always-active, engaged, inter-generational, community learning – as we seek together for ways of living that lead to more life – for this moment and then the next.  

In Wisdom, God is present with us in the questions, in the struggle, in the real stuff of life – helping us find ways of living that lead to more life. The beginning of wisdom is knowing that we know not, and listening with our whole heart – our whole selves – for the steadfast, loving presence of God, walking with us always into life.