West End Umc Video Podcast Audio Podcast

Divine Economy of Abundance – As we have been doing for a few weeks, we are following the Fourth Gospel, and our scripture passage for today is the story of the wedding feast where Mary prompts her son, Jesus, to change water into wine when the wine supply has run out. The Rev. Seulbin Lee, our pastoral intern, delivers the sermon today. She is a native of Korea and begins by sharing a memory from her childhood of the people who lived in the neighborhood of her grandmother. Their frequent greeting to people was, “Have you eaten your meal?” This method of checking in with people reflects a sharing of resources, making sure others are fed. In the Fourth Gospel, this story of turning water into wine is the first of the stories of Jesus’s work, and it is clearly a miracle. But he is prompted by his mother, showing concern for the others in the situation and a sharing of resources. She hears the needs of others and exercises hope and imagination, a clear model for us.

Grace upon Grace – Today’s scripture is the first eighteen verses of the Fourth Gospel, familiar as, “In the beginning was the word, . . .” This week was the return to earth of Artemis 2 with the four astronauts who circled the moon, and our bulletin cover has an image of the earth taken from that flight. It is a cosmic perspective of humankind, much as the perspective of the first image in John wherein love was there in the beginning. From that universal perspective of love, the gospel zooms to humanity in the form of Jesus. Nobody has actually seen God except through Jesus, and the gospel records many acts of Jesus that reveal grace and love through God, and in the next weeks we will explore those illustrations in the Fourth Gospel. Much as one of the astronauts on the Artemis mission commented on the experience of the love of God and of each other on that mission, the writer of the Fourth Gospel experienced the love of God and expressed that.

Resurrection Re-membered – Today is Easter Sunday. Through Lent we have been reading the stories in the Gospel of Luke leading up to Holy Week and now Easter. In those stories we have noted a number of times when people, even those close to Jesus, had become discouraged and failed him, as, for example, Peter and Judas, but others as well. In her sermon Carol recounts a time when she was on a walk and some people coming toward her told her as she walked farther to look up and see an owl in a tree. She did and saw a beautiful owl and may not have seen it if she hadn’t been told. Today’s story from Luke is about the women who go to the tomb intending to pay their respects, grieve, and embalm the body. Instead, there is no body, and two beings appear and challenge them to remember what Jesus had told them – that he would one day die and then be raised. The women, upon leaving the empty tomb, immediately go to the disciples and others to report. Their report helps the disciples remember and re-member, that

Jesus, the Love at the Heart of Everything – Today is Good Friday when we remember the crucifixion of Jesus and his hours on the cross. The Good Friday Meditation is given by the Rev. Will McLean, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, and the scripture is the account of the crucifixion and hours on the cross as recorded in Luke 23. Will begins by noting how unsettling it is to be in this service with the story of the crucifixion, no flowers, no paraments on the table, altar or pulpit or lectern. He also points out that we as individuals have unsettling experiences. In addition, Jesus is suffering crucifixion, the ultimate disgrace and punishment in that era. But we note that from the cross Jesus utters those words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then he assures one of the convicted criminals being crucified with him that today that criminal will be with him in paradise. And, finally, he offers, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” These offer, in this unsettlin

Sobremesa – This is the Maundy Thursday service in remembrance of the Last Supper. The scripture is the account of that event in the Fourth Gospel where Jesus washes the feet of the disciples gathered for supper. The Communion Meditation is given by the Rev. Aimee Baxter, our Pastor of Young Adults. She explains that from her experiences traveling to Brazil and Guatemala, there is much to enjoy, including flowers, food, and people. But she focuses on “sobremesa,” which is a custom of people at meals lingering and bonding rather than simply eating, and that is a very calming experience. So in this Last Supper, although there are tense moments, as when Jesus knows and says that one of them will betray him. Yet, he washes their feet, using that as an example of how they, too, should serve each other and others. This meal brings Jesus and the disciples together, and Jesus knows how important that is. We, too, can experience the sobremesa in our taking communion together in this service.

Take a moment today on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week to ground yourself in scripture and prayer as we navigate the last week of Jesus' life here on earth to prepare for Easter Sunday.

A Disappointing Response – Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture from Luke for today is a scene where Jesus is brought before Pilate, then before Herod. In each case, Jesus does not really respond to their questions. Our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, the Rev. Will McLeane, delivers the sermon and gives examples of Biblical figures, such as Moses and Daniel, who stand up to authority, but here is Jesus who does not. Will also likens this non-responsive Jesus to the scenes and training of the sit-in demonstrations where protesters were trained not to respond to the taunts of those around them. In some situations, the non-response of Jesus can be, for us, disappointing, as we would rather he correct those who are taunting him, but it is instructive for us, giving us faith that in our own confrontational experiences, God is with us as God was with Jesus. This can liberate us from our cycles of anger an

Peter’s Denial – Today is the third Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture for today from Luke is the familiar story of Peter denying any knowledge of or association with Jesus. Carol cites something many of us recall from our youth, watching Road Runner cartoons with the bird constantly trying to escape Wile E. Coyote. At times, the bird runs off a cliff and at some point looks down to realize there’s no ground beneath him and he falls. She then cites a book, Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz, who uses that Road Runner image, likening it to when we realize we’re wrong, and a pit grows in our stomach. It begs the question of when we’ve felt like we were forgiven. Here is Peter, denying three times knowing Jesus, but then, amazingly, being forgiven by Jesus. We say we believe in forgiveness by God, but we must acknowledge that in our own lives in order to live as God has designed us to be.

Communion Meditation – Today is the second Sunday of Lent, and it is also Youth Sunday. The scripture is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and it wrestles with one’s works compared to one’s faith. Three youth (Sam Wilson, Robert Harrell, and Peter Bigelow) deliver the Meditation, and each cites his history with our church and with various experiences in his years growing up here. Their message is that we are all loved by God, and that Paul challenges us to step back from time to time and examine our faith, realizing and feeling God’s love for us. Because God loves us, we can trust in God.

The Trial Begins – Today is the first Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture for today is from Luke and is a scene after the last Passover meal Jesus had with his disciples, and he has gone to the Mount of Olives to pray. Knowing what was to come (trial, conviction, crucifixion), he was in fear, and he prayed that it be lifted from him, but also that God’s will be done. That he was fearful demonstrated his humanity. In the scene, after his prayer, an angel appears to him to strengthen him. Carol wonders if the angel doesn’t represent the Holy Spirit. After this, Jesus warns his disciples to prepare for what is coming. We, too, in times of stress and pressure need to follow the directions of Jesus and remember that the third day will come.

Their Faith – Today we continue moving through the New Testament having begun with the gospel of Mark, and today’s story is one of crowds gathering to hear Jesus inside and outside a home. Some friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed, but the crowd is so massive they can’t get into the building, so they remove the roof and lower the paralytic. Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon relates some personal stories and says that any of us might be paralyzed at some point due to a physical issue or to some emotional or grief issue. She compares this story to other stories of Jesus healing people, where Jesus cites the faith of the one who is to be healed. Here, however, it is the faith of the friends who persist in getting the man to Jesus rather than the faith of the paralytic. She also explores the Greek word here translated “heal” which is, in other places, translated “make whole” or even “save.” This underscores the meaning of the congregation of a church, or of friends, whose role in someone’s healing is a

Seeing as Healing – Today we continue moving through the New Testament with a scene from the gospel of Mark wherein Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho and a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, called out to him loudly and repeatedly and told Jesus that he wanted Jesus to let him see again. Jesus healed him, restoring his eyesight. Delivering the sermon today is Rea Green, a ministry intern at our church. Rea is blind, which give her much insight into the story of Bartimaeus. She says that the story demonstrates showing someone for who they really are. In similar stories of healing the blind in other gospels, the blind person is not named. When Bartimaeus calls out, we don’t know how long it has been since he has been seen, and people around him try to quiet him. Jesus, however, asks him what he needs, and, seeing him for who he is, restores his vision. The lesson is that Jesus sees us for who we are and responds according to our needs. We are all beloved children of God.

Jesus the Healer – This week Nashville suffered a devastating ice storm, and several other congregations whose churches are without power have joined us for this one service, our monthly communion service. The Children’s Moment is delivered by Tyler Merritt, a storyteller, author, and actor, who did a presentation in our theatre before this service. As we work through the New Testament, today’s scripture is the story from Mark of Jesus healing a leper. Carol begins by citing many crises of the weather this week, and how many of us have been in great stress and have felt isolated. The leper in Jesus’ day was isolated because of his disease, and Jewish law prohibited him from being with others. When he cries out repeatedly to Jesus, the people around try to quiet him, but Jesus, hearing him, asks what he wants. Of course, he wants to be healed, and Jesus, moved with pity and deep compassion, does heal him, actually touching him in the process. From this we can learn that whatever isolates us, Jesus looks

A Foundation of Grace – Due to a severe winter storm, church services were cancelled for Sunday, and this service was recorded Thursday evening so that it could be streamed on Sunday. We continue moving through the Gospel of Matthew, and the scripture is the last portion of the Sermon on the Mount wherein Jesus cautions those hearing him that they will not all end up with him, and he compares their directions to someone building a house on a rock versus someone building a house on sand. Rev. Will McLeane, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, delivers the sermon and begins by describing his experience with a math teacher who was not at all satisfied with a correct answer to a problem but was most interested in how the problem was solved. Will says that for Jesus, too, the answer alone is not satisfactory, but the foundation on which the answer is built is crucial, and that foundation is grace. Will offers the example of John Wesley, our founder of Methodism, whose mission from England to the Georgia colony f

Let Us Pray – Today we continue moving through the Gospel of Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount with the very familiar passage in which Jesus teaches the people to pray and from which we have “The Lord’s Prayer.” Carol begins by citing a minister, Bishop Robert Spain, who heavily influenced her through her youth and mentored her in her own ministry. However, he once shocked her by saying from the pulpit that he did not have the prayer life he wished he had. Since then she has realized that most of us are beginners in learning to pray, and for us to examine what Jesus taught can be of help. When Jesus said not to pray in public, in essence it is to say that prayer is not a performance for those around us or for God – God loves us and hears our prayers without our having to attract God’s attention, and God knows our hearts. Saying “Thy will be done” can enlist us and shape how we act and live. Every pronoun in the prayer is plural, connecting us with others. “Give us this day our daily bread” can enlist

Going on to Perfection – Today through specific liturgy and acts we remember and reaffirm our own baptisms. We also continue with scripture from Matthew as we work through the New Testament in the coming months. In today’s passage Jesus says that he has come to fulfill, rather than to abolish, the law and the prophets. He challenges his listeners to love their enemies and ends by telling them to “be perfect.” Carol begins her sermon by citing theologian Karl Barth who told people to carry the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, quite a difficult thing for us to do in today’s world. It is difficult to love our enemies, but we know that God loves everyone, and, encouraged by Jesus, we must strive to love everyone, too. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, talked of going on to perfection, and in embracing our baptism we, too, can strive to follow God’s lead to love everyone and thus to walk toward perfection.

Beginning with Blessing – Today is Epiphany Sunday, the day we traditionally celebrate the story of the birth of the messiah being revealed to the magi. But, as we’ve begun our trip through the New Testament, our scripture for today is from Matthew and is the first part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus delivered to the crowds. This first part is the very familiar “Beatitudes,” such as “Blessed are the meek, . . .” and Carol explains that some English translations have “happy” instead of “blessed,” because the Greek of the text is a translation from the original Aramaic or Hebrew Jesus would have spoken. Our context is that in the past few days we have all used the expression, “Happy New Year!” and Carol asks us to consider what happiness means to us: comfort, prosperity, health, etc. But in these Beatitudes, Jesus challenges that idea by giving happiness/blessedness to the poor, meek, lowly, and in this sense the perspective of God is revealed. Jesus not only gives that comfort and possibility, he recru

Awakening in Our Dreams – Today is the first Sunday after our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Delivering the sermon is Chris Dean, and it is based on the story in Matthew 2 of an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt because of the threat of Herod. Then, further in that passage, an angel appears to Joseph in another dream, telling him to take Mary and the child back to Israel because Herod had died. These dreams of Joseph follow that first dream in which an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take the pregnant Mary as his wife, that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In his analysis, Chris gives some background for reading the Bible “like a child,” and then he relates Joseph’s dreams in some measure to dreams most of us have had. He points out that the accounts of Joseph’s dreams in the gospel are not detailed and elaborate, and perhaps the only crucial part is that God is present and communicating through those dreams. Even wh

Today’s Advent Podcast is led by Chris Dean and Sheyla Soriano, two members of West End’s Spiritual Formation team. ...

Redirecting Obedience – Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, and the third Advent candle symbolizes love. The Rev. Will McLeane, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation is delivering the sermon, and the text from Matthew about the revelation to Joseph that his pregnant fiancé, Mary would bear a son conceived by the Holy Spirit. Rev. Will points out that this is certainly the season for decisions, such as what gift to get for whom, how to spend our seasonal time, but also, for some of us, there are serious decisions such as whether to take a different direction in our vocation. If we feel distressed with decision-making Joseph must have been stressed, having a fiancé who is pregnant, but not by him. The legal requirement in that time was divorce, but in a dream Joseph is told that the father is the Holy Spirit and the baby to be born is to be called Jesus. So Joseph and Mary make the decision to follow God’s guidance. We need to recognize where, in our own lives, we resist God’s call and understand that obedi