Federated Church Sycamore Sermon Podcast

The resurrection is not merely something to be believed. Like Love, it is a truth that can only truly be known through a lived encounter, through opening ourselves to its transforming flow. Still, most of us have expectations and assumptions about Easter and what the resurrection “means”—or what we think it’s supposed to mean. Building on the Apostle Paul’s emphasis that the same power that raised...

Howard Thurman, the great African American theologian, mystic and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights movement, once wrote that the most important question we must ask ourselves is: "Where are you going?" That is: What are you after? What are you really chasing or being drawn toward? Where we are going--what we are really after--will shape the choices and actions we make...

In this message, Pastor Eric weaves together reflections on two seemingly very different passages--one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament--to reflect on God's presence with us and call to Life even when we find ourselves in "the valley of the shadow of death." In our Lenten series: "Seeking: honest questions for a deeper faith and more authentic life," the question posed by this...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the misguided assumptions that often undergird the questions we ask--questions that lead to judgment and isolation. Too often, we focus on theoretical or theological understanding; on being "technically" right, even if that comes at the expense of people's dignity. Through the story of Jesus and the man born blind, this message challenges us to reflect more...

In this message, Pastor Eric explores the profound and challenging invitations present in the simple exchange between Jesus and an “unnamed woman from Samaria”—a life-altering exchange that becomes possible only because both parties choose to enter into the shared vulnerability that marks its beginning: Jesus—a man, a Jew, tired from a long journey, wandering through a place that his religion and...

What is your first reaction when you are thrust into something new; something difficult; something painful? Are you inclined to just keep barreling forward—leave the past in the past? Do you grieve hard? Do you grieve at all? Do you cling to platitudes like “just gotta stay positive” or “everything happens for a reason”? Do you despair? In this message, Pastor Eric invites us to face our wildernes...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on two familiar passages: Adam and Eve being tempted by a cunning snake in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus being tempted by a devilish voice in the Wilderness.  Reading these two passages alongside each other helps us to hear the story of Adam and Eve in a new light. Rather than being about “original sin” that now makes all of us inherently “bad” from birth...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the story of Jesus' transfiguration as the mother of all epiphanies--a moment where he dared to "shine forth" as he truly was. In some ways, the transfiguration can be seen as the story of Jesus' "coming out" moment as he shares with his closest disciples and friends his true identity, which he had not revealed up to that moment. It's also a moment where th...

Many people think that the point of "being a Christian" is to be a good person. Pastor Eric says that is not really the case. What?  Most of us spend much of our lives trying to prove to others that we are good. Underneath this lies an almost DNA-deep fear that if we are not seen as "good" then we won't be loved; we'll be excluded. In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on how our struggle to be se...

In this message Pastor Eric explores liminal seasons in life—seasons of transition and change, like: dating or marriage or moving in with someone; moving; going to college or graduating; losing a loved one; retiring; coming out or transitioning (or your child coming out or transitioning). Rather than just “getting through” these seasons or waiting for things to “go back to normal,” the work of mat...

Everyone hates conflict. And yet, every real and authentic relationship has it. Conflict simply means that we have differences--different opinions, backgrounds, expectations, assumptions, cultures, etc--and now we have to learn how to move through those differences as we learn to live together. The challenge lies in the fact that most of us have learned unhealthy ways of dealing with conflict: we...

Before Jesus has done anything significant in his ministry; before he has any followers, has preached any public messages, performed any healings; before anyone looks at him and calls him "the Messiah," he joins the ranks of people being baptized by John in the Jordan River. At that moment, a voice from the heavens makes public what has always been true: Jesus is God's beloved child, with whom God...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the surprising, unsettling and often overlooked fact that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were forced to seek asylum as refugees in Egypt shortly after Jesus’ birth. It is in this context that the meaning of the magi gains it’s significance, and both the invitation and challenge that they hold out for us as we move into a new year and consider our own intentions in...

Pastor Eric continues reflecting on the Christmas stories in this message, inviting us to consider what "birthing God" and "raising Jesus" would have required for Mary (much like any parent). At the heart of this invitation--for Mary and for us--is an invitation into all those small, every-day moments that are required to raise an utterly dependent newborn into an adult. It's an invitation into no...

In this Christmas message, Pastor Eric reflects on the Light that shines in every darkness, and that no darkness can put out. More than the "power of positivity," what is the heart of the Christmas message than is capable of providing hope in even the most dire of circumstances: for one hiding from Nazi soldiers; for a refugee; in the face of a serious health diagnosis or a divorce or job loss or...

In this Advent message, Pastor Eric reflects on the story of Joseph finding out that Mary is pregnant with a baby that is not his, his response, and God's intervention to call him to a better way. In this brief story, we see a Joseph who would have had to process some difficult feelings in order to make some incredibly hard decisions. Given the challenge that many of us have with sitting with feel...

In this Advent message, Pastor Eric reflects on the stereotypical images many of us have of Mary, the mother of Jesus: sweet, serene, docile, submissive. He then peels back the layers of the story of Mary in Luke 1 to reveal how distorted this image is from the one that actually appears, for there we meet a young woman who is bold and dares to question God; we meet a prophet with the courage to ac...

Whose stories get told when we tell the story of “us”—in our families, in our church, in our society? Whose stories get silenced, lost to history? And how does the way we tell these stories—whose is included and what we know about them—reflect our own values, prejudices, and limits? Pastor Eric reflects on these questions as he explores the names of the four women specifically named in the genealo...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the question of what makes for a vital church? Is it having a large choir and Sunday school attendance? Is it lots of butts in the pews? Or is it possible to have all of these and to still not experience true vitality? Is it possible to be a small and vital congregation? Similarly, in our own lives, can we experience vitality, true life, even amidst hardshi...

Many of us live our lives seeking to please our parents and ancestors—those who have gone before us. But what if we lived with the awareness that WE are ancestors? How might we live differently if we focused not on pleasing those who have gone before us, but on creating a better world several generations from now? What is the world that we dream of for our grandchildren’s grandchildren? What is it...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the mission that Jesus gave his disciples just hours before he was crucified: "Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another." In this season of stewardship, he invites us to reflect on how churches have at times lost sight of this mission and focused instead on buildings, membership, dogmas, and/or doctrines. But our mission remains the same: to l...

In this message, Pastor Eric begins our new sermon series reflecting specifically on stories about Jesus that take place at/around the table/meals. Jesus always seemed to be going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal. More than just a setting, it represents a crucial image of Jesus' mission and God's dream for the world. This message reflects on Jesus' parable of the Great Dinner Banquet in...

In this message, Pastor Eric explores one of the most famous of all biblical passages—John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…”)—and the verses surrounding it. This message brings together the new understandings explored in previous messages of this series—a reframing of what it means to “believe” and to be “saved”—in order to explore how Jesus speaks about eternity life. Importantly, deconstructin...

In this message, Pastor Eric deconstructs what most of us have been taught it means to be "born again." In doing so, he invites us to hear it anew, as if for the first time, and the powerful invitation it actually offers us. This is not about accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior so as to secure your ticket to a heavenly afterlife. This is an invitation to a journey of transformation in...

In this message, Pastor Eric reflects on the concept of salvation in Christianity. Most of us were taught that "to be saved" means that one has accepted Jesus as their Lord and is therefore going to heaven. They are saved from sin and hell. Whether you cringe at this or agree with it, most of us think that this is the foundation of Christianity; that without this notion of salvation, there is no C...