Messages from Douglas UCC

No matter how we look on the outside or inside, Easter affirms that every part of us is God's. Pastor Dan explains that the word ‘Easter’ comes from a verb and suggests that we can affirm Easter through action.

Today we carry palms to commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Soon, the same crowd convinced Pilate that Jesus was dangerous. Pastors Dan and Jody reflect on what Holy Week can teach us about personal and national struggles.

One can feel lost when a relationship falls apart, when a church denies one’s presence, or when one’s life path is unclear. Pastor Jody talks about the GIFT of being lost, based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and offers tips on finding guides.

Pastor Dan's teaser for this talk: Be the Miracle. (Could rightly be answered by the grieving...) Yes, damn it, we prayed day and night, night and day for one but never got it! Did you even hear us?

At one time, humans were certain that the Earth was flat! What makes us certain of ANYthing? Is it better to live humbly, knowing that we don't know EVERYthing? Pastor Jody talks about Jesus’ response when people asked, ‘Who sinned to make this so?’

Juicy stories are hard to resist; they feed the appetite of social media. Jesus aroused curiosity when he couldn’t resist welcoming people whom others would cross the street to avoid. Pastor Dan talks about the woman who crashed a respectable dinner party to anoint Jesus’ feet.

Most of us aren’t tempted to steal classified documents but we do face small, victimless temptations, like eating too many sweets. To help us understand Jesus’ temptation, Pastor Jody explains how we may be undermined by a good thing we are tempted to do.

The transfiguration of Jesus seems other-worldly and hard to relate to concerns like the lofty price of eggs. Yet people today do experience ‘thin places’ where heaven feels nearby. Pastor Dan talks about how damaged times need more transfigured people.

According to gospel writer John, ‘The Spirit blows where she will.’ The Old Testament talks of the breath of God and the wind with which God created the world. Pastor Jody addresses what can we learn about what sustains us by exploring the Spirit.

Pastor Dan has discovered a relationship between tending old houses and tending churches. He shares four lessons learned from rehabbing ten different houses.

When the unimaginable happens, some jump for an explanation, some lash out, and some just want to forget. After Jesus rocked the fishermen’s world with a huge catch, they became his followers and friends. Pastor Jody considers the implications.

Christianity in the US is increasingly mean-spirited - appointing all white males as gatekeepers, labeling immigrants of color a threat, and deeming non-heterosexuals perverse. Pastor Dan talks about what to do in the face of growing Christian Nationalism.

Jesus was a hometown boy who made good; then the town tried to throw him off a cliff! Pastor Jody reminds us that maybe we have wanted to ‘throw someone off a cliff’ after they confronted us about our behavior or said something that changed our lives.

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs the first of many miracles. Oddly, it is not an occasion of healing. Rather, the wine runs out - gasp! Pastor Dan suggests that this story is about abundance - God’s, ours, and Martin Luther King’s.

Many people believe the story of Christ’s birth is not historical, and that Matthew wrote it to offer guidance for our spiritual journeys. Rev. Linda Knieremen talks about the roles of the star, the Magi, and King Herod.

Christmas is about love that comes from the edge of society, the poorest of the poor, the outsider, the foreigner. People often receive compassion, mercy, or an unexpected gift from a surprising place. Rev. Jody Betten helps us imagine the Holy Family and the gifts they bring.

Many of God’s creatures support our ancient stories. At Christmas, they include a donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem, oxen sharing a manger, and camels carrying wise ones who follow a star. Rev. Jody asks us to consider the gift of the life of our planet.

Today’s reading is about pregnant cousins Mary and Elizabeth visiting together. It’s helpful to commiserate with others who know what we’re feeling as changes in body and lifestyle prepare us for what’s ahead. Children can bring us much joy; so can friends who walk with us on the journey of parenting.

In a sort of ‘audition,’ Dan and Jody shared a few ideas about how Douglas UCC might grow and change. Afterward, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to accept them as the church’s new co-pastors.

When we extend mercy to the unforgivable or advocate for the least, last, lost, and lonely we may not be well received. This week Rev. Jody considers the consequences and rewards of following the way of Jesus.

After the election, some folks began asking what it now means to live, love, imagine a flourishing future, and care for the least. They want to know how to contribute to the side of goodness and justice. Rev. Jody considers what it means to be a peacemaker.

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness toward someone it is within one's power to punish or harm. When have you received mercy? Are you inclined to "pay it forward"? Rev. Jody talks about mercy in the Beatitudes.

A recent documentary discusses Christian nationalism; a current Presidential candidate is tied to the movement. Rev. Dan is not sure how righteousness is best defined, but he knows it when he sees it in the lives of ordinary saintly people.

Is meekness a weakness? ‘Meek and mild’ implies a willingness to go along with things. But a horse’s meekness after you put a bit in their mouth is more like ‘strength under control.’ Are trees similarly strong under control, without the need for a bit?

We've all been broken by loss, pain, shame, mistakes, ridicule... Is it true that light gets in where we are broken? Do we become stronger? What is available if we let ourselves into the sadness and tears? Pastor Jody explores the blessing of those who mourn.