Bethel Community Sermons

Pastor Michael continues our sermon series on the book of Daniel, by looking at Daniel's dream from Chapter 7.  How does the life of Daniel reveal the cycle of faith and imagination? How do our experiences of God shape the stories we tell about God and our imagination of what is possible?

Guest preacher Peace Lee shares with us from Daniel 3 the vision of a God who delivers us by being present with us in the midst of fires. As we experience the Empires raging on, she highlights the choir of living witnesses who sang a song of justice throughout the generations and encourages us to preach, protest, pray, and party in ways that continually resist the violence and tyranny of Empire.&n...

Pastor Michael continues our sermon series on Daniel by examining the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5. What lessons might we learn from his life and ultimately his downfall? How might we avoid the pitfalls of hubris and foolish ignorance that are seen in his story, and choose instead to remember who we are and who God is rightly, even in the face of our own trauma?

Pastor Erina preaches for us on Daniel 4, reflecting on Nebuchadnezzar's dream, his fall from glory, and subsequent acknowledgement of the Most High God. As a Fourth of July sermon, she discusses the ways that God's sovereignty over Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar reminds us that only the reign of God is truly eternal. How might we turn away from American exceptionalism and Christian nationalism and ch...

Guest preacher Nichola Torbett speaks to us on Pride Weekend about the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and their refusal to bow to the false gods and oppressive narratives of Empire. What does their determination to resist an unjust status quo teach us about queerness? How might their witness stretch our imaginations around what resistance and worship look like in our lives today? Nichola...

Pastor Michael continues our Daniel sermon series by preaching from Daniel 2 about the role of prayer in the context of Babylon. In the face of an Empire built upon control and tyranny, what do Daniel and his friends teach us how to engage mystery through prayer? How might we learn to pray  similarly, with our eyes and our hearts open?

Pastor Erina preaches from Daniel 1:8-21 about the ways that Daniel's choice not to eat food served by Babylon was a discipline that resisted the Empire. How might our private disciplines fuel our public witness, and how do we reclaim the subversive nature of spiritual disciplines?

Pastor Michael kicks off our summer sermon series on the Book of Daniel, by examining the significance of names and the ways that the force of Empire also tries to erase and change our God-given names and identities. How is claiming the names and identities God has given us an act of resistance in the face of oppressive forces and the violence of erasure?

Pastor Erina addressees the awkwardness, tensions, and liminality of this time of transition for many of us- both in the pandemic as well as in our spiritual lives. How might the wilderness actually become a place of healing and life for us? How might we pay attention to God's presence going before us and remaining with us while we travel the roundabout way?

Pastor Michael shares with us on Pentecost Sunday about the magic of Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit leads us away from nationalism, exceptionalism, and division by breaking oppressive boundaries. How might the work of the Spirit continue to create spaces of togetherness and belonging in the Church today?

Guest preacher, Thiên Ân Dương, shares from the Old Testament story of Jephthah and his daughter, a sobering story that both reminds us of the dangers of using God as a scapegoat for violence as well as the legacies of grief in our communities, particularly in creating rhythms for new life. How does grief- even in the face of great horror and loss-  stretch our imaginations to create a new fu...

Guest preacher Minu George Thomas shares about God's love for the othered from the story of Acts 10, the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on Cornelius and the Gentiles. By reflecting on God's activity of inclusion from Acts 10 and making connections to her own life experience as a third culture kid from India, she challenges us to encounter the love of God that extends beyond boundaries an...

Pastor Erina kicks off our celebration of APIDA heritage month by reflecting on a lectionary text from Psalm 22 and examines what it means for the people of God to move from lament towards praise. How might the practices of remembering history and recognizing the collective lead us to see and celebrate more of God's work - in the APIDA community and beyond?

Guest preacher Erma Sinclair preaches from the lectionary for our Eastertide sermon series.  As she reflects on 1 John 3:16-24, she shares powerfully and vulnerably about everything from the killing of Ma'Khia Bryant, the limits of social media, the importance of grief, finding confidence in the promises of God, and what it means to faithfully live out God's call to love in this current momen...

Pastor Erina continues our sermon series in the lectionary and reflects on how Jesus' first appearance to the disciples exposes their limited vision for resurrection. How are our collective imaginations so sickened by violence, death, and trauma that we are unable to witness Jesus in our midst? What does it mean to be a community that bears witness to the resurrection and imagines the impossible?...

Two members of our community- Jonelle Crow and Ann Cabello- share their reflections on the season of Lent, what they're learning about being human, and how Jesus has been meeting them in this current moment.

Pastor Michael preaches on Resurrection Sunday on the mystery and messiness of resurrection. What do the women at the graveside teach us about holding grief and fear along with trust and worship? How might we experience the good news of resurrection even amidst grief, uncertainty, and confusion?

Pastor Erina preaches on Palm Sunday, examining what it means that Jesus is the King who comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey instead of a warhorse. How does Jesus among us bring disruptions to cycles of violence and a new imagination for the way of peace?

Barnabas Lin guest preaches for us on our 5th Sunday in Lent, on what it means to encounter Jesus among us, in our human limitations. By looking at Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, Barnabas presents a powerful picture of Jesus as the one who knew the limits of his capacity, the limits of visibility, and the limits of choice.  How might we experience solidarity from Jesus- particularly in th...

On our 4th Sunday in Lent, Pastor Michael addresses the very human reality of both receiving help and helping others, as he looks at the interdependence that Jesus displayed in his ministry. In particular, he looks at the pivotal role that women played in Jesus' ministry, and the subversive nature of mutual partnership in a world marked by dominance. 

Pastor Erina continues with our Lenten series by reflecting on how Jesus is among us in grief. As we collectively draw near to the one-year mark of living in a pandemic and sheltering in place, how does Jesus meet us in our grief? And how does Jesus make room for our lament, disapointment, and feelings of "it didn't have to be this way"? This sermon was followed by a liturgy of grief and remembran...

For our second Sunday in Lent, guest preacher Tamice Spencer reflects on the solidarity that Jesus chooses with humanity through the expression of anger. How might our experiences with anger embody the same commitment to relationships, care, and dignity that Jesus exhibited through his own anger? Tamice is the President and CEO of Sub:Culture Incorporated, a ministry serving dedicated to remo...

Pastor Michael kicks off our Lenten sermon series- "Being Human- Jesus as Flesh Among Us"- with a reflection on the temptations of Jesus. What do the temptations of Jesus teach us about what it means to live as fully human? And how does his faithfulness in the midst of temptation teach us how to resist the impulses of Empire?

Pastor Erina preaches for Transfiguration Sunday on the revelation of Jesus' identity as the dearly loved one of God. How does understanding Christ's own belovedness shape how we view our own? And how does the force of love have the potential to transform us and our society?

Pastor Michael kicks off Black History Month by preaching from Mark 1:29-39, and connecting the healing narrative of Jesus to 3 gifts embodied in the Black community. How does the authority of Jesus, exhibited in the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, illuminate the reality that bodies are always political, healing is always for everyone, and that prayers are meant for liberation?