Bethel Community Sermons

Guest preacher, Jazzy Johnson, joins us in our sermon series on lectionary to talk about the surprising and refreshing authority of Jesus. How does the presence of Jesus among us cast out evil, expose the lies, and usher in healing for our whole selves? How does it bring about not the absence of conflict but the transformation of it? --------- Jazzy Johnson, a proud Native Texan and adopted Chicag...

Pastor Michael continues or Winter sermon series on the lectionary by preaching from Psalm 62, reflecting on what the words of the Psalm teach us about how to engage our vulnerability with God and with others.

Pastor Erina continues our sermon series in the lectionary, by looking at 1 Samuel 3:1-18, and particularly the word of judgment that comes upon the House of Eli and his sons.  When is judgment good news for us? How do we hold judgment in tension with God's healing and restoration? And how does understanding God's judgment upon unbridled violence and entitlement offer good news in the current...

Pastor Michael preaches on The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, about the unlikely coronation of Jesus through his baptism in the Jordan.  How does Christ's baptism subvert the hierarchies of Empire and reveal to us a way of  vulnerability, mutuality, and belovedness? And how is this baptism good news for us in the aftermath of the white supremacist, nationalist, and extremist violence...

Pastor Erina provides an overview of our church history and what we've seen God do in our church during 2020. She  also looks ahead to some hopes for the new years and shares updates on new programs to continue widening our banquet table for our now local and long-distance community. 

Pastor Erina offers a few words of reflection on how we might embrace tension in this season of Christmastide and at the end of 2020, with guidance from the words of Psalm 126 Nancy James follows with a testimony on how she experienced Jesus in unexpected ways this year, through the gift of connection. 

Pastor Michael concludes our sermon series for Advent on Jesus and the community of creation, sharing about the role of the stars in the birth story of Jesus. How do the stars teach us about curiosity and worship? How do the Magi open up a pathway to a world without tyranny?

Barnabas Lin joins us for our 3rd Sunday in Advent to interweave stories of living and working on a farm for 3 months with thoughts on the role of the sheep in Jesus' birth. How do sheep reveal to us the hope of communion and the way of shalom? Barnabas is a recent transplant to Southern California, where he recently graduated with a Master of Divinity and finished three months on a farm. He has b...

Jill Gidlund continues our Advent series with reflections on the hay, and the interconnectedness of all members of the creation community in the birth of Jesus. Jill is a writer and speaker in the East Bay Area. Her work is primarily in the world of Children’s Spirituality, with a background in Children's Ministry, Godly Play and Early Childhood Education. Learn more about her work at:  https...

Pastor Erina kicks off our Advent series with a reflection on the unlikely bearers of God's promises- Elizabeth and Mary- and how the faith and encouragement shared between these two women are part of the community of creation that welcomes the coming Savior.

Guest preacher Grace Weng finishes out our sermon on the book of Haggai, reminding us that our hope is not in earthly kings or kingdoms, but in Jesus our Messiah. What does it mean for the Church to place our hope in Jesus and live as God's signet ring in this world?

Pastor Michael continues our series on the book of Haggai, as he explores God's vision of holiness and defilement, and the relationship between human choices and the community of creation.

Pastor Erina continues our sermon on Ezra and Haggai, by examining God's call to take courage and work in building God's temple, even when the ruins feel overwhelming.  How does this passage speak to us today, the week after the 2020 elections, as we look at the ruins of the American Church and our current political landscape? What work are we being called to?

Pastor Michael transitions our sermon series to the book of Haggai, examining the call to build God's house amidst the temptation to secure our own paneled houses. We are reminded that God's freedom leads us to serve others, rather than just ourselves.

Pastor Erina continues us in our sermon series on Ezra, examining the opposition that God's people face in the midst of doing God's work.  The testimony of the returned exiles reminds us that building the house of God has always challenged the empires of the land and that we are called to faithfulness, even in the face of haters.

We continue our sermon series on Ezra, and Pastor Michael examines what it means for the people of God to pursue exclusive worship that leads us to embody God's inclusive love and expansive community. 

The fifth sermon of our series on Ezra looks at the beginnings of temple rebuilding, and what it means for the community of God to hold weeping and rejoicing together in the face of transition.

The fourth sermon in our Fall series on the Book of Ezra looks at the role of burnt offerings in the life and worship of the returning exiles.

The third sermon in our Fall series on the Book of Ezra looks at the names and numbers of those who returned home from exile, and talks about the importance of naming our ancestors- the people we come from who shape us and pave the way for us.  This sermon was followed by a special liturgy of remembrance. 

The second sermon in our OT series on the book of Ezra. Pastor Michael parallels the return from exile with the Exodus from Egypt and examines the call for God's people to wake up, to remember, and to keep walking. 

The first sermon in our Fall Old Testament series on the book of Ezra. Pastor Erina gives historical context on the book of Ezra and speaks about the power of God's promises and what it means to actively wait on God.

The final sermon in our "Summer in the Lectionary" series. Pastor Michael Kim-Eubanks speaks from Matthew 16:21-28 about the suffering Christ and overturning  the logic of Empire that leads to violence.

The fourth sermon in our Summer Lectionary Series. Preacher Erma Sinclair speaks from Psalm 124 about the role of truth telling testimony in the face of unjust and broken systems, particularly from the lens of the Black experience.

The third sermon in our "Summer in the Lectionary" series. Rev. Janna Louie talks about the practice of Sabbath as resistance, and what it means for a people to rediscover home through practices of hospitality, justice, and righteousness.

The second sermon in our "Summer in the Lectionary" series. Pastor Erina preaches about Elijah's encounter with God at Mt. Horeb, and what it means for the Church to reclaim its prophetic call in the face of persecution.