Bethel Community Sermons

Pastor Erina introduces the Advent season and gives background on the book of Isaiah while facilitating a collective experience of "praying in color" using the words of Isaiah 2:1-5. NOTE: Due to the contemplative and interactive nature of our "praying in color" segment, there are long silences in the recording. Sermon recording listeners are invited and welcomed to participate...

Pastor Michael concludes our Revelation sermon series the way we started it- by returning to the call to worship as central to our life of faith and collective resistance.  How might we continue to find hope in Jesus, even in these challenging days?

Pastor Erina reflects on the letter to Laodicea and the trappings of wealth and power in our life with Jesus. How might material prosperity lead us to forsake our own spiritual poverty? How might Jesus want to free us from self-deception in order to pursue faithful and uncompromised witness?

Pastor Erina continues our sermon series on Revelation by preaching on the letter to the church in Philadelphia and reflecting on the encouragement they receive for their faithfulness, even in the face of human exclusion. How might Jesus' words encourage those who have been shut out of community due to their obedience?

Guest preacher Nichola Torbett shares reflections from the letter to the church in Sardis, reminding us that where we focus our attention dictates what we move toward. How might we be called to adjust our gaze - away from the enactors of imperial violence and toward those who are being crucified by it? ----- Nichola Torbett (they/she) is a white, queer, raised-working-class organizer, survivor, re...

Pastor Michael continues our sermon series by looking at the letter to the church in Thyatira and both problematizing the imagery of Jezebel and also calling us to reject the shaming and labeling practices of Empire. How might we continue to hold on to the promise of Jesus, who will make things right, even in the midst of our violent and divided world?

Pastor Erina returns to our sermon series on Revelation, reflecting on the letter to the church in Pergamum and the warning it provides to us about compromised faith. How might we resist the pull towards accommodating ourselves to popular cultural practices for social and economic gain? How might we follow in Jesus' footsteps and remain steadfast in our faith?

Pastor Erina takes a break from our Revelation sermon series and concludes our All-Church Retreat by reflecting on what it means to live as a church that is planted in our purpose by living as our true selves. How might we bring glory to God and participate in God's mission by being fully who we were created to be?

In his sermon, Pastor Michael acknowledges the church in Smyrna as a model of faithful resistance to empire through loyalty to Jesus. We're invited to trust the risen Jesus who understands oppression firsthand and continues to be present in all seasons, bringing comfort and courage. How can our community say no to systems of oppression and yes to Jesus' vision of abundance? How can our hol...

Pastor Erina emphasizes that even in pursuing justice and good works, the church must not abandon love as its highest calling. Love requires seeing the image of God in every person and expressing itself through simple, intentional acts and practicing generosity, vulnerability, and communion. These acts of love serve as our guide and compass, pointing us back to our humanity and reminding us of our...

Pastor Michael continues our series on the book of Revelation, where John’s vision unveils Jesus as both human and divine, speaking freedom and saying, “Do not be afraid.” We’re invited to trust Christ’s presence even in our fear. Pastor Michael points to our community’s faithfulness as a witness to love and freedom in Christ. How does remembering these stories nourish us in worship? How might we...

Our church's Theologian-in-Residence, Barnabas Lin, kicks off our Revelation sermon series by helping frame how we might understand the form and the function of Revelation, as a book of reflective insight rather than predictive foresight. He also helps us understand the central theme of worship in Revelation and invites us to reclaim our worship as political, as we figure out what resistant wo...

Pastor Erina concludes our Passions of the People series by preaching from 1 Corinthians 12, and what it means to live as the body of Christ. She exhorts us to move out of a season of "survival mode" into a more rich and abundant expression of the whole church body, bringing our gifts to co-create the table together.

Jay Lee continues our "Passions of the People" series by sharing about his intersecting passions for early childhood and the Christian call to radical care and generosity. By sharing his own vocational and faith journey, he invites us to consider the direct call to redistribute our resources to care for those in need. For more about the non-profit he started, please check out: https://ww...

Dr. Katherine Nasol shares about her passion for radical and courageous care, as both an embodiment of their lived experiences and an expression of their commitment to liberatory theologies. As we continue to live in a world that exploits and devalues care work, how might we move towards worlds of radical and courageous care that addresses both interpersonal needs as well as structural violence?

Guest speaker Ginny Prince shares about the church and disability. Interweaving personal story, Biblical vision, and political history, Ginny invites us to consider the history of ableism in the church while offering concrete invitations toward greater accessibility, welcome, and liberation for all.

Dr. Stephanie Robillard continues our sermon series and shares with us about her commitment to abolition as both a political vision and a broader set of habits, practices, and mindsets that are connected to God's vision of shalom. How might we continue to transform our heads and hearts to move toward a world without prisons and carceral systems?

David Luoh continues our summer series by sharing about his work as a Pixar sets supervisor and the beauty of human stories. He shares about storytelling as a way of growing human empathy and deepening understanding, while encouraging us to stay curious about others' stories- especially those different from our own.

Pastor Erina kicks off our summer series by sharing an exhortation from Galatians 6 to not grow weary of doing good and to keep sowing what is right and true. She also shares some updates on some of the critical work of our church in this season, and what doing good together might look like in the days to come.

Guest preacher Ciarra Jones joins us on Pride Sunday to examine Jesus' question to his disciples- "Who do you say that I am" - and the invitation to the holy work of naming. How might the act of naming God- particularly from the margins- invite us into a more expansive understanding of who God is and move us toward greater love and liberation for all?

Pastor Michael preaches on Trinity Sunday and talks about how the Jesus-following community has a shared identity and purpose as they center their life around our Triune God.

Pastor Erina preaches for Pentecost Sunday on the Spirit's work of radical joining, bringing together unlikely people through unexpected tongues. She also shares some stories from the life of Liz Haupert, our beloved church member who passed away on June 2nd, and invites us to receive the Spirit's work of granting us new languages to participate in God's new family.

Pastor Michael preaches on Ascension Sunday about the ways that Christ's ascension is an antidote to the disciple's atrophied imaginations, an invitation to loving our enemies and expanding our vision of who God's goodness is for. How might we participate in the act of "dual witnessing"- as we witness the Spirit's unexpected work and then share it with others?

Pastor Erina continues our Eastertide series by reflecting on Jesus' interactions with his disciples on the shore, inviting them to breakfast. How does Christ's invitation to a set table help remind the disciples of who they are and what they're called to? How might we too, be called to feed as we have been fed?

Pastor Michael continues our Eastertide series and leads us in a collective practice of Visio Divina, using Scott Erickson's artpiece depicting the story of Thomas. How does Jesus meet us and honor our needs- even in the face of our very real doubts?