For the spirit of the city

In this week's message Rev. Dr. Lisa Johnson calls for us to know that the Lord is God; that he made us; that he is good and his mercy is everlasting.

While there are many things that vie for our attention each and everyday, the epiphanies in our lives are reminders that God must come first. Rev. Joel Blunk preaches from the sermonic title: "Follow that Star."

For the final Tuesday night service of 2020, long-time Richmond Hill resident, DeBorah Cannady, shares a generational prayer/blessing for our community and country. A reminder that ‘Faith Makes All Things Possible.’

On this fourth week of Advent Anthony Gaboton delves into the story of the Virgin Birth of Christ. Does it still matter in the 21st century and how is it even relevant after such a challenging year?

On this third week of Advent Rev. Lindsey Franklin explores how Mary's Magnificat calls us to find "joy in the present tense."

"We must be willing to press into not just the Lord's garment but we must press into his presence and touch his heart, if we want our situation to change. I encourage you, whatever is going on in your life - instead of focusing on your issues, focus on the presence of an all loving, all powerful, all knowing God. Have faith, – and see if things don’t change in your life!" - Rev. Dr. Lisa Johnson

Rev. Joel Blunk kicks off our first preaching series during Advent, live from Richmond Hill's chapel. His eschatological sermon, "Stay Alert" encourages the church to grow in discipleship, justice, and love; with renewed vitality.

This week of Thanksgiving Rev. Ben Hadley-Goggin reflects on gratitude from Richmond Hill”s vegetable garden. He Interweaves the Gospels, Paul’s epistle (1 Thes. 5), and the life of 17th-century pastor Martin Rinkart to show how we benefit by finding reasons to be grateful.

While half of American voters celebrated the result of last week’s presidential election; the other half were upset, in denial, and/or fearful. Min. Anthony Gaboton looks to the Prophet Amos to present a balanced approach to these divided times.

Rev. Dr. Lisa Johnson looks to Psalm 51:10 ("Create in me a clean heart...") to explore the places in our lives that are causing our heart to be out of alignment with the will of God.

During this Election Day, Rev. Joel Blunk looks to the 'Beatitudes' in his sermon, "God's Great Turning." In trying times, as in all times, he encourages us to trust in the promise of God's blessing.

With a week to go until the elections, we continue our series on "Staying Faithful". Min. Anthony Gaboton Jr. looks to the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes to gain insight from divinity in such unsteady times.

In reading Jesus' call to "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperors, and to God the things that are God's," Associate Pastor for Development Lindsey Franklin finds some wisdom in how to stay focused on what matters in a time of distraction and injustice.

During these difficult times the perseverance of the human spirit is vital. Rev. Dr. Lisa Johnson juxtaposes St. Paul's letter to the Phillipians with the story of 1992 Olympic track star, Derick Redmond and his father, as a model for "continuing to run the race" in spite of the obstacles we face.

Rev. Joel Blunk presents the basis of ‘The Parable of the Tenants’ as loving your neighbor, which is simple yet very challenging. We are challenged to place our egos aside to do the challenging work of justice and God’s righteousness.

DeBorah Cannady, Richmond Hill Ministries Coordinator, shares how the classic tale of “The Good Samaritan” is so relevant for these challenging and distressing times. She reminds of us to not forget about our neighbors, but also finding ways to show care towards them.

Associate Pastor Lindsey Franklin explores truth-telling as a part of healing our city. She takes inspiration from Jesus' parable of the laborers in the field in seeking God's kingdom, here on earth.

Rev. Ben Hadley-Goggin visits the story of the Exodus, one of the most important and amazing miracle stories in the Old Testament. Against all hopes and defying all logic as the Egyptian Army is bearing down on the Israelites God makes a way for the Israelites where there seemed to be no way.

Rev. Joel Blunk looks to the Apostle Paul and Saint Benedict to model how love must first begin with our self and grow from there. The urgency to "wake up" to spiritual realities is all the more crucial in today's changing world.

It's seems like what is missing in today's world is love. Rev. Dr. Lisa Johnson begins her reflection on the biblical love between David and Jonathan (1st Samuel 18) by looking to Stevie Wonder’s "Love’s in Need of Love Today." Then she speaks on how techology can disconnect us and ends with three points on solidifying Christian love.

"Get behind me Satan!" These are rough words from Jesus (in this week's scriptures) to Peter the disciple, who was also called, "The Rock." DeBorah Cannady probes this paradox and asks what the cost of discipleship entails.

The story of 'The Canaanite Woman's Faith' (Matt. 15:21-28) is one of the most challenging biblical texts to exegete. Pastor Lindsey Franklin walks us through the scriptures presenting the question: "If Jesus changes, when presented with the suffering and astounding faith of another, than how much more should we be willing to change?"

VCU Instructor and Koinonia faculty member, Nikki Fernandes, guides us through the complexity of 'The Parable of the Sower' (Matt. 13). Fernandes looks to analogies from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 'The Great Gatsby' to Bryan Stevenson’s 'Just Mercy' to encourage us to withhold judgement and hope for God’s ultimate redemption.

This week's gospel reading is the "Feeding of 5000." Min. Anthony Gaboton suggests there are links between the disciples dismissal of the crowd and a mentality of scarcity; while exploring what wealth is beyond materialism.

This week Dr. Rev. Lisa Johnson looks to the book of Numbers and the Israelites struggle with "grasshopper mentality." She encourages the RH community to pray and work together in order to do Kingdom building.