Hummelstown UCC Podcast

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8: Divine Majesty and Human Dignity; John 16:12-15 We embody jubilee when we live toward restoration and flourishing for all, when weembrace not only the teachings of Jesus but the way of Jesus. This moment calls usto go Into the Deep. We may cast our nets fishing for nourishment, livelihood,vocation, or community. Within the kindom, justice and righteousness reign whe...

Psalm 104:24-34; John 14:8-17; Acts 2:1-21 “You are called to be truly human, but it is nothing short of the life of God within youthat enables you to be so, to be remade in God's image.” - N.T. Wright

Acts 16:20-34; John 17:20-26 “Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty andbeauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset.” - Stephen Russell

Acts 16:9-15; John 5:1-9 “What would it look like for us to intentionally put healing practices at the center ofour work, like the tree of life at the center of the new city Revelation invites us toimagine, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.” -Dr. Sharon R. Fennema

Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35 The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is notugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And theopposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” ― Elie Wiesel

Acts 9:36-43; John 10:22-30 May Day Morning (First Anniversary of Mother's Death) As I sit on my porchI feel my Mother's presence. The sunrise feels like my mother's arms around me. The scent of lilacs reminds me of her perfume. In the bird's singing I hear her voice. Watching the rabbit search for food,I remember the meals she made for me. I see the doe guarding her fawn and I feel certainThat Mo...

Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30: Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness; John 21:1-19 “On the Pulse of Morning” excerptHere, on the pulse of this fine dayYou may have the courageTo look up and out and upon me, theRock, the River, the Tree, your country. No less to Midas than the mendicant. No less to you now than the mastodon then. Here, on the pulse of this new dayYou may have the grace to look up an...

Psalm 150: Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness; John 20:19-31 "You, O God, are our light – Grant us courage to walk into places once cloaked infear. Grant us fortitude to reveal our pain, to bind our wounds. You, O God, are oureverlasting strength, we will not turn away, we will persevere. We lift our voices indefiant praise. Give thanks to the God who never turns away – whose love breaksevery c...

Luke 22:39-46; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Tell me again. Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life where I believe in myself,a life where, dare I say, I love myself. Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life of dancing in the kitchenand slow cups of coffee;a life where Sabbath is viewed as a giftas opposed to a luxury;a life where I trust my own voiceand speak words dripping in hope,heavy in love. Te...

John 12:1-8; Isaiah 43:16-21 People throw around the phrase, “Let it go” like a child throws out laughter—Easy and light. I wish that’s how I knew it. I wish it felt that simple. Instead I have to talk myself into a better frame of mind. I have to drag one foot in front of the other until I’m closer to love. I have to sing my mother’s words in my head until I can’t hear anything else. And I pray f...

2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:11b-32 I have come to believeThat it’s harder to cry under an open sky. So when life falls apart, throw open the windows. Invite the sun into your shadows. Lie in the grass and let the sun mistake you for flowers. Maybe this is step one in cultivating—For flowers do not grow by mistake. They need the sun, just like we need love,And time,And the grace to try again. So...

Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9 If the trees can do it, then so can I,At least that’s what I tell myself. For if year after year the trees can let goOf their brightest leaves and that warm autumn glow,Then maybe in time, like trees with their leaves,I can releaseThat which keeps me from you. Maybe in time, I can let goOf my need for certaintyAnd my need to look good,My need for busyness,And my need to...

Psalm 27: Triumphant Song of Confidence; Luke 13:31-35: The Lament over Jerusalem I wish I could cultivate my daysLike my mother’s favorite recipe,Blending together the sweetest things—Hope and love, you and me,Justice and peace,Music and dreams—Like spices pulled from the shelf on thewall. I’d add one cup of family,And one cup of grace. A dash of starry nights,A pinch of snow. One tablespoon of h...

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 4:1-13 Dear loved one—I hope you let go. I hope you let go of holding yourself to impossible standards. Lower the bar. Give yourself grace. God delights in who you are. And while you’re at it, I hope you let go of ignoring your beauty. The mirror is tired of your harsh words, for you are made of star stuff and music. You are the only you there is, and you. are. simply. st...

Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36 “God places us in the world as fellow workers-agents of transfiguration. We workwith God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so there will be morecompassion and caring, that there will be more laughter and joy, that there will bemore togetherness in God’s world.” -Desmond Tutu

Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40: Exhortation to Patience and Trust;Genesis 45:3-11; Luke 6:27-38 “If you're for the right thing, you do it without thinking.” -Maya Angelou

Psalm 1: The Two Ways; Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26 “When it comes down to it, that’s what life is all about: showing up for the peopleyou love, again and again, until you can’t show up anymore.” Rebecca Walker

Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; Luke 5:1-11 “What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow. What are brief? today and tomorrow. What are frail? spring blossoms and youth. What are deep? the ocean and truth.”  Christina Rossetti

Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13; Luke 4:21-30  “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.  In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. … In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter...

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Luke 4:14-21 Divine Body of Belonging, grant us the tenderness of feeling safe in your arms, thestability of being tethered by both gravity and grace. Help us not to resist thismoment nor our mortality. You’ve given us this life on earth with terrains of variedlands and feelings, guide us to navigate this being human, this being a body madein your...

1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Psalm 36:5-10; John 2:1-11 "Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue." Bell Hooks

Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29: The Voice of God in a Great Storm, A Psalm of David; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 “The baptism of Jesus demonstrates abiding solidarity with humanity, particularlyexpressed in Luke’s account. Jesus is with everyone else who is being baptized thatday. His presence as the intersection of human and divine does not becomerevealed until after the rite has concluded and all the people ha...

Isaiah 43:16-21; Matthew 2:1-12 BREATH PRAYER      INHALE: Each twist and turn           EXHALE: Invites me to follow you.

Joel 2:21-27; Psalm 126: A Harvest of Joy; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Matthew 6:25-33 "Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe,even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a longway from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go. Hold on to my hand,even if someday I'll be gone away from you." Crowfroot

MARK 13:1-8; 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10;  { inhale....exhale... }