Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Today, we begin a new sermon series, Sabbath Rest: Rejuvenation in the Spirit. Sabbath is more than just a day! Sabbath practice reorients us, putting us in right relationship with ourselves, others, and with God. God calls faithful people to sabbath rest and prayerful ceasing throughout our scriptures, and this summer we’ll spend some time reflecting on the ways we can experience and practice sab...

This morning, we'll consider the first mention of the Spirit of God as we explore together the Creation narrative in Genesis 2. God, after forming the heavens and the earth, forms human beings from the dust of the ground and then breathes the breath of life into Adam, allowing him to become a living being. As we sit with this imagery, we'll meditate on how the breath of God offers us constancy, in...

This morning, we'll turn to the Hebrew Scriptures to reflect on the prophet Elijah. Elijah was faithful and true to God's word, and thus his life was at risk. When he felt he was at his lowest, God surprised and challenged him. We'll wrestle with how we hear God speaking, surprising, and challenging us along our faith journey. Sermon on 1 Kings 19:1-15, delivered by the Reverend Mary Newberg Gale...

Today is Trinity Sunday, celebrating the Triune God—an identity we share as those baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amid unrest and uncertainty, we turn to the Spirit of truth who delights, plays, and stays with us. As we face transitions and farewells, our Gospel reminds us the Spirit is always present. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to lean into that presence, e...

Today, we celebrate Pentecost and begin a new sermon series titled Nearer Than Breath. We’ll wrestle with our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, that forcibly blows us out into the world and is yet as comforting and reliable as our next breath. As we encounter the Spirit in wind, fire, breath, and even a descending dove, we trust that the Spirit journeys with us, comforting, transformin...

This week, we will celebrate the final Sunday of the Easter season, and the last of our sermon series, And There Christ Will Meet You. As we reflect on the story of Jesus' appearance to his disciples in the locked room, we'll wrestle with our cultural understandings of certainty and doubt, and the ways the gift of resurrection fundamentally alters our living. The Risen Christ meets us where we are...

Today, we turn to the book of Revelation, a prophetic and apocalyptic text filled with powerful imagery that helps us resist sin in the world. We’ll explore what it means to be a church of resistance, shaped by a shared vision. As Christ guides our vision for communal life, we discover the blessing of Christ's presence, not only in our worship but in the streets of our city. Sermon on Revelation 2...

This morning, we continue our Eastertide sermon series, And There Christ Will Meet You. Pastor Joshua will lead us as we meet Christ along with Mary Magdalene in the Garden on Easter morning. Though initially unable to recognize Jesus in her midst at first, it is through hearing the voice of Jesus that Mary comes to recognize the Savior's presence. We'll explore together how we hear, see, and expe...

Today, we continue in the Gospel of John as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. As we celebrate the third offering in our sermon series And There Christ Will Meet You, we will reflect on how God cares for, protects, guides, and calls us by name. In a world full of a cacophony of voices, we'll consider how to listen for the voice of our shepherd. Sermon on John 21:1-19, delivered by the Reverend Mar...

Today, we read of the risen Jesus meeting his disciples at the shoreline in the wake of their trauma and loss. Through this encounter, we’ll reflect on how Jesus tends to the wounds we carry in our bodies and calls us into the healing work of shepherding others. Sermon on John 21:1-19, delivered by the Reverend Courtnay Veazey on May 4th, 2025.

Some of our high school seniors will be our preachers for the day while other youth will lead in liturgy and prayer. They will proclaim the Word based on Luke 24:13-35, the Road to Emmaus. We'll hear about confused and disheartened disciples grappling with Jesus' death and the stories floating around about his resurrection while talking with a stranger they met on the road. Much to their surprise,...

On this Easter morning, we will come together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark's telling of the story will center our worship as we will hear of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome being alarmed by the scene they encounter upon arriving at Jesus' burial place. Not only has the stone been rolled away, but a young man dressed in white tells...

This morning, we will continue our Lenten series, The Seven Last Words of Jesus, by examining Jesus' last words from the Gospel of John, "I thirst." In these words, Jesus' humanity and divinity are on display, as well as the deep desire and faithfulness that brought him to those final moments. As we worship, we will reflect on the nature of faithfulness and how we bear witness to the pain and thir...

Sermon on Luke 23:44-46, delivered by the Reverend Joshua H. Narcisse on Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025.

This morning, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we will hear Jesus' words from the Gospel of John again. In John 19:30, after receiving the sour wine, Jesus said, "It is finished." Those standing at the foot of the cross would have certainly been confused. What exactly was finished? As we worship, we will explore the tension of Jesus' words spoken into our world and our lives. How is God's power made k...

This morning, as we mark the midpoint of our Lenten journey, we will hear Jesus' cry from the cross captured in the Gospel of Matthew, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Our Lord will express his sense of abandonment by recalling the words of the psalmist found in Psalm 22. As we worship, we will reflect on both the agonizing nature of abandonment and the purpose of the words Jesus choose...

As we mark the third Sunday of Lent, we will turn our attention to the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John. While he hangs on the cross, Jesus looks down to see the beloved disciple standing with his mother, Mary. Jesus says to Mary, "Woman, here is your son," and to the beloved disciple he says, "Here is your mother." As we worship, we will wrestle with the significance of Jesus naming a new r...

Sunday Sermon: Seven Last Words: Today You Will Be With Me… by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

This morning, as we mark the first Sunday of Lent, we will embark on a new sermon series entitled The Seven Last Words of Christ. This series will allow us to examine the meaning and implications of the words that Jesus spoke while he was being crucified. Sermon delivered on Luke 23:33-38 by the Reverend David J. Powers on March 9th, 2025.

Sunday Sermon: Greatness of God by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Jesus Heals - Do We See This Woman? by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Jesus Heals - At Unexpected Times by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Jesus Heals - Through Unexpected People by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Jesus Heals - In Unexpected Places by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

This morning, the Reverend Joshua H. Narcisse will lead us as we continue to study the Gospel of Luke. In the opening verses of Luke 5, Jesus meets Peter after an unsuccessful night of fishing, and in their encounter, the trajectory of Peter's story changes. Together, we will sit with the hidden tensions competing in Peter's life, and we will see how Jesus's attention to those concerns shapes Pete...