Momologian

Advent is the start of a new church year. The first week we lit the candle of hope and this week we light the candle of peace. This Advent we are invited to come home for Christmas. A home filled with the love of Christ. Sometimes, though, home isn’t someplace we want to go to! What if we are afraid to go home?

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, Jesus asks us not to worry but WOW is that easier said than done. What if not being anxious isn’t something you have the privilege to do? And what if it is? Where is God in all of it?

Is there anything that brings along with it more doubt than grief and grieving? Our revelation scripture for All Saints reminds us that God is always doing something new, perhaps especially in the moments where we wonder where God really is.

It’s hard to be a thinking and believing Christian. Being a disciple and a follower of Christ is hard. Except when it’s not.

When was the last time you entered into God’s presence like a child? Or did the world take that away from you, too?

Does anyone come to church actually expecting to encounter God? When we read the Psalms - this week’s reading comes from Psalm 104 - we read about an awesome Creator, but do we believe what we read and sing? Can we have doubts and still have God?

When God created the heavens and the Earth, in the beginning all of creation was called good. Guess what? It still is good. And so. Are. We.

Mark 9:38-50 is kind of hard to listen to. This text has been used to perpetuate harm in countless instances. So how can we look deeper to find a message of love and acceptance in a passage that isn’t as “warm and fuzzy” as we would like?

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he calls our attention to the foolishness of the cross. Say WHAT? Hear Rev. Alicia encourage us to embrace the foolishness of our faith and find the power in it.

What are the words or images that come to mind when we hear the word "Wisdom?" We live in a society that often tries to separate seeking wisdom from following God's call on our lives. This week's passage from the Wisdom of Solomon reveals something you may find surprising about the Biblical understanding of Wisdom and if it’s possible for faith and knowledge to be friends after all.

The epistle reading from James reminds us to be doers and not merely hearers of the word. What does that mean when our society tends to throw “thoughts and prayers” at a crisis without much else?

Joy is an act of resistance in the face of the Empire. When we sing our lives out loud into the world, we share our joy with all who hear our song. Rev. Alicia shares this week’s epistle reading from Ephesians 5:15-20 with a message of joy as resistance.

Rev. Alicia invites us into some “real talk” about the epistles, our traditions, and how we can learn from the things that make us uncomfortable.

We aren’t so different from the Ephesian church. The letter to Ephesus speaks through the ages and asks a hard question: How are we, as Christians, doing our part to build up one another in love?

Even Jesus and his disciples needed to take a break in the midst of their ministry. How does today’s gospel reading remind us of the importance of taking time to just breathe? Listen and find out!

Transitioning into a church as a new pastor is never easy, and that is certainly the case during the end of a pandemic. Here Reverend Alicia’s first sermon to her new church community as it relates to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the current state of our 21st-century church, and what she believes you all need to know about your “new” pastor.

And guess why? Have a listen…

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15: there is a season for all things. This is a both/and time. Rev. Alicia’s love letter to her current church family as she prepares to depart for her new church appointment.

The title says it all. Listen to Rev. Alicia speak to the issue of human sexuality within the UMC and how we are called to hold the church accountable … and ourselves.

Baptism is an act of revolution! Sometimes reality doesn’t always meet our expectations. The baptism of Christ is one of those moments. How? Listen and find out!

This fourth week of our sermon series takes a twist. Rev. Alicia invites us to rethink the Trinity as a divine connection between the Three In One. How does this messy, beautiful, and funky concept connect not just the Divine 3, but also us to God, one another, and the world? And what do we do with that when the world is such a broken place?

This special recording as of the remarks given at the Bridgewater black lives matter rally and George Floyd memorial vigil. Reverend Alicia speaks on how hard it can be to bring good news when the world doesn’t seem to have any good news to share.

Week 3 of our sermon series on the marks of a healthy church community. Looking inward is essential to a community’s health, but so is having an outward focus. In fact, looking OUT is what we are called to do as Christians!

Week 2 of our sermon series on the marks of a healthy church community. Our churches claim to be welcoming and inclusive but often times we are anything but! Inclusivity is a buzzword but what is it really? And how do we know if we are truly doing it?

Week 1 of our sermon series on “The 5 Marks of a Healthy Church Community.” This week we take on authenticity of faith and practices.