Prince of Peace

On this Independence Day. Pastor Hannah reminds us that while the Kingdom of God was expected to arrive with strength and power, God's way is the way of peace and unity. In the same way. America was founded on the ideals of peace, liberty and justice. Like all things created by humans, we struggle to live up to those ideals, but we can still celebrate what we aspire to.

Today's gospel is Jesus telling his followers how good it is to welcome others, bringing them closer to the Kingdom of God. Pastor Michelle expands on this by giving examples of how welcoming, or being welcomed, makes us all part of the community we share.

Today, Pastor Hannah explores how we become who we are, starting with our earliest childhood experiences, and through our adult life. Each event defines who we are and where we belong, but God has established *whose* we are even before we are born.

In this week's message, Pastor Jonathan reflects on how camp can be a place where the Holy Spirit can create bonds among the kids who attend. Not only that, but the experiences kids have at camp can, and do, leave lasting impressions. This is especially timely as many of our young people will be headed to camp this week.

In this sermon Pastor Michelle discusses how we were made to be connected to God and one another. Only through this connection are we most fully ourselves. God has woven us together in community.

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, Pastor Hannah explores one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. God is 3 distinct persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, when we talk about God, we are talking about one person.

In today's gospel lesson, Jesus shares the Holy Spirit with his disciples, telling them "if you forgive he sins of any, they are forgiven..." Pastor Jonathan explains that this is Jesus way of telling his disciples that God's forgiveness is not only unconditional, it is meant to be shared. Because God's forgiveness is unconditional, our failures are not the final word.

In this sermon Pastor Jonathan discusses how as Jesus prays that we may all be one, we are called into relationships that transform lives. On this day we celebrate the work with the Haitian Timoun Foundation, welcome new members into the congregation, and celebrate the ministry of Pastor Tom. The power of Christ's love draws us together as one through all of these celebrations.

Today's gospel is part of what is known as Jesus' farewell discourse. Here Jesus makes clear that he cannot stay on earth, but God will provide an advocate to walk with them. This advocate, who we call the Holy Spirit, takes all our cares, grief, and sorrows, and gives us love, joy, and hope.

Pastor Hannah's message this morning comes largely from the Epistle lesson. In 1 Peter, we are asked to asked to be building blocks for God's kingdom. She explains that it takes many building blocks to construct a community, and all blocks are important. It takes time, but we can be the building blocks for God's kingdom in this world.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, Pastor Michelle explains that when Jesus describes himself as a shepherd, he means for us to follow him. She goes on to explain that there are many false shepherds, we need to be wary of them. Just like a sheep knows the voice of his shepherd, we need to know the voice of Jesus

In this sermon Pastor Jonathan reflects on the gospel reading of the Road to Emmaus. We are reminded that while we can often convince ourselves that we are alone, we later realize that hope was walking alongside us all the while. We witness rebirth in the body of Christ here and we are sent out as the embodiment of resurrection hope in the world.

This morning, Pastor Hannah talks about the hope that Jesus gave to his disciples by appearing to them after his Resurrection. The same kind of hope we see embodied in spring buds and blooms, the kind of hope that carries us past our despair. She goes on to share that this is the kind of hope that our Resurrection Project can provide to women in Haiti through HTF, by giving them the tools to get o...

On this Easter morning, Pastor Michelle explores how the grief Jesus' followers felt after the crucifixion was transformed at the Resurrection. Michelle goes on to tell us that this not only affects where where we go at the end of our earthly lives, but teaches us to bring courage and kindness into a world filled with hate and cruelty. Love and life triumph over all.

On this Palm Sunday, Pastor Jonathan (with his friend Rami) explains that the reason palm leaves are used to celebrate this Sunday before Easter is that the palm was a symbol of hope in Jesus' time. Palms were used as a protest against Roman rule, and a belief that the love that Jesus preached would conquer hate and tyranny.

This morning, Pastor Michelle warns of the dangers of Christian Nationalism. Yes, it promises that the world will be better if we all live the same way, but it seeks that end through control through the power of authority. Today's lessons show us a different way: those those who serve others are the people that can really affect the world. There is more power in servitude than dominance.

In this sermon Pastor Jonathan discusses the value of community among us. We were created for community and it is a gift that unites us and sends us out. It is the power to bring hope and care to our neighbors.

In this morning's old testament lesson, we hear the end of the story of Joseph. Joseph, who, despite everything that happened, provided food to the very people who had wronged him. Pastor Hannah uses his story, and the story of Peter, to show that God calls us to serve others, no matter the circumstance. And, like Peter (or the groups from PoP that have gone to Asheville and other places), we are...

Both the old testament lesson and the gospel lesson this morning tell the stories of people who are unlikely allies of God's love in the world: in one case, a prostitute, in the other a woman who had been possessed by demons. Pastor Michelle continues the 'Ordinary Saints' series by sharing that God calls the most unlikely (and sometimes unwilling) people to spread His love in the world. I can be...

Todays gospel lesson tells us the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well . Pastor Jonathan shows us the reason this story is significant: in Jesus' day, there were fundamental disagreements between Samaritans and Jews. Yet, here is Jesus, not only talking to her as a real person, but offering her the same salvation he brings to the world. Jesus has come to the world to abolish t...

In this sermon Pastor Hannah discusses how change is a constant in our lives. Just as a relationship with Christ changed the disciples, so to does our relationship with God lead to a transformation in us. Throughout this, Christ's light guides us in this transformation.

Salt and light are both essential for life. In today's gospel, Jesus tells those who follow him that they are "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." Pastor Michelle explains that Jesus was telling us that we are essential to the well-being of the world. We can provide healing and enlightenment to all we meet.

Today, Pastor Jonathan delves into what the Beatitudes can teach us about today's world. Jesus tells us "Blessed are the peacemakers..." Pastor Jonathan explains that peace is not the absence of conflict, especially the conflict we've seen in Gaza and here in the U.S. Peace, and the Kingdom of God, is also not found through geography or strength. Instead, peace is found in the way we respond to co...

This week's gospel lesson tells of Jesus' reaction to the arrest of John the Baptist. Pastor Michelle talks about why John was probably arrested - John was spreading a message of peace in the face of political leaders that used violence and oppression to remain in control. Jesus later used the same message of peace to show that violence is never the final answer to anything. She goes on to explain...

In this sermon Pastor Hannah discusses how John the Baptist directed others to Jesus. We are encouraged to consider what we are looking for when we follow Jesus. We should consider how we can better point toward Christ through our lives.