Sermons & Such - Haven Berkeley Faith Community

On this Easter Sunday, Leah recognizes the "resurrection moment" we are in as we continue to recover from the losses of the Covid Pandemic, and also reflects on the complicated nature of the life after loss. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or view the teaching below. All Things New Leah Martens

A Traditional Russian Icon of The Good Samaritan . Anonymous artist; dated end of XVIII c. Online source here . In this final teaching Leah's series on parables, she covers one of the most famous, commonly known as "The Good Samaritan", and considers how a deeper look may make the story more challenging and important than many of us have come to believe. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or v...

As "A Story-Shaped Faith" continues, Leah tackles another challenging parable of Jesus, often known as "The Wheat and the Weeds". In it, she explores how we confront the evils in our time without making the problems even bigger. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching . The Messy Field Leah Martens

In this first Sunday of Lent, 2022, Leah continues our series on parables ("A Story-Shaped Faith") with a look at the story commonly known as the Workers and the Vineyard. She also invites the community to go beyond comprehension and move into practice with a set of suggested practices for the week. We will continue to offer suggested practices in services and via email throughout the season of Le...

In this second teaching in the "Story-Shaped Faith" series, Leah considers a familiar parable, "The Prodigal Son", and challenges listeners to be open to viewing it in a new way. Review Leah’s notes and listen to or watch the teaching below. Lost and Found Leah Martens

Leah begins a new teaching series on the parables of Jesus, called "A Story-Shaped Faith". In this first teaching in the series, Leah considers how the genre of parables were intended to function in the ancient world and what the famous Parable of the Sower might tell us about their import in shaping our spirituality. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below. Being Provok...

On the first Sunday of the year, Haven meets virtually and considers together the traditional Epiphany story Matthew tells of Magi coming from the East to worship the infant Jesus. View Leah’s notes here and watch or listen to the teaching below. Considering Epiphany Leah Martens

In this last teaching in the series, Leah considers what we might learn from Jesus about repairing our relationships after they've been challenged, and how that might help us build friendships that last. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below. Friendship Repair Leah Martens

In this second teaching in the "Friendship Matters" series, Leah explores the various circles of friendship and how they are built up, and we hear a special story from four friends who have been there for each other for decades. Review Leah’s notes or take in the teaching and story through audio or video below. (To watch only the DeWitt and Jensen story, start at minute 29.) Friendship Takes Time...

This is the first teaching in a new series, called "Friendship Matters". In this first gathering, we explored a little of what science, voices from history, voices in Haven, and Scripture have to say about friendship. What does "friendship" even mean? Why is it important for us to think about? Why is it challenging? And how might God interact with the whole idea? Listen to the teaching or watch it...

In this hybrid Sunday gathering, Leah shared her last teaching from the "Recovering the Sacred" series, inviting the Haven community to consider the practice of worship and how it might connect us with the Divine and help us experience the sacred. After the teaching, those in attendance were invited to interact with a number of worship experiences. A couple of those experiences have been included...

In this teaching from our "Recovering the Sacred" series, Leah considered the ancient practice of making covenants, and how it might be useful in our day as we think now about making commitments. Read Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below. Sacred Commitments Leah Martens

In this Zoom-only Sunday gathering, Leah teaches on the theme of "Sacred Texts" and considers how reordering our relationship to the Bible might be an important part of our recovering of the sacred. Review Leah’s notes and listen to or watch the teaching below. Sacred Texts Leah Martens