St. Paul & St. Andrew's Sermon and Prayercast

"For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  James 4:14b Friends, As I've been prepping for Sunday, my brain keeps transporting me back to the Intermediate Hebrew class I took during seminary. Perhaps a strange place to be, since we aren't working with any Hebrew Bible texts this week? Rather, we're back in the New Testament, with the epistle of...

Please join Sally Rausch (St. Paul & St. Andrew Seminary Intern) for a moment of prayer (from the September 22, 2024 service).

"And the fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who make peace."  James 3:18 Friends, How much peace have you made this week? What does it even mean to 'make peace'?  In the literal sense of the phrase, James is telling us that peace can be manufactured, constructed. But how? By actively doing peace, through how we interact with the world around us, with people. And, signif...

Please join Pastor Lea Matthews in a moment of prayer (from the September 15, 2024 service).

Remember Walkmans?   Remember cassette tapes?   Well in that same era, I have a distinct memory of "borrowing" my mother's Jane Fonda workout tape and putting it into my walkman.  I set off on a walk.  The design of this particular workout was to support you on a walk, giving you guidance and encouragement along the route as you listened to the music.  So you'd bop along to the...

Please join Aurora Celestin in a moment of prayer (from the September 8, 2024 service).

"Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves." James 1:22 Don't just listen, do something! That could sum up the message behind the Epistle of James. For the five weeks of September, Lea, Andrea and I are taking a deep dive into James, one of the most interesting books in the Bible.  Our theme is The Joy of James. Not a bad title, but there is a lot more to J...

Join Pastor Lea Matthews for a moment of prayer (from the August 25, 2024 service).

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom else can we go? You have the words of eternal life..."  John 6:68 This week's lectionary serves up some strange passages. The Gospel reading begins with Jesus saying, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them."  Just because we affirm this, do this, each communion Sunday doesn't quite remove the 'Ewww...

Join Ekama Eni for a moment of prayer (from the August 18, 2024 service).

Friends, We live in a time of great political transition—both in the US and globally—a time of genocide and endless hate & strife. The last few weeks we at St. Paul & St. Andrew have wrestled with stories from the life and rule of King David. This week we will reflect on David’s death-bed charge to his son (see 1 Kings 2:1-10). David charges Solomon (the next commander-in-chief) to carry o...

Join Griffin Lockette for a moment of prayer (from the August 11, 2024 service).

Have you ever had to be a bearer of bad news? How did you feel or what did you do to prepare to give someone a word that you knew was going to be hard? Have you had to lay someone off? Deliver the news of someone’s passing for the first time? Cancel an important trip or meeting? In a world that is ending* it seems like passing on bad news is so much of what we do and share as a community. In our H...

"...but speaking truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ..." - Ephesians 4:15 Friends, Who's been watching the Olympics this week? I confess, I've missed most of it so far, except for a few of the preliminary events in women's gymnastics. (Can we talk about Simone Biles and what a role model she is, not just because she is a tremen...

"A large crowd kept following Jesus, because they saw the miracles that he was doing..."  John 6:2 What is a miracle?  I don't know how I feel about miracles. On the one hand, I feel like most things that happen have a simple, logical explanation. On the other, I can't picture moving through life without a constant feeling of wonder! How amazing life really is! I don't nee...

Friends,  What a week! I don't know about you, but I think I'm all about tired of saying and feeling this. Continued political strife and violence, failing infrastructure at the hands of our inability to be good stewards of our resources, it's too darn hot/wet/windy...and on and on.  I won't lie saints, as I've been juggling multiple jobs and responsibilities, keeping up w...

"Immediately Salome rushed back to the king and requested, 'I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' " Mark 6 Sometimes the truth hurts. How often do you avoid saying something, even when something needs to be said, because you don't want to risk a friendship, a work situation, a family relationship? John the Baptist, famously, has trouble...

"When Jesus sent out the disciples, he ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics."  Mark 6:8-9 Friends, If you are like me, you are carrying a lot right now.  A lot of anxiety about the state of our nation. Concern for those in the path of war and violence. Stress about our pl...

Friends, This Sunday is a high holy day for us-- It's Pride!  We have so much to look forward to in worship. The choir and Frank Glass will bring us three pieces. We'll be gifted with the musical talents of Phil Hall.  We'll get to hear from  three community members, Chiara Bosco, Rachel Black, and Savannah Ritz, as they share their tiny testimonials.  And we'll reflect togethe...

Happy Pride! Savannah Ritz shares a testimonial on our Pride Sunday service on June 30, 2024.

Happy Pride! Amanda Munroe reads "A Prayer of Queer Thanksgiving" by Rev. Micah Bucey at our Pride Sunday service on June 30, 2024.

Chiara Bosco shares a testimonial on our Pride Sunday service on June 30, 2024.

Rachel Black shares a testimonial on our Pride Sunday service on June 30, 2024.

Join Pastor K Karpen for a moment of prayer (from the June 30, 2024 service).

"So David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor Saul had clothed him with, and David tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot walk with these, for I am not used to them.'” - 1 Samuel 17:39 The best part of the whole David vs. Goliath story is this scene where the young shepherd boy David tries to fit into Saul's armor and carry Saul&...