St Thomas Columbus

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards God is a diversity and God is a relationship. God is not merely loving. God IS Love. Our faith says the universe emerged from this God. Precisely how it happened or how long it took is not the point. Everything that is, came from the voice and power and hand of the God we know as Trinity. We are made in the image of the Triune God. Life works best for us and for...

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards (Rev. Grace's annual effort to recruit more Indy race fans.) Its tempting sometimes to feel powerless. But on this day we remember that God has been here before. God knows how to deal with change and war and turmoil. We are backed by the power that raised Jesus from the dead. That power is given to us in baptism...Tap into the power of God's Spirit. Readings for...

Preacher: Father John Hamilton This prayer is communion - being joined to Jesus and we even invoke the Holy Spirit on the bread and wine - that Spirit who binds us together with one another. And when we leave here each week we take this prayer - this communion - everywhere we go. All of our reflection on scripture, each intentional moment of silence....each act of kindness and mercy we do...we are...

Preacher: Father John Hamilton Jesus loved his disciples as friends and he ministered to them the night before he died. This talk invites us to ponder what it means to be a community of soul friends with Jesus. Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: Acts 7:55-60 1 Peter 2:2-10 John 14:1-14 Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Jesus is both shepherd and gate. We are sheep and we are to listen to the voice of Jesus and follow our good shepherd to green pastures and abundant life but there are still are thieves and bandits who seek to kill and destroy. But Jesus is also our gate. Jesus is how we tell if someone can be trusted to care for the flock. A faithful shepherd is someone who Jes...

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards The risen Jesus didn't appear to Pilot or the Chief Priests or Herod or stage a comeback tour. But instead the risen Jesus accompanied confused, frightened, grieving people....One way we can be like Jesus is to accompany people...Jesus showed up. He didn't stay too long. He ate and prayed when appropriate. He didn't draw attention to himself. He focused on other...

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards On one large macro level Jesus was giving an important gift to the church - the authority to let go of and hold on to sin. This gift also applies on a personal level. So be like Jesus - forgive and retain. Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14a,22-32 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 Psalm 16

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Four kinds of questions followers of Jesus can and should ask in our lives if we want to be like Jesus: Followers of Jesus should question authority. Followers of Jesus should question what we've been taught. Followers of Jesus need to question ourselves. Followers of Jesus may at times question God and that is a faithful thing to do. So don't be afraid of your...

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Jesus sometimes frightened people. When we look back through scriptures we see that God often worked through freighting times or experiences to accomplish something good. After the resurrection of Jesus followers of Jesus started to shake things up...they were called these people who are turning the world upside down and it was not a compliment but it was good n...

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards In those moments when we come to the cross, when we recognize there is nothing more we can do - we can still be like Jesus. We can surrender and say with him it is finished. I have done what I can do. O God, take it from here. Good Friday Readings Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Psalm 116:1, 10-17

Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Jesus said he wanted to be our example. Jesus wants us to be like him. Washing feet is meaningful but it was just one part of a larger overall goal. Jesus called it his new commandment -"Love one another just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." Love notices an issue like dirty feet. Love has the courage and hum to stoop down and help. Love co...

Given the great power at work in raising Jesus from the dead, Jesus clearly could have exacted any kind of revenge he wanted. He could have continued this cycle of violence. He could have done to others what was done to him. But he did not. Jesus rose again to love, and feed, and forgive. Preacher: Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Fifth Sunday in Lent Readings Ezekiel 37:1-14 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 P...

Looking back over our lives it may be that the times when we felt most sightless, most disoriented, most alone, often became the times when we learned to see more clearly. We learned to see God with us in new ways. We learned to see what we are made of. We learned to see with eyes of greater compassion. We opened our eyes to new paths before us. The mud that Jesus put on t he man's eyes may be a s...

In 2026 - Who are like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness? And who is like the woman at the well? Let us be guided by the love of God which has been poured into our hearts. Preacher: The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Third Sunday in Lent Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 Romans 5:1-11 John 4:5-42 Psalm 95

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God he seems to have meant the world right now - as God wants it to be. A world rules by God's values not an emperor's. ... To grasp that, Jesus said you must be born anew. Born from above. Born again. Preacher: The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Second Sunday in Lent Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3:1-17 Psalm 121

Yes, we can break things but we are not eternally broken. May our fasting and prayer in this Holy Season strengthen us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God - because we can. Preacher: The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards First Sunday in Lent Readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Psalm 32

Dust is a reminder of everything we share with all of creation. How different the world is when we see ourselves as part of it. Preacher: The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Ash Wednesday Readings: Joel 2:1-2,12-17 Psalm 103 Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

What do The Winter Olympics and Worship have in common? We have a ready made possibility for AWE available here every week. We are invited in worship to experience awe and then go from here to love and serve the Lord. Seek out AWE in this Holy Season.

You are salt and light. Jesus says we are salt and light. We can preserve life and give light to the world around us. Preacher: The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards Sunday Readings: Isaiah 58:1-9a, [9b-12] 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16] Matthew 5:13-20 Psalm 112:1-9, (10)