The Church We Hope For

April 17, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Luke 24:1-12 Why do you look for the living among the dead? Why do you look for the Living One among dead places, dead institutions, dead situations where there aren't signs of his life? The angels encourage the women at the garden tomb to remember the words of Jesus. The women return to the people and retell the story in a community that can hold unbelief...

April 10, 2022 | Nicola Patton | Gen. 39, 45; Matt. 21 The story of Joseph and the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are familiar to us. But they are not only stories about power. They are also stories about presence because before we need ruling, we need healing. The with-ness of God becomes evident as God sits down beside us in our pain. Keywords: Presence, Joseph, Palm Sunday, Br...

April 3, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Genesis 38:1-30 Tucked in between the pages of Joseph as he is sold into slavery and heads to Egypt, is the one-page story of a mother of our faith. Tamar has often been misunderstood and misinterpreted under a patriarchal lens that depicts her as a whore. However, hers is a name that appears in the lineage of Christ. From Genesis to Matthew we will trace h...

March 27, 2022 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 37, 43 In this message, we look at the familiar story of Joseph in Genesis 37. But we do so by identifying the deep burdens he carried for his family and his community. And in so doing, we invite ourselves to ask what burdens and dreams we might have as well in our own lives. Keywords: Burdens, Dreams, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Reconciliation About: The C...

March 20, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Genesis 32:24-31 Jacob, one of the fathers of our faith, has a history of wrestling. From the moment he was in his mother's womb he wrestled with his twin brother Esau. Later in life he lied and deceived his father to steal Esau's birthright blessing. 20 years after being away from home, he wrestles with an angel of the Lord. His wrestling led to his repen...

March 13, 2022 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 22:1-14 We look at the story of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. And we consider this story as a way to consider our own faith stories of Construction, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction. Keywords: Deconstruction, Reconstruction, Faith, Grief, Lament, Transformation About: The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spi...

March 6, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Genesis 16:6b-17 In the story of Hagar, we find the faithfulness of God to an enslaved, marginalized woman whom God sees in her affliction. Hagar becomes the first and only human, and the only woman to name God. God is the God who sees, the God who hears, and the God who heals Hagar and Ishmael. God's presence and promises are present as Hagar and Ishmael w...

February 27, 2022 In this entirely Black-led worship service, we looked at Remembrance and Resistance as critical postures of honoring God with our whole lives. From our bodies to our hearts to everything in between. Keywords: Remembrance, Resistance, Worship, Solidarity, Justice, Joy

February 20, 2022 | Phil Allen, Jr. | Genesis 9:25-27 This message challenges our efforts to “deconstruct” our faith/theology through a brief look at Genesis 9:25-27, the so-called “Curse of Ham” passage, and the interpretive malpractice that many theologians engaged in hundreds of years ago. The interpretation of this passage was intended to justify the perpetual enslavement of people of African...

February 13, 2022 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 12:1-3 We look at God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. And we see God promise to bless “todas las familias” on earth through it. In this sermon, we come to God as people inheriting this promise, seeking shalom in our world today. Keywords: Equity, Faithfulness, Blessing, Familia About: The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spir...

February 6, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Genesis 8:1-14 The receding of the waters after the flood story serves as a kind of metaphor for the global pandemic from which we continue to emerge from. Like Noah, we have been in survival mode for a long time. The receding waters invite us into a time of spiritual formation where our former rhythms need repair. We have changed and our rhythms to sust...

January 30, 2022 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 4:1-9 We look into conversation between Cain and God in Genesis 4. And realize how often we find ourselves in this same in between space. With sin beckoning us to fail, and God inviting us to do what is right. Keywords: God, Spirit, Sin ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus....

January 23, 2022 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Genesis 3:8-19 The curse in the garden has been seen as prescriptive for humanity and has distorted our view of God and each other, which has dehumanized women, men, and the marginalized. However, the curse is descriptive of the fall and not a blessing. The serpent came to separate and isolate and make us question God's goodness, God's god-ness and...

January 16, 2022 | Sandy Lee Schaupp, John Williams, Inés Velásquez-McBryde, Bobby Harrison | MLK Sunday Service Lean in with us as we name the holy work of Deconstruction & Reconstruction in pursuing Racial Justice as followers of Jesus. Pastors Inés and Bobby hosted a panel alongside two of our dearest friends — John Williams and Sandy Lee Schaupp — and dove into the work and legac...

January 9, 2022 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 1–12 In this message, we take an overhead view of Genesis 1-12 to see the continual pattern of Creation and Uncreation. As we look into the pivotal idea of Deconstruction and Reconstruction, we begin here at the beginning. ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus. For more infor...

January 2, 2022 | Sarah Dornbos, Sarah Obermeyer, and Nicola Patton | Mark 10:46-52 Sarah Dornbos, Sarah Obermeyer, and Nicola Patton led us through a special Hello / Goodbye service. As you watch the playback of this service in its entirety, slow down and allow yourself to be led in a contemplative time of reflection, prayer and worship. Pause to Remember 2021 and Anticipate 2022. We prayerfully...

December 19, 2021 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Luke 2:8-20 The angels announce to the shepherds that Messiah Jesus was born. The shepherds are the least likely to get an invitation to see a King. Seen as dishonest people working a despised occupation. Yet the sign was that the king would be covered in straw in a manger. They were covered in grass and straw as well! This is the sign that we all...

December 12, 2021 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Luke 1:80 & 1:39-45 The story of Elizabeth and Mary is of a friendship that calls out the calling of God in you. Elizabeth sees with spiritual eyes the invisible hope and calls out the unseen. She is filled with the Holy Spirit and affirms and confirms that Mary is pregnant with the hope and light of the world. She herself is mother grace for John m...

December 5, 2021 | Bobby Harrison | Luke 1:67-79 In this sermon, we look at the song Zechariah sung to his son, John, in Luke 1. It’s a song that rests in the mercy of God, acknowledges the reality of death and darkness in our world, and guides us to the path of peace in Christ. About The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus....

November 28, 2021 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Shining Light Tells the Good Story (Luke 1:67-79) ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus. For more information, visit our website www.thechurchwehopefor.com . FOLLOW US: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

November 14, 2021 | Bobby Harrison  | Genesis 1 and 2 Bobby preaches on the power entrusted to humanity in Genesis 1 and 2. For far too long, we've had to associate the idea of "power" with brokenness and even abuse. But as we go back to God's original design, we see that power was intended for good. How can we as the church and followers of Jesus tap into this greater power? This message exp...

November 7, 2021 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde and Bobby Harrison | Genesis 2:4-25 Uncreating and recreating what it means to be made “in the image of God.” ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus. For more information, visit our website www.thechurchwehopefor.com . FOLLOW US: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

October 24, 2021 | Inés Velásquez-McBryde | Ezekiel 31:12-17 On the last day of creation, God did not only rest, but God created the space and filled it with rest. Rest wasn't an aftermath of creation, but part of the math of creation. God doesn't necessarily prescribe how to rest, but he invites us to rest for the purposes of intimacy and sanctification, as we draw from Ezekiel 31:12-17. ABOUT Th...

October 17, 2021 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 1:26-27 An invitation from Genesis 1:26-27 to move out of a Me-focused life and live instead into a We-centered world. ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus. For more information, visit our website www.thechurchwehopefor.com . FOLLOW US: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

October 10, 2021 | Bobby Harrison | Genesis 1 A look at the creation story in Genesis 1 and highlight how God first creates a space and then fills it. This invites us to ask the question: what are the spaces God is making in our own lives? ABOUT The Church We Hope For is a beloved community moved by the Spirit to follow the life, love, and justice of Jesus. For more information, visit our website...