Things to Ponder

Sermon Text: Proverbs 3:1-12; Matthew 19:16-26   So when we talk stewardship, we aren’t first talking about budgets, but about a vision. We aren’t talking about money, but about how we align our lives with a world being renewed by Christ, How do I take ALL of me and let Christ’s power flow from me and from us?  That’s the question of stewardship!   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunited...

Sermon Text:  Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16   Our associate conference minister, Sheresa Simpson-Rice, joins us to celebrate World Communion Sunday, and to reflect on a faith that calls us to a wider view of God's welcome for all people around the table!   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunitedchurchofchrist/ www.instagram.com/stmarysucc/   Want to support the work of St. Mary's?...

Sermon Text: James 2   We continue in James, who reminds us that if we are to be faithful people, we must do, not just believe. The minute we ask, "How do I love God?" we are into the realm of religion.  Religion based in love requires discipline and sacrifice, but it also makes space for joy. If we would love God well, let us "lift our hands, that our hearts may follow."   Follow St. Mary's: www....

Sermon Text: James 3; Mark 9   Our desires are central to our identity, and to our faith. Jesus calls out the apostles because they wanted greatness, instead of relationship.  Jesus' brother, James, teaches us to pay attention to our desires that we might live a wise life.   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunitedchurchofchrist/ www.instagram.com/stmarysucc/   Want to support the work of...

Sermon Text: Ephesians 4:17-32   We welcomed 5 new members at St. Mary's, and we reflected on Ephesians' call to be a certain kind of community.  Because God has blessed us with "every spiritual blessing in Christ," we commit to following him. In doing so, there are some things we do, and some things we don't. In doing so, we lean into the shared calling we have as a community of Christ.   Follow...

Sermon Text: Psalm 104   We all desire renewal, and that's certainly a healthy part of what it means to be human. But we can seek renewal and never consider God's place in it. The scriptures tell us that all renewal begins in God's work.  God is moving, we discern, and then we respond. If we are serious about real renewal in our lives, it begins by listening carefully to the Spirit, and planting o...

Sermon Text: Psalm 70   The opening to Psalm 70 has been prayed more than any other scripture, "God, come to my assistance!"  Our need of God is at the core of our existence and our prayers. But then the psalm goes to pray against one's enemies. How can we understand this in light of Christ and his cross? Are we really supposed to pray against others, or is there a healthier, truer way to pray thi...

Sermon Text: Isaiah 42:5-12; Matthew 9:14-17   We celebrated our students' return to school, and we wondered about God's work in new places. We asked the question:  where is God and what is God doing? God is not an old man on a throne judging, but is living and active, taking us to new places, making all things new.   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunitedchurchofchrist/ www.instagram.c...

Sermon Text: Daniel 3; Matthew 16   When faced with grief, society gives us two options: succumb to fear, or puff out our chest in bravado. Perhaps there is a third way, a way that roots us in faith? The story of Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego tells a story of three guys who stood at a real hell and lived to tell the story. When in grief, we discover God is in it with us. And Jesus says that the C...

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:20 -26  As we explore grief, anger seems to be a strange but constant companion. Anger reveals something about our desires, and if we aren't careful, we can use that anger to defend ourselves from others, when the spiritual reality is inside of us. So "lay your weapons down, there are no enemies in front of you."   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunitedchurchofchr...

Sermon Text:  Matthew 14:22-33   From a religious point of view, "Totem" is a chaotic song, with all of its religious references. In this way, it's a lot like grief - in challenging times, we grasp for solutions to ease the pain. When we do that, we become spiritually confused. Where do we actually put our trust in times of grief?  In the story of Jesus walking on the water, we are invited to keep...

Sermon Text:  Psalm 77; Matthew 8:1-4   In Week Two of Turntable, we turned to the grief of others.  "Born in the USA" is the dark story of a Vietnam veteran. The beauty of the song is the in the tension of the struggle in the verses and the triumph in the chorus. When we encounter people with grief, what can we offer? Jesus shows us the gift of dignity, that our grief and suffering does not have...

Sermon Text:  Psalm 137; Luke 9:18-25   Turntable Gospel will center on grief, so we started with the genre that does that best:  country. Country music thrives in its specificity, to bring you into the story. In faith, grief is what starts our journey towards God, but we must be specific about our grief and name it.  In doing so, we discover that our Savior joins us in that grief. Whatever you ar...

Sermon Text:  2 Samuel 6   We wrapped up a week of VBS by asking the question we asked the kids all week:  What is at the core of YOUR faith?  For so many of us, it's really fear.  But the Bible says, "Fear not."  In Christ, we can know a joy deeper than our circumstances.  Joy is not a requirement of discipleship, but is rather the by-product of it. We experience that joy as we walk in the way of...

Sermon Text:  Exodus 19   In our final installment of this series, we talk about the United Church of Christ. At the heart of the UCC is a commitment to covenant - an exchange not of goods or services, but of people. In the UCC, we are not connected by laws or authority, but by deep relationships to one another. That empowers our work to proclaim the gospel, work for reconciliation, and to seek ju...

Sermon Text: John 21:3-19   We are built for community, which means that as soon as we start following Christ we find ourselves in a community of believers, and Christ calls us to care for them, "Feed my sheep." We don't do that as "volunteers," but as "disciples" who are carrying out God's purposes for our lives. To help us do this, we have structures at St. Mary's that lead us, structure our wor...

We're covering the basics of membership in our Sunday worship. Today, we talked the heart of membership - discipleship of Jesus Christ. When we join a church, we don't join an organization, but an organism. At the heart of the church is the story of Jesus - his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. And his most basic call to us is, "Follow me."  And we're given some important tools - pr...

Sermon Text: Genesis 12:1-9; Matthew 7:13 -20   A testimony is a record of the choices we make to live by faith out of the soil of our disciplines, and the impact our lives make on others. There is no testimony that doesn't require making choices. Abram's choice was to go in the complete opposite direction of the entire world, and Jesus tells us to enter by the narrow gate. Make those hard choices...

Sermon Text: John 14:1-9; 1 Timothy 4:1-12   We are all spiritual beings because we are beings who love. If we love anything at all, we are being spiritually formed. The question then is, “Who or what is forming you?” and “is that where you wanna go? Jesus doesn’t say, “I’ll show you the way.” He’s saying, “I am the way…no one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus makes a bold statement: t...

Sermon Text:  Deuteronomy 6:1-12; Luke 5:1-11   We kick off a new sermon series for Lent, "If You Wanna Go Far..." We begin with motivation. What drives us forward? Can external things, really keep us moving forward in life? Our Scriptures give us a different answer. At Sinai, God implores the people to "Love the Lord your God." And in Luke, Peter has an experience that changes his life. Love is a...

Sermon Text:  Mark 9:2-9 The Transfiguration shows us fully what the gospels have only shown us in part: the full divinity of Christ. Elijah and Moses bear witness to this final, full revelation of God's purposes, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him!"   Follow St. Mary's: www.facebook.com/stmarysunitedchurchofchrist/ www.instagram.com/stmarysucc/   Want to support the work of St. Mary's? https:...

Sermon Text: Mark 1:29-39   When we participate in intercessory prayer, what is it that we do?  In our reading today, Jesus shows us how he interacts with the sick and suffering.  Not only was Simon's mother-in-law cured, but she was restored to her vocation.  In this way, we see a difference between curing and healing.  And when we understand the difference, our eyes can be opened to new ways of...

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-18   Last week, Mary told us to "do whatever he tells you." This is the path of discipleship. Faith is less about what we think, and more about what we do. Apply this to a unique situation of meal being sacrificed to idols - what should we do? The answer? Always prioritize the needs of others. Don't let anything come between them and their Savior.   Follow St. Mary's...

Sermon Text: John 2:1-11   In all of scripture, Mary is our most faithful guide for following Jesus, and helps us understand what we are called to be as the church. In the story of the wedding at Cana, she gives us the most basic instruction of discipleship, "Do whatever he tells you." And in this step, Jesus turns the regular water of our lives into the wine of life and purpose and meaning. To ma...

Sermon Text: Mark 1:4-11   In Noah's flood, a dove announced dry land, a new world is here! Except it wasn't. But in Christ, a dove announces that new world is here, and it lands upon Christ, who has given us a new identity - the Beloved. As we welcome our new consistory, they too receive a new identity, to lead this "ark" not to keep people out, but to bring people on board.   Follow St. Mary's:...