Vessel Houston

In the Creation story, God empowers humankind to a shared vocation of care and service, which Adam rejects by separating himself from Eve in an act of othering and blame. Power over the “other” has divided humanity in conflict ever since. Jesus upends this dynamic with his disciples, granting them shared power to join in the collaborative work of his New Creation. How will we as a community embody...

When Jesus heals a blind man in Bethsaida, it doesn't happen all at once, the full restoration of his sight only coming after a second pass. We either settle for the blur of "walking trees", or look more closely, discovering perhaps that when God's presence comes into focus, hope for everything else seems to as well. (Sermon begins at 1:00) Scripture & Quotations Mark 8:22-30 “To be hopeful in...

As we inhabit a time of civilizational turbulence, the individual and communal experience of worry is inevitable. As Jesus shares wisdom from a hilltop, he invites the gathered crowd to consider how deeply their (our) anxieties are rooted in control and isolation in the face of challenging and unjust realities. What might a practice look like to respond to anxiety with a humble awareness that begi...

As the Savior departs, and his people await the promised arrival of the Spirit, this newly empowered community faces its first big decision “on their own”. How they handle it is a peculiar and perhaps liberating glimpse into the improvisational nature of our call to faithful engagement within the complexities of the spaces we inhabit. (Sermon begins at 1:00) Scripture & Quotations Acts 1:1-26...

Through this series, we have engaged with several encounters initiated by Jesus in the days following the Resurrection. Peter bears the weight of shame following his denial on the night of Jesus’ arrest, only to discover that his “failure” was unknowing preparation for the next chapter of the story… (Sermon begins at 1:00) Scripture & Quotations John 21:15-19 Mark 14:19-21 Exodus 3:9-12 “The m...

A fishing expedition comes up empty until the stranger calls from onshore, proposing that they think differently. As a people called to cultivate communities of care and belonging, are we “casting our net to the other side,” or sticking with what we think we know? (Sermon begins at 1:00) Scripture & Quotations John 21:1-14 Matthew 6:5-6 John 20:30-31 “…To enter is to enter into life, for those...

Thomas needed to see with his own eyes, and is met with grace and understanding. Jesus comes back bearing the marks to remind us that ours need not be hidden either. When we abide in the love of God, tending to the wounded (ours included) in community, we participate in the ever-unfolding resurrection story. (Guided Practice begins @ 27:42) Scripture & Quotations John 20:19-29 John 15:4-5 “Bra...

Two followers walk the road away from Jerusalem in grief, and a stranger joins them on the road. In the midst of story, hospitality, and the breaking of bread, Jesus appears for a glorious and fleeting moment. We ask: how will we embody the resurrection life as a people always looking for the face of Jesus in that of the supposed stranger? Scripture & Quotations Luke 24:18-35 Psalm 42:1-5 This...

Scripture & Quotations 1 Corinthians 15:3-11 Mark 16:1-8 Mark 1:1

Scripture & Quotations Malachi 3:1-2 Psalm 35:1-4 Joel 2:5 Matthew 10:34-35 Mark 11:1-10 Luke 22:35-53

Scripture & Quotations John 1:1-5 Mark 10:17-27 Christians are usually sincere and well-intentioned people until you get to any real issues of ego, control, power, money, pleasure, and security. Then they tend to be pretty much like everyone else. -Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps If even the most authoritative teaching, the most sacred text, leads to dehu...

Quotations "Religions should be understood as only the fingers that point to the moon, not the moon itself."    - Richard Rohr

Scripture & Quotations 2 Timothy 3:14-17 John 5:39-40 Lamentations 3:22-24

Luke 5:36-39 “So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never befor...

Luke 2:1-20 “(Anyone) whose childhood has known a real Christmas has ever afterward an association in his mind between two ideas that most of mankind must regard as remote from each other; the idea of a baby, and the idea of unknown strength that sustains the stars. His instincts and imagination can still connect them.” ― G.K. Chesterton, “The Everlasting Man”

Scripture & Quotations 2 Kings 4: 1-7 Mark 13 A collection of self-sustaining and self-reliant people - people who are all pretending to be fine - is not the Kingdom of God. It’s a group of humans refusing to be human beings and pretending to be gods. Such a “church” is comprised of fearful people working hard to keep up appearances and unable to trust each other to the point of loving self-sa...

Scripture & Quotations Matthew 7:15-16 Matthew 10:16 John 10:1-18 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “Alcoholics just have their powerlessness visible for all to see. The rest of us disguise it in different ways and overcompensate for our more hidden and subtle addictions and attachments, especially our addiction to our own way of thinking.”  - Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and th...

Scripture & Quotations John 5:39-40 John 14:15-27 “You can safely assume that you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do!” Anne Lamott

Scripture: Luke 15: 17-24, 31-32 The Dark written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen

Scripture: Acts 6: 1-7 Matthew 3: 16-17 Departure: Why I Left the Church Intro: Reveille - Horizons Outro: Steven Keech - Remembering Well

Scripture & Quotations: 2 Corinthians 4: 7-10 Acts 2: 42-47 Matthew 15: 10-20 Galatians 3: 23-29 The pastor is not an exalted member of the community… (He or she) is merely one more member of the body who happens to have been gifted and given responsibility to lead, teach, and shepherd.  - Tim Morey, Planting a Church Without Losing Your Soul