Washington Street UMC Sermon Podcast

We often think of ourselves - the Church - as God's "gift" to the world. We read the scriptures as if they support our unending lust for power, authority, and control over all non-Christians, as if somehow we're "better." And yet, the scriptures state often, it is the Church (aka, those who call themselves believers) that God wishes to destroy. It is the Church that makes up the wild grapes that G...

It seems it doesn't matter if you're working full-time, part-time, or even on a sabbatical break - if you're known to be a pastor, people are going to ask you questions about the church. If they aren't asking you questions, they're giving you their opinions. Over the past three months, invited or not, I had a number of conversations about the church ... and as a result, I'm convinced, we don't act...

To love is a natural human emotion. To love as God loves is to see everyone in God's image and likeness. But what is transformational love? We can ponder that answer together as we journey with Hosea.

I learned early in life that prayer is a conversation with God. How would your prayer life change if you saw prayer as not just a conversation with God, but an active conversation?

Often we think of hospitality as the ‘what we do’ for someone else. But Jesus calls us to see hospitality at a higher level, not just how we act, but what we gain access to.

We typically define our neighbors by geographic location, who lives next door, who lives across the street or down the street. Does that mean that there are people who are not my neighbor?

As adults we learn quickly what we need to do the things we want to do. We need money to live on, a job to get the money and skills to get the job. But what do we need to get to heaven?

Everyone can benefit from the support of a good mentor. However, as disciples, called to do the work of Christ in the world, we don’t just need a good mentor, we need a God Mentor. Let’s explore together what it means to have God for a mentor, especially in these difficult and challenging days.

Reflection on the scriptures - Luke 8:26-39

We know God's love is unconditional. But the conditional world in which we live can make holding onto and living into that truth challenging. Let us once again be reminded of God's love and consider how to keep that unconditional love in the forefront of our lives.

The Power of Pentecost is the promise of the Holy Spirit, unleashed in our lives, every day. Our power to believe in the Holy Spirit makes Pentecost not about an event, but an experience.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:12, 13)

With long-held religious beliefs in tow, Judas imagines he’s earned a VIP pass with God. Yet Jesus declares God’s love includes those not in line with Judas’ personal creed. With belief in Christ - not in my creed - we may live by the affirmation that “God loves the world”. And even if we find it hard to have faith in God, God believes in us, and in those not like us.

This week we return to a Lenten text so we can be reminded what our post Resurrection work should be. A work rooted in love and manifest by action…a sacrificial love. What does that type of love mean for us?

The good shepherd discourse makes clear the connection between Jesus and the church, the body of believers who profess Christ. What are we being called to do as those believers? It may not be what you think!

We as Christians live our lives responding to Jesus’ “Follow Me”. But looking at this very familiar passage, dare I ask, “follow you where, Jesus”? Together let us discover our roles as followers.

The apostles stood before the temple council unafraid to proclaim the truth of God in Jesus Christ. Their witness to God's love in the world stands as an invitation for us who call themselves disciples today. As we reflect on the history of our congregation, we claim God's invitation to change through our convocation in our mission.

Even after 3 years of ministry, of teaching and witnessing to the promise of God that would lead Jesus to the cross and beyond, the disciples still didn't understand the empty grave. They were frightened when they found the tomb empty. Mary was shocked when Jesus called her name. Yet, for all that we might ask about the church ... for all the "Why, Church?" criticisms we might have to ask, we also...

We are so quick to proclaim a Palm Sunday attitude, celebrating and shouting Hosanna as we proclaim the love of God in Jesus Christ. We love to celebrate Jesus' life-giving love as it pertains to our well-being. But, in the face of the perils of society - the isms that offer persecution (racism, sexism, homophobia, etc), there's a question that we must ask. Why, Church, are we so often silent?

The Church has not always done the best at proclaiming life for its neighbors. From the crusades, to the witch trials, to colonialism ... the Church has often been the cause of death. One might wonder, how would we respond if we heard the stories of those persecuted and killed by the church? Luke seems to think we wouldn't care. If we didn't heed the words of Moses and the prophets before killing...

The toxicness of institutionalism and nationalism have so perverted the church, that we've become comfortable creating country clubs in place of churches. We like to control who is in and who is out. We like to determine who gets seats of honor and who is welcome at the table. Jesus has thoughts, and so the question is worth asking, Why, Church, Have We Become a Country Club?

Jesus was often critical of the Pharisees, but perhaps never is he as critical as he is about their focus on Jerusalem. The nationalistic focus around Jerusalem becomes a major critique of Jesus. The apostle Paul picked up on this critique when calling us to claim our citizenship in heaven. Why, Church, are so in bed with American nationalism?

The Biblical text is full of guiding words to help govern the life of the church disciple, and the work of the Church. Every bit of this guidance is to help the church proclaim a witness of God's love in and God's will for the world. Yet, instead of focusing on God's will and God's love, we often structure the church for the furtherance of the institution. Why, Church, are we so institutionally fo...

While in the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus to worship him by offering him authority over all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus refused, quoting Scripture's declaration, "The Lord is God; the Lord alone." Yet, since the days of Constantine, the Church has welcomed the power of the empire. Why, Church? Why are we so hungry for power?

As the season of Lent begins, we consider the question: "Why, Church?" The dual punctuations, the question mark with the comma, invites a very different answer than the question "Why Church?" The comma adds an extra pause and an invitation to reflection. Like Lent, the comma invites us to spend a bit of time looking at the motive, not just the action.