Hummelstown UCC Podcast

Genesis 1: 1-5, 31, 3: 16-19; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-10;  (1 Corinthians 15: 10)From The Message by Eugene PetersonBut because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not aboutto let this grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any ofthe others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God givingme the work to do, God giving me the energy to...

Psalm 103:1-8; Isaiah 58:9b-14; Isaiah 58:9b-14 We read in Matthew’s gospel that in his last days before the cross, Jesus cleansedexploitative commerce out of the Temple, caused a fig tree to wither, and told hisfollowers that even small faith can move mountains. “The cleansing of the Templeand the withering of the fig tree tell the same story. God is not impressed byappearances, by show, or by re...

Psalm 82; Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 12:49-56 “God can as little do without us, as we without God. If at first this seems a wildstatement, we may well consider in how many ways God’s will depends on ourcooperation. God cannot do some things unless we think… And God cannot dosome things unless we work… Now if God has left some things contingent on ourthinking and working, why may God not have left some t...

Psalm 33:12-22; Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 “A real spiritual life … makes us so alert and aware of the world around us, that allthat is and happens becomes part of our contemplation and meditation and invitesus to a free and fearless response.” Henri J.M. Nouwen

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psalm 107 1-9, 43; Luke 12:13-21 Amazing God, we honor and celebrate your presence among us. We rejoice in yourgoodness and delight in your wonderful works. We lament the suffering of the worldand take courage that you are with us. We ask that you make your presence knownto us. Speak, O God, for we attune our attention for your guidance. Receive ourpraise as we gl...

Psalm 138; Genesis 18:20-32; Luke 10:38-42 "God weeps over our obsession with manyness and muchness... For too long wehave been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country ofclimb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation."And God welcomes us home: home to serenity and peace and joy, home tofriendship and openness, home to intimacy and acceptan...

Psalm 52 (from the Common English Bible); Psalm 15 (from the New Revised Standard Bible); Luke 10:38-42 “For too long we have thought of the Christian life as essentially either involvementin political, economic, social concerns that wear us out… or activity which keepsthe church intact and doctrinally pure. Our primary orientation cannot be aninstitution or some great cause or even other people,...

Psalm 25:1-10; Luke 10:25-37 “The essential part of the Christian message is the idea of salvation for the wholecommunity of people, of which the individual is a member… Thus, the individualnever stands alone, but within the community, just as the individual communities arepart of the one community, the Church. The Church begins, not with an individual,but with God.” - Hans Kung

Psalm 66:1-9; 2Kings 5:1-14; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 God our Good Shepherd, we come to worship you, to tell the story of yourmarvelous deeds, to lament the horrors and suffering in the world, to find strength tobe your witnesses, and to remind ourselves of the truth of what is possible. May ourprayers rise to your heart, and your heart infiltrate our prayers. May we sing songsthat move you with deligh...

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Psalm 16; Luke 9:51-62 “The Church is not here exclusively, nor primarily, to transform society. That is notwhy we are here. When the Church sets out to transform society, very little isaccomplished. The uniqueness of the Church is denied as we enter the battle onthe same terms as secular and godless forces. We assume that justice can be wonby force, by technique, by doing. It...

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8: Divine Majesty and Human Dignity; John 16:12-15 We embody jubilee when we live toward restoration and flourishing for all, when weembrace not only the teachings of Jesus but the way of Jesus. This moment calls usto go Into the Deep. We may cast our nets fishing for nourishment, livelihood,vocation, or community. Within the kindom, justice and righteousness reign whe...

Psalm 104:24-34; John 14:8-17; Acts 2:1-21 “You are called to be truly human, but it is nothing short of the life of God within youthat enables you to be so, to be remade in God's image.” - N.T. Wright

Acts 16:20-34; John 17:20-26 “Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty andbeauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset.” - Stephen Russell

Acts 16:9-15; John 5:1-9 “What would it look like for us to intentionally put healing practices at the center ofour work, like the tree of life at the center of the new city Revelation invites us toimagine, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.” -Dr. Sharon R. Fennema

Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35 The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is notugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And theopposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” ― Elie Wiesel

Acts 9:36-43; John 10:22-30 May Day Morning (First Anniversary of Mother's Death) As I sit on my porchI feel my Mother's presence. The sunrise feels like my mother's arms around me. The scent of lilacs reminds me of her perfume. In the bird's singing I hear her voice. Watching the rabbit search for food,I remember the meals she made for me. I see the doe guarding her fawn and I feel certainThat Mo...

Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30: Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness; John 21:1-19 “On the Pulse of Morning” excerptHere, on the pulse of this fine dayYou may have the courageTo look up and out and upon me, theRock, the River, the Tree, your country. No less to Midas than the mendicant. No less to you now than the mastodon then. Here, on the pulse of this new dayYou may have the grace to look up an...

Psalm 150: Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness; John 20:19-31 "You, O God, are our light – Grant us courage to walk into places once cloaked infear. Grant us fortitude to reveal our pain, to bind our wounds. You, O God, are oureverlasting strength, we will not turn away, we will persevere. We lift our voices indefiant praise. Give thanks to the God who never turns away – whose love breaksevery c...

Luke 22:39-46; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Tell me again. Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life where I believe in myself,a life where, dare I say, I love myself. Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life of dancing in the kitchenand slow cups of coffee;a life where Sabbath is viewed as a giftas opposed to a luxury;a life where I trust my own voiceand speak words dripping in hope,heavy in love. Te...

John 12:1-8; Isaiah 43:16-21 People throw around the phrase, “Let it go” like a child throws out laughter—Easy and light. I wish that’s how I knew it. I wish it felt that simple. Instead I have to talk myself into a better frame of mind. I have to drag one foot in front of the other until I’m closer to love. I have to sing my mother’s words in my head until I can’t hear anything else. And I pray f...

2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:11b-32 I have come to believeThat it’s harder to cry under an open sky. So when life falls apart, throw open the windows. Invite the sun into your shadows. Lie in the grass and let the sun mistake you for flowers. Maybe this is step one in cultivating—For flowers do not grow by mistake. They need the sun, just like we need love,And time,And the grace to try again. So...

Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9 If the trees can do it, then so can I,At least that’s what I tell myself. For if year after year the trees can let goOf their brightest leaves and that warm autumn glow,Then maybe in time, like trees with their leaves,I can releaseThat which keeps me from you. Maybe in time, I can let goOf my need for certaintyAnd my need to look good,My need for busyness,And my need to...

Psalm 27: Triumphant Song of Confidence; Luke 13:31-35: The Lament over Jerusalem I wish I could cultivate my daysLike my mother’s favorite recipe,Blending together the sweetest things—Hope and love, you and me,Justice and peace,Music and dreams—Like spices pulled from the shelf on thewall. I’d add one cup of family,And one cup of grace. A dash of starry nights,A pinch of snow. One tablespoon of h...

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 4:1-13 Dear loved one—I hope you let go. I hope you let go of holding yourself to impossible standards. Lower the bar. Give yourself grace. God delights in who you are. And while you’re at it, I hope you let go of ignoring your beauty. The mirror is tired of your harsh words, for you are made of star stuff and music. You are the only you there is, and you. are. simply. st...

Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36 “God places us in the world as fellow workers-agents of transfiguration. We workwith God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so there will be morecompassion and caring, that there will be more laughter and joy, that there will bemore togetherness in God’s world.” -Desmond Tutu