Idlewild Presbyterian Church

This morning, we will turn to Mark 9 as we reflect on how we understand and practice faith. Together, we'll explore the relationship between faith and uncertainty in a world that demands conviction in all things. Come and join us as we listen for God's Spirit amidst our doubts. Sermon on Mark 9:14-27, delivered by the Reverend The Reverend Mary Newberg Gale on September 28th, 2025.

This morning in worship we will turn to one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:10–14a. Together we’ll discover how we are inheritors of God’s good gifts—both personally and as a community. As we give thanks for the gifts of God passed down through our forebears who shaped the life of faith at Idlewild, we will also pause to remember the countless saints who have poured into each o...

This morning, as we begin our season of generosity, our worship will center on the well-known story of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke. In telling the parable, Jesus teaches us that faithful generosity springs from relationship -- our relationship with Him, His unending generosity toward us, and the life we share as His body, the Church. We’ll see that God’s generosity is not earned or ca...

This morning, as we celebrate the official start of the programmatic year with Kickoff Sunday, our worship will be centered on the Book of Acts. In Acts 6, we read about a grievance brought by the Hellenists against the Hebrews in the early church: the Hellenist widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. In response, the Disciples instructed the community to choose seven indivi...

This morning we will continue our exploration of the lectionary as we meet Jesus at Sabbath meal in Luke 14. There, Jesus offers a parable to the guests seeking places of honor and prominence. As we worship we will explore how insecurities often send us following after the limelight rather than Christ, and remember that we are each called a child of God, and that is enough. Sermon on Luke Luke 14:...

This morning, the lectionary lesson will situate us alongside Jesus as he teaches in the synagogue on the sabbath. Seeing a woman crippled by a spirit, Jesus will pause his lesson, call the woman over, and heal her saying, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” While the woman will praise God for her healing, the leader of the synagogue will grow indignant saying, “There are six days on whic...

This morning, our worship will grow from the words of Jesus found in the lectionary Gospel passage. In Luke 12, as he teaches several lessons to his disciples, Jesus' tone changes. He begins to speak about bringing fire on the earth and dividing families again themselves. Jesus says that fathers will divided against sons, and mothers against daughters. Sermon on Luke 12:49-53, delivered by the Rev...

This morning, we will continue our month-long exploration of the Revised Common Lectionary by studying the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 12, Jesus shares many lessons on faith and practice, and as we worship, we will listen as Jesus instructs the disciples on generosity and sacrificial giving before leaving them with one of the most enduring lessons in scripture, "where your treasure is, there your hear...

This morning, we'll reflect on the Parable of the Rich Fool. It is a story unique to the Gospel of Luke and provides us an opportunity to contemplate how our daily living reflects richness toward the One who created and sustains us. Sermon on Luke 12:13-21, delivered by the Reverend Mary Newberg Gale on July 13, 2025.

This morning, Genesis 32:22–31 will guide and inspire our worship. We’ll step into the darkness of Jacob’s long night of wrestling. As day breaks, we’ll explore what it means to encounter God in the struggle and emerge transformed.å Sermon on Genesis 32:22–31, delivered by the Reverend Courtnay Veazey on July 27, 2025.

Last week, Pastor Mary helped us wrestle with how God's commandment to observe sabbath rest is an act of resistance and even defiance in an anxious and restless world. Today, the Reverend Joshua Narcisse will lead us in a meditative worship experience that puts into practice all we've explored together in worship this month. Elements of worship will remain the same; however, there will be time set...

Last week, Pastor Courtnay kicked off our new sermon series, Sabbath Rest: Rejuvenation in the Spirit. She encouraged us to imagine how the sabbath becomes a way to attune our presence to the presence of the Living God. This morning, we'll wrestle with how God's commandment to observe sabbath rest is an act of resistance and even defiance in an anxious, capitalistic world. In the instruction to re...

Today, we begin a new sermon series, Sabbath Rest: Rejuvenation in the Spirit. Sabbath is more than just a day! Sabbath practice reorients us, putting us in right relationship with ourselves, others, and with God. God calls faithful people to sabbath rest and prayerful ceasing throughout our scriptures, and this summer we’ll spend some time reflecting on the ways we can experience and practice sab...

This morning, we'll consider the first mention of the Spirit of God as we explore together the Creation narrative in Genesis 2. God, after forming the heavens and the earth, forms human beings from the dust of the ground and then breathes the breath of life into Adam, allowing him to become a living being. As we sit with this imagery, we'll meditate on how the breath of God offers us constancy, in...

This morning, we'll turn to the Hebrew Scriptures to reflect on the prophet Elijah. Elijah was faithful and true to God's word, and thus his life was at risk. When he felt he was at his lowest, God surprised and challenged him. We'll wrestle with how we hear God speaking, surprising, and challenging us along our faith journey. Sermon on 1 Kings 19:1-15, delivered by the Reverend Mary Newberg Gale...

Today is Trinity Sunday, celebrating the Triune God—an identity we share as those baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amid unrest and uncertainty, we turn to the Spirit of truth who delights, plays, and stays with us. As we face transitions and farewells, our Gospel reminds us the Spirit is always present. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to lean into that presence, e...

Today, we celebrate Pentecost and begin a new sermon series titled Nearer Than Breath. We’ll wrestle with our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, that forcibly blows us out into the world and is yet as comforting and reliable as our next breath. As we encounter the Spirit in wind, fire, breath, and even a descending dove, we trust that the Spirit journeys with us, comforting, transformin...

This week, we will celebrate the final Sunday of the Easter season, and the last of our sermon series, And There Christ Will Meet You. As we reflect on the story of Jesus' appearance to his disciples in the locked room, we'll wrestle with our cultural understandings of certainty and doubt, and the ways the gift of resurrection fundamentally alters our living. The Risen Christ meets us where we are...

Today, we turn to the book of Revelation, a prophetic and apocalyptic text filled with powerful imagery that helps us resist sin in the world. We’ll explore what it means to be a church of resistance, shaped by a shared vision. As Christ guides our vision for communal life, we discover the blessing of Christ's presence, not only in our worship but in the streets of our city. Sermon on Revelation 2...

This morning, we continue our Eastertide sermon series, And There Christ Will Meet You. Pastor Joshua will lead us as we meet Christ along with Mary Magdalene in the Garden on Easter morning. Though initially unable to recognize Jesus in her midst at first, it is through hearing the voice of Jesus that Mary comes to recognize the Savior's presence. We'll explore together how we hear, see, and expe...

Today, we continue in the Gospel of John as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. As we celebrate the third offering in our sermon series And There Christ Will Meet You, we will reflect on how God cares for, protects, guides, and calls us by name. In a world full of a cacophony of voices, we'll consider how to listen for the voice of our shepherd. Sermon on John 21:1-19, delivered by the Reverend Mar...

Today, we read of the risen Jesus meeting his disciples at the shoreline in the wake of their trauma and loss. Through this encounter, we’ll reflect on how Jesus tends to the wounds we carry in our bodies and calls us into the healing work of shepherding others. Sermon on John 21:1-19, delivered by the Reverend Courtnay Veazey on May 4th, 2025.

Some of our high school seniors will be our preachers for the day while other youth will lead in liturgy and prayer. They will proclaim the Word based on Luke 24:13-35, the Road to Emmaus. We'll hear about confused and disheartened disciples grappling with Jesus' death and the stories floating around about his resurrection while talking with a stranger they met on the road. Much to their surprise,...

On this Easter morning, we will come together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark's telling of the story will center our worship as we will hear of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome being alarmed by the scene they encounter upon arriving at Jesus' burial place. Not only has the stone been rolled away, but a young man dressed in white tells...

This morning, we will continue our Lenten series, The Seven Last Words of Jesus, by examining Jesus' last words from the Gospel of John, "I thirst." In these words, Jesus' humanity and divinity are on display, as well as the deep desire and faithfulness that brought him to those final moments. As we worship, we will reflect on the nature of faithfulness and how we bear witness to the pain and thir...