Nov 19, 2017 |
Forgetting God
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulForgetting God
“Are we going to be faithless, wicked, lazy servants of God
sometimes? Yeah! Are we going to forget who God is even though we should
remember? Yes! Are we still learning who God is every day, even amidst this
life, we should know it perfectly, are we still figuring it out? Of course. The
stories we have are of a God who, when we can’t figure it out, when we cry out
to God for help, God comes. God shows up. God helps. God connects. God’s
presence is made known.”
Judges 4:1-7
Matthew 25:14-30
Judges 4:1-7
Matthew 25:14-30
Nov 12, 2017 |
God's Dignity
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulGod's Dignity
"Are gay people people, straight people? Trans? Do they get
dignity? Are Trump supporters still people, or are they just a basket of
deplorables? Are they human beings? Are we going to break ourselves up into
men/women, this/that, Republican/Democrat, us/them... or are we going to look at
the person right in front of us and recognize the dignity God has given them.
The love and the wonder with which each person is made. That is the question at
the lips of every person that I know even if we don’t know how to say it. We
are having a conversation about the dignity and the respect owed to each
person."
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Nov 12, 2017 |
The Right Choice
| The Rev. Nancy Hopkins-GreeneThe Right Choice
"We are re-upping, reconfirming with God, realigning… every
time we come here and gather with one another. We hear the story through Eucharist…
we hear of Jesus’s life, his death, his resurrection… and empowered by this
holy meal we are set forth. Once again, we choose God. This is our Shechem. And
truth is, every day of our lives is that place of choice. The place where we
choose amid all the distractions, amid all the things, that we will follow God"
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Matthew 25:1-13
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Matthew 25:1-13
Nov 05, 2017 |
No Expectations
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulNo Expectations
"This life that we share here… this church life, this Christian
reality... is not about the expectations that the world places on us, or the expectations
that we place on ourselves. It’s not even about the expectations we have for
this world. It is about sharing life with God and with one another, and
recognizing that experience as holy, and knowing that you’re not alone in it."
Joshua 3:7-17
Matthew 23:1-12
Joshua 3:7-17
Matthew 23:1-12
Oct 29, 2017 |
The Beauty of Promise
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulThe Beauty of Promise
"You were fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of all
things. When you look in the mirror, you are looking at a creation of God… a
beautiful, beloved, belonging creation of God. And, when you look at every
person you meet, you are looking at a beautiful, beloved, belonging creation of
God. And, when you start to see that as true, you are in the promised land.
When you start to let go of the idealized way things are supposed to be, and
love the person right in front of you as they are… you’re right up there with
Moses and God on the side of the mountain seeing the beauty of the world…
seeing the beauty of promise… seeing real hope and experiencing love."
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 22:34-46
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 22:34-46
Oct 29, 2017 |
Our Land of Promise
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinOur Land of Promise
"As we look at our lives we can take clear stock of our
individual journeys: where we have been, where we are now… with mindfulness to
how spirit calls us… with course corrections as needed. The land of promise,
the sacred ground for each of us, is whatever ground we walk on when we walk in
Christ’s love."
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 22:34-46
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 22:34-46
Oct 22, 2017 |
Challenge Yourself, Challenge God
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinChallenge Yourself, Challenge God
"So, as we think about all the relationships in our lives: our
relationships with loved ones, our relationships with friends, our relationships
with money, our relationships with other gifts that we have, our relationships
with livelihood and service, our relationships with all that we have been
given. And, whose is it? Whose are they?"
Exodus 33:12-23
Matthew 22:15-22
Exodus 33:12-23
Matthew 22:15-22
Oct 22, 2017 |
Science, Technology, and God's Glory
| The Rev. Nancy Hopkins-GreeneScience, Technology, and God's Glory
“We get so used to defining life… to looking at science and
technology. We can alter genes. We can do so much in this world that we forget
that a lot of it is still mystery. Or, we try to control our lives. And
sometimes, again, this is engaged with God, but we forget God’s bigger
purposes. Sometimes to reach beyond our personal concerns, to justice, to loving
neighbor and those out there, but also just to the fact that we are simply pin-pricks
in this universe… a small part of the world created by God.”
Exodus 33:12-23
Exodus 33:12-23
Oct 15, 2017 |
The Uncomfortable Uncertainty of God
| The Rev. Nancy Hopkins-GreeneThe Uncomfortable Uncertainty of God
“We want a god who is on our side, not theirs. We want a God
who tells us exactly what to do. Alas, if only I could have that god… a god
that we can manipulate… whose will we can fully understand, and whose desires
and future we can predict. But, instead we are given this other God: a God of
mystery… a God who is both transcendent, and imminent.”
Exodus 32:1-14
Exodus 32:1-14
Oct 15, 2017 |
Angry Like God
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulAngry Like God
“There’s something inside of us, all of us, every single one
of us, that makes us feel alone from time to time. We think that it’s our job
to go it alone, to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, to be independent
and strong. And what I love about the story is there is no one in our Christian
story stronger than God. There is no one more powerful in the Christian story than
the God who made all things, and this God chooses not to go it alone.”
Exodus 32:1-14
Exodus 32:1-14
Oct 08, 2017 |
Ten Easy Steps to Salvation
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulTen Easy Steps to Salvation
“We are in trouble; we are scared; we are afraid; we are enslaved
to greed; we are enslaved to fear and privilege; we are enslaved to violence in
this world… and we think if we follow the commandments, God will free us. And
the reality of the story is, God is saying ‘I have freed you, now let’s talk about
our relationship.'”
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Oct 01, 2017 |
Fighting With God
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulFighting With God
“They have no problem quarreling. They have no problem
arguing. They have no problem belly aching and just giving it up. ‘God are you
just gonna let us starve? God, are you gonna make us thirsty until we die? Is that
what you’re gonna do, God?’ You know what God calls that? Faithfulness. Do you
know what God calls quarreling, and questioning, and challenging, and
wrestling? Faithfulness. Do you know what he calls you when you are so
comfortable with God that you are willing to scream, and yell, and shout? He
calls you a blessing.”
Exodus 17:1-7
Exodus 17:1-7
Oct 01, 2017 |
Basic Needs
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinBasic Needs
“So we don’t have to, nor could we possibly, get things
perfect. We don’t have to suppress all those feelings or always be happy with
what’s going on. We have basic needs, and it is absolutely right that we ask
they be addressed… that we do what’s needed to address them. But it’s also seen
that we are all in the midst of our journeys. And, most importantly, God is
with us. Whatever stage of the journey we’re in, God is with us, and God’s
presence is all of the blessing we need.”
Exodus 17:1-7
Exodus 17:1-7
Sep 24, 2017 |
God's Wait Staff
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulGod's Wait Staff
“There’s something powerful about YOU living love into other peoples’ lives, and proclaiming blessing
in peoples’ lives, and talking about forgiveness in peoples’ lives. Will God
heal and save these people without you? Sure… But he has hired you for the job
anyway.”
Exodus 16:2-15
Exodus 16:2-15
Sep 17, 2017 |
Debt Free Love
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulDebt Free Love
“When those waters collapse down upon the Egyptians they are
collapsing down upon all of the things that get in the way of the Israelites knowing
who their God is, and knowing who they are. God is a God who wipes away
everything that keeps us from knowing love. God is a God who obliterates all of
the things that stop us from knowing that our brother, our sister, belongs to
God. God is a God who washes that away and delivers us into a freedom… a
freedom from keeping score… a freedom from any kind of debt… The freedom to
believe that I don’t owe you anything and you don’t owe me anything, but to
love one another.”
Exodus 14:19-31
Matthew 18:21-35
Exodus 14:19-31
Matthew 18:21-35
Sep 17, 2017 |
God's Mercy
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinGod's Mercy
“So, we do not have to wait for great tragedies. We do not
have to wait for dramatic events. We do not have to wait for hurricanes, or
parting of the seas. We have the opportunity in each moment to deal with each
other with compassion… with mercy. We have in each moment the opportunity to
express gratitude to God for the mercy we have been given, and to give that
mercy in return.”
Exodus 14:19-31
Exodus 14:19-31
Sep 10, 2017 |
Let Us Keep the Feast
| The Rev. Nancy Hopkins-GreeneLet Us Keep the Feast
“Salvation, liberation… redemption in Christ… is about
something God does, and we do… God does through us as a people. We keep the
feast by being aware of God’s redemptions for each one of us for us as a people,
but we also keep the feast by simply keeping the feast… By celebrating the
Eucharist every week, but also by celebrating with other people; welcoming to
the table those from whom we differ.”
Exodus 12:1-14
Exodus 12:1-14
Sep 03, 2017 |
It's Not About You
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulIt's Not About You
“Any justice that we understand, any way we’re going to be participating
in the way that God makes the world right – it’s going to begin with
relationship. It’s going to begin when we’re drawn out of ourselves and out of
the thinking that it’s our job to fix… to look at this world, diagnose the problem
and fix it, and drawn into a reality of participating in the changing of this
world with others, in love. The good news is, it’s not about you. The better
news is, it’s about a God who is with you.”
Exodus 3:1-15
Exodus 3:1-15
Aug 27, 2017 |
Drawn Into Life
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulDrawn Into Life
“God is working like he works in Moses’ life and in the life
of the Israelites, to draw us out of the power of our own selfishness and fear,
and into a life of generosity and love; to draw us out of our own sense of
vengeance and anger and contempt and into a life of mercy, and forgiveness, and
kindness. Draw us out… God draws us out of inhumanity, and looking at other
people and demonizing them, and draws us into deeper relationship.”
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Aug 27, 2017 |
To Be an Exodus People
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinTo Be an Exodus People
"We need to renew our minds. We need to see what is around us
through fresh eyes. We need to continuously seek, to discern, the will of God.
And, as an Exodus people, we need to move out into the world."
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Exodus 1:8-2:10