Paying Attention
When Moses notices the burning bush he could have said, “oh wow look at that,” and just kept going with his sheep. Or “that’s interesting but I don’t have time to check that out, I have an agenda to keep, I’ll come back later.” Or he could have been busy looking down at his phone and glanced up and thought, meh, and gone back to the captivating cat video he was watching.
When Moses notices the burning bush he could have said, “oh wow look at that,” and just kept going with his sheep. Or “that’s interesting but I don’t have time to check that out, I have an agenda to keep, I’ll come back later.” Or he could have been busy looking down at his phone and glanced up and thought, meh, and gone back to the captivating cat video he was watching.
The point is if he had decided to just keep on going with his sheep or if he had decided to come back later, he wouldn’t have been Moses. He would have just been another guy, just another shepherd. Instead, he is paying attention and turns aside to see the great sight of God and because he does, he becomes this great partner with God who gets to work with God to set people free.
Walking The Earth
Walking is an act of disconnecting and reconnecting. As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember the walks of the civil rights movement - they walked to disconnect us from a system that was designed to keep one part of us separated from another. They disconnected themselves from thoughts of their own safety, because many of them were beaten and some of them died. They walked disconnected from a destination but reconnected to a purpose.
Walking is an act of disconnecting and reconnecting. As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember the walks of the civil rights movement - they walked to disconnect us from a system that was designed to keep one part of us separated from another. They disconnected themselves from thoughts of their own safety, because many of them were beaten and some of them died.
They walked disconnected from a destination but reconnected to a purpose.
They reconnected to each other and found courage in struggling together. They reconnected to a sense of dignity and worth as people created in God’s image. And they walked with God, the God who executes justice for the orphan and the widow. The God who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. The God who requires of us that we walk in those ways.
Your Light Has Come
The birth of Christ is the light that has come into the world not just for the people of Israel but for the whole world, and the three kings represent that, they are foreigners from a foreign land who see the light and receive the light and pay homage to the light, too.
This light that has come into the world, this light that has cut through the darkness, is for everyone. This new day, this new dawn that marks the beginning of the end for the dark things of this world is for everyone. Salvation is for everyone.
The birth of Christ is the light that has come into the world not just for the people of Israel but for the whole world, and the three kings represent that, they are foreigners from a foreign land who see the light and receive the light and pay homage to the light, too.
This light that has come into the world, this light that has cut through the darkness, is for everyone. This new day, this new dawn that marks the beginning of the end for the dark things of this world is for everyone. Salvation is for everyone.
Magnify The Lord
May you dare to believe that you are capable of magnifying the Lord and may you say: Here I am: here is my body, here is my mind, here is my present, here is my future, here is my soul, it is yours. Let me be exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me magnify your name.
May you dare to believe that you are capable of magnifying the Lord and may you say: Here I am: here is my body, here is my mind, here is my present, here is my future, here is my soul, it is yours. Let me be exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me magnify your name.
Change Your Mind
Have you ever made a decision that led you off the path? Ever made a mistake that led you off the path? Ever had a feeling you were going the wrong way but you’ve been too stubborn, too hard-headed, to stop? And there is this moment when you go: oh this isn’t good. This isn’t right. I don’t have contentment. I’m not experiencing joy. You come to see this isn’t the life you were meant to live, you are off the path.
Change Your Mind
Have you ever made a decision that led you off the path? Ever made a mistake that led you off the path? Ever had a feeling you were going the wrong way but you’ve been too stubborn, too hard-headed, to stop? And there is this moment when you go: oh this isn’t good. This isn’t right. I don’t have peace. I don’t have contentment. I’m not experiencing joy. You come to see this isn’t the life you were meant to live, you are off the path.
The Bible reveals this truth about the human experience--that we are good, and we start out on this path--but we tend to wander from it - we are prone to wander off the path or we think we know a shortcut or know better. Whatever the case, we end up going the wrong direction but it doesn’t change our inherent goodness, we are still good. We just are not walking in the way that leads to life and God wants that for us. God wants us to thrive. So God does everything in God’s power to help us to return.
Sermon Media:
Click Here to Watch Video From Sermon
Picture from Pastor Blair’s Hike:
Stand and Lift Up Your Heads
We are woke because of Christ. Because the Christ in you and the Christ in me stands up in the face of fear, and in the face of suffering, and in the face of dehumanization and says: I will not look away, I will not back down, I will not sit down, I will not let it go...not until the poor have good news and the hungry are fed and the sick are cared for and the stranger is welcomed.
There are forces in this world that want us to stay numb and inside our houses wrapped in warm laundry and eating bread. There are forces in this world that would rather us not be woke.
No. We are woke because of Christ. Because the Christ in you and the Christ in me stands up in the face of fear, and in the face of suffering, and in the face of dehumanization and says: I will not look away, I will not back down, I will not sit down, I will not let it go...not until the poor have good news and the hungry are fed and the sick are cared for and the stranger is welcomed.
click here to watch the video used during the sermon
Covered By Grace
You are covered by Grace. Maybe you don’t believe you are covered, maybe you feel like you’ve done something along the way and your coverage got dropped.
No, you are still covered; so you messed up, so you think you aren’t worthy of coverage, maybe you’ve forgotten that this isn’t a divine points game, this isn’t about earning or achieving. I mean the rest of the world is into that but God isn’t into that and we know that because of Christ crucified, because through him, success is redefined - weak is the new strong, the way up is the way down.
You are covered…do you know that you are covered…maybe you don’t believe you are covered, like maybe you feel like you’ve done something along the way and your coverage got dropped…
No, no you’re still covered. So you messed up, so you think you aren’t worthy of coverage… maybe you’ve forgotten that this isn’t a divine points game, this isn’t about earning or achieving, I mean the rest of the world is into that but God isn’t into that…and we know that because of Christ crucified, because through him, success is redefined, weak is the new strong…the way up is the way down…
Watch the clip used in the service below
The Radical Thing About This Table
We may disagree on the issues, we may have conflict with one another, but we never ever stop seeing one another as brothers and sisters.
The pull of tribalism is strong now...it is strong and it is trying to influence us to treat one another as less than human beings, it is trying to get us to name call and to have closed minds and mean spirits…but it is no match for the power of Christ that is present at this table and in this bread and cup that compels us to love our neighbor.
We may disagree on the issues, we may have conflict with one another, but we never ever stop seeing one another as brothers and sisters.
The pull of tribalism is strong now...it is strong and it is trying to influence us to treat one another as less than human beings, it is trying to get us to name call and to have closed minds and mean spirits…but it is no match for the power of Christ that is present at this table and in this bread and cup that compels us to love our neighbor.
All In
Pastor Blair woke up with laryngitis on Sunday morning, so she reworked her sermon. In addition to her raspy voice, you'll hear testimonies from Pastor David and Kelly Carpenter and have time to reflect on your own response to the question: 'What would going on 'all in' with Jesus look like in my life?'
Pastor Blair woke up with laryngitis on Sunday morning, so she reworked her sermon. In addition to her raspy voice, you'll hear testimonies from Pastor David and Kelly Carpenter and have time to reflect on your own response to the question: 'What would going on 'all in' with Jesus look like in my life?'
What Does It Mean To Follow Jesus?
People in churches ask all kinds of questions. In our reading we hear James and John asking Jesus something we may ask. If we are disciples and if we truly want to follow Jesus, shouldn’t we be asking different kinds of questions?
People in churches ask all kinds of questions. In our reading we hear James and John asking Jesus something we may ask. If we are disciples and if we truly want to follow Jesus, shouldn’t we be asking different kinds of questions? In today’s sermon, guest speaker Rev. Hugo Magallanes, helps us learn to ask questions that are less self-centered and lead us to a life of service and community.
Don't Settle
Whatever it is in your life that is coming in at you from all sides, do not settle in...stand in and stand up! God's grace is here today for you: receive it, believe it, experience it, bask in it, walk in it, run it it, you are made for connection, you are made for community, you are made for this moment, you are made to be a blessing.
Whatever it is in your life that is coming in at you from all sides, do not settle in...stand in and stand up! God's grace is here today for you: receive it, believe it, experience it, bask in it, walk in it, run it it, you are made for connection, you are made for community, you are made for this moment, you are made to be a blessing.
Move
There is always some distance between where we are and where God wants us to be. It is always a climb from where we are to where God wants us to be but the view God wants to show us, it is so so good, so spectacular.
Our tradition calls this journey from where we are to where God wants us to be sanctification. God is calling us to become more like Christ. In order to move from here to there we have to be willing to move from what we know. We have to move from the comfortable, the familiar, the way we have always done things, the person we have always been, we have to move from our plans, our trajectory, our vision and go where God is calling us to go - which is up the mountain.
Move
There is always some distance between where we are and where God wants us to be. It is always a climb from where we are to where God wants us to be but the view God wants to show us, it is so so good, so spectacular.
Our tradition calls this journey from where we are to where God wants us to be sanctification. God is calling us to become more like Christ. In order to move from here to there we have to be willing to move from what we know. We have to move from the comfortable, the familiar, the way we have always done things, the person we have always been, we have to move from our plans, our trajectory, our vision and go where God is calling us to go - which is up the mountain.
But It Is Also True That Love Never Ends
It is true that you are going to die. But it is also true that Love conquers death. There is this part of you deep within that has this sense, this intuition, this understanding that you are connected
It is true that you are going to die. But it is also true that Love conquers death. There is this part of you deep within that has this sense, this intuition, this understanding that you are connected to the Source of Life and that this connection can never be broken. Your connection to the Source of Life can never be lost. Your desire for the life that you have - this desire to live forever is there because it is meant to be there, because you are made for eternal life.
Remember Who You Are
Do you know that this place at this table is for you? Do you know that it has always been set for you, do you know that you belong here, that you are accepted here, that you are needed here,
Do you know that this place at this table is for you? Do you know that it has always been set for you, do you know that you belong here, that you are accepted here, that you are needed here, do you know God wants you at this table, needs you at this table, made you for this table, yes you are made to be one with God and to participate in the work of God in the world.
Rublev’s Icon - Trinity
What Is Your Story?
If your story is preventing you from being your true self, from giving the gifts you have been given to make the world a bit better, you are living out of a story that is not the gospel story.
What is your story? Or better yet: What is the story you are telling yourself about yourself?  It is not too much to say that the story you are telling yourself about yourself has the power to change your life for better or worse.
If your story is preventing you from being your true self, from giving the gifts you have been given to make the world a bit better, you are living out of a story that is not the gospel story.
From The Bible On Broadway Worship Series - Les Misérables
What on earth are you doing?
We need to remember what stewardship means. It’s more than the time of year when the church asks for your financial support. It’s about being responsible with something that ultimately belongs to someone else.
So here we are, placed in the middle of a garden we didn’t plant and called to till and keep it. The word is stewardship and our stewardship doesn’t always live up to its promise. We haven’t contributed to the thriving of creation, which includes the thriving of the people around us. What do we do?
We need to remember what stewardship means. It’s more than the time of year when the church asks for your financial support. It’s about being responsible with something that ultimately belongs to someone else. We do not live in our creation, we live in God’s creation. We are using it now and will hand it off to the next generation. It’s about remembering Jesus’s words to seek first the kingdom of God and the rest will be given to us as well.
FAQ: How Do You Live A Faithful Life?
Our worship service was led by our Youth Group where they shared the experiences and learning of their summer mission trip. David Finley spoke about our Frequently Asked Question: How Do You Live A Faithful Life?
It is back-to-school time here in Richardson, TX. This Sunday we did a "Walk For Schools" event where we prayed for our local schools. Our worship service was led by our Youth Group where they shared the experiences and learning of their summer mission trip. David Finley spoke about our Frequently Asked Question: How Do You Live A Faithful Life?
Christian Adulting
Most of the time it isn't walking on water...it's watering the garden, it's paying the water bill on time, it's advocating for clean water...and even that work--which may seem like exciting justice work--when you get down to it, but it mainly involves sending emails and calling people and setting up meetings...mundane but necessary tasks...doing these tasks as Christ would do them, with integrity and honesty and selflessness, that's Christian adulting.
Christian Adulting:
The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible follower of Jesus, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.
Following Jesus isn't all about performing signs and wonders. Sure, there may be some of that but most of the time it isn't walking on water...it's watering the garden, it's paying the water bill on time, it's advocating for clean water...and even that work--which may seem like exciting justice work--when you get down to it, but it mainly involves sending emails and calling people and setting up meetings...mundane but necessary tasks...doing these tasks as Christ would do them, with integrity and honesty and selflessness, that's Christian adulting.
Most of the time following Jesus isn't performing miracles surrounded by crowds, it's putting a band-aid on your grandson's booboo; it's walking for a cause like curing breast cancer; it's sitting by your friend as she receives chemotherapy treatment. Not exciting, not glamorous, but necessary...doing these tasks as Christ would do them, with integrity and honesty and selflessness, that's Christian adulting.
Day By Day
Consider what stepping outside of our comfort zones to be led by the Spirit looks like. For some that may mean starting a weekly prayer practice, perhaps with family members, or friends. For others, stepping outside of comfort zones may mean going and talking to someone more about how God is impacting your life.
Consider what stepping outside of our comfort zones to be led by the Spirit looks like. For some that may mean starting a weekly prayer practice, perhaps with family members, or friends. For others, stepping outside of comfort zones may mean going and talking to someone more about how God is impacting your life, sharing the state of your souls w/others.
One way that churches seek to live a day-by-day faith, in addition to the normal pattern of programming and worship is to consider attending various small groups to grow spiritually with one another. Now, these are not the only avenues for us to explore in living out a day-by-day kind of faith. We all have so much to offer in terms of the different gifts we each bring, gifts of leadership, care, spiritual renewal, and more as we grow in faith together.
I truly believe that through God’s grace each one of us has the capacity to be a source of transformative faith, to others, and to ourselves as we follow God in community here and in our daily lives. But, we are encouraged to share that kind of transformation together, being led by the Holy Spirit, who makes it possible for us to be on the same spiritual page. The invitation to live a day-by-day faith is before us, what will our response be?
Becoming Deeply Devoted Disciples of Jesus Christ
I wonder if we pulled out our calendars right now and looked at this past week or this past month, or if we were to keep a running log of the hours in the day and what we did in each hour, it would be a good insight into our devotion...
Now if you have a group of people like those members of the early church whose calendars are for the most part synched, who all live in the same rhythm of life, who all give their time and energy to the same things, oh my the power of that!
Becoming Deeply Devoted Disciples of Jesus Christ
I wonder if we pulled out our calendars right now and looked at this past week or this past month, or if we were to keep a running log of the hours in the day and what we did in each hour, it would be a good insight into our devotion...
Now if you have a group of people like those members of the early church whose calendars are for the most part synched, who all live in the same rhythm of life, who all give their time and energy to the same things, oh my the power of that!
Sermon Notes:
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