Roger Gustafson: The Advent Gift
As John the Baptist calls for repentance, Bishop Roger Gustafson says Jesus offers the fit of repentance so that we might lead reoriented lives that bear good fruit right here and now, lives that point to that kingdom that Jesus is bringing in its fullness.
Susan Langhauser: Setting the Table for Jesus
In her Advent sermon, pastor Susan Langhauser says John the Baptist’s prophetic words prepared the Way for Jesus while God was setting the table, getting ready to reveal things in a new light to others who were also being prepared.
Scott Gunn: Shining the Light of Grace
In his sermon for the First Sunday of Advent, Scott Gunn encourages us to see Advent as a time to abound in love for one another and for all, as we prepare to worship Jesus at Christmas and to greet him when he comes in glory.
Colleen Cook: What Is Truth?
The Rev. Colleen Cook says there are so many lies in our lives that Jesus came to intervene and truth-tell with love. Jesus's is a kingdom of truth, of un-forgetting who we are and whose we are.
Lisa Hackney-James: A Long Labor
Canon Lisa Hackney-James says that through the birthpangs Jesus speaks of, we are to hear his encouragement to hang on, to live together in the faith, watching and waiting, laboring along with the One whose Kingdom is our ultimate destination.
Christoph Keller III: For All the Saints
In his All Saints Sunday sermon, Dr. Chris Keller says there is more we don’t know than we do about our hope in Christ, and the riches of that glorious inheritance. All we know or need to know about that second life is this: it begins with "Alleluia."
Katie Givens Kime: What Jesus' Great-Grandmother Teaches Us About Hope
In her sermon, Katie Givens Kime says maybe we need, in times like ours, to listen to the Ruths in our lives, to our grandmothers in the faith. Listen to those who love us no matter what, who stick with us to the end, who say YES to hope and NO to oppression.
Steve Shoemaker: Jesus and Blind Bartimaeus: The Gospel as Healing
In his sermon on the healing of Blind Bartimaeus, Dr. Steve Shoemaker says our evangelical mission, the mission of the good news of God in Christ, comes in the words, "Rise, take heart, he is calling you." We bring people into the vicinity of Jesus, where healing can happen.
Don Pratt: From the Bottom Up
Dr. Don Pratt says it's not about power and privilege. We change the world by the way we love and serve those around us. We will turn the world upside down when we learn to ask, "Teacher, we want to do for you whatever you ask of us."
Katie Hays: I Love You, But...
Katie Hays says the church should be the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that if you lose all your people - even your family of origin - to stay near him, you’ll get back a family of choice that has decided to love you before you even show up, no "buts" about it.
Christine Chakoian: God's Vision
Dr. Chris Chakoian says this Sunday, Christians across the globe are celebrating World Communion Sunday - a day when we are urged to embrace the biblical vision of unity and peace. Not as a far-off dream, but as Christ’s calling to us right now.
Olu Brown: The Good Old Days
Rev. Olu Brown encourages us to take a moment and ask ourselves this question: Am I moving forward to the promise that God has for my life, or am I too busy reminiscing about the past--stuck in the 'good old days'?
Olu Brown: We Are Blessed
Olu Brown says Psalm 1 is a fitting reminder of what it means to live a life of faith, to be intentional about developing a relationship with God, like a tree planted by the water, growing and bearing fruit in every season.
The Rev. Betsy Swetenburg: That's What He Said: Get Behind Me, Satan
The Rev. Betsy Swetenburg says Jesus's rebuke of Peter seems harsh, and it is, but it was made because Peter sought to avoid Jesus's suffering but Jesus is prepared to walk through it as part of his sacred journey. Are we?
Sam Parkes: When You Are Hungry Enough, You Will Cross the Line
Dr. Sam Parkes says the woman who approached Jesus was a triple threat—a Syrophoenician, a Gentile, and a woman. She is desperate, hungry for her daughter’s healing to the extent that she crosses cultural and religious lines.
Dalton Rushing: The Anger Test
Explaining that anger is made manifest most often when what is does not line up with what ought to be, the Rev. Dalton Rushing says James provides a helpful Anger Test each of us should take.
Courtney Cowart & Salmoon Bashir: What Kind of Means for What Kind of Victory?
Salmoon Bashir
Organization: SIM: Society for the Increase of the Ministry
Denomination: The Episcopal Church
Dr. Courtney Cowart and seminarian Salmoon Bashir reveal that the battle for which we armor ourselves is a struggle for the universal spiritual liberation of every soul, and it can be accomplished only by clothing ourselves in the power of God’s own love—that is the entire armor of God.
Tony & Katie Sundermeier: Stay With Us - Companionship and Christian Discipleship
The Rev. Katie Sundermeier
Organization: First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)
Two life companions share three ways companionship deepens discipleship—it guarantees we do not walk difficult or uncertain roads alone; it reminds us that Christ is revealed in what is shared between us; and it empowers us to share the good news.
Magrey deVega: Our Annual Summer Trip to Mount Horeb
Magrey deVega says 1 Kings 19 reminds us that, like Elijah, we might feel God is distant or absent from us right now—but maybe God is just stretching us, as God did Elijah, to listen and watch for the new way that God is showing up right now.
Charley Reeb: The Most Important Question
Dr. Charley Reeb says Jesus said some startling things during his time on earth: he claimed he was God, he claimed to forgive sins, and he claimed that if we put our trust in him he will give us eternal life. Powerful claims, indeed, and they force us to make a decision.