Weekly Metaphors - 2007
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Quest I Towards the end of her book: Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert reveals the words that sustained her through the year of, and the year before her stays in Italy, India and Indonesia: December 30, 2007 |
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An Advent Service of Lessons and Carols We hear, in lessons from scripture, how the prophets of Israel foretold that God would visit and redeem the waiting people. Our music celebrates how the good purpose of God is being fulfilled. December 23, 2007 |
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Matt and Lucy's Version Births A Children's Pagent for Progressive Communities December 16, 2007 |
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Imagine Joseph's story is about a dream and a choice, to choose righteousness on God's terms rather than his own. It takes an act of imagination to live life by a different script than our culture holds out for us. December 9, 2007 |
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The Call God has this plan about coming into our world. When the angel calls to tell us that God would use us right where we are, right where we live, doing just what we do to bear God into the very world we inhabit... will you accept the call? December 2, 2007 |
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Seasons of the Gospel The church keeps time with the faith story in which we are called to seasons of expectation, incarnation, manifestation, penitence, resurrection and empowerment. When we tell the story of God and God's people, we keep time with the Gospel, our rhythm of life. November 25, 2007 |
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Hey, Look! Gratitude is not just about being recipient of a gift, but being in relationship with the Giver. When we look and see and give thanks knowing we are in all circumstances held by the Holy, we will not just be healed; we will by faith be made well. November 18, 2007 |
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But Wait! There's more ... Haggai knew that God meets us where we are and when we are faithful to God's tasks leads us, works in us and is revealed through us. We must each ask ourselves what is our part in that glorious future still to come? November 11, 2007 |
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So Great A Cloud of Witnesses All Saints Sunday November 4, 2007 |
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Loaves, Fishes, and Stones Rev. Dave Martin, When we put ourselves and our resources in Jesus' hands, they are multiplied to accomplish the loving and just purposes of God. October 28, 2007 |
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The (Un)Selfish Gene We are at our best when we are unselfish because we are made in the moral image of an unselfish God. God calls us to community. God calls us to involvement with one another and with the society around us. God asks us to be generous in creating the kind of world God has intended from day One. October 21, 2007 |
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Find Your Path - Share the Jourmey Tithing and our Family's Leap of Faith... October 14, 2007 |
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U2charist But I still haven't found what I'm looking for... U2 October 7, 2007 |
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Find Your Path - Share the Jourmey Jeremiah exercises the right of redemption to buy land in his home town just as his people are preparing to be exiled to foreign lands. He places the deed in an earthen jar so the promise will be preserved for when God redeems
their future. September 30, 2007 |
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Find Your Path - Share the Jourmey Just as the shepherd cares about the lost sheep so God cares for each of us and those not here. So the first question is: Who could be here but isn't? And the second question is: What are you going to do about it? September 23, 2007 |
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Find Your Path - Share the Jourmey Jesus wants us to come and follow and he calls out to us to do so throughout scripture. He just wants us to carefully consider what we are getting ourselves into. There is a hefty cost to being a disciple, but maybe that's exactly what we are eager to pay. September 16, 2007 |
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Find Your Path - Share the Jourmey Welcome Home! This is a safe place to check your path, question the map you have been following, and maybe turn around. And, when we go forth from this place on the next leg of the course-- with the God who calls us to love, justice, mercy, and peace-- it is good to share the journey. Homecoming - September 9, 2007 |
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Our Daily Bread Labor Day was celeberated with a message by Paul F. Cole from the Labor-Religion Coalition of the Capital District. September 2, 2007 |
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Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors - Part III Christ Church - Summer at the Movies August 26, 2007 |
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Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors - Part II Christ Church - Summer at the Movies August 19, 2007 |
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Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Christ Church - Summer at the Movies August 12, 2007 |
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Let's do it! Christ Church - Summer at the Movies August 5, 2007 |
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Not Alone Christ Church - Summer at the Movies July 29, 2007 |
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Stand Up Christ Church - Summer at the Movies July 22, 2007 |
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Faith and Action Christ Church - Summer at the Movies July 15, 2007 |
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Ending Well Christ Church - Summer at the Movies July 8, 2007 |
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Choosing Wisely Christ Church - Summer at the Movies July 1, 2007 |
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Starting Afresh Christ Church - Summer at the Movies June 24, 2007 |
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Give It Time It takes time for the seed that was planted and watered in our baptism to break us open so that we are more fully revealed as children of God. Until we become more of who we hope to be, we wait with patient and eager longing. June 17, 2007 |
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Out On A Limb It is not just that the Holy Spirit accompanies us on our faith journeys - the Spirit send us out, but stays close by equipping and strengthening for the task. June 10, 2007 |
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Playing Your Part If we occassionally find ourselves alone on the 50 yard line of life playing the melody of peace, justice, reconciliation, or grace, remember this is an echo of an old, old song with a new verse and a new formation. The Holy Spirit continues the work of nudging each of us to find our place in the vision, our part in the song. June 3, 2007 |
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Found In Translation God wants us to be translators of the good news. The Holy Spirit comes to shake the message loose in each and every one of us and gives us words to speak in a language we didn't even know we had. May 27, 2007 |
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So Much More The Sunday School class reminds us that Moses and the Hebrew people have a long journey ahead of them. True. And so do we. There is so much more to who we are and the work of liberation that remains to be done. God's story is still unfolding and we are a part of the weird assembledge of characters chosen to be a part of it! May 20, 2007 |
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Relationships The church is made up of an ever widening circle of people. Relationships can be formed through acts of hospitality, sharing good news, listening... finding ways to be a friend. May 13, 2007 |
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Rivers, Roads, & Rails At the table, the path you have taken matters no longer. It's just enough that you are here - that we are together; that for this time we can journey together and with the Christ whose grace accepts us, whose presence guides us and whose love enfolds us. May 6, 2007 |
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Breaking Bread You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies... April 29, 2007 |
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Seeds of Change When we take seriously the call to love our enemies, lay down our life for our friends, and see Jesus in the stranger, then some measure of fear, lonliness, and anger in the world is replaced with connection and community. Everyday we find opportunities for planting seeds of kindness that can change someone's day, someone's life, someone's world. April 22, 2007 |
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Engage The Emmaus story shows us that point where two disciples go from defeat and fear to total engagement in whatever it takes to be a part of the ongoing Jesus adventure. April 15, 2007 |
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Live It Up With Christ! The empty tomb is great for Jesus, but it doesn't change the world -- unless it changes us. The empty tomb story becomes our resurrection story when we hear the risen Christ call our name. We can't hold him back, but we can let Jesus lift us to new life. April 8, 2007 |
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From Celebration to Sorrow A reading of the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his death and burial. April 1, 2007 |
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Give It Up For Lent "Leave her alone," Jesus says and gently removes the gavel from our hands... there is just too much danger in hurting ourselves or others with judgement. Mary showed extravagant love for Jesus. Jesus, in his life and to the point of death, showed extravagant love for us. Now we are invited to show extravagant love for one another. March 25, 2007 |
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Give It Up For Lent The Lenten journey keeps drawing us closer to the cross that shatters all our rulers for measuring or meriting God's love. March 18, 2007 |
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Give It Up For Lent We are called to bear fruit - it is a lifetime's endeavor - as we mature fully into the person God created us to be. March 11, 2007 |
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Give It Up For Lent Jesus, like a mother hen, longs to gather us under his wing. Children just won't stay that way for long. And so, we give up our comfy chair for Lent even though getting up to follow Jesus in His risky way of living and loving makes us no less vulnerable than He was to the dangers and violence in the world. March 4, 2007 |
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Give It Up For Lent Jesus resisted the temptation of an economic, political, and religious power that would free people not only from hunger, political unrest, and doubt, but from thinking or changing or taking responsibility, as well. This year for Lent we can give up the notion that God wields a power that will rescue us from ourselves and the messes we create, and we can embrace the responsibility of living and loving in the self-giving way Jesus leads us. February 25, 2007 |
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Secret Identity On the mountaintop we learn Jesus' true identity. Are we prepared to be unmasked and learn our own? February 18, 2007 |
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Overload The needs are many - but it is not for us to be the superhero: do your part and let others do theirs. February 11, 2007 |
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Heroes Just as in the Bible, the heroes amongst us today are often ordinary people willing to risk stepping outside their safety zone and, in doing so, do extraordinary things February 4, 2007 |
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What Now? Paul's love letter to the Corinthians must never be just for weddings,
but it is as good a place as any to begin. January 28, 2007 |
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All Systems Go! We are assembled - we are in the place we should be; now let us do the work we are created and placed here to do! January 21, 2007 |
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Righted On the foundation of love that God has given us, we must exercise great care in building up in our relationships, institutions and systems - only that which is just and true. Since our lives and the world are not new construction, sometimes we must tear down walls of hate, ignorance and injustice in an Extreme Makeover. January 14, 2007 |
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Foundation Before Jesus began to preach, teach, and heal, he was baptized. Just as he heard the voice of God blessing him at his baptism, we listen for God's blessing on us as we remember our own baptism. "You are my beloved, with you I am well pleased." With that foundation in place, an extreme makeover is possible for our life, our church, our community, our world. January 7, 2007 |