Revelation is a weird and wild book, filled with larger than life imagery. Unfortunately it's also been wildly misunderstood. What is the Revelation of John actually about, and what does he want us to see?
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Jonathan Bachman's image of protestor Iesha Evans in Baton Rouge
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The photo above is of protestor Iesha Evans who, of her protest and arrest, said: "I just need you people to know. I appreciate the well wishes and love, but this is the work of God. I am a vessel! Glory to the most high."
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Wendy Gritter returns to the Eucharist pulpit/spot-near-the-front-where-people-stand-when-they-preach to bring some good news!
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When people think creativity they often go right to eccentric artists with paint all over their faces… and we’ve got a few of those in our congregation.
But being creative is about WAY more than the arts.
Creativity is for everyone! And it’s the only way to follow Christ in an increasingly polarized world.
2013.06.02 - Kevin Makins - Back To The Future: Old Sermons That Shaped Us
Matthew 5
How do we respond to violence and misuse of power?
In our church and culture power is regularly abused, and often partners with violence in order to push it’s agenda. Jesus confronted these powers with a radical new response to their violence and abuse: third way thinking.
This week we are looking at Jesus’ teaching to turn the other cheek, give up our cloak as well, and to go the extra mile.
At their worst, these teachings have suggested Jesus wanted those suffering to just “take the abuse.” This is not what Jesus is saying.
In context, Jesus is teaching something radical. He is showing his listeners how to disarm those who have power, and how to confront violent actions without resorting to violence.
Which of course, shows us more of what God is like.
Music by Rachel Van Oostveen and team, starts at 1:01
2012.11.11 - Wendy Gritter - This Isn’t Easy
The Cost of Incarnational Peace-Making
John 1, Philippians 4, Matthew 5, Ephesians 2, John 17
Wendy Gritter returns to the Eucharist pulpit with a compelling and powerful teaching on being like Christ: incarnational and peace making.
Wendy shares from her own experience working with the lgbtq community and calls for Jesus disciples to do the difficult work of trusting the Holy Spirit.
(Forgive the recording again, still working out some new problems!)
Music starts 65 minutes in.
2012.09.30 - Kevin Makins - Liturgy: Why We Gather and Why It Matters
Luke 22
The word of God is like a double edged sword… and sometimes if you swing a sword around without knowing how to use it, you might end up hurting someone.
This week we laughed a decent amount, Peter chopped a guys ear off, and we named the narratives we live in.
Music starts 54 minutes in.
Kevin Makins - The Things That Make For Peace: Third
Matthew 5
Many of Jesus’ sayings have found their way into our own culture. You will still hear people encouraging others to “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile”. Sometimes, we can hear these phrases so much that they actually become a little dull to our ears; they lose their teeth.
But to Jesus and his disciples, these were radical, loaded statements about how to combat violence. When presented with two options, Jesus always points to a third way.
