Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares – April 25, 2021

Scripture: Nehemiah 6: 1-9

On January 20th 2021, we all listened mesmerized and energized by the words of youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman as she read her inaugural poem ‘The Hill We Climb’. The first line of her poem reads “When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” Shrouded in grief and tragedy, the shade of a global pandemic, disproportionately impacting communities of color and exacerbated by the pre-existing condition that is environmental racism, still looms over us in this moment. Our communities both local and global are suffering, with millions rendered unemployed, homeless, food insecure and vulnerable health wise. Where indeed can we find light in this never-ending shade? As Nehemiah and the returning exiles rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, the experienced many dangers, toils and snares from those around them, a never-ending shade of torment from which they needed to creatively respond. “But now, O Lord, strengthen my hands”, Nehemiah’s prayer, can be for all of us as we rebuild our world today.

‘Twas Grace My Fears Relieved – April 18, 2021

Scripture: Nehemiah 1: 4-11

Coming out of captivity is always a challenge, and can give rise to many fears and anxieties as we begin to believe in ourselves and our mission. So it must  always begin with introspection and prayer when one is God-led. Nehemiah’s prayer for deliverance and his willingness to ask the king for permission to go rebuild the wall is a good prototype for us as we examine our own call to rebuild. Fears and questions abound as we rethink church, but grace will bring us  safely through, as it did for Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, the writings from the time of the Diaspora.

How Sweet the Sound – April 11, 2021

Scripture: Esther 4: 12-17

Esther found herself in a situation where her life was at stake, her reputation on the line, and her people depending on her. We, like Esther, are privileged to be the body of Christ for such a time as this, and through God’s grace we will be able to find our way through all the in-between times we find ourselves in. Our Easter Hope is in the grace of God…we will dig into the life of grace together this Easter season by walking the path of the exiles.

An Oddly Perfect Ending – Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021

An Oddly Perfect Ending – Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021

Scripture: Mark 16: 1-8

The oldest existing manuscripts of Mark’s gospel ended at verse 8. It’s unlikely that was how Mark intended to end his gospel. The evidence suggests that somehow an early copy lost the original ending. However, even as it stands in those manuscripts, Mark shared the most vital news. Verse 6 said Mary and her companions heard the central message of that resurrection Sunday: “He has been raised. He isn’t here.”

My Savior’s Love, A Musical for Holy Week

For Christians, there are no more significant events than those of Holy Week Reflecting on the life, date, and miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming-but true! Join the Desert Skies choir as they present, “My Savior’s Love”, a musical of Holy Week that breathes musical breath into this incredible story.

A Suffering Gospel – March 21, 2021

Scripture: Mark 5:1-2, 9-13 (NRSV)

Suffering is a critical component of Jesus’ message. Richard Rohr defines suffering as losing control…how does suffering play into the gospel message as we understand it? . How can we begin to see this as a part of life, part of the gospel, and not something that is negative and to be overcome?

Do You Still Not Understand? – March 14, 2021

Scripture: Mark 8:14-21

From healing to prayer to power to suffering, the disciples truly have a hard time understanding Jesus’ teachings as they applied to real life, their life. Looking at our own measures of success today, we STILL struggle with understanding Jesus. Why is it so hard?

A Question and a Calling – March 7, 2021

Scripture: Mark 8:27-36

“This story is unique in the New Testament in that the healing happens in two stages. Mark’s account, however, has an important, symbolic significance as well: Clarity about Jesus’ mission comes only after confusion.” Right after the story of the blind man’s healing, Mark showed Peter’s great confession of Jesus as “the Christ” (the anointed one in Greek, equivalent to the Hebrew “Messiah”), followed immediately by Peter’s confused effort to “correct” Jesus’ explanation about what it meant to be the Christ. Glimpsing the truth, but only in a fuzzy image “like trees…walking around,” Peter couldn’t yet grasp that Jesus truly meant that his mission involved rejection, suffering and execution.

 

Who is This, That Even the Winds and the Waves Obey Him – February 28, 2021

Who is This, That Even the Winds and the Waves Obey Him – February 28, 2021

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

The parables in Mark 4, culminating in this powerful witness of Jesus’ power, give us insights into who Jesus was and what was important to him. Opening our ears to hear his message is as important now as it was in his time.

 

The Beginning of the Good News – February 21, 2021

Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner Preaching

Scripture: Mark 1: 1-20

Scholar and pastor Eugene Peterson caught Mark’s urgency: “Mark wastes no time in getting down to business—a single-sentence introduction…. There’s an air of breathless excitement in nearly every sentence he writes. The sooner we get the message, the better off we’ll be, for the message is good, incredibly good: God is here, and he’s on our side…. Mark, understandably, is in a hurry to tell us what happened in the…life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—the Event that reveals the truth of God to us, so that we can live in reality and not illusion.”