by Rev Dr. Helen Svoboda-Barber Today's Gospel shows us two different types of communities worshiping God. The first community is the synagogue in Jesus' hometown. This worshiping community is so focused on keeping things in good order and following all the traditions that they are blind to what could be. They knew Jesus as a … Continue reading Two Models of Church | July 4, 2021
Two Invitations from the Bleeding Woman | June 27, 2021
Rev. Dr. Helen Svoboda-Barber Today’s gospel story is a sandwich of two stories. On the outside of the story, the beginning and the end, is the story of Jarius’s daughter and the healing that happened in her life. In the middle is the story of a woman healed after twelve years of disease. Today, I … Continue reading Two Invitations from the Bleeding Woman | June 27, 2021
A Sermon | June 20, 2021
by the Rev'd Jim Craven As the curtain goes up on the book of Job, we encounter an unusual group, maybe not so unusual when this ancient folktale began being told around the communal campfires 4000 years ago, or when it was written down in Hebrew about the time of David and Solomon close to … Continue reading A Sermon | June 20, 2021
In a Crowded House With Jesus | June 6, 2021
Rev. Laura Thornton Today we have this little parable inside a story inside another story in Mark’s gospel. Jesus has been teaching and healing and casting out demons. And very quickly, word spreads and crowds appear wherever he goes. Jesus’ family comes to restrain him, take him home, protect him, they think he has lost … Continue reading In a Crowded House With Jesus | June 6, 2021
Get Ready for the Spirit to Show Up | May 23, 2021 – Pentecost
Rev. Dr. Helen Svoboda-Barber Today is Pentecost. It feels odd not to be gathering in person to celebrate Pentecost for a second year in a row. And yet, when we really think about it, this is not a bad way to celebrate Pentecost. For the past 14 months, we’ve been living similar to how the disciples … Continue reading Get Ready for the Spirit to Show Up | May 23, 2021 – Pentecost
Prayer and New Life for the Church | May 16, 2021
by Rev. Dr. Helen Svoboda-Barber Every year on the Sunday before Pentecost, we read a section of the longest prayer attributed to Jesus. The entire 17th chapter of the gospel of John is the prayer Jesus prayed just before he was arrested. The whole prayer has three fairly distinct sections. In the first section, Jesus … Continue reading Prayer and New Life for the Church | May 16, 2021
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