The holidays can be a difficult time for those who are dealing with any loss, and any word about joy can seem, at first, especially difficult to withstand. Joy might indeed be elusive. But the phrase for the Psalmist, “joy comes in the morning” could also be “joy come in the mourning.” Joy is not […]
Joy doesn’t wait for the struggle to be over. Mary “rejoices” during her pregnancy, a state of affairs that would have put her in a position of dishonor among her people. She sings out powerfully because she knows that this turn of events will usher in the Presence of justice for the oppressed and freedom […]
Music can resonate in our soul so powerfully that we can’t help but join in. That’s the vision of “Joy to the World” as the reverberating phrase urges us to “repeat the sounding joy” of the good news of Love. The prophet Isaiah offers a vision of radical love, and we’re invited to claim God’s […]
The season of Advent is a time of anticipation as we wait and prepare with hope for the birth of Jesus, and we’re called to wait actively. Opening ourselves to a different perspective can bring a sense of hope in the midst of despair – allowing joy to creep in no matter what. Opening to […]
God’s presence with us in sorrow and joy and God’s work through us to bring healing and hope are a promise for us to claim and a witness to God’s victory over suffering and death. Even our suffering can be transformed when we offer it to God just as Jesus’ death was transformed into the […]
We pray “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done” often, but how do we understand our place in it? looking at the bigger and longer story of God’s love and redemption, we are a part of that story as we journey with God and pay attention to God’s prompting in our lives. We opened worship […]
Prayer is not an exercise in getting what we want, but in nurturing a relationship with God through both speaking and listening. We struggle when God doesn’t answer prayers in the way we assume is best for us, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t attentive and faithful. Pastor Mary’s message is based on Matthew 21: […]
Most of us struggle with the questions of “why?” at one time or another. Whether it’s the pain of death, our own life situation or someone else close to us, whether it’s an overwhelming global problem like hunger and violence, or whether it’s the reality that some people have faced hardship that we cannot imagine, […]
Giving from a Biblical perspective is intentional, regular, generous, an offering of our first-fruits, proportional, and cheerful. As we seek to be faithful stewards, we grown in our relationship with God. Pastor Mary’s message is based on Luke 12: 22-34. To read it, click here. We also shared “Cheerful Giver” once again.
Jesus talked about money and possessions frequently and called his disciples to develop a right relationship with them – not as something to control us, but as something we use as a tool to serve God and others. Pastor Mary’s message is based on Luke 18: 18-30; I Timothy 6: 6-10; and Matthew 6: 24. […]