Grace with no Asterisk

September 15, 2019
Season of Pentecost

We spend a great deal of time carefully selecting which photos we put on social media and which we delete, crop or filter.  In this sermon, Pastor Rob talks about our discomfort with the parts of life that don't look great.  We sometimes assume that if we just took enough spiritual vitamins and absorbed enough grace, that these "need to be cropped and edited" parts would go away.  In this case, grace comes with an asterisk, a whole lot of conditions and restrictions.  Instead, Pastor Rob reflects on the grace proclaimed by Saint Paul, which comes without an asterisk - no ifs, ors, or buts.  It comes from the cross and speaks of God's love for us even in the brokenness, the messiness and sin of our lives.

​A handful of Scripture is cited in the sermon:  Exodus 32, Psalm 51, 1 Timothy 1 and Luke 15.  

Jesus Trees

September 8, 2019
Season of Pentecost and Rally Day

In Psalm 1, the followers of God are compared to trees.  After unpacking this beautiful metaphor, Pastor Rob talks about how the mission of the church is to produce Jesus-Trees.  (Actually, he connects Psalm 1 with the church's logo, tagline "rooted and growing" and the new mission statement.)  From there, Pastor Rob returns to Psalm 1, reflecting on how we are called to "meditate on the law day and night."

Inviting folks on the outside

September 1, 2019
Season of Pentecost

Even pagans love their friends and family!  Jesus drives home the point, once again, that we are called to love not just our friends and family, but to care for those on the outside, those on the margins, those who are not liked!  In Luke 14, Jesus goes a step further and challenges us to eat with people who are on the margins.  For when we eat with people, relationships form, joys and trials are shared and something holy happens.  Pastor Rob reflects about the power of God's transforming love through a simply earthly meal, even things like Peanut Butter sandwiches.

Fire, Judgement and New Life

August 18, 2019
Season of Pentecost

Jesus declares that he has come to bring fire to the earth; in the Bible, fire is a symbol of God's judgement.  What gives that Jesus is bringing judgement into the world!?  I thought Jesus was only about love and peace!!

Pastor Rob reflects on the relationship between God's judgement and God's love in our world and in our lives.  Fire brings destruction, but fire can also create space for new life, as is the case with forest fires.  So to in our lives, God's judgement may humble, unsettle and even unbind, but it does so to create space for new life.  Based on Luke 12 with references to the prophet Jeremiah.  

Middle Aged Hero of Faith

August 11, 2018
Season of Pentecost

In Genesis 15, Abraham and God have a heart to heart.  Abraham confesses his frustrations with the parts of life that aren't going according to plan.  In fact, Abraham isn't quite sure of how life will unfold in the future and he is quite unsettled.  God responds to this prayer, not with a plan, but with the night sky and promise of millions of descendants.

Pastor Rob suggests that in this story, Abraham reveals himself to be a Middle Aged Hero of faith!   

Psalm 8 and Apollo 11

August 4, 2019
Season of Pentecost

50 years ago humans landed on the moon.  At that time, humans saw the earth in space for the first time; it was breathtaking!  People around the world cried out, in the words of the ancient Psalm, "O Lord, how majestic is your name in all of the earth!"  The beauty of the heavens bring us to confess the belief in a creator.


Yet how do we know that God cares for us, especially as we become increasingly aware of how small the earth is relative to the cosmos.  We find ourselves, once again, speaking the words of the ancient psalms, "When I consider your heavens...the stars and the moon, what are human beings that you are mindful of them?" Pastor Rob reflects on the words of Psalm 8 and how we might answer the question posed in this ancient prayer.

Praying with the body

July 28, 2019
Season of Pentecost

"How do we pray?" the disciples asked Jesus.   Even the most faithful have questions about prayer; we know we should do it, but we often feel like we do not have the skill set...or the words!  In this sermon, Pastor Rob reflects on how we could benefit from focusing more on our body and less on our words when we pray.  In Scripture, people and even Jesus are often praying with their full body.