July 4, 2021 – Jonathan Chute, “In(ter)dependence Day”
Sermon: sermon
In this week’s gospel we see that the people who knew Jesus back home had a hard time understanding him or his work. In the face of their resistance and skepticism he can hardly accomplish a thing. So he heads out. Then he sends his disciples on to carry on his work in other places. He tells them how to handle both welcome and rejection as they travel, and to pack light. They will learn to depend on each other, on the hospitality of those they go to serve, and on what they have learned from him so far. Mark 6:1-13 is the text for Jonathan’s sermon, “In(ter)dependence Day.”
Scripture: scripture
July 11, 2021 – April Herron, “Welcome to the Family”
Sermon: sermon
“Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” So begins the document that our Bibles identify as “The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.” What follows after the greeting is a rhapsodic enumeration of the amazing and wonderful things that God has done for us, all according to the riches of God’s grace. At a time when we have been through a stretch of difficulties, both great and small, and continue to notice tension and unease in the world around us, it is good to be reminded of God’s generous love, wisdom, and insight, as well as God’s power to forgive, restore, and make whole. Our scripture text for July 11 is Ephesians 1:3-15. April’s sermon title is, “Welcome to the Family.”
Scripture: scripture
July 18, 2021 – Diane Rehfield, “Would You Like to Come In”
Sermon: sermon
This week we continue in worship with the Book of Ephesians. With all of the divisions between people that have seemed to be especially intense during the pandemic and a contentious election season, our passage from Ephesians seems particularly hopeful and refreshing. God has broken down dividing walls, and brought people who were “strangers and aliens” together as members of the same household – the household of God. What if we could indeed see ourselves as not only brothers and sisters through Christ with those who do not seem at all like us, but also, together, as a dwelling place for God? The passage is Ephesians 2:11-22, and Diane’s Sermon is entitled “Would You Like to Come In?”
Scripture: scripture
July 25, 2021 – April Herron, “The Prayer That Transforms”
Sermon: sermon
Riches! Glory! Inner strength! Spiritual power! Surpassing knowledge! The scripture passage for July 25, 2021, is a beautiful prayer for readers and listeners, that we may come to know the full magnitude of God’s love. It also contains the reminder that God, working within us, is able to accomplish “abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.” If you need a prayer of encouragement, this could be it. And, God’s love might take you in surprising directions. The text is Ephesians 3:14-21. April’s sermon title is, “The Prayer That Transforms.”
Scripture: scripture
