A message from the series “Sermons during Advent.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” My priest friend Jonathan Melton offers an encouragement to we who have been made members of the body of Christ: Our differences, which are many, and are so often a source, not of curse, but of a diversity of blessing – these differences do not define the limits of the love we have been given to share with one another. Neither is direct experience of another’s pain prerequisite for holding holy space with them.
This is a time for us to hold holy space for one another. This is time for the fruits of the spirit to come to the forefront — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is a time to be particularly tender with one another, and to continue seeking together wisdom about God’s righteousness and justice for this world.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” When we are in uncharted territory, having a guide who has been there before is
reassuring. That’s true whether we are summiting a mountain shrouded in fog, or venturing
into the depths of the earth. It’s also true when we are learning to trust God beyond our
understanding in ordinary life.And that is what is at stake in the scriptures we hear today:
learning to trust God beyond our understanding, by following a guide who has gone before
us.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” As the disciples followed Jesus, they were to learn, and we are to learn,
· Our power is for the sake of the powerless
· Our authority is for the well-being of the vulnerable.
· Our influence is for the sake of those who are invisible.

We are meant to empower the powerless, and just like Jesus, to bind up the brokenhearted, to set free the captive, and to raise up to new life.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” How do we know where we truly belong, where we’ll thrive, and find wholeness? James reminds us to look for the fruit. Is it rooted in peace, mercy, and sincerity, or born from jealousy and contention? What we cling to shapes the fruit of our lives. God offers us a better way—a life of renewal, peace, and true connection. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.” All our names are engraved on God’s heart. God’s heart is toward us, and for us, reaching out to us, holding on to us, loving us steadfastly, faithfully, compassionately, forever. Our lives have been touched and are being transformed by God. And lives in which God is doing this holy work show signs of it.

A message from the series “Sermons during Pentecost.”