Sermons & Worship from 2025 (Page 5)
The Value of Sunday—Sacred Time, Sacred Place, Sacred Renewal
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 24:13-35 (The Road to Emmaus) I have been spending time with people and learning what they need in their spiritual life. I’ve talked with people inside the church and beyond the walls of the church. Everyone says something similar to me: they want connection and to know that a gathering is going to happen, again. I call this ritual. This has got me thinking about the value of Sunday and why we come together as one…
Do You Love Me? Love of Self, Love of Community
Scripture: John 21:15-17 (NRSVUE) Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” The conversation between Jesus and Peter isn’t just about love in the abstract; it’s about the vulnerable, ongoing process of becoming—of stepping into love when we feel uncertain, unworthy, or afraid. 1. Opening: The Tension of Becoming I want to begin with the tension Peter feels when Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” When we read scripture, we do so with our bodies. This moment with Peter is a…
Lessons from the Field
by Rev. Wendy DeMott Fambro a retired American Baptist Minister with 36 years’ experience serving a variety of churches and campus ministries. Rev. Fambro is currently a tai chi instructor for Lifespan of Rochester. Scripture: Mark 12:28-31; Ephesians 3:14-19
Braving the World: Honoring Anger, Embodying Nonviolence
Scripture: Matthew 21:12-13; Ephesians 4:26-27 This week, I’ve had countless conversations with people in the church and in the community who are terrified and angry. I find myself angry, too! I am angry that the ruling class continues to compromise my and our futures. With a stroke of a pen, federal agencies were to pause payments that would impact my ability to receive healthcare or buy food. You see, Erin and I are one of those people who are “on…
Where Do We Go from Here? Walking in Faith Toward Community
Due to technical issues the video from today’s service is not available Scripture: Micah:6-8; Luke 4:16-18; Romans 12:21; Revelation 21:3-4 I have long been compelled by the magic of story, which is sometimes referred to as narrative thinking. Not long before the pandemic started in 2019, I was asked to come speak at one of the Smithsonian museums located in Memphis, TN. It is one of the civil rights museums located at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr.…
From Scarcity to Abundance: Living the Gift Economy
Scripture: Acts 2: 42-47 I want to begin this morning by sharing with you a little about me. I started last January as the new pastor and started preaching on community, because I was in need of community. I am starting my second year here and you should know a few things about me. We need to get to know one another! We are making each other right now. I have spent a lifetime in academia studying theology, philosophy, and…
Saying ‘No’ to Herod
By Rev. Jennifer Harris Dault, an ordained Mennonite minister who lives in the Rochester, NY area. Scripture: Matthew 2:13-18 When Pastor Roberto texted me to say that you’ve been doing a series on Christmas themes with a call to action, I was excited. Expanding Christmas into Epiphany – lovely! Then they told me what the Scripture was last week and invited me to follow it . . . so I opened my Bible to discover the next section is .…
Resistance and Revelation: Herod and the Magi
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 This Sunday is Epiphany in the Christian Calendar. It’s a day when God makes known eternal Light, says the Tradition. Light is always present together with darkness. Even in the creation stories, there was both light and dark, or day and night. These binaries shaped our world and many of our lives. What do we do with binaries, now, when we are faced with a political transition that looks a lot like Herod taking control of the…