Sermon Archives

The Hebrew word shalom describes God’s peace, the wholeness, completeness of it. Shalom is what God desires not only for each part of Creation, but for the relationships between them. Shalem is another Hebrew word, and it’s found several times in Exodus 22:1-14. It’s the word for restitution. Shalem means to make amends, to repay, […]

Many of us have complicated relationships with the Bible. Maybe we’ve been taught that it matters, but it ‘s mattered in painful ways — as a weapon, as a weight too heavy to carry, as an oppressive rulebook, and in many other ways that have injured, shamed, or restrained us. We’ve also seen how the […]

For those who feel burdened by prayer — like it’s more an obligation for God than an invitation to God — then what Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer might feel like finally being able to breathe. That’s because Jesus releases us from prayer practices that can bind us and teaches us a simple prayer […]

The life Jesus calls “collecting treasures in heaven” looks like a life shaped by the Spirit, filled with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Both as individuals and a community, spiritual practices help us cultivate this fruit in our lives. We do them not because we think they will help us […]

When Paul is speaking to the Athenians, he embodies God’s passionate desire to enfold them into the body of Christ. Paul recognizes that the city’s idols reflect people’s desire for the divine, but Paul directs them to God and connects their desire with God’s desire for them to repent and become part of the body […]