by Stacey Hilliard | May 2, 2022 | Sermons
Last Sunday we talked about the three things that can help both individuals and churches be a vehicle for God’s work of turning death into life: To embrace death, to embody service, and to multiply the effort. Now it’s time to spend a week considering each of those three things more in depth. This week we’ll consider the concept of embracing death and what Jesus may have meant by teaching his followers to take up a cross and follow him.
— Pastor Anne
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by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 30, 2022 | Sermons
The tomb is empty and Jesus is on the loose. There are a number of stories of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples; but in almost all of those cases, they don’t recognize him at first. It’s been a wild week for them and nobody is really sure what has just happened or what comes next. The same is true of us. We are unsettled at every level as the pandemic, the world, the church, and our own lives shift around us.
Like the disciples we ask: Jesus is risen; but what now? If we can’t go back, how do we chart a course forward when we don’t really know where we’re going or how to recognize Jesus? We’ll talk about it Sunday.
— Pastor Anne
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 18, 2022 | Sermons
The oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end with chapter 16 verse 8: “So [the women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” There are no post-resurrection appearances in this earliest version of the story, which is often thought to represent the preaching of Peter. It’s just the empty tomb and a guy in a white robe telling them that Jesus had risen and was already beating a path back to Galilee. The women flee.
While we know the other versions of the story, it’s worth considering why Mark might have decided to end his gospel here. What does it have to teach us?
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 16, 2022 | News, Uncategorized
Join us on Easter Sunday, April 17, for any or all of our services and celebrations:
- 6:00 a.m. Sunrise Service around the fire pit (weather permitting, otherwise inside)
- Easter breakfast immediately following the Sunrise Service in Gifford Hall
- 10:00 a.m. Worship Service in the sanctuary, featuring live music by the Occasional Brass Quintet
- Easter Egg Hunt for the kids immediately following the 10:00 service
Read Pastor Anne’s Easter greetings here.
If you can’t join us in-person on Easter, you can join us via the livestream on our Facebook page or YouTube channel. And you can download a copy of our Easter Sunday bulletin here.
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 11, 2022 | Sermons
When Matthew’s gospel tells us the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he ends the story on a strange note. After all the Hosanna’s and celebration of Jesus as he approached the city, Matthew tells us that, when Jesus actually enters, “the whole city was in turmoil.” The Greek word for “turmoil” there means “shaken,” and not in a good way. It implies fear, not excitement. Why is Jerusalem shaking in fear at the conclusion of a grand parade for Jesus?
