Preacher: Jennifer Hosler Scripture Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44; John 6:1-15; Ephesians 3:14-21 I ate a lot of leftovers this past week, while Nate was away at National Youth Conference. These leftovers were not, however, a sign of desperation or scarcity; they were a sign of abundant love. I had three types of leftovers. The first…
Category: Jennifer Hosler
Living Parables
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler Scripture Reading: Matthews 9:35-38 You may find it funny that the title of my meditation is “Living Parables,” but that the scripture we read does not, in fact, include a parable. I thought it was a bit strange, but that’s because, at first, I didn’t get the right sense of the Annual…
Cloud Gazing and a New Reality
Preacher – Jennifer Hosler Scripture Readings – Acts 1:1-14; Ephesians 1:15-23 A little voice asks, “Where is Jesus? Is Jesus going to be at church today? Is Jesus buried in that cemetery that we drive by regularly? Is that man Jesus?” These are some very real theological questions, as asked by a preschooler. Doing preschool theology…
Living Lightly on God’s Good Earth
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler Scripture Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:4, Psalms 104:10-24, Romans 8:18-25 On our vacation, Nate and I had the joy and privilege of spending time amidst wonderous natural beauty and marvelous, astounding animals. We hiked up Table Mountain in Cape Town. We spent hours marveling at African penguins that waddled and swam and napped in little…
I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!
Preacher — Micah Bales Scripture Readings – Isaiah 25:6-9, Acts 10:34-43, and John 20:1-18 He is risen! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. (Can I get an amen?) God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the…
JESUS, MEAT, AND VEGGIES
Deut. 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28; 1 Cor. 8:1-13 Jennifer Hosler How do we show love? Sometimes, it’s by holding back on the meat. Across the US, traditionally, meat and potatoes or meat and some other starch, are ubiquitous on the table. Many of our folks in this congregation come from places like Missouri or central Pennsylvania—traditionally…
Love is the Qualification
Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Jennifer Hosler Have you ever felt like a fraud? Like you were inadequate and that it was only a matter of time before people found out that you really weren’t qualified? These feelings are apparently very common for people in graduate school. Lingering in many students’ minds are thoughts like,…
FISH AND BITTERNESS
Jonah 3-4; Mark 1:14-20 Jennifer Hosler Jonah and the whale. It’s a story that you might have learned in Sunday School. Jonah’s story is fairly well known to Christians—and it’s probably one of the most familiar scripture passages to people who do not go to church. It’s memorable because some parts are pretty dramatic. If…
NOT SURPRISED
Luke 2:22-40 Jennifer Hosler I really like surprises, especially surprise parties. I like being a part of them and helping to orchestrate a celebratory scheme. The anticipation of seeing a person’s face or expression is really delightful. I like helping with surprise parties and I also like throwing them, though I’m not very good at…
KEEP AWAKE
Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Jennifer Hosler This past week was tumultuous for our nation. Our thanksgiving celebrations were held amidst a background of pain, suffering, anger, and even violence. Protests and vigils occurred all over the country this week: DC, Chicago, New York City, and even at my campus…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 