1 Kings 19:9-18, Matthew 14:22-33 Jeff Davidson My original plan was to talk about this passage in light of our discernment process with the Brethren Nutrition Program. I’ve moved away from that specific focus over the course of the last couple of weeks, but my conclusion still applies to that process and to the discussion…
Category: peace
THERE WILL BE NO TOMAHAWK MISSILES IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Philippians 2:5-11 & Matthew 21:1-11 Micah Bales Our gospel reading this morning is about Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, just days before he would be arrested and executed. Jesus is riding on a donkey, and the people are all around him. There were massive crowds in town for Passover, and Jesus’ arrival in the city…
GOD, BE MERCIFUL TO US
Luke 18:9-14 & Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22 Micah Bales I was raised in an activist household. My parents had really strong political opinions, and I grew up in an environment of really intense ideology. For me, as a child, that ideology was what would today be broadly described as “progressive.” Our family was actively engaged in…
THE HOLY IN YOU
Colossians 1:15-28 Jeff Davidson Yet another week, yet another massacre of one kind or another. France suffers their third mass-casualty incident in the last year and a half, with more than 80 people killed. Hundreds are killed and thousands arrested in a coup in Turkey that has religious undertones, although it was conducted by the…
CALLED TO BE DUNKER PUNKS
Jenn Hosler Romans 12; Matthew 5: 38-6:4; 6:19-34 What is punk? The dictionary definition of punk focuses on two aspects: the music and the clothing. Punk is, according to google definitions, “a loud, fast-moving, and aggressive form of rock music, popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” If a person is a punk, the…
SPARROWS, ROCKS, AND SHINING GLORY
Psalm 84; Psalm 27; Luke 9:28-36 Jennifer Hosler Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart. Waiting. It’s hard to wait, at least in the manner we mean in the song. There are a few ways to define “waiting.” According to one definition, to wait is to…
DELIVERANCE THROUGH A LITTLE ONE
Luke 2:1-20; Titus 2:11-3:8 Jenn Hosler We have two nativity scenes in our house. One is a soapstone carving from Kenya, depicting Mary and Joseph holding baby Jesus. Our other nativity scene has three ceramic figurines, baby Jesus and his parents. Nate gave this to me as a gift in 2008, before we knew that…
O BETHLEHEM
Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18 Nathan Hosler Advent is a time of light and darkness, hope and exile and welcome. A baby will be welcomed that brings hope but under the occupation of the Roman Empire and soon the holy family will flee into exile. There is much talk about refugees these…
REFLECTIONS ON PARIS
Matthew 23:23-36 Jesse Winter When I was asked to preach today, Nate wanted me to talk about mass incarceration. Criminal justice reform is a major focus of my work in the Office of Public Witness, and over the past few months I have learned how complex that issue is. It involves everything from politics, money,…
Learning from Francis
Learning from Francis (Mark 9:30-37; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8) – Jennifer Hosler Who is the Greatest? First Reading: Skit on Mark 9:30-37 (paraphrase) [narrated, with 4 actors] Jesus is walking along a road with his disciples, traveling through the region of Galilee. Jesus has been doing ministry for a while and he knows what is going…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 