Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38 Micah Bales When I first read through the scripture readings for this Sunday, it wasn’t immediately clear to me how our gospel reading relates to the passage from Genesis. The story of Abraham and Sarah seems to be all about God bestowing unconditional blessing and abundance on…
Tag: God’s story
EVERYONE, COME TO THE FASTING PARTY!
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Mark 1:9-15, Luke 18:9-14 Jennifer Hosler A Plant Geek Last week, I was talking with someone about the plants I have in my garden. I mentioned the different herbs that I grow and how my bay leaf tree has survived several years, even though it is not technically zoned for our city….
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD
Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 & John 1:1-18 Micah Bales In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. The Spirit of God hovered over the waters. The voice of God spoke light into the darkness. By his Word, God divided the day from the night. He created the…
STARTLING, UNEXPECTED, STRANGE
Luke 1:26-38; Luke 1:46b-55 Jennifer Hosler The fourth Sunday in Advent Last year at this time, our nephew was acting in a stage production of It’s a Wonderful Life. The theatre version was not a typical re-enactment – but was re-framed as a live, 1940s radio production, complete with sound effects created by Foley artists….
JUSTICE IS COMING (IT IS JESUS)
Human Rights Sunday 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Isaiah 40:1-11 Nate Hosler The second Sunday in Advent Anticipation. Waiting. Agonizing? Uncertain. Advent—waiting for the promised One. On Thursday we rose early for our 3-4 hour drive and hit the road. Rutted. Through dry, mostly flat land with low trees except for the palms. Security checkpoints with men with…
GOOD TROUBLE: DISOBEYING THE POWERS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Matthew 16:13-20 Jennifer Hosler A leader stands up and says, “They are taking over. They are ruining our country. They are overrunning our cities. They are plotting, they are seeking to undermine our values and our prosperity. Those people must be stopped, must be controlled, must be contained, so that we…
WAS IT GOD: CHARLOTTESVILLE VS. EGYPT
Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm 133, Matthew 15:10-28 Nate Hosler Though the white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville and counter protest—which included many clergy, including some Brethren pastors—happened over a week ago it remains on our minds. In part, this is because of the responses, lack of responses, and responses to responses that have happened this week. While…
LISTEN TO HIM!
Exodus 34:29-35 & Luke 9:28-36 Micah Bales When I was in college, I visited Mexico for the first time as a foreign exchange student with Brethren Colleges Abroad. I spent seven months there, living mostly in the eastern city of Xalapa, Veracruz – where Xalapeno peppers come from. But first, I spent several weeks studying…
THE FARTHEST LIMITS OF THE SEA
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Genesis 28:10-19a Jennifer Hosler Have you ever run from God? Have you ever felt emotionally and spiritually unsettled, disturbed, not knowing what you needed—and then realized that God is providing exactly what you need? I have. Psalm 139, which we used as a call to worship, is one of my favorite psalms….
FROM DEATH TO LIFE
Genesis 22:1-14 & Romans 6:12-23 Micah Bales This is a tough passage to preach on. It’s one of the most iconic stories of the Bible – the time that Abraham and Isaac went up to that mountain, and Abraham only thought only one of them was coming back. God told Abraham to take his…
Washington City Church of the Brethren 