by Michael Usey, Acts 10.44-48 (NRSV) A couple of weeks ago I preached about we Christians being vigilant about a possible coup, and so it has come to pass, a slow-motion coup attempt. Our president is escalating his slapdash yet persistent attempts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory, pushing for judges and for Republican …
by Michael Usey; Matthew 10.5-20;39 In some respects he seems modern and familiar to us, this one called Francis. Pampered middle class son, he brashly sowed his wild oats, radically repudiating his parents’ values. Alienated from his father, he sought youthful fame and fortune, only to find disillusionment with the world’s ways. Yet, in other …
by Michael Usey; 2 Corinthians 1.15-22 Listen again to this passage from 2 Corinthians 1.18-20, this time from the NRSV. I bet it’s a passage that you’ve rarely heard before, if ever: As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been “Yes and No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, …
by Michael Usey; Daniel 3 The Evolve word for this Sunday is No. Maybe it’s not the brightest choice when we’re asking everyone to fill out your talent and interest survey for 2021 (and please do so, by the way). We are considering Daniel 3, the story of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, yet another fantastic …
by Michael Usey, Exodus 3.1-10 American author Sam Keen wrote, Wonder is the alpha and omega of the human mind. It stands the beginning and end of our quest to understand ourselves and the world. Aristotle said philosophy begins in wonder. It is the most primal of emotions, at once ordinary and disturbing. As the …
by Michael Usey, Mark 14.32-36 NRSV Abba, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me; yet not what I want, but what you want.—Mark 14:36 NRSV, adapted Mark’s Gospel, the earliest one written, is the only one to capture Jesus’ use of Abba in his Aramaic tongue. It is here in the …
by Michael Usey; Psalm 69, NRSV [Portions of this sermon were adapted from an article by Daniel Hunter, “10 Things You Need to Know to Stop a Coup.”] I want to talk with you about a key moral issue in our country: the possibility of a presidential coup d’etat this fall. We have a Beloved …
by Michael Usey; Philippians 1.12-30, NRSV We’re in the second week of our fall sermon series entitled Evolve. The evolutionary Christian concepts we’re considering this morning are thankfulness and resilience. Our text for this sermon is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It’s a prison letter. Some of the great literature of the world was …
I’d Rather Die Than Come See You (But I May End Up Coming Anyway) Read More »
by Michael Usey, 2 Cor 4.15-18, NRSV This week we begin our fall worship series entitled Evolve. By examining several key words in our faith, we hope to show that by God’s wild spirit we are being redeemed. And we invite you to answer this question, How has your faith changed in the last 10 …
by Christian McIvor; Psalm 139 1.6, 13-18 and John 1. 43-51 Gravity is an interesting phenomenon. Not only is it the force that constantly pulls us toward the earth and keeps us from being flung off the planet into deep space, but it also pulls all bodies toward each other. As much as the earth …
by Matt Cravey I don’t know how memorial services will work in 2020. I don’t know if this will end up as a Facebook post, or if I will have to struggle to remain composed while I read this in front of Adam, Daniel and the rest of Jeff’s family. I know that writing helps …
by Michael Usey On the one hand, it’s folly to summarize a life gone too early, although four of us are going to try. On the other hand, I’ve stood beside Jeff in the sweep of the last 20+ years of his life–though marriages, two births, divorces, baptisms, mission trips, and crazy roller coaster adventures. …
by Blair Ramsey; Genesis 2. 1-7 2020 has been quite the year. At this point, I’m so tired of the joke “hindsight is 2020”. I received my college diploma via UPS on my front steps, learned that Trader Joes has a really good smelling lavender hand sanitizer, have seen people drive down Friendly Avenue with rubber …
Keith A. Menhinick | CPBC | 8.16.2020 Yall remember that old Vacation Bible School song? Dem bones dem bones dem… dry bones. My title for today’s sermon is “Carry dem Bones.” And like a good Baptist I also have a second title, “Call on the Ancestors.” I’ve been thinking a lot about my own ancestors …
by Kelli Joyce, 1 Kings 19.9-18 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart always be acceptable in your sight, O God, my strength and my redeemer. This past Friday night I watched the 2001 Wes Anderson movie, The Royal Tennenbaums, for the first time. It’s the story of how two …
by Michael Usey; Isaiah 6.1-8 I know that many of you are listening because you’re hoping that you’ll hear an entire sermon about dream sex with spirit demons, about alien DNA, and about miracle covid cures, and other prurient topics, but you’ll have to wait on a week that we didn’t bury a great American …
By Michael Usey, Genesis 4.1-16 A couple of weeks ago some guy named JSV4 went on Twitter to complain about his local Mexican restaurant. He posted a picture of his beleaguered spouse and wrote: “My wife, date night after three months locked up in quarantine. Waiting for shredded cheese as it’s the only way she …
Where Is Your Brother? (The Original Super Smash Brothers) Read More »
by Michael Usey My friend Brett Younger, a pastor in Brooklyn, opened his sermon last week this way. Do you ever feel like you are drowning and people think they are helping you by describing the water? The pandemic has led to a lot of advice that states the obvious and misses the point. For …
by Lin Story-Bunce, Genesis 32. 22-32 When Caryanne and I learned we were pregnant for the first time, we immediately started thinking of possible names. Because we both have names that connect us to our families, gifting our son with a name that ties him to his larger family story felt important. We also want …
Christian McIvorJuly 5, 2020 Isaiah 66.1-4, Matthew 7.21-27 Chrissy and I bought our first home – or at least, we started paying the bank for it – in the fall of 2013. We did our due diligence and had the property inspected, and everything turned out to be in good shape, except there was a …
