Lent is the church year season that comprises 40 days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday. It is the season for sackcloth and ashes. But, interestingly, there are 46 days between those dates: Lent does not include the Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. Every Sunday is a "little Easter" and, therefore, a time for celebration. During Lent this year, we want to take both aspects seriously: we encourage people to practice reflection and penitence for Lent, and for the Sundays (in) Lent, we will come together to celebrate and affirm that Easter joy always brings us back together.
Beatitudes are regarded as one of Jesus' most significant teaching moments, with the phrase, "Blessed are those who...". However, there are several ways to translate the original language into English. We tend to associate the word “happy” with positive circumstances in our lives, but if we read the Beatitudes in this way, we may find that Jesus is pointing to the opposite kind of circumstances. The purpose of our discussion this week is to examine how the change from blessed to happy affects our interpretation of happiness and the Beatitudes. Sermon based on Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV.
Children have this amazing ability to melt away adults' stony demeanors and turn them into playful and sometimes silly characters. These adults are able to experience the delight they felt as children, but they have locked this feeling deep inside them. As we consider how delight restores what has been broken, we will take a look at a family reunion story, where a father and an older brother respond very differently to the invitation to delight in the return of the younger son. Sermon based on Luke 15:11-32 NRSV.
Laughter!? During a church service? Is it even appropriate to laugh in church? Find out for yourself! During Lent, we will ask, "What can laughter teach us?" This question may be answered by Sarah's desire for a child and her birth of Isaac, or "Laughter," at an advanced age. Prepare yourself for some irony, humor, and some good laughs. Sermon based on Genesis 18: 1-15; 21:1-6 NRSV.
In contrast to happiness, joy seems to be unbound by circumstances. Those who have experienced the most profound suffering in life often have the most to say about joy. Why is that so? As we grow closer to God and place our hope in his redeeming work, we will consider how we can cultivate greater joy. Sermon based on Romans 12:12 NRSV.
We all know the saying, “Don't worry, be happy!” However, there is a problem. The majority of us are worried! There are a lot of things to worry about. Carefree living isn't as easy as it seems. In our scripture passage, Jesus says, "Do not worry about your life." We will examine Jesus' challenge to not worry and consider if we can truly trust God's provision in times of scarcity. Sermon based on Matthew 6:25-34 NRSV.
