Salt House - Sermons: Recent Episodes
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We're trying a grand experiment, to do things differently because millennials should have access to the life of Jesus and a fun, organic, real community as they explore, embody and live out that Life.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9). We welcome Salt House community member Arlene Smith to the microphone to share about this beloved beatitude.
What does it mean for Jesus to mantle us as ‘blessers’. Storyteller, initiated Elder and fly fisherman Jim Anderson will draw us into Jesus’ sermon on the mount and explore moving from ‘container to content’ in God’s kingdom of love.
Purity in the Bible is such a complicated concept. And we probably have a lot of baggage around this word. So when Jesus blesses "the pure of heart" what does "purity" mean to Jesus? Join us Sunday for another beatitude, where Pastor Ryan will explore this blessing for the "pure of heart."
Sometimes Jesus uses really vivid language to evoke the senses and draw us in. That's what this next blessing is all about--hunger and thirst. It brings out intense, bodily sensations. But who are the hungry and the thirsty? What blessing is unique to them? How might we live this blessing our lives?
We live in a culture that so values the cerebral, the academic, the thinker... but not so much the feeler. And yet Jesus blesses our tender, squishy, messy emotions. Jesus is a feeler and encourages us to feel too. But where is the blessing in that? How can sadness and grief be good? Let's explore how complicated mourning and comfort are this Sunday.
Every preacher’s got just one sermon and Jesus isn’t an exception to that rule. This week we hear Jesus’ big idea about what God is up to and what the meek have to do with it? (What in the world IS a ‘Meek’ anyways?!)
What is happiness? What are blessings? What does Jesus have to say about these things? And how does he live them? These are questions we are going to explore this summer in our sermon series on the Beatitudes. Found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, the Beatitudes give us a list of people who are blessed or happy. And this list isn't what you expect. So join us this summer, in this season of sunshine and relaxation, to consider what it means to really be happy and blessed.
It's a complicated thing to think about freedom in 2023. Yes, we celebrate the opportunities afforded to many of us living in the US, and yet we also mourn the systemic injustice and oppression we see around us too. What do we as Jesus followers do with this tension? Believe it or not, this is a classic theological conundrum that many great thinkers have wrestled with. This Sunday, we will give it a go and do our own wrestling with freedom.
At Salt House, one of our core practices is sharing and hearing stories. We believe that stories matters, and that when we share our stories, we see what God is up to in the world and in our own lives. This Sunday, for Pride Sunday (the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots), we are going to hear a Salt House Story from Brenna! Brenna has served on our council, volunteered with our youth, and been part of our Queer group. Don't miss hearing her story!
Salt House is so proud to be an affirming church that practices Radical Welcome. This core practice has been part of Salt House from the beginning, and has been especially important as we find ourselves leading the way on queer affirming ministry in the Eastside. But where does it come from? Why is it so important? What does Jesus (and Demons) have to do with it? Join us Sunday to find out!
Have you ever noticed those lists of people that Paul names in his letters? The Apostle Paul had an amazing practice when communities flourished: he gave shout-outs to the amazing leaders that made those communities happen. This Sunday at Salt House, we are going to do the same thing and celebrate those leaders in our community who dedicate their time, energy, and resources towards ensuring that the community is nurtured.
Body... Blood.... You know that thing that we say every week at communion, but then no one ever really talks about it, and it's really weird and gross, and a little embarrassing... Yeah. That's the thing we're gonna talk about this week. Our Life Together series continues as we talk about the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Our Easter-season conversation of Life Together shifts focus this Sunday when we begin to talk about our sacraments. We'll learn more about the gift of Baptism and welcome new Salt House folks into the life of Jesus through this sacrament! Come and see how baptism informs and defines so much of our life now.
Salt House is amazing! At least we think so and hope you do to. And we want to see Salt House continue to thrive in the coming year. Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, your heart will be also." At Salt House we like to say that we give where we want our hearts to go. Where we invest our money grows our hearts in love toward what we care about. So as we contemplate our next fiscal year and our budget, we are asking y'all to make a commitment in 4 ways:
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Prayerfully consider how you want your heart to grow. Generosity is what we’re made for – and it shapes who we are. Where do you want your heart to go?
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Make a pledge/commitment for your giving July 2023 – June 2024 (MAKE A PLEDGE).
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Fulfill (or change) that pledge in the year to come. Make your best estimate for what you can do this year and make a change if needed. Just let us know.
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Grow your giving NOW (before June 30) to reduce the deficit for this year. Help us finish the year strong.
Thank you for your time and your generosity!
Certain Sundays are Big Sundays for us as a community - and this Sunday is one of them! We'll reflect back and celebrate the story of God's generosity at Salt House, we'll look to the year ahead for what God is inviting us into, and we'll learn together anew how generosity is the heart of God, even when all seems scarce. Don't miss Pastor Sara's sermon in our Life Together series on: Give.
This Sunday, we consider another aspect of our Life Together as Pastor Zach leads us through thinking about what it means to grow in community. Growth can be hard, scary, messy, even embarrassing. But luckily, we do this work together, and God does this work with us too. Don't miss it... and it won't be the same without YOU!
This Sunday, we put to practice "Life Together," by doing what communities of Jesus have done since the very beginning: listening for God. Pastor Sara will lead us into an experience of Lectio Divina, as we listen for the Divine - in scripture and in each other.
During this season after Easter Salt House is exploring our Life Together. These are the things that mark us as members of a community with one another. We'll look back to the story of Acts in the Bible and that first group of Jesus Followers as we articulate the same questions and desires that they did, like "how do we show up for one another?" But remember, becoming a community takes time. Make an investment this Sunday in our Life Together.
Easter Sunday at Salt House wraps up our series on the 12-steps, “I CAN’T: Steps Toward a More Honest Spirituality.”
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week! This is the holiest part of the Christian calendar, and Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. We are also on the 11th step of our sermon series through the 12 steps. And surprisingly, Jesus models this step in the midst of this Holy Week pageantry. Don't miss the good news of this season as we journey to the cross together!
We will never experience the kind of freedom that we long for, that Jesus invites us to, until we become skillful at making amends when we hurt others. Sounds simple, right? Join us this Sunday for steps 8-9 (and 10) on our path to a more honest spirituality.
I can't. God can. I think I'll let God. This Sunday we continue our Lenten sermon series through the 12 Steps, and we look at Step 6 and 7. These steps help us think about how the "Let God" part of our process... but how do we do that? Especially in our "self-help" "do more" "take action" culture. What does it look like to let God show up and move in our stories?
One of our core practices at Salt House is sharing stories, because our stories matter. Today, Dean Robertson shares his story about addiction, recover, the 12-step program, and what generous grace he's discovered.
It’s time to clean house with the 4th and 5th step. What will you do with your past regrets? It’s nearly impossible to stay sober and have unresolved remorse, so let’s work this step together on our path toward the cross and a more honest spirituality.
Lent, the 40-day on ramp to Easter, is our individual and collective season to listen deeply for God in our lives. Join us Sunday as Pastor Sara begins our journey of surrender into the hard and healing road to the cross - and resurrection on the other side.
Ephesus was once the third largest city in the Roman Empire. It was full of grand architecture and a whose-who of the ancient world. In this letter to the Ephesians, we find all kinds of symbols and metaphors. What did these mean to the people who first read this letter? And what do they mean to us? This Sunday, we wrap up our sermon series on Ephesians and explore chapter 6 by looking back at the world of the Ephesus.
This Sunday we continue in the fifth chapter of Ephesians. Here, Paul talks about the signs of the spirit, and he mentions things like music, poetry, and prayer as ways that community can engage with the spirit of God among and do the work of Christ in the world. So we are going to do this as a community! Council President Sarah Urie will lead in an interactive prayer experience. Are you ready to feel the spirit?
We are headed into the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Now Paul is going to get down to the nitty gritty of what all this one-ness really looks like in real life and the glorious mess of community. We're pretty familiar with a unity that looks like forced uniformity and difference as the cause of our many divisions, but Paul has glimpsed something utterly different in Christ and believes it to be the secret sauce of God's dream to heal the world. Let's dig into it together.
We've covered so much ground in Ephesians Already. We've dug into Paul's apocalypse, that God was up to something from the beginning, making heaven and earth one and uniting groups of people who used to be divided. This Sunday, we continue and we ask: How did Paul know this was true? And what did he want us to do about it?
Belonging and salvation are synonyms in Paul's lexicon. In the second installment of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the epic story of estrangement and adoption is revealed - it was there all along! But only now can we see it; what Paul calls "the mystery of the Gospel". We'll uncover it this Sunday as we continue this teaching series on the book of Ephesians.
This Sunday we kick off our sermon series for the Epiphany season - our journey through the entire book of Ephesians! The timing couldn't be better for us. We, who have complicated histories with the Bible and how to read it. We, who are overwhelmed by the divisions in our world. We, who have begun to wonder where God is in all of THIS. For in Ephesians, we'll be drawn back into the larger story of God and Paul's prayer for us: that we would continue to be "epiphanied" into seeing and participating in the story of God bringing all things together into one.
Happy Epiphany! It’s the feast of the three kings. But what’s the ‘epiphany’? What’s the big ‘Aha!’ Let’s follow the three wise ones and find out.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Love is born! Today, Pastor Sara guides us through three embodied practices of being the Incarnation, as we continue to celebrate Christmas, together.
Love is born! Join us Christmas Eve to hear the Christmas story, to sing all the carols, to light candles and welcome in together the arrival of our Immanuel, our God with us! Pastor Sara will lead us through Mary's experience as we celebrate, together.
Matthew's gospel doesn't even say her name. It calls her "Uriah's wife." The story of Bathsheba is filled with trauma and hard to hear. But this story is such an important reflection of how Jesus' birth challenges earthly power. So join us to meet Bathsheba, the final grandmother in our Advent series, and see what truth she has to speak to all of us.
Have you ever met a friend's family and it shed new light on who they are? Well let me introduce you to Ruth, Jesus' Great Grandma. I think you'll be surprised by her story. If there's a gene for loyal-love, she's got it, and probably passed it down to Emmanuel. Let's see what we can learn from Grandma Ruth.
Those family dramas that we all like to keep secret, the Bible brings out into the open. And the characters we pass over are the very ones God chooses to center in the story of salvation. This week on the Real Grandmothers of Jesus - Rahab! Prostitute? Prophet? Foreigner? Freedom fighter? Yes, yes, and more…
This Sunday kicks off the season of Advent. This is a season of waiting: waiting Jesus being born, and also waiting for hope, faith, love, and power that the good news of Jesus brings. So join us this Sunday as we launch into a new sermon series, and kick off all of the joy-filled festivities this season brings at Salt House.
Tis the season for joy. Yet joy isn’t really something we can manufacture. But we can cultivate gratitude, which produces joy. However here’s the catch: there are three common things that block our gratitude receptors and keep us from the type of thank-filled life God intended for us. Let’s dig into it this Sunday as we wrap up our Ways We Come Alive series.
We welcome Arlene Smith (co-leader of our Women's group and Luther Seminary student) to the Salt House microphone to share her Salt House story. Arlene will share her story of trauma and transformation. Life completely changed for Arlene and Camron with the premature birth of their twins, ten weeks early. Arlene will tell us what happened, how she deeply struggled to see God amid crisis, and what God has been doing in her life in the years since the twins’ preterm birth.
When so much seems lost, and our hearts break, our memories can be sacred space. This Sunday, we are celebrating All Saints Day, a time in the Church calendar where we remember those we've lost and carry with us in our hearts. And on this All Saint's Day, we will explore how we come alive through MEMORY.
Join us as our fall series through Ways We Come Alive draws us into a mash-up between author Cole Arthur Riley, modern-day unofficial saint and cartoonist Dan Erlander, and the teachings of Martin Luther, as we come alive to Freedom.
Anger is likely the most misunderstood emotion, yet it’s essential to the holy task of coming alive. Come discover what divine ‘No!’ God has placed in you.
This Sunday we explore how we come alive to our Calling. What is yours to do in this world? With all of the voices we hear and opportunities we have, how do we know which ones to follow? Join us Sunday as Pastor Sara leads us in a time to come alive to our Calling.
At Salt House, we believe that stories matter– our stories, the stories of others, the story of God. This Sunday, we are excited to welcome Shelley Griffiths to the Salt House microphone to share her story. Shelley is a long time friend of Pastor Sara's and part of the Salt House Online Community, joining in from Corvallis, OR. Shelley’s faith, wisdom, and love has been a gift to me and so, so many others. As she share's her story, it is an invitation for us to consider how each of us can come alive in our own stories!
Isn't wonder wonderful? To wonder is so sensual, full of delight in the present moment, central to the practice of worship and essential to coming alive. So, how'd we lose it? And how do we gain it back? This week - Wonder!
Jesus came to give and show us a way that leads to life - full, abundant life! Which we're exploring in our Fall Series: Ways We Come Alive. But could this even include FEAR? This Sunday, Pastor Sara explores how FEAR does not prevent goodness and life, but is an expected part of this fullness Jesus invites us into.
How do we come alive? Contrary to popular opinion, we can't do it alone or dislocated. We must be rooted to place and people in order to grow and that takes continued investment. Make a deposit this Sunday!
Pastor Sara launches our new fall sermon series that dares to ask: How do we live a faith that does not silence the body and spirit, but instead allows us to come alive? Through breathing and somatic practices, Holy Communion, prayer, music - all centered around the Jesus story, awaken through our fall series, "Ways We Come Alive."
Pastor Ryan wraps up our sermon series on Parables. We've spent this summer looking at these subversive and challenging stories that provoke our imagination of what it's like to live in God's Kingdom. We'll think about how these stories speak to our lives, and what we do with with them going forward. Join us to imagine together the stories we tell and the ways we envision the Kingdom of God.
In the middle of manic-Summer-fun and impending-Fall-commitments, does anyone else sense some major burn-out on the horizon? Yep, there's a parable for that. This Sunday at Salt House, let's sort through the demands of modern life with the ancient wisdom of Jesus, the master storyteller.
YOU'RE INVITED! Jesus loved to gather people together - to eat, to celebrate, to connect at the table. The table became an image for what the Kingdom of God is like. That, something so good and sacred happens! This Sunday, in our summer series of Jesus' Parables, Pastor Sara leads us into two parables about feasts - where you'll be surprised to see who is invited to the table!
Music: "Find Our Way" by VOCES8 and "These Bodies" by The Many, performed by Jason Bendickson and Alissa Brambilla.
The Good Samaritan is a parable so ingrained in our societal imagination. This classic tale is a pithy and sweet story of the importance of helping others. But is there more to it? This story challenges us to ask "Who is my neighbor?" The answer to that just might change how we see the Kingdom of God. Intern Pastor Zach will unpack this in the next installment of our parable series.
This Sunday, our exploration of the Parables continues with a special sermon from Rev. Rachel Eskesen (ELCA Area Desk Director for Europe) and Rev. Zach Courter (Associate in Ministry). They'll take us through the parable of Old and New Wine Skins, and give us an update on their ministry in Eastern Europe, especially their work involving relief for the war in Ukraine.
A centerpiece in Jesus' teaching is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. What happens when we pay closer attention to the shocking - even offensive - details of this parable? And what happens when we step into the parable ourselves? This Sunday, join us as Pastor Sara leads us into our third week of our Summer of Jesus' Parables.
Doesn't it feel like the world has gone crazy? Like something is really off. This Sunday, Pastor Ryan takes us into the parable of the yeast to see what this strange story has to teach us about the Kingdom of God.
Pastor Sara kicks off our new summer sermon series! We're turning to Jesus' stories in the gospels, the parables. These tricky stories were meant to spark imagination and hope for what God is up to in the world, to know that THIS is all headed somewhere. What a needed practice in these turbulent times in our lives and world. Let's get to it, together.
Our series, Acts of Inclusion dares us to see and embody how from the first days, Jesus-followers were to include all people -- ALL PEOPLE -- in this life of love. On Sunday we celebrate PRIDE Sunday as we welcome the founder and director of BELOVED ARISE, Dr. Jun Love Young. Beloved Arise is a movement to fight for the lives of LGBTQ+ youth, particularly those who have been rejected by their faith communities. The Beloved Arise mission is to celebrate and empower LGBTQ+ youth of faith.
If you are Christian, it's probably thanks in part to a non-binary person of African descent. Hear the full story on Sunday as we dig into the ongoing story of Jesus and the Acts of Inclusion.
For this Pride Month we are following the Spirit of God as it spreads like wildfire through the early church after the day of Pentecost. Our series called, Acts of Inclusion, dares us to see and embody how from the first days, Jesus-followers were to include all people, ALL PEOPLE, in this life of love. This Sunday, Pastor Sara helps us get curious about what it was in the shared life of community that nurtured and made possible this kind of wild inclusion and love.
The wild and wonder-full Spirit of Jesus keeps pushing us through new thresholds in our lives, thresholds that grow us past our safe and small versions of ourselves, thresholds that grow us into the ever-expanding family of God that cannot bear exclude anyone. This can only mean one thing - THIS SUNDAY IS PENTECOST!!! And for an amazing bonus, we'll be having BAPTISMS. Could this get any better?
One year ago, we committed to our Leap of Heart Campaign (Matthew 6:21) to expand the ministry and impact of Salt House in four key ways. This Sunday, come hear - and celebrate - an update on all God has done in us and our world through our Leap of Heart! And then hang on! As Pastor Sara casts a vision for where God is leading us to grow and expand our hearts into the next year to come. You don't want to miss it!
The weirdness continues this week as we encounter the risen Christ on the beach (John 21:1-14). What do you do with a miracle when life is still hard? Resurrection seems like good news, but we also have jobs to do and mouths to feed. Intern Pastor Zach will preach his last sermon as our intern, and explore what this resurrection encounter has to say about the risk of recognizing Jesus.
The weird and wonderful experiences of Jesus's post-resurrection stories continue this Sunday as we welcome to the Salt House microphone Pastor Chris Ode from Living Stones Prison Congregation.
Well, that was weird! Jesus has been resurrected and...well, now what? And this story gets even weirder as the disciples grapple with the reality of the resurrection and what it means - just like us.
We know this Easter story well, and yet, for this moment in which we live, how do we make sense of the suffering in our lives and our world? There is hope and joy to be received here, especially now! Invite a friend to join us online or in person and we will see you in the shadows of Friday night and in the glorious light of Resurrection Sunday!
In the week ahead, Jesus will put our origin story of Original Blessing to the test, and into action as he makes his way to the cross and the empty tomb beyond it. It begins with Palm Sunday as we join the crowds in Jerusalem by waving our own palm branches and daring to hope in this Jesus, as we hear a sermon from ELCA Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee.
This Sunday, in our journey through the theme of Blessing & Curse, we'll see how the story of God's people unfolds after Eve and Adam leave the Garden - tracing it all the way to Jesus' life and ministry! What do God's people do with the blessing God has given them? How do we see this echo into our lives today (or not!)? Don't miss this vital piece in our Lenten conversation leading us to Jesus' cross and resurrection, as we're together reclaiming our Original Blessing.
This Sunday we hear a Salt House Story from one of our own community members. One of our core practices at Salt House is valuing one another's stories. Join us as we hear Peder's story of chasing blessing.
Curses! If we're talking about blessing, we also got to talk about the flip side, because a lot of times life doesn't feel very 'blessed'. The struggle is real. Our origin story includes that, too. This Sunday, let's look at the ancient curse that we all experience as we make our way to the cross and continue our exploration of original blessing.
WATCH THE 2020 SALT HOUSE NATIVITY! Our theme of RISKING ADVENT invites us to stick our necks out and risk a bit of vulnerability during this season of waiting. For the final Sunday of Advent, we risk joy. Especially in this prolonged season of pandemic, joy seems elusive, and not worth the risk! But how does the story of God invite us into joy - especially now?
As we continue our sermon series on the Risk of Advent, Intern Pastor Zach will be exploring the Risk of Love. We’ll look at what the Hebrew Scriptures say about love, and how Jesus modeled this in his life to consider how we can better love God and those around us this season.
Our theme of RISKING ADVENT invites us to stick our necks out and risk a bit of vulnerability during this season of waiting. We consider the the biblical words and experiences of hope, peace, love and joy - exploring how the risk of living this wild and precious life is well worth it. This Sunday, we consider the risk of peace. See you Sunday!
At a time such as this, our global experience is one of despair, isolation and disorientation - it feels vulnerable to risk being humans who feel and experience life deeply. Which is why this Sunday we begin our Advent journey, which will take up through the biblical words and experiences of hope, peace, love and joy - exploring how the risk of living this wild and precious life is well worth it.
These final Sundays of our fall series, we're bringing together the two hands of prayer - Grief and Gratitude - as we prepare ourselves for the holiday season in such a time as this. This Sunday we land firmly in the grip of grace and gratitude, leading us toward the Thanksgiving holiday.
We're bringing together the two hands of prayer - Grief and Gratitude - as we prepare ourselves for the holiday season in such a time as this. This Sunday we'll open up scripture and tend to the layers of grief and difficult emotion that have built up over the last 22 months, and find practical ways to be emotionally intelligent and present through the festive weeks to come.
Every culture and every person deals with the reality of death differently. One hidden gem in the Christian tradition is the celebration called All Saints, which gives us a container for our grief and gratitude and a vision for continued connection to our dearly departed.
This fall we’ve been exploring ways to hear from God in our lives. This Sunday, Intern Pastor Zach (in his first Salt House sermon!) considers how simple moments in our daily lives—such as eating chocolate—can be spiritual practices to help us to reflect on what God is saying to us.
"I'm not creative" is something a lot of us feel. And yet we were made by a wildly creative God to create. When did we lose our imagination and how is the Holy Muse reawakening yours? Come ready to dive into an exploration of creativity and spirituality on Sunday morning with Pastor Ryan.
This Sunday's content is also an invitation to engage with the CREATIVITY SMALL GROUP starting in November.
In this isolating time of covid, our sense of disorientation deepens, as many of us wrestle with questions of who we are and what matters. This Sunday, we'll dig into three ways we source meaning how we can make meaning, even now. Don't miss this pivotal conversation as we finish our miniseries on Jesus' Three Great Loves.
In this isolating time of covid, our sense of disorientation deepens, as many of us wrestle with questions of who we are and what matters. This Sunday, we'll dig into three ways we source meaning how we can make meaning, even now. Don't miss this pivotal conversation as we finish our miniseries on Jesus' Three Great Loves.
For the Feast of St. Francis, we specifically celebrate the ways that St. Francis followed Jesus into earth-keeping and holy friendship with all creation.
This season we are looking at how Jesus balanced his time in three primary relationships; Jesus had three great loves. He spent time UP (with God), IN (with his friends), and OUT (in the world). Today, we explore how our IN - our social connections — are as important for us as food. Which is why, in these isolating times, we all feel like we're starving.
We continue our fall season exploration of HEARING GOD and listening to the guidance of the Spirit as we consider how Jesus navigated his primary relationships.
Welcome to Fall 2021 at Salt House. During this season, we are exploring the rhythms of Jesus’ life and the balance of relationship he navigated. How might we be transformed more into the likeness of Jesus for the sake of ourselves, our loved ones, and the world?
During the five Sundays in August, Pastor Ryan Marsh invites us to learn from the Master Jesus through practices and experiments in identity, community, purpose, security, and peace. Today, we focus on PEACE. Let us assume a beginner’s mind now as we enter the Jesus Dojo.
During August, Pastor Ryan will lead us through a series called JESUS DOJO. What if we treated church more like a place of training; learning from a master. Let us assume a beginner’s mind now as we enter the Jesus Dojo.
During the five Sundays in August, Pastor Ryan Marsh invites us to learn from the Master Jesus through practices and experiments in identity, community, purpose, security, and peace. Today we focus on PURPOSE. Let us assume a beginner’s mind now as we enter the Jesus Dojo.
During the five Sundays in August, Pastor Ryan Marsh invites us to learn from the Master Jesus through practices and experiments in identity, community, purpose, security, and peace. Let us assume a beginner’s mind now as we enter the Jesus Dojo.
During the five Sundays in August, Pastor Ryan Marsh invites us to learn from the Master Jesus through practices and experiments in identity, community, purpose, security, and peace. Let us assume a beginner’s mind now as we enter the Jesus Dojo.
"What saved you and served you well during covid?" This is the question we've asked this month as we're emerging from the wilderness of covid, trusting that God has done some good work in us during this wilderness time! For our final Sunday, we'll acknowledge that people are hard right now! It has been 16 months of limitations and precautions. What do we want to bring with us in how we encounter others on the journey?
We know that Jesus walked a lot! And it begs the question, What was going on when Jesus wasn't doing all the things...what about the in-between spaces? What can we learn about Jesus' pace?
Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book An Altar in the World describes the spiritual discipline of "getting lost." Pastor Sara invites us to consider our own "lost-ness" of the past 500 days during the covid-19 pandemic and discover the good things that have come even in the midst of feeling lost.
Our July sermon series led by Pastor Sara is one not to miss as we intentionally reflect on what has saved us and served us through the wilderness of covid. God does God's best work in times of suffering! So we believe that God must have been doing something good in us through the last 16 months. Don't miss this Sunday as we kick off this journey of learning and formation, together.
This Sunday is a special one. We'll gather to celebrate our final Salt House Pride Story and hear of God's good love for queer and trans folk, as our own Greg Fenich shares his story as a gay man who found love - and was found by Love.
Endings are important. They always set up what comes next. WHY BLESS at the end of every worship experience? It's what God is sending us out to be about Salt House! But what that looks like might surprise you.
One way to define prayer is conscious communication with God. This Sunday, in our Why Worship? sermon series, we examine why this relational dynamic with God is included as central to what we do together when we gather for worship. Don't miss Sunday as we explore - Why Pray?
BONUS: With special music, Plowshare Prayer by singer/songwriter Spencer Lajoye (spencerlajoye.com).
Angela is Asain. And the rise of anit-Asian hate in our culture and country is deeply troubling to her and she wants to share her message with us. Powerfully and prophetically, Angela invites us into a deeper knowing of what we can do to be a more inclusive community of faith.
As followers of Jesus, we are invited into a sacramental way of living -- ordinary things communicating the extraordinary love of God for us, in us, and through us. And in these mundane, ordinary moments, we are invited to live with God-sized expectancy about what this extraordinary love can do.
This Sunday will be a defining moment for our Salt House community as our "Why Worship?" sermon series explores "Why Give?" What we do with our money is a spiritual issue - Jesus says more about money than anything else! - because it's an issue of the heart. Come and catch the vision we have for how God is inviting us to expand our hearts for mission and ministry, together - here on our corner in Kirkland, and beyond.
This Sunday, we double dip a little bit into both an experience of confession and absolution and celebrating Mother’s Day; not just those who have mothered us, but also the fierce and tender mothering heart of God! We've got a special performance from the fabulously talented Saunders Mother and Daughters team.
Each Sunday in our WHY WORSHIP? series we'll explore one of the worship elements at Salt House and parse out the why behind the what of our regular practices.
This Sunday, we ask the question, WHY SING? We'll explore the goodness of this practice and lament the fact that we've not been able to do this together for some time now (thanks a lot coronavirus!). Join us online, bring your joyful (or anxious, or languishing) noise and we'll discover some of the goodness of singing together in worship.
Why Worship? This is the question we'll ponder over the next several weeks, examining what we do and why we do it. It's a journey of discovery and meaning for us this season.
THE EASTER ENCORE CONTINUES because Christ is risen! Join us this Sunday as we hear a word of grace from Thomas' encounter with Jesus after the resurrection. Using the practice of Lectio Divina as a jumping off point, Pastor Sara will speak to the wholistic embrace of grace God offers as revealed in resurrection.
Here is Pastor Ryan is preaching on Holy Hilarity. Here's what he has to say about it: The Bible is really funny. Okay, it might be hard for us to spot Ancient Near Eastern humor, but let me pitch to you the hilarity of God this Sunday.
Easter Sunday! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Pastor Sara invites us into the meaning of easter and the meaning of life. Experience the joy of easter this season!
Palm Sunday at Salt House - the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem can be understood in many different ways. Pastor Ryan helps us frame the story through the lens of The Myth of Redemptive Violence, and why Jesus just doesn't fit the mold.
We can't deny white supremacy anymore. We've seen and heard too much. Pastor Ryan's friend and colleague, U.S. history teacher Ryan Crane weaves personal story and a practical approach to becoming a witness, because we are made in the image of a witnessing God. Join us as we bear witness to the suffering of others.
One of the greatest intimacies we can share with another is the be present with them in their pain. What does it look to do this, to witness to someone, affirming their pain as real and the presence of God with them as real, too? Join us Sunday as Pastor Sara leads us, looking to scripture, science, and our lived experience to shape how we witness to the suffering of others.
This Sunday marks one-year since we began online worship and life together at a distance due to covid. ONE YEAR. We'll mark this anniversary with stories from our community, special music, and guest preacher, Professor Kaethe Schwehn, who teaches creative writing at St Olaf College. Grab paper and a pen as she leads us into an experience of writing our own suffering, especially of this past year. It may not be our first choice for how to spend a Sunday morning! Yet this is one of the ways we witness to our own story and let the wilderness of the past year teach us.
Most of us don't know our own story. Of course, we can remember the events of our lives…went to school, lived here, worked there… but that’s not the story. God is inviting you to become a witness to your life, in order that you might co-author and discover the Good Story in your story.
Movement One: Write about a time when you experienced "shalom"
Movement Two: Write about a time when you experienced "shattering" of shalom
Movement Three: Write about a time when you experienced the "search" for shalom
Movement Four: Write about a time when you experience the "surprise" of a new shalom
Lent is here! The 40 days leading us from Ash Wednesday to the cross of death and resurrection on the other side. Join us Sunday as Pastor Sara kicks off our 6-week Lenten sermon series, revealing our wilderness journey for this Lent 2021.
we're finishing our Epiphany Series with the topic of SIN...this should be interesting!
Come to find out, the Bible has a rich way of talking about sin that is less about moral perfection, and more about love and relationship. Maybe it has something to do with Valentine's Day after all?
Our season of Epiphany (and of our own epiphanies) takes us into a conversation about the Bible. No single belief influences our lives more - and creates connection or division with others - than how we read the Bible. See you in worship Sunday, as Pastor Sara tackles the question of how to read the Bible, by reorienting us around the complicated question: Is the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative Word of God?
Evangelical. What thoughts and feelings arise as you read this word? Is it good? Is it good-news? Words are fluid. Words change, are abandoned, or reclaimed. What do we do with a word like Evangelical? In this week's sermon we look to a Gender-Minority in scripture (Acts 8) to engage this question.
What do we mean when we talk about "being saved?" Christianity has too often put energy and focus in the wrong direction when it comes to salvation - to the point of causing great harm. Join us Sunday as we reclaim the goal of Christianity as one that is wildly healing, inclusive and transformational.
Our series Are We Here Yet explores the rhythms of faith. Specifically, the deconstruction and reconstruction rhythms of our faith. Today, Pastor Ryan explores some of our shifting theological understandings of Heaven and Hell. Plus the song "Your Hands" by J.J. Heller, performed by Jason Bendickson and Alissa Brambilla.
Today, we'll look to the journey of the Magi as we kick off our Epiphany sermon series which fittingly focuses us on our own spiritual A-HAs and awakening; what a week this is to launch us into a time where God will do what God does: forming us through the suffering and discomfort of our lives and world. Join us Sunday as we lament and awaken to what God is saying through all of this, together.
We kick off the new year with deep listening to a passage of scripture connected to the story of Jesus' birth: John 1. Join us as we engage in the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (divine reading).
Christmas Eve was very special at Salt House! We enjoyed an amazing telling of the Christmas Story by our Salt House Kids (and all the amazing volunteers). Plus a sermon with a unique take on one of the Christmas Story characters we find in scripture.
I imagine that you done a fair amount of thinking about God, and experienced feelings about God too. I suspect you've probably even had some very soul-ish encounters with God, but do you know God in your body? Advent invites us into the vulnerability and wonder of "God in a bod." This week at Salt House: Embodiment.
Our Advent journey at Salt House through our theme Be Not Afraid brings us to the most vulnerable and influential of all the ladies, Mary of Nazareth. Join the conversation as Pastor Sara explores how Mary's experience - and God's presence - echo and inform the complexity of our lives now. Plus, an original Advent song by Jason Bendickson.
"Fear Not!" said every messenger from God...ever. But why is addressing our fear -- those hidden core fears within us -- so important to preparing for God's arrival of Love? Featuring a performance by Tara Ward (www.tarawardmusic.com)
This Sunday we kick off Advent - the season of waiting - with fun visual surprises, the reveal of our Advent series, and the chance to get cozy (and real) about what the Jesus story has to say about all we're living through right now. Join us for the first Sunday of Advent, together.
Pastor Ryan rounds off our sermon series on What Jesus Does with Difference by preaching on something that's at the heart of all our differences - the paradox of power. When we are simultaneously challenged and set free, when it's good news, not just for some but for all, then you know the Holy Spirit is behind it.
Jesus spoke more about money than anything else. He knew that money - what we have - is a spiritual issue. This Sunday, we step into the contentious territory of income inequality, looking to what Jesus does with difference in wealth. We welcome to the Salt House microphone our partner in engaging homelessness, Karina O'Malley, the Director of the Safe Parking Program at our neighborhood partner church, Lake Washington United Methodist, as she leads us in this inspiring and surprising conversation.
Today, we welcome the NY Times best-selling author, Lutheran minister and public theologian, Nadia Bolz-Weber. She's preaching on the WORST parable ever to find good news.
Join us today for our continuing fall series - The Space Between Us: What Jesus Does with Difference - as Pastor Sara takes us into the space between us when we are grieving. Come remember your beloveds who have died as we mark All Saints Day and listen for how Jesus invites us to carry our love forward in the midst of grief.
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday when we remember the ever-reforming tradition we are a part of. Perhaps no reform is more greatly needed in the church today than the reckoning of racism in our church and ourselves, which is why this Reformation Sunday we centralize the voice of our friend and Black preacher, the Rev Dr. Stephen Newby. Join us as he speaks to what Jesus does with difference in race.
We have these bodies of ours. And when we pay attention (beyond the standards our culture prescribes) we see how there is great variety in how bodies function, and in the abilities they have. Often, these differences are minimized, hidden, devalued. Today, we examine what Jesus does in the space between our bodies, in the difference our bodies hold. Pastor Sara leads us in a conversation of Ableism and what Jesus does with difference in and between our bodies.
Last Sunday we kicked off our fall series, "The Space Between Us: What Jesus Does with Difference," our chance to name and explore the issues that divide us. Today, we welcome the Rev Dr. Megan Rohrer (they/them), the first ordained trans pastor in the Lutheran church. Rooted in their own story, they will engage us in exploring what Jesus does with difference in gender and sexuality.
Pastor Ryan Marsh launches our new series for this fall: The Space Between Us: What Jesus Does with Difference. Join us for this crucial conversation as we navigate these unprecedented times.
As summer turns to autumn, we at Salt House are embracing a new season of connection and service. Pastor Sara and Pastor Ryan invite you to consider your time, energy, and grace in the midst of this season. Love is our shelter, we're better together. Connect and serve at Salt House.
In seasons of great unknown and anxiety, research reveals how expressing our emotional world is one of the most important activities we can engage for coping and thriving. Today, we use the Psalms as our example to teach us how to do this - using Israel's blueprint as we each write our own Psalm of Disorientation. Bring your paper/journal and pen for this final Sunday in our Summer of Psalms, as we let our experience find expression in speech through the poetic form of the Psalms.
KIDS TAKE OVER! We asked our youngest Salt House family members to share their wisdom and faith with us as they reflected on Psalm 23.
This Sunday - no online worship! Instead we pause for a Sabbath Sunday for our community. which means you can make time to live into the question: how can I rest and rejuvenate in a way that will fill my bucket to overflowing? Watch this video from Pastor Sara to hear an invitation into Sabbath from Psalm 92.
Salt House's own Macy Zwanzig digs in deep to her own journey - inviting us into our own experience of emotions suppressed and expressed in our bodies, as well as in the Psalms. We call these Sundays Salt House Stories - a chance to hear a story from one of our own, and let their vulnerability and curiosity echo of the Jesus story, drawing us together.
Today, we celebrate the opening of the new Kirkland Place for Families and Women! We have said yes to this project in particular ways and we are invited to continue to say yes as we cross this threshold into a new season.
The Psalms are not only beautiful poetry and historical literature, but also living tools that help orient us in our life today. It's common to think of the spiritual practices we are invited to engage in as "ancient" but even today, these practices are remarkably modern. Pastor Ryan invites us into a spiritual practice informed by the timeless impact of the Psalms.
Our journey through the Psalms of Summer continues with Rabbi Ted Falcon returns to Salt House to orient us in a Jewish reading of Psalms and to teach us how to use Psalms as a daily practice to ground deeply in who we are.
Our journey through Psalms of Summer bring us to Psalm 91 as a potent reminder of God's protection with us everywhere, a reminder we need desperately in these hard times. Print Psalm 91 (Inclusive Bible version) beforehand if you'd like it in your hands for our conversation. Plus music from the Salt House Music Team.
The Psalms give language to the fullness of human emotion and experience – which is why we are spending our summer in the Psalms, letting the ancient voices of God’s people find resonance in our current turmoil. This Sunday, Pastor Sara leads us into an experience of WONDER! Don’t miss the fun and awe that we’ll share, together.
Today we kick off our new summer series on the Psalms. Pastor Sara gives us a crash course on how to engage with and understand the Psalms plus an invitation to engage with scripture more deeply this summer.
We engage in our regular practice of Hearing God through Lectio Divina. We'll soak in a passage of scripture together, letting God speak to us in our current moment.
Perhaps this season has been a lot for you. Maybe you're feeling it. And you should. Listen to Pastor Sara's encouragement and challenge to cause some holy trouble and engage with the Justice of God in tangible ways.
Pastor Ryan wants to share something important with you! We are in the midst of a major movement (Black Lives Matter) and deeper understanding of how the Bible informs our work for Justice is needed. Please check out this video of Pastor Ryan's presentation on The Theology of Riot.
Pastor Sara speaks to our core value of living generously. And, if you've been around Salt House for a hot minute, you probably know know this story and the incredible grace we've been given. But let's hear it again as we lean into the next steps we're taking as a community.
It's Trinity Sunday (which may or may not mean much to you). Pastor Sara invites us into the divine nature of relationship -- and what that means in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement and our Covid-19 quarantines. This is good!
Pentecost Sunday, often referred to as the birth of the church. Today, Pastor Ryan invites us into the dynamic, life-giving rhythms of life in the Spirit even as our world seems to be coming apart at the fringes. Special thanks to the leaders, mission developers, pastors, and parishioners of the Pacific Northwest Washington Synod for creating our reading of Acts 2:1-21 today.
Hello and welcome to the Good Night Meditation podcast from Salt House Church in Kirkland, Washington.
We are your hosts, Pastor Ryan Marsh and Pastor Sara Wolbrecht.
In this season, maybe you (or your kids) need a little help getting to sleep at night. That’s what this podcast is for – a guided meditation for a good night’s rest. In each Good Night Meditation you’ll hear a song or two, a story from the Bible, and a special way to pray. Don’t worry if you fall asleep during any part of the podcast. That’s what it’s for!
Music citations:
“Waves” by Pictures of the Floating World is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US
“The Healing” by Sergey Cheremisinov is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
“Peace” by Church of the Beloved is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License