Sermon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Brookside Community Church
This August, we worshipped with 4 different communities before welcoming them to join us on September 1st at Brookside.
This Sunday's worship, featuring a delightful baptism (note the order of the video is slightly different than the actual order of events)
Some technical difficulties with sound makes this a much shorter video than normal, but it does focus on the sermon and special music.
Uncertain why this video won’t embed properly. You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/628927897245868/videos/234160514822011
Healing community means to include, honor, and celebrate those who might be otherwise excluded. Hear how Jesus responds to those who would be considered 'outsiders.'
There were some technical difficulties right before the prayer - the audio of the prayer song is included below
In a year like this one, it is hard to trust the good news. Yet throughout Christian history, there have been times of war, of famine, of personal tragedy – and the invitation remains the same. God’s kingdom is coming. Change your life. Trust the good news.
Our worship series this Advent invites us to such a place. A place of belief when there is no reason to believe. The author of the poem upon which our Advent series is built was not a Christian, but was a person of deep Jewish faith. A poem, scratched on the walls of a cellar in Cologne in Nazi Germany during the Second World War, reminds us of the resilience of hope.
“I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love,
even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God,
even when he is silent.
I believe through any trial,
there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering
and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter,
to know someone’s there
But a voice rises within me, saying hold on
my child, I’ll give you strength,
I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.
I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining
And I believe in love
even when there’s no one there
But I believe in God
even when he is silent
I believe through any trial
there is always a way.
May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happiness
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace….”
– Unknown
The weekend before Thanksgiving, the last weekend of the church year (Advent begins next week), and we have a story of passing on leadership.
Our service opens in the middle of our Children’s time (technical issues with the recording), and includes our Memorial Slideshow for All Saints Day near the end.
What keeps us safe and what makes us feel safe when we are in the wilderness? Sometimes, even when we have God, we still want a golden calf to cling to.
See below the worship service for a few of the videos that Pastor Nicolette mentioned in her sermon.
All 7 timelines from Community's 'Remedial Chaos Theory' episode (s3e4) cut together to the tune of Roxanne.
What’s the difference between having nothing, and having nothing but…exactly what we need (even when it doesn’t seem like much)?
Joint worship with First Congregational Church UCC of Grand Ledge, MI focusing on the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
The first video is the reflection video we showed after the scripture
The second video is the service in its entirety
The third video is the Tuesday morning reflection from that week - a reflection on weeds.
The video is in two parts. The first includes the sermon. The second includes Communion.
”Let Us Break Bread Together” video by First Community UCC in Dallas. Rev. Manda Adams, Pastor. Jordan Jones, Musician. All images are in the public domain.
Please visit https://www.facebook.com/MAKERShavealittlefaith/videos/201014907232709 to see a beautiful reflection on Grace by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber
Our Celebration of PRIDE Sunday, with guest preacher The Rev. Alex McNeill, Executive Director of the More Light Presbyterians. The full worship service is featured in the first video, Alex’s welcome and sermon are the second and third videos with higher quality than through Zoom.
Our service today featured 4 stories of non-traditional fathers found in the Bible. To see the orginal copy of the music we played, visit Brian Whitted’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CA6gHaWD_9Z/
A special worship service featuring our confirmation students as co-leaders, as we bid farewell to a few loved ones.
How can we tell who it’s safe to follow? Who is a good shepherd who tends to the flock versus the thief who only looks out for themself?
Due to some technical difficulties in this morning’s worship service, the recording did not come out well. Below, we’ve included the scriptures, a video reflection, and a re-recording of the sermon:
If you love me and obey the command I give you, I will ask the One who sent me to give you another [Companion], another Helper to be with you always–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept since the world neither sees nor recognizes… but you can recognize the Spirit because the Spirit remains with you and will be within you.
I won’t leave you orphaned; I will come back to you. A little while now and the world will see no more; but you’ll see me; because I live, and you will live as well. On that day you’ll know that I am in God, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me, and those who love me will be loved by Abba God. I, too, will love them and will reveal myself to them.” - John 14: 15-21 (Inclusive Bible translation)
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.
Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;yet do it with gentleness and reverence. - 1 Peter 3:13-16a
Our worship this morning was made possible through the generosity of Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, The Work of the People, and Pepper Choplin, all of whom made their work available for free to enhance our worship, in addition to all of our 'regular' worship participants who share their gifts as well.
Our Post Sermon reflection can be found here:
https://www.theworkofthepeople.com/undone-by-grace
Our Scripture Musical Reflection can be found here (we only listened to the first two minutes in worship):
Because our service involved showing several videos, and Zoom can make those videos choppy, the individual videos are also included below.
The video features our scripture and sermon. Listen to our prelude, The Holy City performed by Brian Whitted, and our anthem, The Palms performed by Ari Carrillo and friends, by clicking on the links below.
The good news: worship is happening and each week we try something new to enhance our time together.
The bad news: it's still messy.
Enjoy this week’s service, with the ANTHEM “Dem Bones” as our second video in this post.
Our second zoom worship - we’re putting more here than we did last week. It starts at the end of announcements (jumps right in) just before the prelude. The prayer time has been excluded from the posted version for privacy reasons.
Give to Brookside UCC
If my somebodiness derives from God and thrives on your somebodiness, then caring for our mutual connection—to God and each other—is the source of our wellbeing. It is essential. It is sacred.
November 25, 2018
Beloved Community Sunday
Revelation 1:4-8
Brookside Community Church
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
The Spirit of our Creator has empowered us to enter into holy partnerships. Partnerships are relationships with a shared stake in the outcome. Rather than pessimism or optimism, the hope of the gospel is the hope of a holy, covenant partnership with creation, each other, and God.
November 11, 2018
Pentecost 25B
Leviticus 25:1-26:33;
Hebrews 11:1-3; 12:1-3
Brookside Community Church
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
Saints are those human beings that when we encounter them, we become aware that we have encountered God.
November 06, 2018
All Saints Sunday
Hebrews 11:1-3; 12:1-3
Brookside Community Church
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
Covenant relationships are hard. So what is it about our idea of family that makes us want to call our church a family?
September 30, 2018
Pentecost 19B
Mark 3:25-35
Brookside Community Church
8 East Main Street
Brookside, NJ 07926
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
As individuals, we may value freedom from attachment and for self-determination. But as human beings, we are born into relationships of mutual care because we need each other to survive. Human families exist because we need each other, because “it is not good for human beings to be alone.”
September 23, 2018
Pentecost 18B
Genesis 2:4-25
Brookside Community Church
8 East Main Street
Brookside, NJ 07926
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
“If by ‘family values’ we mean valuing one kind of family over others, then we have misunderstood the radically welcoming teachings of Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are called to build faith communities where our differences are embraced, where all families are valued.”
September 16, 2018
Pentecost 17B
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Brookside Community Church
8 East Main Street
Brookside, NJ 07926
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons
“From the perspective of the Beloved Community, our goal is not to determine who belongs or define the type of relationships in which sexual intimacy can occur, but to establish principles of justice within all our relationships, especially those that are the most private and intimate.”
August 26, 2018
Pentecost 14B
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Brookside Community Church
8 East Main Street
Brookside, NJ 07926
For sermon notes and more, visit brooksidechurch.org/sermons