LOUCC Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lake Oswego United Church of Christ
The weekly sermons and other messages of Rev. Jennie Ott and guest preachers of Lake Oswego United Church of Christ in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
We continue “Weaving Spirit and story to discern our way forward.” This week, we hear from the prophet Amos, who challenges us to consider how our worship connects to justice and generosity in our lives.
We continue our theme "Weaving Spirit and story to discern our way forward." This week we hear the story of King Solomon building a temple for God. We'll explore what it means to be the church--both in our building and beyond our building--as we reflect on this past year and a half and look to the year ahead.
We continue our theme "Weaving Spirit and story to discern our way forward." This week we hear the story of the call of David and read a psalm attributed to David. We listen for how God looks at humans hearts and calls us to live into our true, authentic selves.
We continue to explore our theme for 2021-2022 "Weaving Spirit and story to discern our way forward." This week we'll listen to the story of the call of Samuel. We'll explore how sometimes God calls us to both speak and to hear a word of truth, even if that truth is hard and even if that truth is directed to people or institutions we love.
We hear the story of God providing manna to God's people in the wilderness. We listen for how this story resonates for us today--both as people who are living in liminal times, but also as people called to participate in an economy of enough-ness, where we can help provide daily bread to others. We hear stories from our own LOUCC history and a sister congregation, as we consider how God is calling us to meet tangible needs today.
We continue in Year 4 of the narrative lectionary. This week we hear the story of the call of Moses. Hearing the cries of God's people, God responds by calling Moses into the work of liberation. Using Spirit and story, God invites Moses into a new way forward where he must live out his faith in his own generation. How can we open ourselves to Spirit and story as we listen for God's call in our lives?
We continue in Year 4 of the Narrative Lectionary. This week we wrestle with the difficult story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. Often interpreted as a story of faithfulness, could it be that it's a story of what not to do? Come join us as we try to listen for how this story speaks to our lives today.
This Sunday we kick off our program year and begin Year 4 of the Narrative Lectionary. We hear the first story of creation from Genesis and listen for how we are invited to be co-creators with God of a just and flourishing world.
We continue our summer worship series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week we hear from a different member of the congregation about how the Spirit is working in their lives. This week our Moderator-Elect Rev. John Aney shares about how the Spirit is moving through liminality and pilgrimage.
We continue our summer worship series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week we hear from a different member of the congregation about how the Spirit is moving in their lives. This week Cheryll Simmerman shares about her journey of faith--from Methodism to the Bahá’í faith--and how the Spirit has shaped her understandings of unity and justice.
We continue our summer series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." This week we hear from LOUCC member Pam Brown, who shares how the Spirit has moved in her life through community and creativity. She'll share samples of textile art she has made through the pandemic and how her art has opened up deeper conversations and connections.
We continue our summer series "Listening the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Ralph Holcomb is our speaker, sharing his own journey with grief and how the Spirit has showed up in and through grief.
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We continue on in our summer series “Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith.” This week Connie Irwin connects her joy at creating quilts to God’s creativity in Genesis. Hear how Connie finds beauty and inspiration all around her in nature, and see slides of some of her work.
We continue our summer series “Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith.” This week Sue Zukas shares some of her experiences companioning her husband Don through health care crises, and how God and her community helped provide for them, giving what they needed each time.
We continue our summer series “Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith.” This week Quent Neufeld shares how God has been at work in his life from his days as a midwestern Mennonite farmboy through his career as an international broadcast journalist to courage in facing a difficult disease today.
This service was originally held on Zoom. We continue our summer series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week we hear from a different member of the congregation about how the Spirit is moving in their life. This week our Director of Faith Development Katie Diaz will share her perspective about the importance of the church being a community that is bound together by the guidance of the Spirit. This was Katie's last Sunday with us at LOUCC.
We continue our summer series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week a different member of the community shares about how the Spirit is moving in their lives. This week we hear from our Moderator-Elect, Kathi Rise, as she speaks about her growing prayer life.
We continue our summer series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week, we'll hear from a different church member about how the Spirit has moved in their lives. This week we hear from LOUCC member Jan Standlea, who shares how the Spirit is speaking to her through Pride, communion, and gender-neutral bathrooms.
Director of Faith Development Katie Diaz preaches on the story of creation from Genesis--how we are created in the image of God and called to engage with each other as God's beloved. S
We kick off our summer worship series "Listening to the Spirit: Sharing our Stories of Faith." Each week during the summer, we'll hear a reflection from a member of our congregation about when they have been guided by the Spirit, led in a new way forward, or what they have learned about themselves and their faith during this time of pandemic. By hearing each other's stories, we will listen for the Spirit in our own lives, glean the wisdom of our community, and continue to discern how God is calling us forward as individuals and a church. This Sunday, Rev. Jennie Ott kicked off our series by sharing how the Spirit has worked in her life through contemplative spirituality. We also share in the sacrament of communion.
We hear from Paul's letter to the Galatians, a community facing conflicts related to diversity. Paul reminds them that, even in their uniqueness, through Christ they are all beloved and they all belong. We listen for how we embody and share that message today.
We continue to hear about the growth of the early church. Drawing from a passage in Acts, we explore how the early church wrestles with change, seeks to listen to the Spirit, and discerns a new way forward. We listen for the parallels in our time, as we discern our way forward in this pandemic time of upheaval and change.
A special Earth Day celebration. Rev. Dr. Janet Parker is our guest preacher, invites us to consider how our faith invites us to work for climate justice.
We continue in the gospel of Luke and hear about Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with two disciples on the Emmaus Road. We'll listen for how, even after death, Jesus invites his disciples to deeper practices of faith, and how it is in living like Jesus that we recognize Jesus in our midst.
We celebrate the good news of the resurrection! Drawing from Luke's account of Easter morning, we'll listen for how God is calling us into new life and a new way forward!
We begin our worship celebrating Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We'll then shift into a portion of passion story as we hear how Jesus prepares to confront the powers that be. Together we'll listen for courage and resolve as we seek to find a new way forward, particularly in the face of violence and suffering in our lives and world.
We continue our Lenten theme "A New Way Forward" and our journey through the Gospel of Luke. This week we hear three stories about seeing--and how Jesus calls us into deeper ways of seeing God, ourselves, and our neighbors.
We continue our Lenten theme “A New Way Forward.” This week we hear a vision of Isaiah about healing for the world and a challenging parable from Jesus about wealth and the barriers that wealth often creates. We’ll hear a sermon from one of our UCC national officers, Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive for Global Ministries Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, as she offers a global perspective on how we are called—as the larger church—to help alleviate global poverty and suffering.
We continue with our Lenten theme "A New Way Forward." This week we hear the story of Jesus visiting Martha and Mary and the call to remember our groundedness in God. As Martha was worried and distracted by many things, what is worrying and distracting us? How can we center and ground ourselves in the God who is always with us?
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We begin our Lenten journey with our Lenten theme "A New Way Forward." Together, we'll be listening for how God is calling us to live into this season of our lives and world. We'll start this Sunday with Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. How is God calling us into action as we seek to care for the most vulnerable in our society? Who needs our love? And from whom do we receive compassion?
We welcome our Conference Minister, Rev. Tyler Connoley, as our guest preacher. Tyler will be preaching on the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus' command to travel light, as a reminder that we need one another on the journey of faith.
This week, members Jim Crane, Lauren Dole, Jennie Ott, and Katie Diaz reflect together about two healing stories from the Gospel of Luke. Sharing their unique insights and perspectives, they model how we can read scripture from our own lenses and each find meaning for our lives today.
We continue in the gospel of Luke and hear about Jesus' call to healing and wholeness. We'll listen in on a debate he has with the religious leaders over Sabbath, and explore how we are called to seek healing and wholeness for ourselves and others, even when it may challenge our traditions, rules, or practices.
We continue in the Gospel of Luke and hear about the calling of the first disciples. We'll listen for how Jesus invites us to join him in ministry, repurposing our skills for the work of justice and peace in our world today.
Notes: The scripture is a reading of Luke 5:1-11 .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeVQj.... The audio of Amanda Gorman is of her reading of the poem “The Hill We Climb” at the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ULuO....
We hear about the start of Jesus’ public ministry. He preaches his inaugural sermon about “bringing good news to the poor,” which offers both comfort and challenge to his hearers. Director of Faith Development Katie Diaz preaches about accepting good news that challenges our lives and asks us to reorient ourselves towards service. We’ll also hear a Moment for Mission about Our Church’s Wider Mission and hear special music from youth of the Ba’hai community, Beit Haverim, and LOUCC.
We celebrate Epiphany, the day when we remember the Magi's journey of following the star to the Christ Child. This Sunday we'll hear Epiphany star stories from LOUCC members Pam Rossio, Maddy Lovett, Brenda Fulle, and Kathi Rise, as they share how their star words guided them through 2020.
We celebrate Epiphany, the day when we remember the Magi's journey of following the star to the Christ Child. This Sunday we'll hear Epiphany star stories from LOUCC members Pam Rossio, Maddy Lovett, Brenda Fulle, and Kathi Rise, as they share how their star words guided them through 2020.
We continue the story of Jesus’ infancy. We’ll hear how two elder prophets, Simeon and Anna, recognize Jesus as the Messiah when he is 8 days old. Jennie will share a sermon from one of her spiritual elders and prophets, Barbara Brown Taylor, who helps us see God in the infant Jesus and in the world around us.
We begin our journey through the Gospel of Luke. We'll hear the story of Mary's call to bear the Christ Child, her visit with her cousin Elizabeth, and her song the Magnificat. We'll explore how God invites ordinary people, like Mary and like you and me, to help bear God's light, love, and justice to the world.
We continue our Advent theme "Standing Up in Faith." This week we hear a beautiful promise of restoration and healing from the prophet Isaiah, a promise that Jesus quotes when he begins his own ministry. We'll listen for how we are called to bring good news, bind up the brokenhearted, and work for God's vision of justice and flourishing in our world today.
We hear from the prophet Joel, who speaks to the people of Jerusalem in a time of great trouble and promises them that the Spirit will give them visions and dreams for the future. As we face troubling times in our world today, we listen to young people within our congregation--Genevieve Guertin, Maddy Lovett, and Charlie Grimm--as they share some of their dreams for the future.
We begin our Advent season "Standing Up in Faith." This Sunday we welcome LOUCC member Rev. Elizabeth Durant as our guest preacher. Liz will draw from the story of the prophet Daniel and Psalm 130 to examine "Standing Up for Religious Freedom." On this first Sunday after Thanksgiving, Liz will explore the limits on the religious freedoms of indigenous/First Nations peoples and how that still echoes today in the ordinances of the city of Lake Oswego. Together, we'll listen for a way forward through God's forgiveness and hope.
We hear of God's grace and abiding love as the prophet Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant that God will write on our hearts. In the midst of difficult circumstances, God promises the people of Israel--and us--transformation through love and relationship. How does this transformation shape our lives and our practices of gratitude and generosity?
We continue in the narrative lectionary with the call of the Prophet Isaiah. Like many prophets in scripture, Isaiah initially resists the call; yet, God equips and empowers Isaiah for the call he is given. How is God inviting us to step into this present moment in our time? What are the gifts that God has given us, and how is God calling and equipping us to share our gifts—time, talent, passions, and treasure—for what the world needs now?
We continue in the narrative lectionary and our theme "Standing up as People of Faith." We hear the story of Jonah, a reluctant prophet sent to preach God's word among Israel's enemies in Nineveh. Confounded and bitter at God's compassion to the Ninevites, this story invites us to consider how we perceive enemies in our lives today. On this post-election Sunday, how do we hang on to God' grace and compassion even as we face very real divisions in our nation?
We celebrate All Saints Day and remember God's invitation to care for others in an intergenerational service. As part of our service, we'll hear from some of the living saints in our church --Cami and Luke Oh, Antjuanece Brown, Clayton Crowhurst, Kurt Munson, and Wana Maurer. They'll share about people in their lives who have taught them about caring for others and share stories about how they care for others in their own lives
We hear a story about King David and God's faithful covenant. Whereas David is ready to build God a temple, God shows David that God has other plans for how to make God's presence known--namely through the people. We'll listen for how God meets us when our plans go awry, and how we can trust in God's faithfulness in these tumultuous times.
We continue our journey through the Narrative Lectionary and our theme "Standing Up as People of Faith." This week we hear the poignant and powerful story of Hannah, who demonstrates courage and commitment in standing up for the future she longs for. We'll listen to the voices of modern day Hannahs, those in our community and nation crying out for a new future.
We pick up with the Narrative lectionary and hear the story of the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf. We'll hear how anxiety drives them to make some hasty decisions and talk about how anxiety is functioning in our lives today. We'll also listen for how God may be inviting us to tear down some of the golden calves that our society has built over time.
We continue our journey into Year 3 of the Narrative Lectionary. This week we move into the stories of Abraham and wrestle with a difficult story about power, privilege and exclusion. When God's promise of decendents doesn't come as quickly as Abraham and Sarah hope, they force Sarah's servant Hagar into surrogacy and then exclude her when she conceives. Yet God seeks out Hagar and blesses her. We listen for what this story can teach us about inclusion, courage, antiracism, and working for justice in our world.
Join us Sunday, September 13, as we begin our new program year with the theme "Standing Up as People of Faith." We start year 3 of the Narrative Lectionary, this week focusing on Genesis 2 and 3 with the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. We'll listen for what these ancient stories tell us about our sense of connection, disconnection, and longing for re-connection, and how that relates to "Standing Up as People of Faith." We'll also have a special Back to School blessing for our students, families, and teachers. See you on Sunday!
Our confirmands lead our worship service and share their expressions of faith. This culminates their year of faith exploration and will be a joyful celebration
We complete our "Unraveled" series and meet up with the disciples on Easter afternoon as they hide away in fear and worry, and we'll hear how Jesus meets them there, breathing peace, Spirit, and courage to them. We hear how God is meeting us in our fears and worries today.
We continue our "Unraveled" series with the story of Job, a man whose whole life and world unraveled before his very eyes. John Aney preaches about how we might find hope and understanding in the midst of calamity in our lives and world.
We continue our "Unraveled' series in the book of Exodus as we hear Moses's famous words to Pharaoh "Let my people go." With a hardened heart, Pharaoh doubles down on his enslavement of the Hebrew people, and we witness the escalation of God's call for liberation in the face of Pharaoh's call for oppression. We explore how this story relates to our world, lives, and own hearts today.
We continue our "Unraveled" series and explore the story of the birth of Moses. Born into a time of state-sanctioned slavery and genocide, we'll hear how five women worked to resist the Pharaoh and his policies, in order to protect Moses and other vulnerable Hebrew children. We bring that story into conversation with John Lewis and his op-ed piece from last week's New York Times, as we consider it what it means to resist and work for the vulnerable today.
We welcome Rev. Jennie Ott back from her vacation, and continue our exploration of the Unraveled series in our intergenerational Sunday service. We hear the story of how God tested the ability of the Israelites to follow God's instructions as they leave Egypt. They were asked to trust that God would provide enough food for them, but they must take only what they need each day. We find out how the people learn to trust and follow God's instructions during their 40-year journey to the land of Canaan. Margaret Fleming and Katie Diaz share a reflection during the sermon time.
We continue our exploration of the Unraveled series. Katie Diaz preaches on the story of Zaccheus. Katie invites us to think about the different ways inclusivity and childlike faith are reflected in the story.
Natalie Becker, co-manager from Camp Adams, invites us to listen to the trees and shares her reflections on the connectedness of God’s creation. Immerse yourself in the beauty of our church camp in Molalla, Oregon
We continue our exploration of the Unraveled series. Ralph Holcomb is our guest preacher, and he preaches on the story of Sarah's unexpected joy and the promise of Isaac from Genesis.
Our teen class leads us in worship. Continuing our Unraveled series, they draw from the story of Peter walking on water to reflect on what it means to get out of the boat and follow Jesus. Sasha Aney, Charlie Grimm, and Anna Wallin share a conversational sermon about how they have witnessed and experienced taking risks for something important.
We continue our Unraveled series and explore a text from the prophet Jeremiah. Writing to the Israelites who are living in exile, Jeremiah encourages them to build houses, plant gardens, and seek the welfare of the place where they living--a surprising message to people captive in a foreign land. Jeremiah speaks out of a context of hope, so how do we hear this message for us as we live in the lands of pandemic, systemic injustice, or personal troubles? How are we called to build, plant, and seek the welfare of one another?
We continue our "Unraveled" worship series. Director of Faith Development Katie Diaz preaches on the famous story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. Katie invites us to think about what it means to be seen by God, and what means to see others.
We continue our "Unraveled" series and hear a powerful story from the Hebrew Testament about standing up to state-sanctioned violence. We meet Rizpah, a grieving mother who challenges the violent policies of the kingdom of Israel. We'll listen for how her story challenges, instructs, and inspires us to stand up to violence and injustice today.
We start our summer worship series, "Unraveled". Through pandemic and through growing awareness of systemic injustice, we are in a time of unraveling--individually, communally, societally. So this summer we'll listen to stories from scripture where lives and communities have been unraveled and put back together again, often in new and profound ways. This Sunday we hear the story of the conversion of Paul, who went from being a persecutor of Christians to one of the greatest apostles in the early church. We explore Paul's journey of transformation and how it may mirror our own. Our intergenerational service will include a sermon co-preached by Katie Diaz and Jennie Ott, celebration of our high school, college, and grad school graduates as they continue their journeys of transformation and the sacrament of communion. See you online on Sunday.
We celebrate Pentecost and the gifts of the Spirit. We hear the powerful story in Acts of the first Pentecost and then listen to how Paul challenged the Corinthian church to share their diverse gifts for the common good. We explore these stories in light of current events, asking how God may be inviting us to use our gifts to address systemic racism, combat white supremacy, and seek the welfare of all of Christ's body.
We hear the apostle Paul speak to the Corinthians about death and resurrection. Reminding them of the promise of new life, he encourages them to let that hope guide their lives today. We explore some ways to think about death and resurrection in our lives, and what that means for us today.
We explore one of the most famous passages in scripture about love. "Love is patient, love is kind..." is a passage often read at weddings, but we hear how the apostle Paul wrote these words to the deeply divided church in Corinth. We examine how love is an action we must choose each day-- an invitation to turn toward others even in the midst of great diversity and division.
We continue to follow the growth of the early church and hear about the founding of the church in Corinth and how quickly divisions sprang up. We'll listen to the apostle Paul's call for unity and how we are called to seek unity in our divisive world today.
We explore the theme "Reaching Out through Healing." After the upheaval of Jesus' death and resurrection, the early disciples learned new ways to reach out and share God's love. As we cope with the upheaval of the coronavirus, we, too, are learning new ways to be the church and reach out through healing and love to the world. Join Faith Development Director Katie Diaz and Pastor Jennie Ott as they share ideas of how we can and are reaching out to the world.
We welcome guest preacher, Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin. Drawing from the gospel story of the raising of Lazarus and a poem by Mary Oliver, Solveig helps orient us toward earth care in the time of COVID-19, and how we can be people who help seek new life for our planet and creation.
We live into our Easter news of new life. We hear a passage from the Book of Acts, where after the resurrection Jesus commissions his disciples to be his witnesses--to see and tell the story of God's good news in the world. This Sunday, we will hear from three witnesses in our congregation as they share about God's light in their lives. Using the lens of their Epiphany stars--words that they received at our Epiphany worship in January--they will share how their stars have helped them see God at work in new ways this year.
We hear readings and a sermon that invite us to be part of God’s ongoing resurrection story in the world.
We begin our journey into Holy Week. We start with a celebration of Palm Sunday, remembering Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. We then hear the story of Jesus through Holy Week, as he turns over the tables of the money changers, is anointed by a generous woman, shares the Last Supper with his disciples, and prays in the Garden of Gesthemane. We listen for what these stories mean for us today.
We hear Jesus talk about the end times. Drawing on apocalyptic teaching, Jesus and the Gospel writer Mark are trying to give their audiences hope as they face difficult circumstances in the world. We'll listen for how we can apply their teachings to the pandemic we face today.
Text: Mark 13: 1-8, 24-37
We continue our journey through Mark's gospel and hear one of Jesus' greatest teachings. He answers the question "What is the Greatest Commandment," and spoiler alert: It's LOVE! This week we talk about love of God and love of neighbor and what that means for us in this time of a global pandemic.
Text: Mark 12:28-44
We explore two challenging stories from Mark about what it means to be stewards of God's kingdom and God's blessings.
Text: Mark 12:1-17
We explore a story from the Gospel of Mark where Jesus teaches about giving up status in order to serve.
Text: Mark 10:32-52
We begin our Lenten theme "Reaching In/Reaching Out." Our LOUCC Players will bring to life a contemporary version of Jesus encountering a rich young man. In response, we reach into our own hearts to grapple with what things keep us from following Jesus and we'll ask God to help us let those go.
Text: Mark 10:17-31