All Souls Bangor: Recent Episodes
Rev. Chad L. Poland
This message is a reflection on the Sermon on the Mount as a whole. During this section of Matthew, Jesus offers some teachings that seem to set the bar impossibly high. Rather than trying to explain this difficulty away, perhaps it is best to remember that in these teachings Jesus is revealing God's character not just a human ethical ideal. Perhaps the role of these teachings is to prepare us for grace. Paul suggests that the law is meant to reveal sin as sin. Perhaps Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount accomplish the same. While Jesus does call us to strive toward obedience, his teachings here also remind us of our need for grace. It is this need which God graciously meets through the cross of Christ.
As we reflect on the call of the first disciples we are reminded that following Christ often requires leaving something behind. Indeed this is the case in almost any pivotal moment in our lives. It is not enough know the direction we ought to go, we must be willing to lay down that which is holding us back.
As Christians we are called to be a light unto the world. While we can't cast out all the darkness we can make a difference. The world is full of darkness, but with God's help we can make it a little less so and often this is enough to make a real impact in the life of another. Sometimes shedding just a little light and making things just a little less dark is enough for someone to find their way home to God.
Today we consider a challenging text. The "murder of the innocents," as it is called, is a horrific thing to imagine. While this particular event may seem distant, happening so long ago in a distant land, we continue to live in a world full of suffering and injustice. Sometimes it even comes close to home. Though Christ is born, the world has not changed in this regard. Though we have welcomed Christ in our lives, they too are not immune from trouble and trial. Our text reminds us that even while such thing persist, God remain in our midst and his purposes for our world and lives stand unthwarted.
A few reflections on the nativity of Jesus as we gathered for worship on Christmas day.
This message, given for the final week of Advent, reviews the previous advent themes of hope, peace, and joy but then draws a connection between these gifts and our capacity to love. Joy has a way of liberating us, and what greater cause for rejoicing than the good news of the God who comes to set right our lives and world. What greater cause for Joy than the good news of the peace-making God who even now draws near. In trusting in this good news, we claim the joy of God and are set free to love as never before, to love others as God has loved us.
As we continue our advent journey we consider the gift of peace that comes to us in Jesus Christ. This peace includes our reconciliation to God through the cross of Christ but so much more. It includes not only a relationship set right but a life set right as well. Indeed one day God's peace will reach into every corner of creation as God's redeeming power is brought to bear upon it and all things are made new. A world set right, this is peace. As we wait and pray for that today, we are called to let God's peace reach into ever corner of our lives. We are also called to join in God's working peace-making in the world around us as a witness of God's love and intent.
Today we start the advent journey toward Christmas. Our first thematic stop is hope. We consider the faithfulness of God in history, his coming to us in Jesus, and reclaim a bold hope for the future. We proclaim our hope that God will come again and bring his redemptive work to its culmination. That day is not yet, but even now God comes. This too is part of our hope. We hope not only for God's coming again at the close of history, but for God's coming into our hearts and lives here and now. As a people of hope, we prepare him room.
The disciples marvel at the beauty of the temple only to have Jesus tell them it will be destroyed. We often forget that even that which appears to be enduring is not. The only thing that will truly endure is God which is why God alone is worthy of our trust. Key texts include Luke 21:5-19
This message consider the wider hope of the Christian Faith which includes not just a place we go when we die, but the restoration of all things. Key texts include Luke 20:27-38.
A message for Stewardship Sunday in the life of our Congregation. We thank you for your support of our ministries.
In examining some passages which seem to be in tension, we are are reminded that only in Christ can we hope to understand who we are truly are.
Why would God command us to observe a day of rest? Is it for God's benefit, or for ours? If not for God's benefit, perhaps all God's commands are meant to lead us toward a place of blessing? Yes indeed.
Jesus calls us all away for the routine of our lives. He call us to proclaim the gospel and to share the love of God in word and in deed. Faithfulness to this calling is more important than ever.
In today's reading Jesus offers his first public sermon, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. At first the people seemed pleased, but Jesus pushes further. He suggest that while the people may indeed share a hope, they lack the faith to see how God is working toward its fulfillment, let alone the faith necessary to participate in that working. This exchange reminds us that we cannot bind God to human assumptions. God always works in ways that catch us off guard. If we aren't open to this possibility and aren't willing to trust, the hope we herald could pass us by.
This weeks message is a reflection on the Baptism of Jesus. In subjecting himself to John's baptism, meant for sinful humanity, Jesus aligns himself with us. In so doing he transforms the water of baptism into a meeting place for the new covenant people of God of whom Christ is the head. Baptism reveals the mystery of our having been joined with Christ.
Throughout the season of advent we emphasized the coming of God into our midst. In these first weeks following Christmas we are confronted by the humanity of his coming. Today's messages wrestles with the mystery of Emmanuel. The one who comes to us as one of us, the Eternal Logos who while here on earth grows in both wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
Today we consider a scene from Jesus' childhood. He is brought to the temple, still an infant. Even so Anna and Simeon discern his presence and give praise to God. How sensitive are we to the leading of the Spirit that helps us to discern God's presence among us. How can we become more so? The first step is to pray. Lord, make yourself known. It is the Lord, by the Holy Spirit, that makes such things know. Let us ask God to do so and let us then watch with expectant hearts for Emmanuel to be revealed in our lives today. Let us watch knowing that he will be.
Our scripture lesson recounts Mary's angelic encounter and her faithful and humble response. Mary is called to do far more than bear a child but to raise one. Mary is called to love the one who is love, the one who will one day reveal God's love to the world. Though we are not called to raise the Christ child, we are called to love those around us as if they were the Christ himself. We too are called to love.
Years before Jesus, the prophet Joel offered words that describe the impact of Jesus' ministry. Peter would quote those words in the first sermon of the church. In using those words, Peter reminds us that Jesus came to reconcile us to God and to make peace.
In today's consideration of Daniel we see a clear demonstration of faithfulness. Daniel's faithfulness? Yes, certainly. But even more so, we witness the faithfulness of God, whose strong arm reaches and upholds us even in the midst of exile.
Jeremiah lived during a tumultuous time. He not only warned of the coming Babylonian exile but watched it unfold. His words were not all doom and gloom, however. Even as exile drew near, he had words of hope to offer too. He reminded the people that impending hardships would not last forever. His words can provide encouragement to us as well. In them we find a reminder, that God does not abandon his people, and that better days will come.
This week we look at the call of Isaiah and find there a threefold process that ought to be an ongoing part of our lives: Holy encounter, an assurance of grace, and the calling of God.
Today's message reflects on the powerful message of a small book, the book of Jonah. Far from a children's story Jonah offers one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian ethic. The idea that God loves even our enemies and that we are called to do the same. But what precisely does that mean?
We often question our ability to meet the demands of life or to make a lasting difference in the world. On our own, our doubts may indeed be well founded. However, when we are responding to a true call from God, God meets us and makes whatever it is we have to offer enough to advance his purposes. Is it enough? Who we are, what we have to offer? Perhaps that is the wrong question. Perhaps the right questions is this, "Is God enough? To be at work in me?" The answer is a resounding "yes."
Today's message considers briefly the promise of God to David. While it is David who offers to build a house for God, God opts instead to build a house for David. This house is not a place but a people of whom we are a part through Jesus Christ. In Christ and through Christ, the promise to David is fulfilled but that house is still expanding even today. Through God's work in and among the body of Christ, the church, more and more people are being enfolded into God's great house every day. To this work, we are called.
Today's message focuses on Hannah of 1 Samuel. We learn of her role in Old Testament history but we are also reminded of two important truths. This is that we ought to include God in every season of our lives, not just the bad and not just the good. We ought to include God in both of these, as well as everything in between. Secondly, we are reminded that our God is one who hears us, even when others cannot. God hears us even when can't find the words to speak.
We look today at an important episode in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. The Israelites did not know what had become of Moses and in his absence they built an idol. This message explores what may have led them to make such a grievous mistake and suggests how we might increasingly avoid the same. Our best bet is simply this, to trust that we belong to God and that God is with us even when he is hard to discern. It is through faith in the promises of God that we are freed from fear, and only in the absence of fear, can we live the faithful lives to which we are called.
The Passover refers to that event, during which the ancient Israelites are spared God's judgement over all of Egypt. This was the straw that broke the camel's proverbial back and led to their liberation from bondage. Even so, what a great cost, the death of the firstborn. Today's message considers that cost. How are we, as people of faith, to respond. Our liberation from sin and death, it too was won at great cost. We rejoice but there ought to be in our celebrations a solemnity as well as we consider the suffering that made that liberation possible.
There are many places in the Old Testament where we can see hints of what is to come, of what God will do in Christ. The life of Joseph is a fine example. Similarities include betrayal for a few pieces of silver, being thrown into a pit/grave, but also the rise to a place of power. And from that place of power, both choose mercy over judgement.
God made some pretty incredible promises to Abraham. God makes incredible promises to us as well. Often it is hard to trust in promises. We have been let down so many times before. But God's promises are trustworthy, not because they are easy to wrap our minds around, but because it is the Lord, the God of Heaven and Earth, who makes them.
Week 1 in the 2020-2021 Narrative Lectionary, this message explores the second account of creation in Genesis 2 and 3.
An exploration of Agape love which God extends to us and which we are called to extend to one another.
As Christians we celebrate and proclaim the grace of God. Sometimes, however, we can get preoccupied with trying to outline the limits of that grace. Our assurance of grace is not dependent on the condemnation of others. Perhaps God's grace will reach further than we think. This possibility should make our hearts glad. This message is offered as a call to focus on grace, to celebrate grace, to proclaim grace; and leave the work of final judgement to God.
Early on in the pandemic, when our suspension of in-person services were just beginning, we drew upon the Babylonian exile as a way of speaking about our experiences. As we resume services and schools prepare to reopen, we would do well to think about the experience of those who returned from exile. Things were not as they once were. We are realizing the same is true for us. This sometimes harsh reality can be a cause for grief, yet there is hope for the future.
Today's message looks to the life of Joseph. We find there a message of hope and encouragement, a reminder that we cannot judge our lives by any one moment. The story of our life is still unfolding. Even now, God has a new chapter in mind. Knowing that, we ought never despair; but instead, trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God.
This message explores unity, the call to be of one mind, and the power of agreement. It also touches upon the reality of disagreement and suggests that even in the midst of disagreement we can cling to unity and display the power of God to the world around us.
As he did during his earthly ministry, Jesus still equips his disciples and sends them out to do the work of the Kingdom. Each of us is equipped in a unique way and God is at work in our efforts. We are right to trust that God is at work in our lives. We are right to trust in this even when things are not going as well as we might hope. Even then God is at work and God's purposes for creation will not be undone. Though he is at work in our lives, his hand extends far beyond them.
In the second message on the book of Ruth,214 we explore Mosaic law as a way to better understand what is happening between Ruth and Boaz. While many of these practices may seem strange to us they were very much a part of the culture in that place and time. By understanding these practices we better understand what is meant by calling God our Redeemer. Through Christ, we are restored to the promised inheritance of God.
This message is the first of two focused on the book of Ruth. Like Jonah it may have been lifted up during a time of ideological tension; but also like Jonah, it points us to Christ and the manner in which we ought to respond to the gospel. In this message we discover that Ruth's words can serve as a great model for us. As she clung to Naomi, so too, we cling to Christ.
The book of Jonah is often considered a story for children, yet it communicates to us some very important and challenging messages. Jonah reminds us that God's care and concern extends far beyond our own lives and the lives of those like us. Indeed God cares even for those we might consider enemies. Like Jonah, we often find it difficult to accept this truth and let it shape the living of our lives.
Pentecost marks the outpouring of God Holy Spirit upon the world. Pentecost marks the birth of church. Today's sermon explores the Pentecost event and what it means for our lives.
As we approach Pentecost, we revisit the Easter proclamation of Christ's resurrection. in particular we examine the repercussions of worldview fully focused on the here and now, a worldview that rejects any spiritual or metaphysical reality, a worldview that dismisses even the possibility of life beyond the grave. Though we are prone to avoid or deny these repercussions, such a worldview can lead us only to one place, the ultimate and utter meaninglessness of our lives in the undoing of any enduring hope. The gospel provides another possibility, the possibility that our lives are full of meaning and of a hope that can endure even in the face of grave.
In today's message we consider a portion of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, where he address divisions that had taken root in that community of believers. Are we prone to the same? What is the impact? What can we do to strive for unity in Christ's Church?
Today we find Paul sharing the gospel in Thessalonica. Many come to faith but others do not respond very kindly. We are reminded in our passage today that the gospel is by nature a troublesome thing. It challenges systems of power and the status quo. It challenges us as well, to reexamine the living of our lives.
Today we consider the two fold healing of a man whom Peter had found begging outside the temple. The first aspect of his healing was physical. The other aspect was the healing that comes with reconciliation to the community. This later healing is something all Christians can and should freely offer to the world.
Just before his ascension, Jesus tells the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. Jesus also tells them that after the Spirit has come, they will be his witnesses. After his ascension the disciples then devoted themselves to prayer. In this way, they waited for, welcomed, and even sought the promised Spirit. During this time of isolation we would be well served by doing the same. We ought to be inviting a fresh encounter of God's Holy Spirit that we might be guided and equipped to serve him in a changing world.
The gospel of Mark offers a unique look at the Resurrection. It is one that leads us to the mystery of an empty tomb and then leaves us with a promise. The promise is that he who is risen goes before us, that we may very well meet him along life's way. That promise can be both comforting and disconcerting. If Jesus lives, that alone changes everything. That alone ought to be enough to disrupt and forever change the way we live our lives. If Jesus were to show up and make himself know, that surely, would take our lives in directions we never imagined.
This message was offered for Palm Sunday while our in-person services remain suspended. It reflects on Jesus' unique ascension to the throne. He is king, yet he comes to his place of authority by way of a cross and a tomb. He is not the sort of king we may have expected, but he is the exactly the sort of king we needed. He is one that not only rules, but saves.
The coming of God's Kingdom is always accompanied by some level of disruption. When God's rule comes to bear in ways and places it had not been brought to bear before, the status quo will be overturned. At this present moment we are already experienced a rather large amount of disruption. There is no question that what had been the status quo has been overturned. While this is distressing and stressful, it is also an opportunity to invite the Kingdom to draw nearer still. During this period of chaos, why not invite God to reorder our lives further still, that even when this crisis is ended we might more fully live as citizens of God's kingdom.
This message comes from our first week of our worshiping apart due to the coronavirus outbreak and suspension of services. It was delivered to the congregation via Youtube. The message is a reflection on the great commandment and the second which is like it. Specifically, Jesus commands us to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Even during this season of isolation and quarantine the commandment remains, and we would do well to consider how our love is made manifest in our lives. The scripture readings are pulled from video recorded by members and friends of the congregation for inclusion in the Youtube podcast.
Jesus has a way of making us see the heart of the matter, even when doing so is uncomfortable. In today's lesson a man's asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. After Jesus first response, the man is rather sure of himself but Jesus pushes further and deeper. By the end of this exchange the man is filled with grief. Jesus had exposed his need for grace. When we take them seriously, Jesus' words and life do the same for us. We cannot escape the truth that the love meant for God and neighbor is often misplaced and misguided. We all need grace. Thankfully, God offers it freely and in abundance.
This message is from Transfiguration Sunday on which we remember the experience of Peter, James, and John. On a mountaintop they witness a foretaste of the risen and glorified Christ. Peter, at least, would have liked to linger there but it was not yet time for that. Work remained and that worked was down in the valley. Likewise our lives are not meant to be a succession of mountain top experiences. Our lives include them, but the work which is our as disciples takes place in the valley of life, among the hurting and the suffering. A day will come for us to linger in the presence of the risen and glorified Christ, but that day has not yet come. First we must follow Christ through the valley and to the cross.
In today's reading Jesus is confronted regarding the ritual washing of hands. His accusers no doubt sought to discredit him in public. In classic form, however, Jesus takes his accusation and turns it around. He not only deflects the attack but uses it as an opportunity to lead us to a deeper truth. That truth being that God is far more concerned about what's in our hearts than God is concerned with what's on our hands.
We have all experienced failure in our lives. In our text today we hear three tales of failure, yet the failure does not belong to the person we might expect. In each case there is a failure to listen, a failure to hear. We find in each more than a failure, but a refusal to hear a word that challenges assumptions and perspectives. As Christians we must be open to the word that challenges. God's word often challenges us. That is how we learn, that is how we are transformed. Even those convictions we hold ardently should be examined. Arrogance leaves little room for growth.
In today's text, Jesus is interrupted as he travels from one point to the other. In the end, however, it seems that this interruption was at the heart of the entire text. Sometimes we too are overly focused on the reaching the end of our journey. We are preoccupied with questions about what will happen when we arrive there. Those questions are important, but we ought not to be so focused on such things that we fail to seek a holy encounter along the way. Such encounters make us new and grant us assurance that we are made whole and counted among God's people. Such encounters remind us that the end of the journey will be just fine, but Lord has accompanied us the entire time.
Today we consider an interesting passage in which Jesus heals a man possessed by a legion of unclean spirits. All this takes place in a gentile region and by the time it is all said a done an entire heard of pigs has run off a cliff and died. This series of events prompts many a question. In the end this message comes to one in particular. To what extent would we rather bear the suffering of another than the inconvenience of his/her healing? It is a challenging to think about.
Today we consider the story of a man, carried by friends, lowered through a roof, forgiven, and then healed. It is a passage rich with opportunity for reflection on who we are called to be in the lives of those around us and on who Jesus can be for all who find their way to his feet.
We continue reading our way through the gospel of Mark and consider the fact that Jesus not only silenced demons but asked those whom he healed to tell now one about him. How are we to make sense of this? As we consider this question we arrive at a realization. Jesus did not come in history to eliminate human suffering. His compassion move Jesus to intercede, this is the nature of God, but ultimately Jesus did not come to undo human suffering but to share in it and make of it the very instrument of our redemption. We hold on to hope for a day to come, at the culmination of both history and God's redeeming work. In that day all suffering will cease, but that day is yet to come. What then can reasonably expect of God here and now as we long for his new advent? Not to heal our every ill or transform our every circumstance, but to abide with us. To give us strength and to be for us a light even in the midst of darkness.
This episode is week one of a study on the Gospel of Mark that will continue for a number of weeks. This message includes an introduction to Mark but also offers reflections on the nature of discipleship. Discipleship requires that we not only restrain ourselves from what dis-honors God and/or hurts those around us, but discipleship also requires that we engage in positive action that both honors God and witnesses to God's love and care. Both are necessary if we seek to follow Jesus who not only resisted the temptations of Satan but then acted on our behalf embracing the cross for our sake.
For this, the last episode of the Advent season, we consider John the Baptist. He is but one more piece of evidence offered by the Gospel writers in their presentation of Jesus as the promised messiah, the anointed one of God. John goes before Jesus. Who then goes after Jesus? Stated in a different way, who will follow Jesus? Will it be you? While it is important to understand all the lead up to the birth of Jesus, the issue of how we will respond to that birth is even more so. Unless Christmas is more than an observance, unless we allow it to become an experience, it all matters very little.
Our teaching text for this episode is focused on the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian Exile. It is a moment of great joy, but at the same time it is also a moment of sorrow. While the completion of the temple foundation is a very real sign of restoration it also pales in comparison with what once was. God's redemption, God's liberation is very real, yet there is often an element which has yet to unfold. We experience this ourselves. In Christ we rejoice, yet our lives are still marked by suffering and sorrow. One day this shall pass as God's redemption comes to its glorious culmination, but for now we experience joy and sorrow side by side.
Jeremiah had the difficult task of watching his nation be overrun by the Babylonians. Many people lost their lives and and the Temple was destroyed. Yet in the midst of all this God comes to him with a word of hope. God offers a reminder of a promise made long ago, a promise which God had not forgotten. God promises come to us in the midst of difficulty as well, and sometimes we wonder why God seems so slow to act. Jeremiah's hope would eventually be fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. God proved faithful. God remains faithful today and we should cling to hope even when it seems things are falling apart.
Our text today comes from an interesting moment in Old Testament history, a moment when a long lost scroll is found in the temple. This scroll was in fact the law given to the people through Moses, the terms of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Following this the rediscover of these words which had been lost or hidden, the people repented and renewed their covenant with God. In a similar fashion, Jesus himself is a word which was hidden but eventually revealed in history. Jesus too is a Word revealed that merits a response. He is a Living Word which calls us to repentance and invites us into a covenant relationship with God.
In today's sermon we consider the fate of Judah (the southern Kingdom). In particular we consider their fall to the Babylonian empire which Isaiah likens to the destruction of a vineyard. Isaiah also presents this pending fate, as a divine response to the faithlessness of the people. That may be the case, but not all suffering should be seen this way. The Bible itself challenges this idea. One aspect of Isaiah's message, however, remains universally applicable. There is always hope. Even from a stump, new life can grow and flourish. There was hope for Judah, and there is hope for us. Always.
God is to us a faithful parent. As such, God grieves at the thought of harm befalling us. It is God's heartfelt desire that we live the lives God calls us to live, but it is also God's desire to spare us from the repercussions of our failings. There is a tension here, but in the end God chooses compassion over condemnation, and mercy over judgement.
Our passage today deals with an interesting passage from the Old Testament which reminds us of both our need to witness but also our need to redirect ourselves. Our witness is not terribly effective when we fail to let the good news inform and transform the living of our lives.
Ruth is a wonderful short book that speaks to us on so many levels. Among the messages it offers is a moving example of devotion. In fact, Ruth devotion to Naomi can serve as model for our devotion to Christ. While this sermon provides an overview of Ruth a short series in 2018 dug a little deeper. You can check out videos of series here. Just to keep everything together we have added this sermon to that series. Series on Ruth
The text for this message is the Ten Commandments, but this is the second time we have seen them. In restating these commands, central to God's covenant with the Israelites, Moses invites a new generation to claim for themselves a first hand relationship with God. While tradition and knowledge can be and should be passed onto our children and grandchildren, every generation must choose faith and a relationship with God for itself. The same is true for us when it comes to the new covenant revealed in Jesus Christ. We do no inherit authentic faith; that is something that we, with God's help, must choose for ourselves.
We are good at making excuses. This has been the case since the beginning of human history. We even offer excuses as to rationalize decisions and actions that are not in keeping with God's will for our lives. Those excuses are often just a cover up for the truth, that we would rather be in charge of our own lives. Rather than engage in excuse making we ought to engage in discernment and make every effort to follow God. God goes with us and will bring to completion his will for our world and lives.
Jacob's struggle by the Jabbok is not only a pivotal moment in Old Testament History but a great metaphor for our lives as Christians. In one way or another we are often wrestling with God. We are wrestling to make sense of God's plan for our lives. We are wrestling with discipleship. We are wrestling with some of the more challenging aspects of Christian Theology. Yet in our persistence we are blessed and we discover over and over again God's name for us in Christ, we are children of God, sons and daughters.
Abraham and Sarah were confronted with a promise they didn't expect, a promise they found hard to believe. The same is true for us. When we find ourselves in the midst of difficulty, God's promises of hope and joy and peace are sometimes too much to take in. We are sometimes more likely to laugh in disbelief than we are to trust in God's promises. Yet our God is the God of seemingly laughable promises. God has shown that time and time and time again. With God all things are possible; God is faithful. We ought always to be expecting the unexpected. We ought always to be expecting that God, at any moment, may surprise us and make our lives new.
There is so much that can be said when reflecting on the creation stories of Genesis. This particular message focuses on Adam and the authority given him to name the animals. He was given the power to do so. We still name things, and people, and there is still power found in our doing so. We ought to wield this power carefully. The other focus of this message is on the importance of community. It was not good that Adam was alone. The same is true for us. Not that all need to be married but God does invites all to be a part of God centered community. That, in fact, is where we are meant to be.
In our gospel reading, Jesus begins with what might seem like very practical advice. However, when this advice is translated to the Kingdom it is more than good advice, it is a necessity. We must approach God with humility. God is God. We are not. The good news is that God is also gracious and will exalt the humble. That is God's promise.
This sermon was given just prior to a special liturgy recognizing the end of a Ministerial Call, that of Rev. Renee Garrett. While we prepared to mark the beginning of her retirement years and the end of her call to ministry at All Souls, Rev. Poland reminded in his sermon that while not all are called to pastoral ministry, all are called nonetheless. How we respond as Christians is vitally important for the local church and the church universal.
Dr. Sherman is a member of All Souls. He is also both a Professor and the Academic Dean at Grace Evangelical Theological Seminary.
A reflection on Jesus' parable about a man whose crop is so plentiful he builds a new barn. It seems wise, yes Jesus calls him a fool.
Just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham has a noteworthy conversation with the Lord. In it we discover a God who is eager to extend mercy to the wicked for the sake of the righteous. The question then becomes, how many righteous people are enough. 50? 45? 10? The gospel suggest that only one is necessary. For one, God will gladly spare all. Jesus is that one.
Siblings are different. That is certainly true of Mary and Martha. This messages discusses the varying ways they respond to Jesus' visit and how we ought to prepare (if at all) when it comes to inviting Jesus into lives.
Rev. Dr. James Haddix is the former Pastor and Teacher of All Souls Congregational Church having retired 2016. He remains very active in the community. Some of his activities include the Bangor Rotary Club and the Street Pastor's Project. He is also the leader of the Bangor Area Pastor's Theologian Discussion Group.
Rev. Rebecca Liberty and her family joined All Souls Church in December of last year. She is ordained in the Lutheran church (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and has served locally as pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church on Essex Street and director of the Wilson Center at the University of Maine in Orono. She currently works as a discernment coach to help individuals and organizations through transitions.
Following a week long mission trip our mission team faced flight cancellations and delays. These made it impossible for our pastor to lead Sunday morning worship in person. instead he offered a few thoughts and an interview with a couple of mission participants. This recording was made in Antigua, Guatemala with the help of a cell phone.
At All Souls we cherish and seek to build informed Christians. This is evidenced by the many lay people in our congregation more than able to bring a message on Sunday morning. This message is offered by a member of the Permanent Diaconate of the church. Mr. Louis O. House, IV. Louis O. “Skip” House, IV initially set out to become a minister, studying for a year and a half at Yale Divinity School in New Haven CT and working for a year as Associate in Youth Ministry at the Cleveland Park Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. before changing his career direction.
As the program year comes to a close we take a moment to explore and wrestle with the doctrine of the Trinity. The Christian faith asserts a God who not only calls us into community and relationship but is those things. They are inherent characteristics of God's very being and through grace we are invited in.
Enjoy this message given by our Minister of Christian Nurture, Rev. Renee Garrett, on Pentecost Sunday.
In the previous podcast we were reminded of the God's necessary and sufficient grace and the righteousness that comes to us by faith. This week we continue with this idea asking, what now? We have been gifted a righteousness we do not have to earn; in this we are set free. What shall we do with this freedom? Paul ask that question this way, "Shall we go on sinning that grace might abound?" His answer, "By no means!" The freedom we find in the gospel is not a freedom from but a freedom for. We are set free from a great burden but we are not set free from a great responsibility. No, we are called to repentance, we are called to turn toward a new way of living and to do more and more with each new day. P.S. Our sound is a bit better this week but we will continue to make some adjustments to improve the quality of this podcast. Thanks for your patience.
First a Disclaimer - Our sounds system didn't cooperate this past week. The recording is intelligible but the quality is not typical of what we post. We hope to have things running as they should be this coming Sunday.
As for the content this message is a consideration of Romans 5 in which Paul continues with a line of thinking that traces its way back to the very beginning of this letter. Here Paul reminds us that through Christ, we stand in a relationship with God based not on human merit but on the necessary and sufficient grace of God. This 'righteousness' brings with it, peace. It also bring the possibility of living transformed lives.
A mother's day message from our Minister of Christian Nurture, the Rev. Renee U. Garrett. Scripture read by Pastor and Teacher, Rev. Chad L. Poland.
Given on confirmation Sunday (an already very full service ) this message is brief. Even, so it clearly relates an important development in the early church. Specifically the realization that God's redeeming power had a much farther reach than people had imagined. The circle which encompassed God's people was being redrawn and was being pushed out farther than people had thought possible. Even in our own day, we ought to be careful of our assumptions and our tendency to limit God's grace.
After the resurrection, Jesus offer a final mandate, the great commission. Jesus instructs us to go out and make disciples, yet there are various cultural assumptions that often discourage us from sharing our faith. These include the idea that faith is not polite conversation. Our culture would also have us believe that it is especially egregious to offer religious convictions as a truth-claim. These issues aside, what does disciple-making actually look like? When we recognize the depth that disciple-making implies, it bring us to an understanding that extends far beyond a confession at the altar.
Those first to the empty tomb were thrust into a strange place, a place of both fear and joy. Yet even while both persisted, they invested their lives in the message. They acted in faith. It was in the course of this faith-filled action that the living Christ appears, that faith is confirmed and tension relieved. Even today, faith is often born in a place of tension, a place where doubts and questions persist. As we act on that faith, we discern God's presence and tension is relieved. This is not a one time linear event. But a cycle that repeats itself over and over again, leading us each time deeper and deeper into faith, action, and affirmation. None of this can happen, however, if we are not willing to sit in those places of tension and wrestle with the message of God at work in the world. This message challenges hearers not to circumvent that place of tension, but to ask tough questions of their assumptions and confront the repercussions of their ideas.
Today we consider the events of Holy week. In particular we examine briefly the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem and we consider Jesus' cleaning of the temple. We also look ahead to the later days of Holy Week and Jesus time in the garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus makes a request of his disciples that they stay awake with him while he wrestles with all that is about to unfold. They are not up to the task. Instead they fall asleep. While we cannot go back in time to Gethsemane and sit with Jesus in a literal sense the world is full of suffering people who long for someone to sit by their side. While Jesus' suffering is in one sense long over, we also know that Jesus shares in the suffering of all people. For this reason and for reasons made abundantly clear in our last podcast (whatever we do to the least we do unto Christ), to sit with these is to sit with Jesus. To sit with those who suffer, to be there for them, is to sit with the Christ who suffered for us all.
At the heart of the Christian ethic is the idea that all people bear the image of God. As such, our relationship with God cannot be separated from our relationship with those around us. They are intrinsically related. All people are to be treated with respect and value and our doing so is something we either do or don't do unto God. Jesus reminds of this fact and calls us to recognize the image of God in all those who cross our path.
Today's passage is part of a larger text beginning in Matthew 24 where Jesus begins to talk about ends times and God's judgement. The truth is, we don't know when God's redemptive plan will come to its final fruition. What we do know is that we ought to be prepared to endure in this fallen world our entire lives. Though the darkness of night persists, we must work to keep our lamp burning. We ought also to be at work in the world. Doing so is a testimony to others and to God. In serving we reveal the authenticity of our faith and invite God to come and finish what we have begun in his name.
In Matthew 22 we find Jesus speaking in parables yet again to convey truths about the kingdom of God. In particular we find there the parable of the wedding banquet. Matthew's telling of this parable has a few elements absent in Luke's version. While these elements might strike some as a bit disconcerting, there is actually a great message of hope to found in them. In this parable, we discover that we are not only invited to the table but offered a garment of grace, Christ himself, that we might remain. The question is whether or not we will be humble enough to receive them.
In Matthew 20 we find a passage that is unique to Matthew's Gospel. We find it nowhere else. Even so, the parable we find there is familiar, a kingdom parable drawing on the image of laborers in a vineyard. Through this parable Jesus reveals that the boundaries once assumed before Jesus' ministry were being redrawn. God was calling new people and grafting them into the old. These would not be second class citizens but equal to all those who preceded them. God continues to invite people into God's kingdom, and even those whom we might deem least deserving are extended the same blessings. To these God makes the same promise of mercy and life. Without distinction we are one in Christ and co-heirs with Him.
Relationships are messy and sometimes feelings are hurt. How to respond? That is the question. In Matthew 18 Jesus offers outlines steps we might take. The goal of those steps is reconciliation, something that will always require mercy. Sometimes reconciliation isn't possible but even then God calls us to forgiveness. Always, there is value in mercy. If not for reconciliation with someone then for our liberation from them and from the pain they caused in our lives. Always there is value to mercy, and always God calls us to be merciful.
In today's scripture lesson we hear the story of the transfiguration. In this vision Peter, James, and John are given a glimpse of the glorified Christ, a vision that points them (and us) to the nature of Jesus. Understandably the disciples aren't sure what to make of it at the time. Peter suggests that they stay a while but this is the very thing they cannot do. There is work to be done and that work is not found on the mountain top but down in the valley. The same is true for us. While we give thanks for our mountaintop experiences which serve to encourage and to renew, the work to which we are called as disciples take place in between such experiences. We cannot forsake one for the other.
There is much talk these days about self-confidence. This message isn't so much about self-confidence as it is God-confidence. God sometimes call us to serve in ways that seem impossible. On the one hand our instincts are correct, sometimes these tasks are beyond us. However, they are not beyond God and God does not call us to serve alone. God goes with us. Ultimately it is God at work in us and we ought to trust in God's ability to do so. Trust in God and you will not only witness the power of God at work in the word, you will be a part of it.
The Kingdom of God is like....So begins a collection of several parables offered by Jesus in the 13th chapter of Mathew. Among them the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. Like the field in this parable, the world is a mixed up mess of good and bad. While we are tempted to determined who is who, Jesus calls us to both faith and patience. It is not up to us to determine who God will gather in. Our job is simply to love and to witness and to live our lives of discipleship the best we can. Let us do so trusting all the while in the grace of God and the ability of God to not only sort out our world but to sort out our individuals lives. We too are a mixed bag, yet even now God is working to make of our lives, something worthy of the kingdom. This good work which God has begun, God will bring to fruition.
Sometimes acting quickly and boldly is exactly what the situation calls for. At other times we are called to restraint. In our scripture lesson we find that Jesus calls us to restraint in a number of ways. These include restraint from judgement and restraint from trying to fix our neighbor, especially when we are dealing wit the same issue ourselves. Sometimes we are even called to restraint when it comes to sharing that which is holy, good, true. Jesus would have us be discerning and share the pearls of the gospel with those ready to consider them. We cannot make people interested in the gospel, it just doesn't work. However, we can make the gospel interesting, even compelling, by truly living lives that demonstrate God's grace and the power of God to make new.
In today's scripture lesson Jesus speaks of hypocrisy. We would do well to be mindful of hypocrisy in our own lives. We should examine the motives behind what we do. Even the motives behind something as simple as attending Sunday worship are worthy of consideration. Granted, perhaps hypocrisy is not the most fitting description but we don't always bring the right motivations or intentions to worship. We come for many reasons: for fellowship, to enjoy the music, because that is what we have always done. These aren't necessarily bad reasons, but we ought to be coming first and foremost to give thanks and praise to God and to experience anew God's love and grace. Nothing should be aimless in the life of a Christian, especially our acts of devotion.
The beatitudes are a well known passage in scripture, beloved by many. In them, Jesus speaks of a great reversal. A day when those whom the world might deem as forgotten by God will be revealed as blessed. The beatitudes also give us a great opportunity to talk about what it really means to be blessed. Perhaps it is not wealth or any other such thing that the world highly values but our connection to God. Perhaps it is not what we have but who we are. Specifically, we are God's. In Christ, we belong to him, and nothing can change that. A great blessing indeed.
Jesus was tempted but remained faithful. As such he is able to serve not only as our savoir but as an example and guide. We will never navigate this world flawlessly but with God's help we can do so more faithfully each day and we can do so without fear. God is merciful and will forgive our failings. God is faithful and will ensure our eventual arrival into that place of promise and the company of God's people.
John the Baptist called people to repentance and offered baptism with water. Why would Jesus share in such a thing? There are many reasons but among them this: That his doing so represented the whole of his ministry. In love Jesus entered into the human experience, he meets us in the midst of our grief and shame. He goes where the wounded can be found. He goes where those in need of grace can be found. His baptism symbolizes this fact. He shares baptism with us that we might in turn receive the grace he came to offer, that we might share in his victory and resurrection. Jesus is baptized that we might meet him in the water but this meeting cannot take place if we can't find the courage to heed John's call, a call to repentance. We must get beyond our presumptions of innocence. We must confess our need and enter the water. Jesus waits for us there.
With the birth of Jesus we received a great gift from God. A prophet, priest, a king, a savior. In response the wise men traveled to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Their gifts were fitting for one such as this. What can we give that is fitting given both who Jesus is and what we are able to experienced through him. There is only one gift that even begins to fit the bill, the whole of our lives. This we offer as Christians, not that we can ever repay God, but as an act of gratitude and praise.
While Biblical genealogies are not terrible exciting they are included in the scriptural texts for a reason. This is certainly true in the gospels. In addressing a primarily Jewish Audience the gospel of Matthew begins by presenting Jesus as both a descendant of Abraham and a descendant of David. As such he is qualified to be the one in whom God's promises and purposes revealed to both Abraham and David can be revealed. Both were important parts of the messianic hope.
With the Birth of Jesus, a family is born. The family of Mary and Joseph, but also the family of God. For with the birth of Jesus, and the life and ministry to follow, comes the opportunity for all people to be born anew. Mary and Joseph are not our parents, but through grace, Jesus becomes our brother. The son born to Mary and Joseph is also the Son of God, and through the grace of God we are received as God's sons and daughters.
In the depths of exile a hope was born. A hope for one sent by God who will bring freedom to the captive and justice. This hope is but one more on a long list of hopes and promises we find in the Old Testament. Yet God is faithful and we proclaim that this hope, born in exile, was fulfilled along side all the others. With the coming of Jesus, the anointed one, the messiah, the servant longed for and spoken of in Isaiah, was at last revealed. In this one, Jesus, God's persistent and gracious power is brought to bear on a broken world and through him God's promises are and will be fulfilled.