Sunday Teachings - Sanctuary Community Church: Recent Episodes
Sanctuary Community Church (Iowa City)
From the Sunday morning sermons at Sanctuary. Focused on justice, compassion, and practical wisdom, rooted in humanity's profound connection with God
8/27/23 Adey invites us to reflect on what happens when our "master narrative" no longer works.
8/20/23 David invites us to reflect on the instruments, tools, and technologies we use and how those impact our ability to receive and extend Jesus' good news.
8/6/23 Adey considers the role that friends play in helping us access the healing Jesus offers.
7/31/23 David considers the Bible's many warnings against cities alongside the promise of finding God in them.
7/23/23 Tom examines the classic metaphor of a "faith journey" and the many gifts it offers.
7/16/23 David looks at a classic story where Abraham and God negotiate over fairness and justice.
7/9/23 Adey leads our all-ages service with the help of some of Sanctuary's kids. Tom also contributes with the reading of a story.
7/2/23 Tom examines the anxious question of "Who's in and who's out of the Kingdom of God?"
6/18/23 Kevo Rivera shares about what Sanctuary has meant to him during his 9 years in Iowa City. Then Adey follows with a reflection on Psalm 139.
6/11/23 Guest preacher Chris McMillan looks at the story of the Ethiopian eunuch to examine who gets included or excluded and why.
5/28/23 David's Pentecost message from this past Sunday wasn't recorded properly, so we're offering this recast from Sept. 2019. In this message, David walks through the challenging dilemma of what we might do when we disagree with the plain reading of the Bible.
11/28/22 Tom kicks off Advent with a few stories about paying attention to God and God's activity in our world.
11/13/22 Adey follows a Child Dedication and story for children with a shorter meditation on children and faith.
11/6/22 Tom remixes the dismantling patriarchy messages by looking at two stories of Jesus' interactions with power.
10/30/22 After an update on our Cougar Chow program (a food distribution through Coralville Central Elementary), David looks at the biblical Amos' vision of justice, including feeding the hungry and challenging systems that create hunger in the first place.
10/23/22 In this final installment of our DISMANTLING THE PATRIARCHY series, Adey reflects on her own story and the story of the Exodus, underscoring the complicated choices people make within patriarchal systems.
10/16/22 Tom continues our DISMANTLING THE PATRIARCHY series by looking at the story traditionally (and badly) titled "The Woman Caught in Adultery." He examines just how subversive Jesus is in the story and the implications for us today.
10/9/22 David kicks of our 3-part series on DISMANTLING THE PATRIARCHY with this clear-eyed look at the dominant Christian interpretive tradition of Genesis 2-3. Thankfully, there's an alternative available.
9/25/22 Tom follows the baptism of seven children during the service to explore what it means to be "children of God."
9/18/22 David borrows from research related to the 7 Types of Rest and looks at the connection between rest, faith, and human flourishing. For detailed notes, visit www.sanctuaryic.org/blog.
9/11/22 Adey invites us to claim the power of blessing, for ourselves and our children.
9/4/22 Tom asks what comes after resurrection, or a meaningful victorious event. What's God's invitation for us after the big thing?
8/28/22 Adey considers how God works through people seeking justice when systems are not just.
8/21/22 David looks at original blessing as an alternative to the doctrine of original sin.
8/14/22 Tom reflects on Jesus' miracle of feeding thousands with 5 loaves and 2 fish and what it teaches us about food, community, and belonging.
7/31/22 David looks at the story of Abraham hosting three mysterious guests to explore the reciprocal divine blessings that come through hospitality, both to the recipient and to the giver.
7/24/22 Tom examines a few of the more perplexing teachings of Jesus and invites us to consider that perplexity is the point. But there's more depth underneath it too.
7/10/22 David looks at the famous story of Jesus walking on water (through chaotic darkness). "Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid," Jesus says. "Come, walk with me."
7/3/22 Tom preaches on Jesus as a "mother hen," an image Jesus uses in the gospels. You'll also hear lots of chatter related to a hummingbird that flew into the sanctuary during worship and flew out around the 8-minute mark of Tom's message.
6/26/22 Adey looks at Jesus' answer to his disciples' request: "Lord, teach us to pray."
6/19/22 David explores the connection between Juneteenth and faith by looking at the Jubilee laws in Leviticus.
6/12/22 Tom looks at how Jesus responds to human systems that produce more harm than good.
6/5/22 On this Pentecost Sunday, David picks up the promise of God's Spirit poured out "on all flesh" that means everyone becomes a prophet. ! Beginning with an exercise derived from Jane McGonigal's new book IMAGINABLE, David looks at the benefits of "prophecy," or envisioning the future in such ways that impact how we act and behave today.
5/22/22 Tom dives into two of Jesus' parables and highlights the tensions and invitations in each.
5/15/22 After celebrating a lovely child dedication during worship, Adey looks at several Bible stories about children and what they mean about God's heart for kids.
5/8/22 Tom invites us into reflecting on Jesus cursing the fig tree and his protest in the Temple.
5/1/22 David explores what Jesus' command to "go and make disciples" looks like today given its use and abuse in church history.
4/17/22 In this Easter message, Tom walks through some of Jesus' resurrection moments and how they felt to those experiencing new life.
4/10/22 David explores the story of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane and asks to what degree Jesus experiences peace through prayer.
4/3/22 Tom looks at Jesus' last words to his disciples as Jesus promises friends, family, and a future.
3/27/22 What stories do we tell ourselves? How do they impact us? How does our faith inform our interaction with our stories? Adey considers these questions and more.
3/20/22 David examines the meaning and context for modern "peace offerings" in light of Jesus' use of the prophetic witness: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
3/13/22 Adey facilitates some practices that make room for God's peace as she integrates our own experience into one of the central stories in the Bible: exile.
3/6/22 Tom kicks off our Lent teaching series "Seeking God's Peace" by reflecting on how the "peace" a community experiences may be the result of scapegoating certain individuals. True peace means healing for all. (We apologize for the audio quality this week. We're addressing the issue!)
2/27/22 David looks at a Bible story of literal deconstruction and how Jesus celebrates the act as an act of faith. The story of Nannie Helen Burroughs provides another helpful model for all of us looking to reform institutions while creating our own life-giving institutions as well.
2/20/22 Tom shares about his own meaningful prayer practices as a possible models for others. Also, squid are weird.
2/13/22 Adey shares some of her own story while identifying the disturbing rise of antisemitism.
2/6/22 David looks at the lessons that Genesis 1 - and our pets - teach us about ourselves, life, and God.
1/30/22 Tom looks at two of Jesus' parables and invites us to consider what they mean for us today.
1/23/22 David celebrates how science confirms Christianity's ancient wisdom regarding gratitude. And we practice some together. (Towards the beginning, there's a 90-second segment cut from this audio where we wrote thank-you notes. Feel free to pause and write your own.)
1/16/22 Adey reflects on God's gift of church and community when life (and Christmas) is hard.
1/9/22 Dr. Katie Imborek provides an update regarding COVID-19 locally. Then David considers how to access God's non-anxious presence to better face an uncertain future.
12/19/21 Tom walks through God's extraordinary alert to the shepherds and its implications for us today.
12/12/21 Adey reflects on Mary's story and how the life of faith is a life without resolution. But God is still holding out hope. Special thanks to Cheryl Parrish for sharing her written reflection for this teaching.
12/5/21 Tom looks at the Gospel of John's "Christmas story" and its portrayal of light and darkness. Sometimes it's not so easy to welcome God's light.
11/28/21 David considers the first Advent theme of "hope" and ties it into three scandalous iterations of divine light.
11/21/21 Adey considers the ongoing cycles of hope and disillusionment and what it all means for faith in God.
11/14/21 Tom picks up after our Child Dedication Sunday to consider some of Jesus' teachings related to the kingdom of God and becoming like a child.
11/7/21 Guest preacher Chris Hoklotubbe shares from his own experience while offering indigenous readings of Scripture.
10/31/21 Adey reframes the classic "Come, Holy Spirit" prayer and leads several contemplative practices.
10/24/21 David compares the economy of God to the global economy while asking what it looks like to follow Jesus into generosity and giving.
10/17/21 Tom explores the tension of meeting God in the wild places (vs. within human civilization) and the good news of those encounters.
10/10/21 Adey reflects on the book of Ruth from the Bible, and she borrows from four different interpretive traditions that bring new context and meaning to the story.
10/3/21 Chris McMillan contemplates the ways we are called to follow Christ and implications for all of us, individually and collectively. NOTE: The beginning of this message included a 5-minute clip from THE WIZ with Michael Jackson as the scarecrow. Chris visits themes from that clip towards the end of his message.
9/26/21 Tom considers the wide open, lavish grace of God and what the means - and doesn't mean - for us today.
9/12/21 James Tutson riffs off God's "I AM WHO I AM" revelation to Moses and identifies how that frees us to be us.
9/5/21 Adey shares some stories of the miraculous and invites us to consider how God is present in these moments.
8/29/21 Tom helps redefine sin as he blasts the long tradition of threat-based Christianity. And he invites a new version: carefree Christianity.
8/15/21 Bobby examines God's invitation into Sabbath rest and all of its personal and structural implications.
8/8/21 Pointing to Jesus as a model, David uses a couple common gestures to describe the process of making external identities our internal realities. Hand-on-heart reality.
8/1/21 Tom re-frames some stories that Jesus tells showing how they highlight the tensions around human striving and desire. And how divine presence is the way through it.
7/18/21 Chris McMillan shares how early followers of Jesus experienced God's inclusion.
6/27/21 Adey shares the story of Sanctuary and embracing LGBTQ inclusion, God leading us into love.
6/20/21 David tells some dad jokes on Father's Day while exploring the intersection of faith, humor, and laughter. Especially when life is hard.
6/13/21 In our first in-person Sunday morning worship since March, 2020, Adey invites us to reflect on finding God when everything feels like it's been on hold.
3/17/20 1-minute update on Sunday services and live stream. Go to www.sanctuaryic.org for more info.
3/8/20 Adey leans into our Lent series on Spiritual Practices by leading us through 3 simple spiritual practices.
3/1/20 Tom launches our Lent teaching series on SPIRITUAL PRACTICES by sharing his own recent practices and the call to justice that has resulted.
2/26/20 In this 5-minute meditation, Bryan Hutchinson-Reuss describes how Jesus' life, death, and resurrection provides the model and pattern for what we embrace every Lent season. Indeed, we may always enter into this pattern. "A reminder that you are dust. Now be filled with God's breath."
2/23/20 David anticipates the beginning of Lent by contrasting shame vs. acceptance approaches to spiritual practices. BONUS: the one and only Katie Iverson models the acceptance-based approach by sharing her own Lenten fast. You can find the comparison chart on Sanctuary's Instagram and Facebook pages. Enjoy!
2/16/20 Tom presents the reflections of members at Sanctuary about our charged political climate, and then he walks through a story of Jesus with some big implications.
This teaching from Emily Swan took place at a conference in November, 2016. It summarizes well some of the philosophy of Rene Girard and its implications for how we understand the central story we tell about God and humanity.
2/9/20 Chris wraps up our RECLAIMING SCRIPTURE series with a hilarious and profound message on seeing and embodiment.
2/2/20 Adey continues our RECLAIMING SCRIPTURE series by sharing how her own story maps onto one meaningful story in Scripture. And she invites us all to do the same.
1/26/20 David describes one of the MOST popular and LEAST helpful approaches to the Bible before offering an alternative approach that he finds much more helpful.
1/19/20 Tom kicks off our Reclaiming Scripture series by looking at a classic story of Jesus' use of Scripture.
1/5/20 Tom kicks off the new year by looking at Jesus' invitation to take on Jesus' burdens.
12/22/19 Adey invites us to consider the new things God is doing in our lives - and in the lives of others - and how we might participate.
12/15/19 Tom asks how the gift of a child addresses the world's deepest needs. You can hear Tom interacting with a baby in the introduction. He was holding a baby for the first few minutes of the teaching.
12/8/19 David uses eggnog, mindfulness, and a tense story from the gospels to reflect on God's Peace.
12/1/19 Chris Hoklotubbe kicks off the Advent season with a meditation on hope from the prophet Isaiah. **We apologize for the audio quality on this one. We're working to ensure it doesn't happen again.
11/17/19 Chris helps us consider the intrinsic link between loving God and loving others. (This podcast was edited and re-posted after the first version contained 6-minutes of silent audio.)
11/3/19 David examines the intersection of faith and feelings while deconstructing the use of a Bible verse to diminish the role feelings play in faith.
10/27/19 Adey looks at the story of Hagar as a model for our faith, particularly in how we name and know God.
10/20/19 Tom considers what gets lost when we choose convenience and how our faith can lead us to re-claim what's lost.
10/13/19 Guest preacher Katie Imborek announces God's good news for LGBTQ+ people: coming out can be coming home.
10/6/19 Adey continues the CREATING SANCTUARY series by considering the risks involved in being a part of a community.
9/29/19 Using American slavery as a case study along with a provocative story from the life of Jesus, David offers a compelling look at Sanctuary's approach to the Bible.
9/15/19 Adey's 10-minute message, sharing about Sanctuary's Hands On Faith ministry, followed presentations from United Action for Youth and from Aaron Scherer on local affordable housing efforts.
9/8/19 In this hilarious examination of our relationships, Adey asks us to consider the close link between healthy relationships and faith in God.
9/1/19 Tom kicks off our new teaching series CREATING SANCTUARY with one of Sanctuary's less recognized but crucial values.
8/4/19 Guest preacher Chris Hoklotubbe contemplates the end of the world and God's call to be faithful whatever the circumstance.
7/2819 Guest preacher Ellie Alberhasky taps into the divine connection in everything, everywhere.
7/21/19 Adey leads several different spiritual practices, continuing our series on The Created World.
7/7/19 David follows a short reflection from Becky Schaffner by looking at a few parables of Jesus, all of which use objects from creation to teach something about God. But more than the specific lessons, Jesus' model of finding parables within nature is worth imitating.
6/23/19 Tom launches our new series THE CREATED WORLD with a exploration of Jesus, prayer, and being on the lake. Literally.
6/16/19 DBG looks at the incredible Bible stories of people encountering God in the darkness and then explores one particular story full of wonder and terror. Barbara Brown Taylor's book Learning to Walk in the Dark is featured prominently in this teaching. Enjoy!
6/9/19 Adey leans into Pentecost, the celebration of God's Spirit liberally poured out on all people.
6/2/19 James Tutson invites us to embrace our idiocy as an effective way of following Jesus.
5/26/19 Tom offers a rationale for LOVE as the ultimate basis of life and following Jesus.
5/19/19 Adey looks at how theologies change and evolve, and what causes theologies to change and evolve.
5/12/19 Tom re-centers the kindness of Jesus while looking at stories of Jesus' radical inclusivity.
5/5/19 David considers two widely different interpretations of one of Jesus' parables in an effort to discern God's call to use our power and gifts well.
4/28/19 Adey looks at a story of Jesus encountering a woman at a well and the surprising turns the story takes.
4/21/19 Local poet The Negro Artist Caleb Rainey opens with a spoken word. Then Tom follows with an Easter message.
4/14/19 David offers Jonah as an example of the opportunity to receive God's liberation when life gets flipped.
4/7/19 Tom considers Jesus proclamation to the man crucified next to him: "Today, you will be with me in paradise."
3/31/19 Adey considers the scores of nameless women in the Bible and what God might say to that.
3/24/19 James Tutson offers his hilarious movie trailer version of Genesis 2 while unpacking some of the profound insights of that story.
3/17/19 Guest preacher AJ Leman continues our Lent teaching series FLIPPED by considering what's at stake in listening to and following Jesus.
3/10/19 Tom kicks off our Lent series FLIPPED by looking at some of the central teachings of Jesus.
3/3/19 Adey identifies some of the key aspects of Sanctuary's vision and invites people to financially support that vision.
In conjunction with our teaching series God, Gender, & Human Sexuality, we hosted this seminar on Gender & Sexual Identity with Dr. Katie Imborek.
Part 4 of our 5-part series on God, Gender, & Human Sexuality. Ruth 1:6-18; 2 Samuel 1:26-27
Part 2 of our 5-part series on God, Gender, and Human Sexuality. The Bible story is from John 21.
1 Corinthians 7. This is part 1 of our 5-part series on God, Gender, and Human Sexuality.