Posts tagged understanding
Naming the Nameless
Naming the Nameless

In her recent sermon, Vicar Allison Vincent-Beckman explores the story of the two women who came to King Solomon in a state of hurt, looking for a solution. She attributes names and extrapolates stories by which to try to understand them better and thereby understand why they acted and reacted as they did. One woman is sanctified by her willingness to sacrifice while the other remains hurt and lost. But both are alone, failed by their community. It is a reminder that “we have a responsibility to speak up for the widow, the orphan, and the alien in our land.”

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Communicationssolomon, violence, circumstance, understanding, pain, hurtComment
Eyes for Injustice
Eyes for Injustice

This Lent we have been hearing a different story than the one we have known, a lot of hard truth about the White-centered narrative that we don’t even realized shapes our views and our actions. In our Lent of Liberation devotional, conversations and sermons, we’ve wrestled with the past and present injustices perpetrated against black Americans. This sermon takes a look at German theologian and pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who gained a new perspective through the eyes of a black church and experience in Nazi Germany.

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CommunicationsBonhoeffer, sermon, Lent, oppression, injustice, equality, racial justice, understandingComment
Uprooting Hate
Uprooting Hate

Jesus, in his attempt to bring love into the world, sat down with people who the world hated – the roman soldier, the tax collector, the prostitute, the leaper and the daemon possessed. Jesus broke down the walls of hate by bringing others with him so they too could help uproot and kill the plants of hatred from within. We can break down the roots of hatred, too. It starts with hearing the story of those whom we hate.

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Pastor Mikehate, hatred, Jesus, love, understanding, empathyComment
Vulnerability Changes You
Vulnerability Changes You

How easily we can go through life without truly knowing others or letting ourselves be known by them, even and especially in our faith communities. How genuinely faith might grow if we asked each other the deep questions, made space for hard and authentic stories, and learned to let our legs tremble as we made it a regular practice to share from the heart. Knit together through stories, how powerful we might be as disciples for the sake of the world.

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communicationvulnerability, trust, faith, church community, Prayer, Peace, understanding, compassionComment