Sermons
I Am Who I Am
“My dear friend and mentor in all things pastoring and cycling, Dan Schneider-Bryan, will be preaching for me this Sunday, as you all dive into one of the most important stories in all of Scripture. That is, the call of Moses. It’s a powerful, rich, story, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy Dan.” -Pastor Paul
Wherever You Go
“We are rolling right along with the Story of God and God’s People as we enter into week three this Sunday. Last week we looked at Abraham and Isaac, and this Sunday we’ll meet the third part of the Jewish Patriarch, Jacob. It’s a whole heap of a mess of a story, so hopefully we can bring some clarity to it and discern what it is God has for us in this space through it.” -Pastor Paul
This Is Only a Test
“This week we continue in the Narrative Lectionary by moving from God creating all the things, to zooming in on one family, Abraham and Sarah, and God’s call on them to be the father and mother of a great nation. This week’s story is kind of a troubling one, and definitely needs some reimagining from its traditional interpretations. And that’s exactly what we will do!” -Pastor Paul
And So It Begins
“I am excited to be kicking another season in the Narrative Lectionary. This is the lectionary we did last year, which works through the Biblical narrative from Genesis in the Hebrew Bible all the way through the Torah, the the kings, and the Prophets, and then into a Gospel (this year we get John) and ultimately some epistles. As a reminder this lectionary works on a 4-year cycle, one for each Gospel, so we’ll be working through the same narrative,…
Week I: The Mustard Seed
This week we kickoff our second Summer Sermon Series, “Short Stories by Jesus”, which is a look at some of Jesus’ parables as discussed in New Testament scholar Rabbi Amy-Jill Levine’s book of that title, Short Stories by Jesus. Parables are a funny thing (more on that on Sunday), and I look forward to unpacking them over the next five weeks (or perhaps better stated, “piecing them together- again more on Sunday!). -Pastor Paul
God My God, She Takes Pride in Me
This Sunday we have a special guest coming to preach. Jean Carlos Diaz (bio below) is the new Pastor at what is known as “The Wesley Foundation” at the University of Minnesota (ski-u-mah) which he has reframed, relaunched, and renamed “Neon”. Considering our proximity to “The U”, I’d love for us to support this ministry however we can. Jean Carlos is a dynamic leader, a great story teller, and exudes joy. I think you’ll really enjoy him and be inspired…
Correcting Centuries of Wrong | Week VI: Hagar
This week we look at what I believe to be among the most wronged characters in all of Scripture, Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. We will look at her words, her story, and her significance in world history, as well as deconstruct the Apostle Paul’s atrocious treatment of her. When I came up with the idea for this series, Hagar was the first character I knew I wanted to look at. -Pastor Paul