What God Really Really Wants: 4/7
Ministry intern Jenny Jacobson says what God really really wants is... well, little things, like justice, and kindness, and humility before God. And she says it in the loveliest way, with the prophet Micah's help.
What God Really Really Wants: 3/7
Amos looks at economic inequity, the systemic brokenness wherein the poor get poorer and the rich are “cows of Bashan”, and says, “God really really doesn’t want that.” Are we, in our churches and in our politics, thinking and talking about poverty with the same passion? Why not?
What God Really Really Wants: 2/7
Jay (our brand-new intern from Brite Divinity School) takes on Joel -- a contextless prophet whose mysterious identity leaves us with lots of interpretive choices. But while we're choosing, the earth is burning with wildfire, plague, drought, and famine. What does God think about that?
What God Really Really Wants: 1/7
The “Minor” Prophets of the Hebrew Bible can see it -- what God really, really wants -- and they'll do just about anything to tell us what they see. Starting with Hosea, we'll let them have their say over seven potentially painful weeks.
This is my son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 8/8
The queer, saving love of our queer, Samaritan God.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 7/8
"Lambs among wolves," Jesus called his friends. We've been feeling a little lamb-ish ourselves. And what did he intend them/us to do about that? Remain as vulnerable as possible. Hope for hospitality. Share a table, share good news.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 6/8
"Does it sound scary to set your face toward Jerusalem? Many of your fellow humans are in Jerusalem already." -- Christian Briones, our friend and guest preacher the Sunday after a week he called "a beating." Thanks for the good word on a hard Sunday, preacher.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 5/8
What are you afraid of? In these stories from Luke, they're mostly afraid of Jesus. Not the storm, not the demons, but the messiah himself.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 4/8
What better way to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges than a Galileo wedding cake?
“A seed-sower sowed seeds sowingly in the seeded steppes,” Jesus says in a parable. The secrets—the mysteries—of God are being revealed and coming to light. “Can you hear me now?” Jesus asks. “Can you see it now?” It’s a hundred-fold harvest and boundless light.
Look, A Glutton and a Drunkard! 3/8
All the names, all the dead. And the problem of Jesus, that woman, his feet, her hair, our sensibilities.
Look A Glutton and a Drunkard! 2/8
Orlando. Pulse. Homophobia. Hate. John the Baptist. Jesus. What do we say now?
Look, A Glutton and a Drunkard: 1/8
Explaining intersectionality this way: "It’s like if the centurion and the widow of Nain had a baby, that baby would be us."
Church: What is it Good For? 9/9
"A bruised reed, we will not break; a dimly burning wick, we will not quench." It must be true; that's what it says on our t-shirt.
On this night we made our Covenant of Co-Conspiracy -- that's how you say "yes" to prioritizing the mission of Galileo Church for one year. Read the covenant here.
Church: What is it Good For? 8/9
Meinrad Craighead, "Song of Solomon"
Nature lovers, this sermon is (not) for you. Beauty is everywhere; God made sure of that. Church helps us know where to look.
(The Genesis 2 reading is recorded here; but much of the sermon's imagery comes from the Song of Solomon. Enjoy.)
Church: What is it Good For? 7/9
"Do you have anything to say to me before I leave?" -- Lancelot Lamar in Walker Percy's Lancelot. Or was it Beyoncé in Lemonade? Or is the Samaritan woman at that well with Jesus? The Trinity Brazos Area of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pondered it hard at our annual assembly.
For the first part of the sermon, Bey's "Hold Up" video played silently on the screen behind the preacher. It was... umm... unsettling. In the best possible way.
You don't have to have read Lancelot or seen Lemonade for this to make sense. But you probably should anyway. Just sayin'.
Church: What is it Good For? 6/9
Did Jesus love his mother? It's up for debate, at least the way we think about "love." But he loved his family-of-choice, and so do we. At our best, (baptismal) water is thicker than blood. Welcome to your family, church.
Church: What is it Good For? 5/9
The Bible is not normal. The Bible is not simple. The Bible is not even for you, individually. The Bible is weird, complex, and for us, all together. The church is a community of interpretation. Get in here and let's read it together.
Church: What is it Good For? 4/9
Church is the place where we cultivate hope. It's where we lick the batter from the bowl before the cake is baked. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God -- "Despite all appearances to the contrary, God is in charge." That's what we're saying, too.
Church: What is it Good For? 3/9
A sermon... about a sermon... mind blown. Also, a sermon in which the preacher maintains a sarcastic voice from the beginning to the very end. We don't know if it's a good idea, but it happened. The preacher explains, "Sometimes the text is too hard for me to preach with it. I sort of preach against it, but with the skeptical people of God, so the scripture can be heard, so Jesus gets his say." Does it work for you?
Church: What is it Good For? 2/9
Rev. Nicole McRaney with Rev. Coretha Loughridge of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Our first ordination! Nicole McRaney answered God's call to ministry and we got to say "yes" to that. And she asked for her favorite text, the one about spinning and weaving, so we made that work like this.