In this first sermon in a series on the Lord’s Prayer, we consider what it means to call God “our Father” or “our Mother” through our own experiences of having an earthly father or mother, or, for some of us, our own experiences of being a parent. Note: In the story David tells of the…

Ruling Elder Marlene Smith preaches about looking forward to a new year with an openness to new paths God may reveal.

Most of us know Isaiah’s prophecy, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son” from Matthew’s gospel, but the story of King Ahaz, trapped by two kings who united were more powerful than him, to whom Isaiah’s prophecy originally came, is less well-known.

Starting with God.

John the Baptist appears on the scene with what seems like a message of wrath, but Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” We explore what it might look like to read…

John Lennon imagined a world with no religion. Isaiah envisions a world in which all the world marches to Zion to learn from Israel’s God. In Christ, God comes to the world as a baby and learns from the world.

This is how Christ rules – not with a rod of iron, but with a staff of reed, with a crown of thorns on his head. Jesus rules a kingdom of love not from a throne but from a cross.

Scripture says “If we deny him [Jesus], he also will deny us.” Is this something we should be worried about?

When Jesus shouts out at the festival of booths, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink!” he is insisting (loudly) that the water of life given to Israel as they wandered in the wilderness is not merely a story of the past, but a living reality. Jesus is saying that the…