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Easter 2017: Bearing Witness
April 9-May 28, 2017
The Seventh Sunday of Easter - May 28, 2017
"Bearing Witness: Bewitched or Enchanted"
Scripture: Galatians 3:1-7, 23-29
In a world wracked with division, despair, and despotism, what can be done? Paul is faced with something like this question when he writes to the Galatians. Following in the tradition of opening the doors of the new church wide open, Paul continues that attitude into the future.
PDF and audio are available this week.
Peace and grace to you! Pastor Seth
"Bearing Witness: Bewitched or Enchanted"
Scripture: Galatians 3:1-7, 23-29
In a world wracked with division, despair, and despotism, what can be done? Paul is faced with something like this question when he writes to the Galatians. Following in the tradition of opening the doors of the new church wide open, Paul continues that attitude into the future.
PDF and audio are available this week.
Peace and grace to you! Pastor Seth
The Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 14, 2017
"Bearing Witness: 'They' Are Like 'Us'"
Scripture: Acts 15:1-18
This week, we continue our look at what it means to bear witness to Christ's Resurrection in the world. With the faith expanding quickly, questions arise about how best to do things as a church. And so today, we get a look into an early church meeting - a council of churches. The very first one, in fact. An interesting story about a church meeting? Yep!
PDF is above, and audio below.
Peace to all! Pastor Seth
"Bearing Witness: 'They' Are Like 'Us'"
Scripture: Acts 15:1-18
This week, we continue our look at what it means to bear witness to Christ's Resurrection in the world. With the faith expanding quickly, questions arise about how best to do things as a church. And so today, we get a look into an early church meeting - a council of churches. The very first one, in fact. An interesting story about a church meeting? Yep!
PDF is above, and audio below.
Peace to all! Pastor Seth
The Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 7, 2017
"Bearing Witness: What Is Stopping Me From Being Baptized?"
Scripture: Acts 8:26-39
I was out of the pulpit for two Sundays in a row. Thank you to Brian Harden and Dr. David Pier for preaching in my absence. The first Sunday away, I was blessed to celebrate the second Sunday of Easter at The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, MA. This was Jonathan Edwards church for many years. From there, I drove up Highway 7 to Bennington, VT, then crossed over to New York state and spent 5 days at New Skete Monastery. New Skete is an Orthodox monastery governed by a Franciscan rule of order. And they raise German Shepherds! So I hung out with monks and puppies for a while.
Our story this week is part of the spiraling, ever-widening story of how the Holy Spirit expands the reach of the Good News of Jesus Christ and calls us to bear witness to his Resurrection. Today, we meet the Ethiopian Eunuch and see Philip the disciple use a "Trinity of Illumination" - Interest, Deepening, Immersion - to guide the Ethiopian Eunuch into the faith.
I only have a PDF this week. The audio did not record all of the sermon.
Peace and grace! Pastor Seth
"Bearing Witness: What Is Stopping Me From Being Baptized?"
Scripture: Acts 8:26-39
I was out of the pulpit for two Sundays in a row. Thank you to Brian Harden and Dr. David Pier for preaching in my absence. The first Sunday away, I was blessed to celebrate the second Sunday of Easter at The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, MA. This was Jonathan Edwards church for many years. From there, I drove up Highway 7 to Bennington, VT, then crossed over to New York state and spent 5 days at New Skete Monastery. New Skete is an Orthodox monastery governed by a Franciscan rule of order. And they raise German Shepherds! So I hung out with monks and puppies for a while.
Our story this week is part of the spiraling, ever-widening story of how the Holy Spirit expands the reach of the Good News of Jesus Christ and calls us to bear witness to his Resurrection. Today, we meet the Ethiopian Eunuch and see Philip the disciple use a "Trinity of Illumination" - Interest, Deepening, Immersion - to guide the Ethiopian Eunuch into the faith.
I only have a PDF this week. The audio did not record all of the sermon.
Peace and grace! Pastor Seth
Easter Sunday - April 16, 2017
"Listen and Believe"
Scripture: Luke 24:1-12
Resurrection Sunday is the High Holiday of the Christian faith. Every year we celebrate the reason for what we believe - Jesus Christ's Resurrection. We have come through Jesus' ministry, to his triumphant and strange entrance to Jerusalem, and followed him into the upper room where he shared a Last Supper with the disciples, then to his trial and crucifixion, through the days of darkness, to this day. You would think that, after 2000 years, we would know everything we could know and have heard everything we could have heard about the Resurrection. But the Holy Spirit is continually renewing our faith, our knowledge, and our ability. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit and the experience of the Risen Christ is something you know right now.
This Easter Sunday, we welcomed Windfern to our worship service. Maho, a flutist, and Nathan, a violist, provided beautiful music and accompaniment for us. Thank you both!
Enjoy the full sermon or just the sermon linked below!
"Listen and Believe"
Scripture: Luke 24:1-12
Resurrection Sunday is the High Holiday of the Christian faith. Every year we celebrate the reason for what we believe - Jesus Christ's Resurrection. We have come through Jesus' ministry, to his triumphant and strange entrance to Jerusalem, and followed him into the upper room where he shared a Last Supper with the disciples, then to his trial and crucifixion, through the days of darkness, to this day. You would think that, after 2000 years, we would know everything we could know and have heard everything we could have heard about the Resurrection. But the Holy Spirit is continually renewing our faith, our knowledge, and our ability. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit and the experience of the Risen Christ is something you know right now.
This Easter Sunday, we welcomed Windfern to our worship service. Maho, a flutist, and Nathan, a violist, provided beautiful music and accompaniment for us. Thank you both!
Enjoy the full sermon or just the sermon linked below!
Palm Sunday - April 9, 2017
"Compassion: The Things That Make for Peace"
Scripture: Luke 19:29-44
Palm Sunday is the transition between Lent and Holy Week, the time when we follow Jesus to the Last Supper on Thursday, the Cross on Friday, the time of darkness on Saturday, and the Resurrection on Sunday. In a time when the rhetoric in the world is ratcheting up for global conflict in faraway lands, it bears remembering that Jesus comes in peace - at his birth and his entrance to his final week. When we honor the hidden things of God being revealed to us, we welcome peace. When we hide things from God for self, family, nation, we welcome broken relationships, violence, war. May the peace of Christ be with us all. Pastor Seth
The PDF is above and the audio is here.
"Compassion: The Things That Make for Peace"
Scripture: Luke 19:29-44
Palm Sunday is the transition between Lent and Holy Week, the time when we follow Jesus to the Last Supper on Thursday, the Cross on Friday, the time of darkness on Saturday, and the Resurrection on Sunday. In a time when the rhetoric in the world is ratcheting up for global conflict in faraway lands, it bears remembering that Jesus comes in peace - at his birth and his entrance to his final week. When we honor the hidden things of God being revealed to us, we welcome peace. When we hide things from God for self, family, nation, we welcome broken relationships, violence, war. May the peace of Christ be with us all. Pastor Seth
The PDF is above and the audio is here.