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September 26, 2021 - Eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost
"Getting in the Way of Faith" - Rev. Seth D Jones
This Sunday ends a long trajectory through Mark that explores language, truth and community. These themes are powerful in our present day as well. Today, the Gospel of Mark collects several Jesus sayings into one place. They are pretty intense, so we go through it line by line.
This Sunday also represents the beginning of my month long sabbatical. I will be away from the church for all of October and will be working on my Doctor of Ministry project. Go to our website at rocklandcongregationalchurch.org to see the schedule of who will be preaching during the month.
In the meantime, here is the full service from worship yesterday.
Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth
"Getting in the Way of Faith" - Rev. Seth D Jones
This Sunday ends a long trajectory through Mark that explores language, truth and community. These themes are powerful in our present day as well. Today, the Gospel of Mark collects several Jesus sayings into one place. They are pretty intense, so we go through it line by line.
This Sunday also represents the beginning of my month long sabbatical. I will be away from the church for all of October and will be working on my Doctor of Ministry project. Go to our website at rocklandcongregationalchurch.org to see the schedule of who will be preaching during the month.
In the meantime, here is the full service from worship yesterday.
Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth
September 19, 2021 - Seventeenth Sunday of Pentecost
"What Do You Really Care About?" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Jesus is confronted by the disciples need for power and standing. Then Jesus is confronted by Peter. Then Jesus tells him, "Get behind me, Satan". What is going on here? Why would Jesus be so upset?
The full service is below.
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth
"What Do You Really Care About?" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Jesus is confronted by the disciples need for power and standing. Then Jesus is confronted by Peter. Then Jesus tells him, "Get behind me, Satan". What is going on here? Why would Jesus be so upset?
The full service is below.
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth
September 12, 2021 - Sixteenth Sunday of Pentecost
"Let Us Stand Up Together" - Rev Seth D Jones
We have explored the nature of truth and different ways of using language over the past few weeks. This week, we look at how we receive words from the outside world. Jesus gets real real fast with Peter regarding how we are listening to the words of other people and the culture. The question, in modern parlance, seems to be, "Who is living inside your head?"
Enjoy the video of the service!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
"Let Us Stand Up Together" - Rev Seth D Jones
We have explored the nature of truth and different ways of using language over the past few weeks. This week, we look at how we receive words from the outside world. Jesus gets real real fast with Peter regarding how we are listening to the words of other people and the culture. The question, in modern parlance, seems to be, "Who is living inside your head?"
Enjoy the video of the service!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
August 29, 2021 - Fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" - Rev. Seth Jones
Scripture: James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-23
This week, Jesus speaks to the source of evil and wickedness. He proclaims the religious leaders of the day "Hypocrites". "Hypocrite" is a Greek word meaning, 'to take the stage', or 'to play a part with a mask on'. Appropriate reading for these days. The concern of hypocrisy is whether the words one says match the actions one commits, and Jesus says it all has to do with our intentions from the start. The title of the sermon comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and so we explore Jesus' teaching today from the perspective of that amazing play.
Enjoy the audio!
Peace and grace,
Pastor Seth
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" - Rev. Seth Jones
Scripture: James 1:17-27, Mark 7:1-23
This week, Jesus speaks to the source of evil and wickedness. He proclaims the religious leaders of the day "Hypocrites". "Hypocrite" is a Greek word meaning, 'to take the stage', or 'to play a part with a mask on'. Appropriate reading for these days. The concern of hypocrisy is whether the words one says match the actions one commits, and Jesus says it all has to do with our intentions from the start. The title of the sermon comes from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and so we explore Jesus' teaching today from the perspective of that amazing play.
Enjoy the audio!
Peace and grace,
Pastor Seth
August 22, 2021- Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
"Prepared for the Outrageous; Protected Against the Erroneous" - Rev Seth Jones
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69
Last week, we had a hymn sing, led by our Music Director, Scott Dyer, and accompanied by Dick Walton. It was a wonderful time!
This week, we returned to Jesus' extended talk on how He is the Bread of Life. In our reading today, Jesus goes really far in the analogy, pushing beyond the literal and the figurative alike. So we talk about the nature of language and how it shapes our reality and what Jesus may be trying to do at the edges of our understanding of the world.
I have the audio of the whole service below. I have been having trouble translating Facebook videos into editable and usable video for this website. Thank you for your patience!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
"Prepared for the Outrageous; Protected Against the Erroneous" - Rev Seth Jones
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69
Last week, we had a hymn sing, led by our Music Director, Scott Dyer, and accompanied by Dick Walton. It was a wonderful time!
This week, we returned to Jesus' extended talk on how He is the Bread of Life. In our reading today, Jesus goes really far in the analogy, pushing beyond the literal and the figurative alike. So we talk about the nature of language and how it shapes our reality and what Jesus may be trying to do at the edges of our understanding of the world.
I have the audio of the whole service below. I have been having trouble translating Facebook videos into editable and usable video for this website. Thank you for your patience!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
August 8, 2021 - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
"But It FEELS True!" - Rev Seth D Jones
Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51
Sorry for the delay. We are just using Facebook now for the video, and the sound quality is difficult to manage. This week, the soundtrack is just slightly off.
Regardless, in our readings today, we are looking at how we talk about truth and what Scripture says about that. Today, we often hear people say, "It feels true to me", and then they make the next move. "Because it feels true, it is true". This leads to all kinds of problems, which we look at today.
Enjoy the entire service!
Peace, Pastor Seth
"But It FEELS True!" - Rev Seth D Jones
Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51
Sorry for the delay. We are just using Facebook now for the video, and the sound quality is difficult to manage. This week, the soundtrack is just slightly off.
Regardless, in our readings today, we are looking at how we talk about truth and what Scripture says about that. Today, we often hear people say, "It feels true to me", and then they make the next move. "Because it feels true, it is true". This leads to all kinds of problems, which we look at today.
Enjoy the entire service!
Peace, Pastor Seth
July 25, 2021 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
"Orientation Toward Life" - Rev. Ed Gabrielsen
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
I apologize for the break in posting the videos for the week here. I have been out of town. Thank you to our moderator, Brian Harden for preaching on July 18th.
This week, we welcomed Rev. Ed Gabrielsen back to the pulpit. He brought a contemplative message of reorienting our minds to Christ and toward an attitude that brings life rather than one that focuses on fear, anxiety, and death.
Enjoy the video of his sermon!
Peace and grace to all.
Pastor Seth
"Orientation Toward Life" - Rev. Ed Gabrielsen
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
I apologize for the break in posting the videos for the week here. I have been out of town. Thank you to our moderator, Brian Harden for preaching on July 18th.
This week, we welcomed Rev. Ed Gabrielsen back to the pulpit. He brought a contemplative message of reorienting our minds to Christ and toward an attitude that brings life rather than one that focuses on fear, anxiety, and death.
Enjoy the video of his sermon!
Peace and grace to all.
Pastor Seth
July 4, 2021 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
"Thin Places at Home" - Rev Seth D. Jones
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13
Jesus and Paul are both working through "epic fails" in our readings today. How we deal with failure matters, especially when we have adopted following a path which is defined by weakness, not strength; foolishness, not reasonableness; gentleness, not force. These are also not approaches that have high value in either Jesus' culture or ours. But if we allow ourselves to come up to the thin places of vulnerability in our faith walk, we will begin to "break on through to the other side" and see the magnificence of God's ways.
Unfortunately, I was unable to wrangle the Facebook video into an edited version, so here is the link to the video on our Facebook page.
Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth
Full Service for Sunday, July 4, 2021
"Thin Places at Home" - Rev Seth D. Jones
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13
Jesus and Paul are both working through "epic fails" in our readings today. How we deal with failure matters, especially when we have adopted following a path which is defined by weakness, not strength; foolishness, not reasonableness; gentleness, not force. These are also not approaches that have high value in either Jesus' culture or ours. But if we allow ourselves to come up to the thin places of vulnerability in our faith walk, we will begin to "break on through to the other side" and see the magnificence of God's ways.
Unfortunately, I was unable to wrangle the Facebook video into an edited version, so here is the link to the video on our Facebook page.
Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth
Full Service for Sunday, July 4, 2021
June 27, 2021 - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
"Arise! Get Up!" - Rev. Seth D. Jones
Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-33; Mark 5:21-43
The Gospel of Mark uses the Sea of Galilee as a place of movement in his telling of Jesus' story. In our reading, today, we are now back on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. Here, Jesus is beset by crowds again. A 'leader of the synagogue' confronts him about healing his dying child, and on the way, Jesus has to deal with an unclean, excluded, unnamed woman on the streets. There is a lot going on here, and as with all of Mark's Gospel, social orders are being flipped and ideas are being challenged. The power of Mark's Gospel is that what Jesus is up to is as true 2021 years ago as it is today.
Enjoy the edited video!
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth
"Arise! Get Up!" - Rev. Seth D. Jones
Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-33; Mark 5:21-43
The Gospel of Mark uses the Sea of Galilee as a place of movement in his telling of Jesus' story. In our reading, today, we are now back on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. Here, Jesus is beset by crowds again. A 'leader of the synagogue' confronts him about healing his dying child, and on the way, Jesus has to deal with an unclean, excluded, unnamed woman on the streets. There is a lot going on here, and as with all of Mark's Gospel, social orders are being flipped and ideas are being challenged. The power of Mark's Gospel is that what Jesus is up to is as true 2021 years ago as it is today.
Enjoy the edited video!
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth
June 20, 2021 - Fourth Sunday of Pentecost
"Asymmetrical Problem Solving" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Scripture: Mark 4:35-41
Sometimes, there are obvious questions that we do not know to ask about a particular story in Scripture. In today's story, the question is "Why are the disciples afraid of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, when 4 of them are sea captains who have been fishermen on the Sea of Galilee their entire lives?"
When we ask those questions, the stories open up to whole new ways of thinking about the story, Jesus, and our lives of faith.
Here is the link to the Facebook recording. I was unable to edit it off of Facebook's platform.
Peace and grace to all! Pastor Seth
Rockland Congregational Church Facebook Live 06-20-21
June 13, 2021 - Third Sunday of Pentecost
"Your King Has Gone Insane" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:4-20; Mark 3:20-35
Jesus defies the categories we attempt to place upon him. One of the biggest categories we attempt to place on Jesus is that of King. But there are huge problems with thinking of Jesus as a King, not the least of which is that it is a regressive category in a world that presses toward democratic progress. Even more, and here is the heretical idea we explore today, the entire idea of royalty is a negative example in Scripture.
Enjoy the message!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
"Your King Has Gone Insane" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:4-20; Mark 3:20-35
Jesus defies the categories we attempt to place upon him. One of the biggest categories we attempt to place on Jesus is that of King. But there are huge problems with thinking of Jesus as a King, not the least of which is that it is a regressive category in a world that presses toward democratic progress. Even more, and here is the heretical idea we explore today, the entire idea of royalty is a negative example in Scripture.
Enjoy the message!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth
June 6, 2021 - Second Sunday after Pentecost
"Doctor of Ministry Update" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Yesterday, I gave an update on my trip to my summer intensive for my D. Min.
I went to Orca's Island for a week, where I met up with my cohort and our teacher, Dr. Leonard Sweet. It was fantastically beautiful and wonderfully strange to be together with people again.
Next week, I will preach on Mark 3 and 1 Samuel 8.
Enjoy the video below!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth.
"Doctor of Ministry Update" - Rev. Seth D Jones
Yesterday, I gave an update on my trip to my summer intensive for my D. Min.
I went to Orca's Island for a week, where I met up with my cohort and our teacher, Dr. Leonard Sweet. It was fantastically beautiful and wonderfully strange to be together with people again.
Next week, I will preach on Mark 3 and 1 Samuel 8.
Enjoy the video below!
Peace and grace, Pastor Seth.
May 23, 2021 - PENTECOST SUNDAY
"Longing for All Truth" - Rev Seth D Jones
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27, 16:4-15
We celebrated Pentecost today, which is, for all practical purposes, the birth day of the Christian Church.
Among all the things that happened on that day in Jerusalem, one of them was that it was a profound event of truth-telling. We, I believe, are in a truth crisis in our world today, and part of the problem is how we understand truth itself. Perhaps the disciples of Jesus Christ can give us some clues about the nature of truth.
Enjoy the music today! We were visited once again by April Reed-Cox, cellist extraordinaire, and her presence fills the space. Thank you, April!
The full service is below.
Peace and grace! Pastor Seth
"Longing for All Truth" - Rev Seth D Jones
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27, 16:4-15
We celebrated Pentecost today, which is, for all practical purposes, the birth day of the Christian Church.
Among all the things that happened on that day in Jerusalem, one of them was that it was a profound event of truth-telling. We, I believe, are in a truth crisis in our world today, and part of the problem is how we understand truth itself. Perhaps the disciples of Jesus Christ can give us some clues about the nature of truth.
Enjoy the music today! We were visited once again by April Reed-Cox, cellist extraordinaire, and her presence fills the space. Thank you, April!
The full service is below.
Peace and grace! Pastor Seth