Sermon archive.
The Rise of Samuel
In the sermon, Bobbi discusses the leadership transition in ancient Israel, focusing on Samuel's story in 1 Samuel 1-4. We get the highlights of the contrasting characters: bad boy Samson from Judges and good boy Samuel, tracing how the latter becomes a prophet. We also explore themes of faithfulness, human agency, and divine intervention, using Hannah's story of barrenness. Hannah's faith and strength point us to the broader themes of perseverance and hearing God's call during times of change.
Downfall of Samson
This week, we explore the complex narrative of Samson in the Book of Judges, a story of strength, weakness, and hope. Samson's life is meant to challenge Israel by reflecting its chaotic state and relationship with God, but also it is meant to challenge us, asking how we can embody a strength that heals.
Joy in Spirit
Bobbi shares a story about praying to be better at banter and how, over time, she found herself engaging in joyful conversations that exceeded her expectations. Through these experiences, she came to see banter not just as witty exchanges but as a way to connect deeply with others and even with the divine. Bobbie sums up her learning like this: "I could have easily thought that banter wasn't for me – that I wasn't good at it, and I should just let it go. But there's stagnancy in staying comfortable in a story you think you know. No, it's better to find the edges of ourselves and to push past premature endings.”
Easter Sunday
This week, we celebrate Easter and wrap up our series on the Gospel of Mark. We look at the forces at play in Jesus's trial and crucifixion, the women who needed to find their voice to proclaim the good news, and the invitational, circular way the gospel of Mark is structured to help us discover Jesus and meet him in the places we already know.
Boundary Markers
Today we settle into the realm of conflict, new perspectives, and what it means to defile one’s heart.
Calm That Storm
This week we join the disciples in the storm to reflect on our experience of meeting the divine in the moments that rock our world.
All That Soil
This week we look at four parables in Mark 4 and again interpret them in their connectedness. The main point was that truth is being sown in our lives even now, and we need to explore how we hear it, where we make room for mystery of the divine in our lives and how open we are to give ourselves over to the way of things and see the kingdom in the things and life cycles around us.
Empowered by Spirit
This week we wrap up by talking about our sixth affirmation: “We desire to participate in that renewal by following the way of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, trusting that this good news is even better than we can imagine.”
Letting the ANGRY God Go
This week we look at the third affirmation from the journal: “Because of that we have abandoned the idea of an angry, violent God in order to fully embrace the good news brought forward by Jesus.” In the sermon, Bobbi explores what it is that we want to abandon and what it is that we want to embrace and the reasons for those choices.