Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833. or join us here for the sermon live stream.

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833 or join us here for the sermon live stream.

Jan Richardson writes, "Christmas offers a microcosm of what we’re called to in the Christian life. These days invite us to attend to the stories that help us know where we came from and what we’re about….And so we gather the scattered pieces, the hopes and fears we carry, the stories we tell, fractured or whole; the struggles of birthing exhausted, elated; the places of welcome that bring healing and life." 

Join us on Christmas Eve at 7:00 pm on Zoom as we hear Luke's story and tell and hear a few of our own as we accompany Mary in the fully divine, fully human task of giving birth to Jesus. We will struggle to find the words (as Luke does) for the incredible in-breaking of the stratia/στρατιά, ᾶς, ἡ which loosely translates "an army of celestial lights/heavenly host" that don't just "appear," but manifest "overhead, behind, and to the corners of the sky" and completely change the lives of a group of shepherds out in the Judean countryside. 

Join us at 7:00 on Zoom and Live-Stream for "Pondering (sumballó: συμβάλλω) The Hopes and Fears We Carry and the Stories We Tell as We Give Birth to the Light of Christ." We will be singing favorite carols, re-lighting the Christ Candle, hearing and telling stories, sharing gratitudes, and pondering our calling to give birth to the light of Christ together. Remember to bring your home Christ candles to Zoom worship because we will be lighting and raising them toward the end of the service. May your souls "feel their worth" as we celebrate on this Holy Night. -Rev. Jeanne

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833.

Jan Richardson writes that "Mary was not the only one who chose to leave the life she had thought would be hers. In choosing Mary and her child, in welcoming the Word into his life, Joseph had his own threshold to cross, his own radical yes to say to God."  I want to focus on Mary and her experience in keeping with our underrated women of the scriptures theme this fall/winter. But I think Mary's unique partnership with Joseph says a lot about both of them, and deserves our heartfelt attention. Join us this 4th Sunday of Advent as we explore Chapter 1 of Matthew's Gospel and the continuing midrash story in the Infancy Gospel of James (Chapter 16-17). I look forward to being with you for "Stay. Wait. There is Something is On the Horizon: Pondering (sumballó: συμβάλλω) The Awkward, Wandering Not Wandering, Strangeness of (Choosing) The Journey of Becoming a Bearer of God (Theotokos: Θεοτόκος)."

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833 or join us here for the sermon live stream.

The word Steve was savoring last week in his reading as liturgist has been stuck in my head this week. (Thank you Steve). Mother Mary is called Theotokos (Θεοτόκος) in Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Theotokos is a Greek word that means "God-bearer" or "Birth-giver to God." As we venture back into the canon this week  and join Gabriel, Elizabeth, and Mary in the Gospel of Luke, I invite you to ponder with me (as Mary is pondering) how joy filled and fraught it must have been to undertake this divine work in her body and context. (Remember she was probably around 14 years old and could have been stoned for being pregnant outside of marriage). 

As Rev. Rachel Held Evans writes, "Mary is what made Jesus both fully God and fully human, her womb is the place where heaven and earth meld into one."

Join us this Sunday as we ponder with Mary in this melding about Angels, Demons, Friends and Family (Elizabeth), and Community, and Ancestors (Hannah). I look forward to being with you on live-stream and Zoom for  "Stay. Wait. Something is On the Horizon: The Perplexing, Agitating, (diatarassó:: διαταράσσω), Pondering (sumballó: συμβάλλω) Fully Divine, Fully Human Work of Becoming a Bearer of God. -Rev. Jeanne

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833. or join us here for the sermon live stream.

As we discussed last Sunday, Luke uses the Greek verb sumballo συμβάλλω, (which is usually translated pondering) to describe Mary's internal process as she brings Jesus into the world. As I suggested in my Advent blog, "Sumballó/pondering is not linear. It’s a winding journey from present, to past, and back to present. It involves remembering, feeling, thinking things through, tossing them together, and listening for the voice of the Holy- all while cultivating hope for the future." And so we continue our spiritual practice of pondering in the Non-Canonical Gospel of James with young Mary, who has taken on a very special sewing project for the temple. As she is immersed in her important and time consuming work, things get more than a little weird. Join us this Sunday as we continue our pondering with James' midrash of Mary trying to make sense of the ordinary and the extraordinary in her young Jewish life. I look forward to being with you for  "Stay, Wait, There’s Something On The Horizon: Pondering (Sumballó:συμβάλλω) With Mary the Restless Weaver (From the Non-Canonical Gospel of James)"  Don't forget to bring your communion elements to worship so we can share holy communion. I look forward to being with you for Zoom and Live-Stream as we ponder and journey through Advent together. -Rev. Jeanne

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833 or join us here for the sermon live stream.

We will continue our series about overlooked and underrated women in scripture during Advent through the lens of Mary's wisdom and memory. Luke tells us she pondered things in her heart as they unfolded. Sumballó/pondering is not a linear process. It's a winding journey from present, to past, and back to present. It involves remembering, feeling, thinking things through, tossing them together, and listening for the voice of the Holy- all while cultivating hope for the future. What did Mary toss together in her heart and mind? What did she ponder as things unfolded? Who and what did she remember? What did she struggle with or hold close? My suspicion is that one of the things Mary remembered and pondered was the wisdom of the women who were formative in her life, who prepared her with their love, stories, and strength to give birth to the light of Christ that was now appearing on her life;s horizon. So on this 1st Sunday of Advent we begin our journey by pondering the story of Mary's mother Anna from the non-canonical Infancy Gospel of James.. Anna has quite the story to tell as Mary appears on her horizon. Join us for .Stay, Wait, There’s Something On The Horizon: Pondering (Sumballó:συμβάλλω) With Mary Through the Season of Advent as Mary Ponders the Memory of Her Mother Anna. I look forward to being with you on Zoom and Live-Stream for this unique Advent conversation. -Rev. Jeanne

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833. or join us here for the sermon live stream.