Given By Rev. Madison Shockley June 2, 2019 The reading speaks about an event of the early church. The woman in our reading today had the gift of divination. This made her owners rich. She followed the apostles around and Paul became annoyed. Paul was so annoyed that he cured her to try and make [...]
The theme of tonight's meditation is "How can this be?" There are only two gospels that have a birth narrative, Matthew and Luke. They approach this story from two distinct perspectives...
After his trip to Palestine and the West Bank, Rev. Shockley offers some reflections. The sermon title comes from a theme of a cultural center in Bethlehem. This trip is...
During this post-election period, people are dealing with many emotions. Some can be immobilized by fear. Others are mobilized to offer hope and inspiration for a better tomorrow. Rev. Stinson speaks of our living in fear since Sept. 11th, 2001.
https://vimeo.com/190443224 Today's reading of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known stories from the Bible. While it has some problems, it has a powerful message of compassion and generosity for us today. The first problem is the traditional interpretation of this parable is anti-Jewish, the "good Samaritan" and the [...]
On this Coming Out Sunday, the reading reminds us of the conflicts Jesus had with the religious authorities. He challenged them about how they lead the community. Jesus sought to not only expand the social and religious boundaries but also break them down
Today is World Communion Sunday. This is a way to show solidarity with our fellow Christians as we focus on the sacrament of Communion which binds us together. It is one of only two sacraments recognized by the Protestant church.
https://vimeo.com/177822179 Our guest speaker is Rev. Kenneth Heintzelman from the Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix. As Pilgrim Church goes on its journey to decide whether or not to become a sanctuary church, our brothers and sisters of Shadow Rock offer their support. Today, the Reverend is speaking on the subject of sanctuary. [...]
https://vimeo.com/176470331 Today, Pilgrim Church welcomes the great Martin Luther King Jr. as our guest speaker. His past message might be of help to us as we deal with the present day crisis. The reading today is from the Gospel of Luke and concerns the power of persistent prayer. It also serves to help reflect on the role of [...]
https://vimeo.com/175168268 This week's reading from Luke 10:25-37 fits right in with recent current events. The parable of the Good Samaritan brings home Jesus's message of who is our neighbor. It challenges us to break stereotypes and to acknowledge in today's society that we are conditioned to fear or hate those who are different from [...]
https://vimeo.com/169955330 On this Safe Sunday, Jaime Romo talks about what it mean to have a relationship with God. We realize that today's reading from Luke did not actually take place, it is used to serve a purpose for that community. This story of Jesus is replicated in the other gospels. It ties together other [...]
Luke regales us with the tale of Paul in Athens during the reading from the Acts of the Apostles. It is one of the most remarkable passages in the bible. It makes us feel as if we are right there listening to Paul give his greatest sermon.
https://vimeo.com/160689081 In the Gospel of Luke, there is not any mention of palms on this Palm Sunday. Luke describes Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. Luke writes into the text a series of tests for those gathered. The first test is for the disciples. They are to steal a colt for Jesus. The second is for [...]
