Given by Rev. Madison Shockley April 4, 2021 Today is Easter. Our reading talks about the witnesses running away in fear after seeing the empty tomb. It is also the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. People visit the sites of both of these events hoping [...]
Given By Anna Runion April 8, 2018 Recently, we have seen women, teens, immigrants, people of color, LGBT community, and their allies march for our lives. These marches have been powerful. Some people are reminded of the civil rights marches. Some of us felt at ease while marching with those who share our views. Others [...]
Given By Rev. Madison Shockley January 14, 2018 at Pilgrim UCC in Carlsbad CA pilgrimucc.org Recent events and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday have inspired today's sermon. Not only was Martin Luther King Jr. known for his work for civil rights, he was also known for his work for peace. He protested against the [...]
https://vimeo.com/236502836 Given By Rev. Madison Shockley September 24, 2017 Today's reading offers comfort for those who are struggling or under stress. Paul was writing this letter from his jail cell. He wrote to encourage his followers. His only crime was causing trouble. Some did not like his message so he was placed in jail. Prison [...]
https://vimeo.com/235485567 Given By Rev. Madison Shockley September 17, 2017 Due to technical difficulties, we lost the first five minutes of the sermon. Current events inspire the theme for today's sermon. We look to the past, specifically Nelson Mandela's actions in South Africa, to find a solution. Mandela knew that in order to move forward, they [...]
February is the beginning of Black History Month. Over the course of this month, we will explore the contributions of Blacks to our religious life. These contributions take many forms; breaching, biblical scholarship, liturgy, music, and social and spiritual transformation (now known as social justice).
On the eve of our presidential inauguration, we consider the question of what would Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. say to the nation. Rev. Shockley uses King's own words from his 1968 sermon titled The Drum Major Incident. King used passages from Mark in his sermon. We can relate these to Trump.
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 [...]
