April 27, 2025 | Nicola Patton | Luke 24:28-33 On the road to Emmaus, two disciples encounter Jesus without recognizing him. It is not until they sit at a table with him that they understand who has been walking with them. The same is true of us: Not all who wander are lost; Jesus is […]
April 6, 2025 | Nicola Patton | Luke 15:11-32 As we look deeper into the background of repentance, we step further back into the traditions that have kept us from seeing our true selves. In the beginning, God called us very good. How can we call something bad that God has called good? God’s goodness […]
December 22, 2024 | Nicola Patton | Luke 2:22-38, Isaiah 45:3, Matt 19:13-15 As the world around us gives us little reason to find joy, we must be shrewd in actively looking for joy, becoming like children who find wonder in mundane things. Shrewd joy is a muscle we exercise, a means of healing and […]
September 15, 2024 | Nicola Patton | Joshua 2 The story of Rahab teaches us that morality is often a luxury but that God provides for the powerless. God is the God of radical inclusion and a border-crossing God who looks to tear down walls for us to belong together, not so that we […]
June 2, 2024 | Nicola Patton | Acts 2:41-47 NRSV After Pentecost comes ordinary life in community among the believers. And within that community, we find unity that celebrates diversity. The differences among believers are not prerequisites for belonging but unique aspects that contribute to the beloved community. The group had everything in common […]
January 21, 2024 | Nicola Patton | Psalm 133 It’s easy to get caught up in doing so much church that we forget about community. But God cares more about community than about church. We have been created in and for community by a communal God. It is part of our human nature to […]
August 27, 2023 | Nicola Patton | 1 Kings 19:1-15 We won’t always be dazzled by the Spirit. Much of our lives are spent in mundane, even wilderness places. But the Spirit meets us in all those places and moments, creating space for us to be quiet and reflect. It’s in that silence we […]
July 30, 2023 In this service, we do not have a sermon. Instead, we embody the listening practices engaged in the month of July and have a communal time of reflection beginning with the lighting of Palo Santo until Communion. The stories are the sermon as we engage with art, wordless worship, palo santo, […]
December 11, 2022 | Nicola Patton | Luke 1:26-38 We easily rush through Advent to get to Christmas but it’s important to take the time to reflect on the pauses, to notice the piece in each story. Maybe it’s within the tension of hope and promises that God shows up. Maybe surrender is where we […]
April 10, 2022 | Nicola Patton | Gen. 39, 45; Matt. 21 The story of Joseph and the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are familiar to us. But they are not only stories about power. They are also stories about presence because before we need ruling, we need healing. The with-ness of […]