Sermons
Finding The Line
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
You may have noticed in the weekly announcements that we have had a submission form open for a summer series called: You Choose The Sermon. We were planning on starting that series in August. But it was hot this week. Which felt like summer. And last week folks got really into the conversation about plumb […]
The Embrace
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
Today is July 11, 7/11. 7-Eleven has a tradition of giving everyone free Slurpees to celebrate the day they call their birthday. I don’t often go to 7-Eleven – even for free Slurpees. But last Sunday night, Eric got stung by a bee and looked like he needed some Benadryl. So I ventured to one […]
Founding Mother of Our Country? Remembering Pocahontas on July 4
Speaker: Kimberly Schmidt
In 1608, Captain John Smith, a major figure in today’s sermon, sailed up the waters of the Chesapeake Bay from Jamestown Colony. He sailed up what we now call the Anacostia River and disembarked onto Nacotchtank lands. Smith and his crew found a riparian paradise where woodland forests stretched long fingers into shallow coastal plains. […]
Sneaker & Stained Glass Revelations
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
What has surprised me most in this past week are the sounds I am not hearing. For the past month each day (other than rainy ones) the air has been reverberating with cicada songs. Some days the decibel was almost unbearable – especially for those of us who live with our house windows open in […]
Letters To And From Prison
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
While our series is called “Letters from Prison”, I have to say that getting letters to prison is not always simple. The first letter I sent to Jason, who is in a minimum security facility in Illinois, was returned. When I inquired with Jason’s wife about this, she said, “Oh shoot. No stickers allowed, not […]
Letters From Prison
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
One of the unexpected gifts of the pandemic has been a “full house” for adult education this past year. We just concluded four months of adult ed sessions about the legal system, policing and prison in this country. It was moving, powerful, even life-changing, to learn from people in the criminal legal system, to try […]
What, to the Disinherited, is Memorial Day?
Speaker: Mary Hershberger
Some time ago, I was thinking about Memorial Day and how it seems to draw a line between war and the political and social rights that we value. I got a notice from my town of Brentwood last week that reminded me of this. The notice said, “The town of Brentwood will be hosting its […]
Guidelines
Speaker: Michelle Burkholder
Before I offer the words I have to share with you today, I want to speak directly to my fellow beloved community members who identify as LGBTQIA. The story I am about to explore is the history, present, and future of the Membership Guidelines of MCUSA. These guidelines have upheld false and harmful teachings about […]
Vine And Branches
Speaker: Cynthia Lapp
Last Sunday was our periodic break from screens and worship on Zoom. I hope you were able to get outside to enjoy creation or family, or whatever helps you feel connected to the Holy. At our house it was a Sunday of biblical proportions. We spent hours clipping and chopping and sawing at two giant […]
Seeds Want To Grow
Speaker: Hannah Breckbill
Hannah Breckbill was our guest preacher for Earth Day Sunday on April 18, 2021. She is a farmer in Iowa. You can read her message here on her blog.