Pastor Glenn grew up in a faith tradition shaped by fear, particularly of God and what God might do to him. On top of this, there was lots of groveling- just hoping that God might finally be listening. Listen as Glenn explored the role of fear and groveling through the lens of Luke 18:1-8.
Welcoming Exiles
Pastor Claudia looked at Jeremiah 29:4-7 and explored these questions: What do you do when you find yourself in a new land? How long does exile last? Is exile God’s will? How do exiles coexist with their enemies?
Installation Service for Claudia Aguilar
We celebrate and welcome Pastor Claudia Aguilar during this special service of installation! Charlene Epp will preach, with the reminder that it’s not about us. Like John the Baptist, we are called to use our gifts with humility and joy.
Scripture: John 3:26-31
Radical Inclusion- Really?
How are we supposed to treat others? Does God’s love really extend to all? When given a choice we are called to love radically and inclusively. Listen as we explore Luke 6:27-36.
Peace Sunday
One service, two locations. On this Great Getaway Sunday, we held a joint morning service to connect congregation members in Denver and at RMMC.
Nelson Mandela is credited with saying that “something always seems impossible until it’s done.” Sometimes our pursuit toward peace seems unrealistic. Sometimes we cannot imagine how it might be achieved. And yet, we are called to pursue peace even if and when it does not make sense. And sometimes amazing and wondrous things happen when our conduct is worthy of the gospel of Christ. September 22 was set aside as Peace Sunday. We focused on those times when the peace of Christ surpasses what we may perceive as impossible- in short, a peace that surpasses all understanding.
No audio is available for this service.
Regret- You Cannot Hit Unsend
What do we do with our past, especially the actions we deeply regret? As we read in 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul struggled with this. Glenn Balzer explores with Paul a path filled with mercy that leads from regret to life!
You have got to be kidding
Why is Luke 14:25-33 even included in scripture? The call Jesus issues in this text seems shockingly out of character. It is as if Jesus wants to intentionally drive people away. Why? Glenn Balzer explores another of the difficult texts.
Table Manners
Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable moment or situation? Maybe it happened at a dinner party for all your friends and co-workers to see. Glenn Balzer looks at how Jesus managed to create his own awkward moment in Luke 14:1, 7-14.
Tradition!
Faithful service may necessitate acts of (dis)obedience in inconvenient settings! Glenn Balzer looks at Luke 13:10-17 as one interesting example.
Voices
In this meditation, Naomi Nishi discusses the missing voices of women from the church, historically and currently. She explores the barriers we all face in listening to and learning from women, and offers spiritual lessons shared by women in our community.
Scripture: Ruth 1:16-17