Today in Church is Rally Sunday where we “rally the troops” and restart many of our programs like Sunday School, Youth Group, our musical programs and more! It is also a day when we welcome four new members to our church family. What a celebration!

We continue on in this Fall sermon series called “Holy Disunity”, considering today how argument and separation can actually be used for our good; perhaps they can sometimes even save our relationships? Maybe our problem is not the fact that we have conflict, but how we address that conflict. What are our goals? What values drive HOW we argue? Do we know when to take a time out? Can we trust God to move in the hearts and minds of our so-called opponents (who also maybe happen to be people we love)? Do we trust God to move in our OWN hearts and minds? We do not need to be afraid of these things. We can grow stronger by working them through with God’s help!

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Today we jump into our first sermon series for Fall! The description for the series is below and today we begin with thinking about the value of difference (does it always have to be something that drives us apart) and the value of tension (sometimes friction and agitation is necessary for movement in a new direction).

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FALL SERMON SERIES (9/1-9/22): 

Holy Disunity: How What Separates Us Can Save Us

These days, there’s no dirtier word than “divisive,” especially in religious and political circles. Claiming a controversial opinion, talking about our differences, even sharing our doubts can be seen as threatening to the goal of unity. But what if, in a world created with such astounding diversity, unity shouldn’t be our goal?

What if our primary calling instead is to seek authentic relationship with God, ourselves, one another, and the world around us? And what if that means actively engaging those with whom we disagree. Our religious, political, social, and cultural differences can create doubt and tension, but disunity also provides surprising gifts of perspective and grace.

This series is informed and inspired by the book of the same name by PCUSA Pastor and writer Layton Williams.

This final week of our series on Sabbath examines how God wills a rhythm of rest for absolutely all of creation, even beyond human beings! This means that our stewardship of this earth connects to our sabbath practices. This is a full circle moment! God rested after “working” at creation, and now creation participates in all things being made new! Together, we will consider all that we have learned about rest and areas where God might be calling us next to share this sabbath blessing with the world.

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This week we consider what role rest plays in movements for justice, peace and social change. How does this God-given rhythm of rest and work empower us to make this world what it was meant to be? Where are areas of life where rest is considered a luxury? Who are the people who are bowed down in exhaustion? And what role should the church play in ensuring that sabbath is truly a gift for all people?

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This week we have communion (moved from last Sunday because Pastor Jessie was out with the flu!), and we will keep pondering what keeps us from true rest, and what we are missing when we do not carve out time and space for it. One of the primary things we are missing is space to dream. Not just the dreams we have when we are asleep, but also our dreams for our lives and this world. Perhaps one of the reasons that there are fewer people interested in religion than ever before is that religion has not modelled this true rest or a proper sabbath in its community life together. What are some of our dreams that we do not allow ourselves to sit with; to pay attention to; to fill our hearts and fuel our living?

Link to readable sermon PDF