As we continue our time with this topic of sabbath and rest, this week we consider the connection of Sabbath to the story of the Exodus—how does rest connect to our faith in a God who freed God’s people from slavery? In our context today, we are not slaves and we consider ourselves to live in a free country. Yet what tolls has the “grind culture” (as Tricia Hersey calls it) taken on our bodies, minds and spirits? Are we truly free? How does rest connect to liberation, and what does truly liberating rest really look like?
7/28/2024: NEW SERMON SERIES: Rest is Resistance
This week kicks off our last sermon series of the summer, and it is one that I think will nourish and challenge all of us!
SERMON SERIES (7/28-8/25): Rest is Resistance–The Power of Sabbath
The first action of God is to create. The second action of God is to rest. Rest and sabbath are fundamental commandments built within our Judeo-Christian faith. Yet for so many of us, these concepts get relegated to a distant realm of self-care and infrequent vacation time. In this busy, hurried, anxious world, how can we be Sabbath people as a regular rhythm of life? And what power does resting actually give our real work and mission?
This series and its title is based upon a phenomenal book by the same name: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, founder of the Nap Ministry.
7/21/2024: Guest Preacher: Rev. Khristi Adams
This morning we hear from a guest preacher:
Rev. Khristi Adams was present here at COA for Pastor Jessie’s installation service in 2016. Not only is she a
dear friend of Jessie’s, but she is also an accomplished leader in so many areas. She is an author of three
books, most recently Womanish: Discovering God through the Lens of Black Girlhood. She is the recent
recipient of the 2023 Alumni Service Award from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently serving
as the Executive Director of Belonging and Community at St. Paul’s School here in Maryland.
She preaches on the topic of “Wrestling with Time”.
7/14/2024: “Inside Out” Final Week: Joy
This week we come to the emotion we all seek and look forward to, but which may be among the toughest to define or pin down: JOY. What is joy, and how is it different from happiness? Can joy last? Is it okay to feel joy or seek joy while others are dealing with suffering? Did Jesus feel joy? As we wrap up this series on our emotions, we ponder these questions and look back over them all wondering how they fit together into one whole, integrated life.
7/7/2024: Inside Out: DISGUST
This week we come to an emotion that may not seem like one of the most basic, but it is everywhere and has many more far reaching impacts than we might realize–DISGUST. The ick factor. Blech. Yuck. At its core, disgust is an emotion of avoidance, trying to turn us away from things we believe could contaminate us.
What evokes this in us? Why do we have this feeling? Is it purely bodily or does it also relate to how we form our social and moral worlds? Did Jesus struggle with disgust, and how did He respond? Maybe if we understand this emotion more fully, we will have a better chance of challenging it where that may be necessary.