This sermon asks what God’s hope looks like when it seems that life has turned upside down. We take a look at the story of Israel in exile, and how God instructed them to cope during such a hard time. How do we make sense of chaos and tragedy in our lives?

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This sermon examines the story of Saul’s conversion into Paul (from a murderous, hateful anti-Christian Pharisee into one of the chief apostles of an inclusive Christian Church). How do such transformations happen? And how does unraveling make way for such transformation?

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This week we consider when God’s plans actually come unraveled by our human freedom to disobey and resist those plans. Our thinking will be shaped by the Old Testament story of Exodus; in particular the role of Pharaoh’s hardened heart in how that story unfolds. Where are our hearts hard? How does God work when we resist what God wills? What does true freedom look like for any of us?

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This week in our summer sermon series looks at a more familiar story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, and in this story we consider how God sometimes shows up in our lives and changes not only what we DO, but how we think about ourselves. What does vocation mean in all stages of life, beyond what we do for a living? What is God asking of us in these times, in this moment?

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LINK TO FACEBOOK VIDEO–Pastor Jessie guided meditation through COA labyrinth

This sermon explores a Bible story that most of us have never heard — one that is almost as disturbing as the current news in our own country of violence and injustice. How can we mix our pride in our nation with action for justice? What does our faith have to do with those who have no power? With areas of our society like Black Lives Matter? Our faith is relevant enough to speak to these things. Let us be faithful in pondering these questions together in the presence of God…

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