current sermon series

Storyteller

The parables of Jesus

The stories Jesus told are, at best, complicated.

Rev. Robert Capon describes Jesus’ parables as, “strange, bizarre, and disturbing.” Two thousand years removed from Jesus’ original words we lack contextual understanding which adds to what were already complicated stories.

Many of the parables are so well-known that we think we know what Jesus' is talking about when we are really reading ourselves into the wrong part of the story. These parables confuse us, make us angry, and make us scratch our heads.

Still, these familiar stories in the gospels are some of the most beloved stories of the church. Each parable contains a mirror reflecting the image of God, questionable characters, and a story telling us about who we are as children of God as only Jesus can tell.

Join us as we explore some of the stories told by the world’s most famous Storyteller.

The Parable of The Lost Sheep

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Rev. Sara Keeling
Luke 15:1-10

God’s grace is extravagant and sometimes unfair. Jesus tells two stories, one of a lost sheep and the other of a lost coin.

In both instances, these lost things are searched for with great care and found with great celebration. Even though we wander away or get lost in the couch cushion, we are never truly separated in Christ.

By the relentless grace of God, we are found. God’s grace is foolish and extravagant.

Sometimes we are that lost sheep, oh so grateful to be remembered, noticed, rescued. And sometimes we are part of the 99 left behind, wondering why we don’t receive special treatment.

The Hardest Parable

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Rev. Teer Hardy
Luke 16:1-13

Don’t worry, this isn’t a sermon about how to manage your financial affairs. In this story, Jesus tells of a manager who cheats his boss but then is commended for acting so “shrewdly”.

Jesus wants to know why those who have been called to follow him are not as creative or diligent in their care of the story entrusted to them as they are managing something of greater value.

Dead Man Talking

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Rev. Teer Hardy
Luke 16:19-31

Jesus tells the story of two men with differing fates.

The first clung to the riches of his early life. The second went without and was overlooked.

On the surface, this story appears to be about heaven, but Jesus is not talking about a far-off place.

Jesus’ story is a call to holy living; an invitation to live as though the kingdom (his kingdom) is already among us.

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Quote from Rev. Sara Keeling that says "God wants all of us. All of us brought back into the fold, back into community." overlayed on a dark background with an illustration of a crowd of people.

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