Redeeming Grief and Joy
The holidays can be a season of intense joy, and also intense grief. A prophet named Isaiah connected the grief we feel to the passion God has for justice, in our personal lives and throughout the world. This week, let’s talk about why grief is something we can choose to embrace as a holy part of the human experience, and how it could lead us into hope.
Redeeming Grief
The holidays can be a season of intense joy, and also intense grief. A prophet named Isaiah connected the grief we feel to the passion God has for justice, in our personal lives and throughout the world. This week, let’s talk about why grief is something we can choose to embrace as a holy part of the human experience, and how it could lead us into hope.
Waking up to Christmas!
This week, let's talk about the gift of staying attentive to what God is doing in the midst of our lives.
Legacy Sunday
All Saints Sunday is a day in the life of the Church when we remember those we have lost in the last year. It’s also a natural time of reflection for our own lives, and how we hope to live with purpose and to find meaning in our day-to-day. This week, we’ll take a look at a passage in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus tells his people “not to worry.” What sounds at first like a somewhat naive instruction could actually help us reframe our lives as we listen closer.
Sabbath
Let’s talk about work. I know, I know… work is the last thing you want to think about. But when the culture defines our personal value based upon what we do, the spiritual question to ask might be: is that all that I am? Whether it’s an office job, a family calendar, or the chaos of life itself, let’s all pause for a moment and consider why rest might be the most fruitful form of resistance we have available to us.
Bible on Broadway: Sister Act: The Musical
"Sister Act: The Musical" is the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a lively and aspiring nightclub singer who, after witnessing a murder committed by her mobster boyfriend, finds herself in danger. To ensure her safety, the police place her in the last place anyone would expect - a convent.
Deloris, now disguised as Sister Mary Clarence, struggles to adapt to the strict and serene life of the convent. Her vibrant personality clashes with the traditional ways of the nuns, but she soon discovers an opportunity to inject some much-needed life and spirit into the convent's choir. With Deloris at the helm, the once-tone-deaf choir transforms into a powerful and soulful singing sensation, attracting attention from both the congregation and the media.
As Deloris helps the nuns discover their own voices and personalities, she also undergoes a personal transformation. She learns about the importance of friendship, faith, and the strength of the human spirit. Ultimately, the story is a testament to the gift of beloved community, and the music we can make when we offer our full selves to one another.
It Takes Both Hands
In "Fiddler On The Roof" Tevye considers traditions and new ways proposed by his daughters, as they are supported by his wife, he consults with one constant in his life: God. These conversations are the basis of his decision making, the outlet for his angry tantrums, and a balm for his suffering. Through these conversations, Tevye the milkman shares thoughts of love, wealth, justice, friendship, suffering, and, of course, tradition. Come with us, as we travel back to 1905, to Anatevka, and as we listen to Tevye’s prayers and wait for God’s response.
World Communion Sunday
World Communion Sunday is a Sunday set aside for Christians throughout the world to celebrate the gift of communion in spiritual unity. And yet, what does it mean to live into the truly global nature of our faith? Are we called to spread a message that only we control? Are we called to simply sing Kumbaya? Or is it something else entirely? Let’s gather around the Lord’s Table this World Communion Sunday and consider how God is leading us to live in this global movement.
World Communion Sunday is a Sunday set aside for Christians throughout the world to celebrate the gift of communion in spiritual unity. And yet, what does it mean to live into the truly global nature of our faith? Are we called to spread a message that only we control? Are we called to simply sing Kumbaya? Or is it something else entirely? Let’s gather around the Lord’s Table this World Communion Sunday and consider how God is leading us to live in this global movement.
Liberation Theology w/ Special Guest Dr. Hugo Magallanes
From pastoring migrants in rural Georgia to teaching practical theology at SMU, Rev. Dr. Hugo Magallanes is not someone you could call “ivory tower.” In fact, his experience leads him to bring the seminarian into the harvest field to feel the heat of the sun and pain of the poor. This Sunday, we invite Dr. Magallanes to the AUMC pulpit as guest preacher, to share with us a message of liberating theology.