Harrowing Of Hell

Category: Reconciliation

To Go Far, Walk Together

Sermon | March 6, 2016

March 6, 2016, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

I came across this proverb from Rwanda the other day. “To go fast, walk alone. To go far, walk together.” The proverb is right. To go far, we must walk together—because relationship is primary. Speed isn’t primary, winning isn’t primary. Going the most distance or doing the most things isn’t primary. Relationship is primary. And when we honor that, then, we can go the distance.

After the Birth Pangs: Reconciliation

Sermon | November 15, 2015

November 15, 2015, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr., preaching

“We seek to heal history. We seek to live with difference. We seek to create a common peace. We seek to nurture this child of the church, reconciliation, born from the birth pangs of suffering and adversity, and wherever we find it, there is opportunity for reconciliation. This is the Jesus Movement. We are the church. This is our mission.”

Maundy Thursday 2014

Sermon | April 17, 2014

April 17, 2014, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

How do you know a Christian when you see one? When you meet someone at your child’s school, at a new job, or in your book group, how do they know you are a Christian before you even tell them? Upon meeting someone new in Seattle, you probably don’t lead with a testimonial or invite them to church….that comes later, if at all. It is likely that you don’t even reveal that you are a church goer until you know them quite well. So, how do they know?

Ash Wednesday Sermon

Sermon | March 5, 2014

March 5, 2014, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

Has it ever happened that someone has had the wrong impression about you? Have you ever been misinterpreted, misunderstood or seen by someone as a person you believe yourself not to be? The prophet Joel whom we hear today portrays a people who feel misunderstood.

Ambassadors in the Kingdom of God

Sermon | September 8, 2013

September 9, 2013, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

The word in Greek here is miseo, which means: “to love less.” Why it is translated as “hate” I have no idea. The statement can be better understood to read, “you can’t be my disciple if you don’t love your parents and children and spouse and sibling and even yourself less than you love God.”

Independence Day

Sermon | July 8, 2012

July 8, 2012, The Rev Kate Wesch preaching

This Sunday is when church and state collide. While we typically separate feelings of nationalism and faith, this is one Sunday that these two aspects of our community, our citizenship and our faith-affiliation, come together.

So, why talk about the nation at church? Why observe Independence Day in the pulpit?

The opening collect prays that all people of the earth are made for God’s glory with the intention of serving God in freedom and in peace. We are, all of us, God’s creation, placed on this earth with the opportunity to serve God. In some cultures and nations, this service towards God is easier or more problematic than in other places. Whether we live in a country governed by ideals of freedom and enterprise or restrictions and policies, we have the capacity to serve God. However, our method of going about serving God may differ dramatically.