Our Everyday Cross

Sermon | September 3, 2023

To watch the sermon, click here. Today’s story has me thinking about the cross. It is ubiquitous in our lives. Here in church, the cross is everywhere: we make the sign of the cross before the Gospel is read; before we settle in to hear the sermon; before and after we take communion; during the

To Be A Disciple of Christ

Sermon | June 25, 2023

To watch the sermon click here. I remember a picture that hung on the wall of one of the Sunday School classrooms in the church where I grew up. It was a pastoral scene. Jesus was seated on a large stone beneath a tree, a tree unlike any I was familiar with in West Virginia.

Spiritual Non-Negotiables

Sermon | February 12, 2023

Good morning, Epiphany. There was a moment at the end of the Christmas holidays when irritation started to overtake me. My son Desmond asked me to drive him to the airport on a Tuesday at 4:30 in the morning. Now, I don’t mind getting up early, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was when I

Fasting and Lent

Sermon | February 5, 2023

Lent begins in a little over two weeks. When one hears the word “Lent”, one often associates it with “fasting.” Perhaps you are thinking, as I have in the past, that you’ll give up alcohol, or chocolate, or your daily triple venti mocha with whipped cream for 40 days…and you’re done. But in today’s lesson

Ancient Practices: The Spiritual Disciplines this Fall

News | September 11, 2022

Sundays | Begins September 18 | 4:00 pm | Christie House Library & Zoom Susan Pitchford & Lisa Ozaeta In this study, we will examine seven Christian practices that are rooted in our ancient traditions. We will cover: 1. Prayer, 2. the Liturgical Year, 3. Being the Church Community, 4. the Eucharist, 5. Holiness of

Adult Formation in Lent

News | March 9, 2022

March 13, 20, 27, & April 3, 10 | Great Hall & Zoom Lent is a season when Christians traditionally choose a spiritual discipline to practice, which we hope will draw us closer to God. We often think of this as a time of deprivation and sacrifice, but experimenting with spiritual disciplines can be

Sermon Series #3 on Kingdom of God Intelligence: Trust Versus Control

Sermon | December 12, 2021

Two Sundays ago, Kelli Martin, in her sermon, talked about the necessity of facing our life. That theme was picked up at our men’s retreat last weekend by our leader, Dr. Ron David. He formed the retreat around four questions: facing God, facing ourselves, facing our neighbor, and facing the existential threats that seem to

Sermon Series #2 on Kingdom of God Intelligence: Curiosity Versus Dogmatism

Sermon | December 5, 2021

Thanksgiving dinner recently gave me cause to wonder at the unnecessary cravings that plague me, particularly around food, particularly on Thanksgiving, particularly around cheesecake, and that weird desire to eat the entire thing after having one piece. It is not a long term, high reward survival activity… But here’s the thing about cravings, they come

Sermon Series #1 on Kingdom of God Intelligence – Christ the King

Sermon | November 21, 2021

Good morning. This is the first sermon in a three-part series on uncertainty and ambiguity, and how we manage it with peaceful equanimity. Someone told me recently that they didn’t know what equanimity meant, so, if it is helpful, you can trade out equanimity for ataraxy,or maybe just calm self-assurance. Last time I preached I

Category: Spiritual Exercises