Rev. Joseph Boyd The painting on the cover of your order of service has a lineage that has been inherited. G.F. Watts did this painting in 1889. He called it hope. Immediately critics disliked it – they thought it was too bleak. They were confused why he called it hope – that’s the last thing … Continue reading Sermon – Dec 3, 2017 – “The Audacity of Hope”
Rev. Joseph Boyd I remember the first time I heard the story about the Israelites complaining about eating manna, yearning for the fleshpots in Egypt. “How ungrateful” I thought. And I thought that’s what that story was about – not being able appreciate the gifts you’ve been given, yearning for a time that enslaved and … Continue reading Sermon – Nov 19, 2017 – “It’s Been a Long Time”
Rev. Joseph Boyd It’s possible to be surrounded by abundance and be blind to it. It’s hidden in plain sight, and we miss it in the day to day grind – burdened by responsibility, endless to-dos, meetings, traffic, waiting for vacation, waiting for some kind of relief. We miss it as we go about our … Continue reading Sermon – Nov 12, 2017 – “Feeding the Hungry”
Rev. Joseph Boyd We’ve all heard versions of the same story. The creek rises. The parents tell their children that Santa is not going to bring them presents this year. Then a stranger heroically crosses the river with great effort to deliver all that he can give – a tin cup, a peppermint candy, and … Continue reading Sermon – Nov 5, 2017 – “Do We Have Enough?”
Korey Gall Through the month of October, I’ve kept asking myself, “What do we mean when we talk about courage?” We’ve gotten plenty of examples this month. From the stories of the Wonder Box, to personal examples from members and friends of this congregation. But what is courage really? So to answer this question, I … Continue reading Sermon – Oct 29, 2017 – “The Heart of Courage”
Rev. Joseph Boyd We used to think that the world is flat. Sailors would be too afraid to sail to unfamiliar waters because they feared they would literally fall off the face of the earth. Though now we know the world is round – this presents us with a different problem. We could sail forever, … Continue reading Sermon – Oct 22, 2017 – “Wade In”
Rev. Joseph Boyd Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address in a hotel he was staying in, right outside the famous battle field. He had been thinking about what he should say as he rode the train from Washington D.C. – at a time when the nation was just beginning the process of Reconstruction after the … Continue reading Sermon – Oct 8, 2017 – “Reconstruction”
Rev.Joseph Boyd The blinds are shut. We awaken to sunlight, sometimes it’s still dark out. We awaken and don’t know what time it is. Is it time yet? Is it time to wake up? Our eyes open and we are in a place that seems familiar – the familiar smells, the feel of our pillow, … Continue reading Sermon: Oct 1, 2017 – “Facing the Day”
Rev. Joseph Boyd As I was waiting for the subway in New York City, I would get annoyed when a delay was announced. Sometimes the delay would be relatively minor – 5-10 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes over an hour. It was common that a delay would be announced, and a short while later the … Continue reading Sermon: Sept 17, 2017 – “Delaying Our Becoming”
Rev. Joseph Boyd When I worked as a chaplain in a nursing home, I visited a woman every week named Marie. She had Alzheimer’s. I would walk in the room, and she would forget that I had seen her the week before. Marie had pictures of her family on the wall…she would tell me how … Continue reading Sermon: Sept 3, 2017 – “Forgetting Who We Were”
