Rev. Joseph Boyd I grew up in Salem, Oregon, Salem being a shortened form of Jerusalem. It is a mid-sized capital city with a downtown and suburbs, many immigrants – Mexican immigrants, settlers from all over the country who came West to seek their fortune. Many came to Salem just to escape where they were … Continue reading Sermon – Nov 17, 2019 – “Wireless Connection”
Rev. Joseph Boyd I remember my acting coach telling me about seeing Death of a Salesman on Broadway when it opened. He went into the bathroom during intermission, and he saw all these men in suits lined up. He felt a palpable silence. It was a silence that felt full of meaning, though he didn’t … Continue reading Sermon – Nov 3, 2019 – “The Pen”
Rev. Joseph Boyd As a minister, I have the honor to be present at thresholds and transitions. This past week I married a young couple. I have been present with family after a major loss. I have the honor of being present with people during the highs and lows, and perhaps most importantly when there … Continue reading Sermon – Oct 20, 2019 – “Democracy Now”
Rev. Joseph Boyd My brother recently came to visit me from New York City. Jennifer and I recently bought a house near Lake Glacier, and we finally put out a firepit in the backyard. My brother Jackson, a native Oregonian, was finding kindling, organizing wood, and scrap pieces of paper. It was a beautiful warm … Continue reading Sermon – Oct 13, 2019 – “A Chosen Faith”
Rev. Joseph Boyd There are people from all over the world here in Youngstown. There are people who speak Spanish, people who speak Arabic, people who speak Bengali, people who speak Haitian Creole. There are people here in Youngstown who represent nearly every corner of the globe. Most of these people are not coming here … Continue reading Homily – Oct 6, 2019 – “We the People”
Rev. Joseph Boyd Youngstown is awesome. The Northside in particular is awesome. Your life as it is today on the cusp of autumn, is full of awesomeness. What do I mean by awesome? The definition of awesome is: extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension or fear. It is easy to forget that the … Continue reading Sermon – Sept 22, 2019 – “It’s Awesome”
Rev. Joseph Boyd We live in a land of great expectations. It’s hardwired, built in, part of the fabric and DNA of this country. We are the inheritors of a vision to be a city on a hill, a beacon of freedom, a beacon of opportunity, a beacon of creativity and experimentation unlike the world … Continue reading Sermon – Sept 15, 2019 – “Great Expectations”
Rev. Joseph Boyd As Erica Roberts clung to a tall mango tree, the winds and sea water churned up by hurricane Dorian pounding her face, a single thought ran through her head: “I will not die like this”. Her home, in the small town of High Rock on the eastern side of Grand Bahama … Continue reading Homily – Sept 8, 2019 – “Saving the Captives”
Rev. Joseph Boyd We all live here on the Northside, at least for this worship hour. The Northside has seen a lot of changes over the years. Known as a center of bohemian culture in the 1960’s, the Northside is where the artists lived. It’s where the poets lived. It’s where the counterculture was alive, … Continue reading Sermon – Aug 18, 2019 – “Teaching Resilience”
Rev. Joseph Boyd Since before the beginning of time, since before the Roman calendar, since before BCE, since before AD, the question of the afterlife has been a reality in the here and now. Many faiths are clear on this subject, some less clear. There is great debate currently in the Evangelical movement about the … Continue reading Sermon – May 26, 2019 – “The Afterlife is Guaranteed”
