Matthew 28:16-20- " Trinity Sunday: Holy Dance Divine"

Synopsis:

In what is know by many as the Great Commission, Jesus sends his disciples into the world on mission but not alone. He sends them in the fellowship of the Trinity, in one of the rare moments in scripture where the trinitarian formula is shared. This concept will create the first major theological debates in the Early Church, but the core of the trinitarian controversy is a question of relationship. Is God, how the Greek Philosophers imagined God, a Prime Mover, pure, distance, and untouched by humans suffering? Or, is God as the Hebrews confessed and as Jesus revealed, a God marked by cruciform love, eternally committed to relationship with the children of God and creation itself? Jesus sends his disciples not on a mission to promote a new religion, but to announce the Good News that God invites the whole of creation, neighbors and enemies, strangers and family, into the trinitarian dance of love.

Acts 2:1-6- "Pentecost Sunday"

Synopsis:

Pentecost brings the Holy Spirit upon us all. With the aid of the Holy Spirit we can reach out in love with one another, understanding each other’s hurts, needs, and joys.

Luke 1:46-55 - "Joy Sunday"

Synopsis:
On Joy Sunday at Broadway, the Gospel is preached in scripture and song as the Chancel Choir shares a musical masterpiece in worship. Born in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) served as an ordained priest and Baroque Era violinist, composer, and musical educator for over thirty years at the orphanage for girls in Venice called the Ospedale Della Pieta (Hospital of Mercy). His Gloria was written in 1715 for the orphaned children of the Ospedale and performed in the Venetian opera house. Venice was the Las Vegas of 18th Century Italy and opera houses were raucous venues. With a protective consideration for the young girls in the choir, Vivaldi constructed screens to shield the choir from the intoxicated patrons of the opera. One might imagine the wild crowd turned into a weeping congregation at the angelic sounds of Vivaldi’s choir coming from mysterious silhouettes. The memory of Vivaldi’s choir of orphaned children harmonizes with Luke’s image of Mary–an afraid adolescent with child–who still sings her heart out in the liberating lyrics of the Magnificat. Her song prophesies of a world where God’s goodness, justice, and promise are fulfilled and every human flourishes with God-given worth. Mary makes a truly joyful noise worthy of any audience.

Keywords: Advent, Joy Sunday, Mary, Magnificat, justice, peace, joy, love, hope

1 Timothy 6:6-19 - "Founded for Good Works in 1870"

Synopsis: We conclude our Stewardship Campaign with these words from these words traditionally attributed to Paul writing to his young protege, Timothy. Since her beginnings, the Church has always been a people of not only prayer and faith, but also action and good works. Paul tells young Timothy to remind his people that their security will not be founded on the accumulation of wealth and worldly security, but in lives filled with generosity, commitment, and acts of compassion and kindness for neighbors and enemies alike. This counter-cultural way of Jesus invites us into an abundant life founded for good on the life of Christ and the love of the Triune God.

Keywords: Jesus, Trinity, good works, hands and feet of Christ, stewardship, firm foundation, compassion, justice, joy, love

Luke 12:13-21 - "Stories Jesus Tells: Hearses Don't Have Hitches

Synopsis: Jesus tells this parable to settle a family dispute where one brother believes he isn’t getting the fair share of the family fortune. The man in the parable is not chastised for planning for the future or even for relaxing, eating, drinking, and being merry. He is a fool for failing to see that salvation and security are not for sale, but gifts of grace discovered through our generosity. Ken Chafin once said, “I never saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul on a trailer hitch, because you can’t take it with you.” True joy lies in sharing, not hoarding.

Keywords: Parables, generosity, joy, life abundant, greed, fear, isolation, security, love, community, family systems theory, sharing, stewardship

Psalm 30 - "Psalms, Part 2: Hold It up to the Light"

Psalms offers surprising twists and turns and a picture of the world where circumstance is constantly moving through seasonal transitions. Today will not look like tomorrow. Psalm 30 sings a song which moves from darkness to light, as the Psalmist is surprised by joy as God fulfills promises of faithfulness. If we hold our circumstance up to the light of God’s love, our sorrow creates the space for deep joy in the midst of struggle.

As Kahlil Gibran writes in The Prophet, “Then a woman said, ‘Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.’ And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable.”

Psalm 150 - “Psalms, Part 1: A Righteous Racket"

The first of a four part series on the Psalms. According to Walter Brueggemann, the Psalms come to us in three primary, genres (Psalms of Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation) which lay bare the emotional arc of the human heart and remind us that our emotions are, to quote Mr. Rogers, “mentionable and manageable.” Psalm 150 is a Psalm of Orientation, singing praises and giving thanks for God’s goodness and trustworthiness to fulfill promises. We are called to praise because we are created to praise. We express love, honor, joy, and devotion when we talk about the people and things we love. We become what we praise, and when we praise God we reprioritize our lives and point ourselves towards the life and love of the Crucified, Risen Jesus.

Keywords: Easter, Resurrection, Jesus, Christ, praise, joy, gratitude, emotions, music

Luke 19:28-40 - "A Kingly Cartoonist"

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, poking fun at earthly powers like Herod and Caesar who ride on great, white steeds in glorious parades to celebrate themselves and assert their power. The broader way of Lent liberates us to fearlessly laugh and find joy in the freedom our King Jesus brings. In the light of God’s love we are invited to not take ourselves and our faults so seriously, but rather experience grace by embracing laughter, joy, and our shared humanity.

"Keep the Party Going" - John 2:1-11

Jesus comes to bring joy and honor to humanity. In the wedding feast, not only does he allow the celebration to continue, he covers the potential shame of the host who has run out of wine. A flourishing faith life is not about obligation or regulation, but rather is about learning to lean into God’s goodness by living with radical hospitality in all of our relationships across cultural, identity, and gender divisions.