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Scripture: Acts 2:41-47The Rev. Susan Gilpin preaches on a day when Kristen and Audrey Farnham also present on their recent trip to and work in Guatemala with From Houses to Homes. In Acts, as the early church begins to spread far and wide, it is the generosity of the Holy Spirit which marks them. Today, we are invited to consider how church might be the flower which goes to seed and spreads newness of life into the world… The post “Giving it All Away” – The Rev. Susan Gilpin appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20As we bless graduates on their next adventures, Jesus sends out his beloved disciples to baptize in the name of what we now call the Trinity. But what he, and we, may be hoping we share is not a particular name of God, but the unending activity of God: loving, communicating, and connecting. The post Community of Blessing appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21In a time when Empire defined the language and story that was central, Jesus’s followers discovery that the Holy Spirit arrives to help them tell and understand the wonders that God was working in their lives in their own words and ways… How do we, following in this holy way, make sure that we bring our own—and receive—stories and words for God’s love in our lives? The post In Every Language appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Acts 1:6-14In both the story of Jesus’s ascension and in the 23rd Psalm our ideas about victory and enemies are challenged. How is God calling us to look “higher” to see the world without its dividing lines? How is God calling us to bear witness to the specificity of Jesus, seeking especially care for those who have been cast out? The post Witnessed appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 14:15-21, Psalm 23As we continue to explore the 23rd Psalm, we also hear Jesus preparing to leave his disciples. In both, we find the power of God’s accompaniment. On a day in which we give thanks for all that mothers us, our spirits, and our lives, how does that accompanying love encourage us to do the same, turning out into the world to walk with others? The post The Love We Keep, Keeps Us appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 10:1-10Jesus describes a flock of sheep that he is both shepherd of and gate to… how do we make sense of these images, and how do we listen for the voice of a shepherd in a world in which there are so many voices that can be “thieves and bandits” of our attention? The post The Shepherd Gate: Getting Our Attention appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-10The first letter of Peter calls the early church to build themselves upon Christ as the chief cornerstone: living stones becoming a community and spiritual temple. But building on that “stone that was rejected” may cause us to think about how we build. How can we form a spiritual community strong enough to be a shelter for those in times of trial and open enough that our walls do not cast out or isolate those we are most called to love and welcome? The post Building Solidarity appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35Two disciples wonder at what may be true in the resurrection story as they travel together, and we wonder at how we might especially find our hearts open to receive the risen Christ when we travel and meet each other more fully face to face. The post On the Road appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 20:19-29The Rev. James Gertmenian leads worship, and with the disciple Thomas wonders at the resurrection news, and how we can believe “in our bodies.” The post The Resurrection of the Body – The Rev. James Gertmenian appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10In Matthew’s telling of Easter, the day of resurrection is framed by fear: rulers afraid of what resurrection might mean for their power, guards frightened by blazing visions… but Jesus greets his followers with the song of the angels, “Be not afraid.” How does Easter’s news make us bold in the face of all that might try to bury love, and brave in our sharing of God’s love which brings new life? The post Resurrection: What Are We Afraid Of? appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 20:1-18Jesus is not where people expect, and so there is a race to the tomb to see what is happening… But moving, thinking, and even looking for Jesus may not always work at speed. What happens when we slow ourselves to look, to think, to wonder more deeply at the resurrection news of ... Read more The post Resurrection: Fast and Slow appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11We follow Jesus into Jerusalem and join in shouts of praise. We, like those crowds long ago, too often try to bend Jesus into our own form of just another emperor or king. Instead, we are shown the grace-filled leadership of self-emptying. How do we follow in his way, making space ... Read more The post Getting to Empty: Un-Kinged appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 11:1-45Jesus goes to his friends Mary and Martha at the death of their brother, Lazarus. Like us, Mary and Martha are sure that their grief could have been avoided. But Jesus sits with them and weeps at the reality of their loss… and then, something changes. The post Getting to Empty: Unbound appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13A young shepherd is called to be a King… and so we still look to one who we call a “Good Shepherd” to lead us. But what is it about these workers in the flock? Is leadership just directing the path? Or could it be that leading also contains listening to the ... Read more The post Getting to Empty: High Expectations appeared first on Foreside Community Church.

Scripture: John 4:5-42Jesus meets a Samaritan Woman at a well, and notices the weight that her story—or rather, the story others have told of her—has weighed her down. In seeing her, naming her, and offering her his presence and blessing, he calls a powerful new preacher into the world. What stories must we set down ... Read more The post Getting to Empty: The Weight of Water appeared first on Foreside Community Church.