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Every person bears the image of God. The Rev. Mike Wallins reflects on Jesus’ command to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, calling Christians to resist fear and division, defend human dignity, welcome the vulnerable, and ground our public lives in justice, mercy, and love. YouTube ChaptersThese timestamps come directly from the full service transcript: 25:12 – Sermon Begins 25:30 – A Ministry of Compassion at the Border 29:02 – How Is Your Spirit? 30:53 – Jesus, Caesar, and a Divided Nation 32:59 – Whose Image Do We Bear? 35:23 – Immigration, Justice, and Human Dignity 37:03 – God’s Sovereignty Beyond Borders 39:17 – Politics Shaped by God’s Character 41:16 – Refusing to Let Fear Harden Our Hearts 42:29 – Caesar Can Have the Coins 44:44 – Closing Prayer 47:06 – Sermon Ends

We often look to money, success, appearance, and possessions to give us security and even save us. But these things cannot satisfy our deepest longing. Through generosity, we loosen money’s hold on us and discover a different kind of abundance: relationship, shared joy, and the feast God invites us into.

On the Feast of St. Francis, The Rev. Simone Drinkwater reflects on Francis' radical authenticity, stubborn love, and commitment to justice in a church struggling with power and change. Francis reminds us that faithfulness is not conformity but becoming fully ourselves in Christ, whose love gives us permission to live courageously and compassionately.

Explore the mystery of angels and their significance in our lives. In this thought-provoking sermon, The Rev. Mike Angell invites us to consider how angels point us to deeper truths about our existence and faith.

Jesus' parable of the vineyard workers challenges the assumptions about fairness, scarcity, and reward that often shape our lives. Contrasting Pharaoh's economy of fear and competition with God's economy of abundance and dignity, this sermon explores why some hear this story as offensive while others hear it as good news. Ultimately, it invites us to trust that in God's Kingdom there is bread enough, work enough, and grace enough for all.

Drawing on Exodus, Jesus' teaching on forgiveness, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s question "Where Do We Go from Here?", The Rev. Mike Angell explores the difference between contract and covenant. In an age of anxiety and artificial intelligence, Christian community is built through mercy, forgiveness, relationship, and grace.

Our preacher in Residence reflects on what it means to be “Christian enough,” inviting us to see ourselves, our neighbors, and the world through Jesus’ soft eyes. Moving beyond judgment, fear, and exclusion, she calls the church to embody grace, community, justice, and Christ's presence through courageous love and solidarity.

What does true religion look like? Reflecting on Moses at the burning bush, Jesus' call to take up the cross, and the witness of Dolly Parton, The Rev. Mike Angell explores faith as attention to God's presence, solidarity with those who suffer, and a life shaped by generosity, justice, and love.

What if faith isn’t about getting everything right? Reflecting on Peter’s bold confession, The Rev. Simone reminds us that God works through imperfect people. Like Peter, we are invited to take risks, make mistakes, ask for help, and trust that God meets us in the unknown, transforming failure into faithful community.

After months of drought, the rain becomes a teacher. Reflecting on the Canaanite woman who would not settle for crumbs, The Rev. Mike Angell invites us to imagine a wider circle of belonging, where grace moves like water through hidden roots, restoring what has grown dry, brittle, and disconnected.

Drawing on Peter walking on water, Joseph and his brothers, and the wisdom of recovery communities, The Rev. Mike Angell challenges the myth of self-sufficiency. Faith is not about doing more or believing harder. It is the courage to admit our need for God, community, and one another.

Drawing on Jacob’s wrestling at the Jabbok, Paul’s grief in Romans, and the feeding of the five thousand, [Name of Preacher] explores how scarcity is often a posture of fear rather than reality. God’s love multiplies when shared, inviting us to practice abundance, welcome others, and trust grace.

Many of us wish faith came with clear answers and guaranteed scripts. Scripture stubbornly refuses to cooperate. Through the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, and the wisdom of the rabbis who wrestled with this text, we discover that God is found not in rigid formulas but in grace-filled relationships, unexpected blessings, and lives that are far messier than we planned.

Reflecting on Jacob's dream and God's promise, The Rev. Mike Angell explores how accompaniment becomes a living expression of faith. Through stories from St. Michael's immigration ministry, this sermon invites us to reject fear and division, embrace human dignity, and discover holy ground wherever we say, "I am with you."

Using the parable of a grain of rice and Jesus’ teaching about the sower, The Rev. Lee Lowery reflects on how faith is meant to be lived, shared, and multiplied. God's kingdom grows when we cultivate the seeds of love, joy, kindness, and generosity in our lives and communities.