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February 27, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online Descent into the Underworld 1 Peter 3:8-22 Joseph Campbell wrote that “Mythology may, in a real sense, be defined as other people’s religion. And religion may, in a sense, be understood as popular misunderstanding of mythology.” And so it goes. Our scripture lesson for today sounds like half Continue reading …
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February 13, 2022 Guest Preacher justin adkins Isaiah 60:1-5 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Holy One rises upon you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the Holy One will rise upon you, and glory will appear over you. Nations will Continue reading …
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February 6, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online Unlikely Leaders 1 Samuel 17:32-58 In the twenty-plus years I’ve been sermonizing, I’ve only once preached about the story of David and Goliath mostly because I believe combat should not have a prominent place in the context of a Christian worship experience, particularly because we confess that we Continue reading …
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January 30, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online Paradise Ecclesiastes 2:1-16, 22-25 It’s a miracle that we can worship together and yet not be together in the same physical space. Technology is a miracle. Life is a miracle. You are a miracle. The recently deceased Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh believed in miracles, writing: “People usually Continue reading …
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January 23, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online Ascending Exodus 24:12-18 I don’t think I have shared with you something about myself that is very personal. I wondered if I should disclose this intimate detail about my life. I decided to do so. I should warn you that when one of my former church administrators discovered Continue reading …
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January 16, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online The Flood Genesis 9:8-17 Beloved, I have good news and not so good news to share with you today. First a bit of not so good news which you probably already know: the universal church is in crisis. It has been in free-fall for years, with decreased trust Continue reading …
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January 9, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online The Fall Genesis 3:1-7, 20-24 What age were you when your parents told you that you were white? I ask that with the knowledge that most of this community is of Anglo-Saxon stock. I ask that with the realization that most of you, like me, grew up in Continue reading …
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January 2, 2022 Rev. Mark Seifried online In the Beginning Genesis 1:1-13 I love speculating about the beginning of creation. I imagine desolate nothingness exploding to become somethingness. I wonder what caused the explosion. I wonder how all this happened: nothingness becoming rocks that soared through space, generating energy and life. That life force is Continue reading …
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December 19, 2021 Rev. Mark Seifried online The Truth John 8:12-19 Light. We’d die without it! This time of year, we crave it. As the pandemic drags on, the world needs more light than ever. When Goethe was on his deathbed, his last request was, “More light.” When the window shades were raised, he was Continue reading …
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December 12, 2021 Rev. Mark Seifried online The Truth John 14:1-7 “You can’t preach that!” I’ve been told dozens of times that I cannot preach about our Bible lesson for today. They’ve said that it’s exclusionary. They’ve said that it’s wrongheaded. They’ve said that it does harm. I’ve heard all this from good liberals who Continue reading …