Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 8/8
The queer, saving love of our queer, Samaritan God.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 7/8
"Lambs among wolves," Jesus called his friends. We've been feeling a little lamb-ish ourselves. And what did he intend them/us to do about that? Remain as vulnerable as possible. Hope for hospitality. Share a table, share good news.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 6/8
"Does it sound scary to set your face toward Jerusalem? Many of your fellow humans are in Jerusalem already." -- Christian Briones, our friend and guest preacher the Sunday after a week he called "a beating." Thanks for the good word on a hard Sunday, preacher.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 5/8
What are you afraid of? In these stories from Luke, they're mostly afraid of Jesus. Not the storm, not the demons, but the messiah himself.
Look, a Glutton and a Drunkard! 4/8
What better way to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges than a Galileo wedding cake?
“A seed-sower sowed seeds sowingly in the seeded steppes,” Jesus says in a parable. The secrets—the mysteries—of God are being revealed and coming to light. “Can you hear me now?” Jesus asks. “Can you see it now?” It’s a hundred-fold harvest and boundless light.
Look, A Glutton and a Drunkard! 3/8
All the names, all the dead. And the problem of Jesus, that woman, his feet, her hair, our sensibilities.
Look A Glutton and a Drunkard! 2/8
Orlando. Pulse. Homophobia. Hate. John the Baptist. Jesus. What do we say now?
Look, A Glutton and a Drunkard: 1/8
Explaining intersectionality this way: "It’s like if the centurion and the widow of Nain had a baby, that baby would be us."
Church: What is it Good For? 9/9
"A bruised reed, we will not break; a dimly burning wick, we will not quench." It must be true; that's what it says on our t-shirt.
On this night we made our Covenant of Co-Conspiracy -- that's how you say "yes" to prioritizing the mission of Galileo Church for one year. Read the covenant here.
Church: What is it Good For? 8/9
Meinrad Craighead, "Song of Solomon"
Nature lovers, this sermon is (not) for you. Beauty is everywhere; God made sure of that. Church helps us know where to look.
(The Genesis 2 reading is recorded here; but much of the sermon's imagery comes from the Song of Solomon. Enjoy.)
Church: What is it Good For? 7/9
"Do you have anything to say to me before I leave?" -- Lancelot Lamar in Walker Percy's Lancelot. Or was it Beyoncé in Lemonade? Or is the Samaritan woman at that well with Jesus? The Trinity Brazos Area of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pondered it hard at our annual assembly.
For the first part of the sermon, Bey's "Hold Up" video played silently on the screen behind the preacher. It was... umm... unsettling. In the best possible way.
You don't have to have read Lancelot or seen Lemonade for this to make sense. But you probably should anyway. Just sayin'.
Church: What is it Good For? 6/9
Did Jesus love his mother? It's up for debate, at least the way we think about "love." But he loved his family-of-choice, and so do we. At our best, (baptismal) water is thicker than blood. Welcome to your family, church.
Church: What is it Good For? 5/9
The Bible is not normal. The Bible is not simple. The Bible is not even for you, individually. The Bible is weird, complex, and for us, all together. The church is a community of interpretation. Get in here and let's read it together.
Church: What is it Good For? 4/9
Church is the place where we cultivate hope. It's where we lick the batter from the bowl before the cake is baked. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God -- "Despite all appearances to the contrary, God is in charge." That's what we're saying, too.
Church: What is it Good For? 3/9
A sermon... about a sermon... mind blown. Also, a sermon in which the preacher maintains a sarcastic voice from the beginning to the very end. We don't know if it's a good idea, but it happened. The preacher explains, "Sometimes the text is too hard for me to preach with it. I sort of preach against it, but with the skeptical people of God, so the scripture can be heard, so Jesus gets his say." Does it work for you?
Church: What is it Good For? 2/9
Rev. Nicole McRaney with Rev. Coretha Loughridge of the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Our first ordination! Nicole McRaney answered God's call to ministry and we got to say "yes" to that. And she asked for her favorite text, the one about spinning and weaving, so we made that work like this.
The Coolest Muslims We Know: a Public Conversation
Progressive Muslims and progressive Christians, in some important ways, have more in common than progressives in either faith have with their conservative counterparts. Are you surprised? This is one of our favorite conversations ever. Hella good. Just hella good. "You shall know them by their fruits."
Real Talk with Dr. Irie podcast
One of Katie's dearest friends, Rev. Dr. Irie Lynne Session, produces a podcast about the topics that mean the most to her life of discipleship. Recently she called Katie for a conversation called "Politics and Possibilities: Interracial Friendships Between Black and White Women." Not the easiest thing in the world to talk about, right?
The Shelter of Each Other (Brite Ministers Week 2016)
In February 2016 our Lead Evangelist was invited to talk about an aspect of Galileo that might be surprising to traditional church folks (like herself): how a "homeless" church can become the safest place on earth.
Church: What is it good for? 1/9
"Church: What Is It Good For? (HUH!)" is our worship series for the season of Eastertide. We posit that "Spiritual, But Not Religious" could be translated, "Alone, But Not Together." And alone is not the best way to be, is it? What if the abundant life Jesus named in John 10 is the promise of fullness of relationship in the beloved community?
And on this date, we ordained Nicole McRaney to Christian ministry. Such a beautiful day. Thanks, Nicole, for letting us be part of it.