Sermons by Katharine Keller

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Swallowed By Mercy

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We sometimes mistakenly think that before Jesus no one in Israel saw God as merciful and forgiving. No-even Jonah had a surface awareness of that. Jonah ran away from God’s command, not because he feared the Ninevites, but because he feared God’s mercy. This Sunday we will hear again about our merciful and compassionate God and celebrate Communion together.

Quest: The Awakened Traveler – Returning Home

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As we bring our series on travel, we contemplate what it means to return home. Jesus says “abide in me” and follows that us with the commandment to love one another. The beauty of travel as a spiritual act is, as Rick Steves says, that our prized souvenirs are the “strands of different cultures we decide to knit into our own character.”

Quest: The Awakened Traveler–The Encounter

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Jesus often crossed paths with others not from his “tribe.” He most often sought out these opportunities. He met people in their daily lives and locales, such as the Samaritan woman at the well and her community, and engaged with them at the point of their deepest yearning. When we seek out and open up to new encounters, new people, new relationships, we allow ourselves a spiritual rendezvous with humanity. How can we shift our perception, redefining “strangers” as “friends we have not yet met?”

Quest: The Awakened Traveler-Leaving Home

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Leaving Egypt was not a pleasure excursion for the Hebrew people. But the story of their pilgrimage in the desert in the Book of Exodus reminds us that traveling, moving, leaving home, is part of our Judeo-Christian tradition. Each of us finds ourselves sometime in life needing to leave the familiar in order to grow and to thrive. Beginning a journey involves leaving “home”- whether that is a physical place in order to explore another part of the world, or changing a mindset that keeps us from expanding our spiritual capacity. What must we do to embark in to the unknown?

Tethered!

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We all have burdens at one time or another–some are more difficult than others to carry. We are not meant to carry them alone; the good news is that Jesus’ yoke is light, but his commission to us is that we carry one another’s burdens as well. Join Pastor Katharine as she brings this Sunday’s message, Tethered.

You Are Surrounded!

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Sometimes it feels like we are surrounded by difficulties, doubts, and death. It’s easy to get discouraged and think you’ll never get out of the dilemma you find yourself in. But, God is surrounding you and whatever you are dealing with. There is an unseen realm where your battles are being fought. Don’t get discouraged by what you see with your physical eyes; through the eyes of faith you can see every obstacle surrounded by Almighty God.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Look and Listen

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Jesus went out of his way to show that the much-hated people of Samaria mattered to him, He went out of his way to lift up the people that had been left behind, marginalized and dehumanizes. He refused to walk by. Reflecting on the Good Samaritan story and Mr. Rogers’ handling of discrimination on his program we are challenged to do the same.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: It’s You I Like

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Everyone is sacred because we were made in the image of God, and for that reason alone, he or she is to be valued. Mr. Rogers believed in the sacredness of all creation – including sinful humankind – because of one Man, “the true light, which enlightens everyone.”

Gold Canyon United Methodist Church