Power in Mercy and Compassion

The last few week’s gospel lessons have dealt with the connection between power and riches, what we value in our lives, and what is valuable in the eyes of God. Last week we heard the confusing parable of the unjust steward and how he sought to take care of himself once he was fired, and the week before, we heard about the 99 sheep who were left behind while the shepherd went in search of the one lost sheep, and the women who searched and swept the whole house in search of the one lost coin out of the ten, and when she found it invited her friends to a party to celebrate. Today we continue with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Listen to or read Ryan’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

Invest Wisely

“Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” This morning’s gospel is part of a larger discussion in Luke on the meaning of money and wealth.

Listen to or read Dr. Loren Crow’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

, ,

Love Over All Else

, ,

So what do we make of Jesus saying to hate anyone, let alone your family? Let’s take a step back from this reading for a moment and look at it in its bigger context. Jesus, as that moment in time, is moving towards Jerusalem where he is going to be crucified. He knows that. He’s talking about that, although no one else understands what he is talking about. And as he goes toward Jerusalem he is teaching, he is healing, he is acting in love, and he is getting pushback. He doesn’t get much pushback for the words about love, but he does when he performs actions in love, like when he tries to heal someone on the Sabbath.

Listen to or read BIngham’s full sermon by clicking “Read More.”

, ,

Full of Compassion and Mercy

, ,

What Jesus reminds us, is that with God it’s not about rules, but about compassion and love. As our presiding Bishop Michael Curry is fond of saying, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” To Jesus, there are no barriers, no qualifications, no “ins” or “outs” for receiving the mercy and healing of God. Nope. That’s not how God works. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness.

Listen to or read the Rev. Ryan Baker-Fones’ full sermon by clicking “read more.”

,

Active, Courageous, Present – The Faith of Mary

,

There is a theological concept called the Missio Dei. It is a Latin term and means the mission of God. It is a theological idea that we, the church and members of the church, do not have a mission in this world. This goes against everything we learn about corporate culture that defines an organization’s mission. We have no mission in the world. God has a mission and we can choose to join it or not.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon for Mary Sunday by clicking “Read More.”

   St. Mary's on Instagram     
follow us: @st.marys.eugene
Bingham likes to remind us that Easter is a 50 day season. If you see him during these 50 days he is likely to give you some Easter candy! How will you bring a smile to someone’s face today? Did you know that Easter lasts 50 days?
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Happy Easter, friends! Let us go out and love like Christ. Be a light in this world today.

Worship. Serve. Grow in Faith.