Tending the Flame

Scripture: Leviticus 6:8–13

In this week's message, Pastor Sarah draws from the rarely-visited book of Leviticus to uncover profound truths hidden within ancient temple rituals. Centering on the command to keep a continuous fire burning on the altar, the sermon invites us to reflect on the fire of God’s presence in our own lives—how it burns, how it flickers, and how we are called to tend it daily.

We explore the theological significance of the burnt offering and how it symbolized repentance, reconciliation, and the transforming grace of God. Pastor Sarah weaves in personal stories from summer camp, testimony circles, and even theological debates between traditions, showing how the work of salvation is not a single moment, but a lifelong journey of grace.

As part of our Singing Our Faith series, this message reminds us that salvation isn’t transactional—it’s transformational. The fire of God’s love is not confined to a temple altar but lives within us, shaping us through daily acts of mercy, justice, and love. We are not only saved—we are being saved and will be saved.

🕊️ Reflection Questions:

• How do you understand salvation in your life right now?
  
  
• We often talk about being “saved,” but what does it mean to you that we have been, are being, and will be saved?
  
  
• How does that shape your relationship with God and with others?

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Praying at the River

Scripture: Acts 16:13–15

In this week’s message, Pastor Sarah takes us to the riverside in Acts 16, where Paul meets Lydia—a bold and generous woman whose open heart and courageous faith helped birth the first church in Philippi. Drawing from personal stories of outdoor baptisms and the unexpected grace that flows in those holy moments, we explore how prayer, like music, often happens best in community and in rhythm.

As part of our Singing Our Faith series, this sermon reflects on how our faith—like a good bluegrass jam—calls us to play in time, tune our hearts, act with courage, and join in harmony with others. Through the story of Lydia’s baptism and hospitality, we are reminded that our faith is not meant to stay private. It flows outward, impacting our homes, our churches, and our world.

Whether you're new to faith or have been on this journey for decades, this message invites you to reflect on your own baptismal calling and what it means to live it out together. There's room for every instrument—and every heart—at the river.

🕊️ Reflection Questions:

• Scripture says, “...the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly.” When in your life have you experienced a moment of spiritual openness like Lydia? What helped prepare your heart?
• Lydia’s response to the gospel was immediate and public when she and her household were baptized. How do you respond when you sense God moving? What helps you say yes quickly and fully?
• Lydia’s faith affected not only her but her entire household. How does your faith impact the people around you?

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Improvising Prayers

Scripture: Romans 8:22–27

Sometimes prayer begins not with words, but with sighs too deep for words. In this week’s message, Pastor Sarah shares a powerful experience of communal prayer in South Korea and reflects on the Spirit’s ability to speak through our groans, our longing, and even our silence.

Drawing from Romans 8 and Psalm 40, we explore the deep connection between lament and hope, silence and song, structure and improvisation. Just as jazz invites us to improvise on familiar themes, our prayers—structured or spontaneous—can become living, breathing expressions of faith. Whether whispered in stillness or cried aloud in anguish, the Spirit intercedes on our behalf.

Pastor Sarah also introduces a simple four-part prayer model to help us grow a more personal and creative prayer practice: You / Who / Do / Through. For those seeking a starting point or a new rhythm of prayer, this week’s message offers tools, stories, and encouragement.

🕊️ Reflection Questions:

1. Psalm 40 proclaims, “I waited patiently for the Lord…God put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” Are you waiting on God for something in your life? What song might be forming as you wait?
2. Where in your life are you being invited to pray honestly, even if the words don’t come easily?
3. What collect prayer are you inspired to write today?
   👉 Visit https://bit.ly/collect-prayer for a “how to” guide.

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Singing Our Faith

Scripture: Colossians 3:12–16

What we sing shapes what we believe. As we begin our new worship series, Singing Our Faith, Pastor Sarah invites us to reflect on how music forms us—individually and as a church community.

This week’s message explores the connection between worship and formation through the lens of Colossians 3, where Paul calls us to live in compassion, love, and unity—and to “teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Pastor Sarah shares results from our recent church music survey and invites us into a summer of worship shaped by the songs that move us, challenge us, and root us in the grace of Christ.

Whether you're drawn to traditional hymns, contemporary praise, or something in between, this series reminds us that when we sing with gratitude, our hearts and habits are transformed.

🎵 Reflection Questions:

1 - What does "putting on" compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience look like in my daily life?

2 - How does the Word of Christ live in me?

3 - What barriers do I experience that prevent me from singing to God with gratitude in my heart?

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Journey: The Places We Will Go
Scripture: Acts 10:34–36

Some transformations lead us far from where we started. When the Holy Spirit moves, we may find ourselves crossing borders, breaking assumptions, and joining in a love that is bigger than we imagined.

In this week’s sermon, Pastor Sarah shares the story of Peter’s awakening to the expansive grace of God. What began as a personal revelation became a world-changing proclamation: God shows no partiality. Every person, in every place, is welcomed into the story of Jesus. Like the Monarch butterfly on its long, daring migration, we too are invited into a journey—one that leads to new life, new freedom, and a deeper understanding of the Spirit’s calling.

As our butterfly series continues, we’re reminded that transformation doesn’t always keep us in place. Sometimes, it sends us.

Sermon Reflection Questions

🦋 Butterfly Fact: Each year before winter, Monarch butterflies undertake a truly heroic journey from as far north as Canada and all across the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Some Monarchs travel more than 3,000 miles during this migration!

– Where are you feeling called to go next in your life?
– What journeys have you taken to renewed life and freedom?
– How does the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost help us understand Peter’s words that God's love is for everyone?

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Fly: Daring New Heights
Scripture: Mark 2:1–5

Some transformations only happen when we’re willing to take risks—when we dare to go higher, dig deeper, and break through the barriers in our way.

In this week’s sermon, Pastor Sarah reflects on the bold faith of four friends who refused to let a crowded house keep them from bringing someone they loved to Jesus. They climbed the roof, tore it open, and made space for healing. Their story invites us to consider how faith, community, and courage work together to lift us—and others—into the presence of Christ.

As our butterfly series continues, we’re reminded that some butterflies can fly over 30 miles per hour. Transformation has energy. Grace has momentum. And sometimes, faith takes flight.

Sermon Reflection Questions

1. 🦋 Butterfly Fact: Most butterflies fly at about 5–12 miles per hour. Some species can fly over 30 miles per hour!
   How are you being energized lately? What makes your spirit soar?
2. What does it mean in your life right now to be a “roof-breaker”?
   (Someone who breaks through barriers, fears, or expectations so that healing and transformation can take place—either for yourself or someone else.)
3. How does the faith of the friends in this story inspire you to think about the role of community in your own healing—or in someone else’s transformation?

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"Let Go: Leaving Behind What We Don’t Need"
Scripture: Exodus 16

On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember not just those we’ve lost, but the quiet grief that comes with change — even good change. In Exodus 16, the Israelites are no longer enslaved, but freedom brings uncertainty. They miss Egypt — not the cruelty, but the comfort and predictability of what they knew.

This week’s message explores what it means to let go of what no longer serves us — the habits, assumptions, or comforts that can keep us tethered to the past. God meets the Israelites in their fear and hunger, not with judgment, but with daily provision: manna, quiet and sufficient, like grace itself.

What do we still carry from our own “Egypt”? And do we trust God to provide just enough for the journey ahead?

Sermon Reflection Questions

1. Butterfly Fact: A chrysalis is a hard exoskeleton that the caterpillar forms when it's time to transform. The chrysalis keeps the caterpillar safe for a time during metamorphosis and is ultimately discarded when the new butterfly is ready to come out. What safe spaces and comfort zones have you outgrown? How does our protective armor sometimes impede growth?

2. What does it look like for you to trust God’s provision one day at a time, especially when you’re in a season of transition or uncertainty?

3. When have you experienced a time of spiritual “wilderness” that turned out to be a season of preparation or transformation? What did you learn about God, and about yourself, while waiting and trusting in that in-between space?

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Sermon preached on 2025-05-18 by Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen
Matthew 16:13–20
Common English Bible

In this moving sermon, Pastor Sarah reflects on the moment Jesus renames Simon as Peter—the rock—showing how Christ sees who we are becoming, not just who we’ve been. Like a caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, we are invited to step into the fullness of our God-given identity. This message calls us to trust the Spirit’s work in us, embrace transformation, and live into the names and purposes God speaks over our lives.

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