She Said What!?

Joseph never quite fit in with his surroundings. Beautiful, flamboyantly dressed, and full of dreams, his uniqueness singled him out for trouble.

Jacob and Esau has a troubled relationship, due in no small part to Jacob's habitual trickery. As young men they parted in strife, but many years later they were able to embrace in love. What lessons does this have for us today?

Jesus gives us a difficult promise and a challenging command, but thankfully he also provides us with an example.    

Abraham and Sarah are the parents of three faiths - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But another Mother is also part of the story: Hagar, the mother of Ishmael.  

This is the second half of the 'Sodom and Gomorrah' story, where Lot flees to the hills with his daughters and Lot's wife turns to salt in the road. It's a difficult story of destruction, rape, and violence, but even in the ugly narrative it is possible to find evidence of God's compassion.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is a beautiful story, but one whose tropes and interpretations have become riddled with misinformation through the centuries. This sermon clears up a few translation errors, and invites us to understand this story as one of grace rather than of condemnation.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is often told as a parable of judgement against the LGBTQ+ community. But a closer reading of the text reveals that it is more concerned with the denial of love than the sharing of it. fb: Sodom and Gomorrah have oft been used to wield judgement on LGBTQ+ people. But what if that message is missing the point entirely?

The loves of God have been on display throughout the story of Ruth. In the final chapter, it is romantic and redemptive love that take center stage.  

The third chapter of Ruth bears testament to the ways poverty, power, and gender overlap in noxious ways. But it also gives us a story of subversive, willful choice that displays the complicated and varied forms that love and family can take.

"Religious law" can be perceived or used as a tool of oppression. But reality is more complicated than that. The second chapter of Ruth gives us an example of religious law that legislates compassion.   downtownisciples.org @DTdisciplesDSM

Love takes many forms. The story of Ruth shows demonstrates a special kind of love that risks everything and lets nothing, not economic security, nationality, gender, or expectation, stand in its way.  downtowndisciples.org @DtdisciplesDSM

The Apostle Paul prayed for his community. How can his words inspire us to do the same?

Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch shows us that there are no barriers of background, identity, class, race, or gender between us and God. Not only that, but this story empowers those on the margins of modern society to claim leadership in shaping the future of the church.   downtowndisciples.org @DTdisciplesDSM

Sometimes the vitriol of another person or group can feel insurmountable and immutable. But the ancient story of Paul on the road to Damascus, as well as more recent stories of radical change, remind us that there is always hope and possibility.

Palm Sunday.  Jesus’ subversive, joyful ride in to Jerusalem is another instance in the story of God’s rescuing people from oppression and fear and empowering humans to do the same.

When people hear the story of Jesus’ writing in the sand, they tend to get preoccupied trying to figure out what he was writing. But the story is about so much more. Pastor Debbie shows us how this is a story that both acknowledges sin and displays abounding grace.

The story of Tamar is, unfortunately, often overlooked. In today's sermon, Pastor Debbie shows us how the woman Tamar is a bold example of initiative and subversive power.

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he does more than restore life to one man (as extraordinary as that is in itself); he calls all people to come out from whatever tombs they experience into new and deeper life. Music by Chad Elliot Find out more about Downtown Disciples here  

When Jesus encounters a woman at a well in Samaria, his disciples are scandalized by the situation. But this vivacious woman has much to teach them, and us, about what is means to engage with the Christ. Music in this episode by Ryne Doughty Find us here

"Jesus Saves" is a phrase that can hold a lot of baggage for some people. But in the gospel reading for today, we find bold acts of friendship and faith that help reframe the phrase as something worth reclaiming.