What is freedom? For Paul, freedom is about love, joy, peace patience and generosity (Galatians 5:13-23). What does freedom mean to you? And how are we going to get free? Paul has some insights that may surprise you!
Energy and joy break out when we experience a unity that also respects our differences. It's not easy to attain but Paul lays out a vision and shows us the way in Galatians 3:25-28. Join us this Sunday as we continue to explore the freedom God gives us to live in love.
Holiness is all around us. Just a glimpse fills us with wonder. And yet often we do not perceive it. Jesus is the bridge between the human and the holy and he makes a way for us to cross over. (Luke 24:13-32). I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we move deeper into the awe-inspiring mystery of faith. This will be a great week to invite your friends.
What are your emotional scars? This Sunday we explore a story of healing a man with a traumatic past. (Mark 5:1-20) Together we can build community and be in healing relationships with each other and with Jesus, relationships that heal the woulds that come from people and social systems. We don't want to get stuck in the pain of the past. How are you healing your heart? How are we building a healing community?
The authenticity of the testimonies, the music, the poetry, the drama and the presence of the Spirit have made worship this month a remarkable experience of healing and power. The fabulous finale is coming this Sunday: La Familia - Chosen Family. It’s an invitation to choose to live in a loving family that supports and encourages us to be all of who God has created us to be. We will hear powerful testimonies of families choosing to love sons, daughters, sisters and brothers who are coming out, and choosing family members beyond our biological families. Jesus invites us beyond traditional family roles and expectations to choose a faith family.
This week we look at HIV/AIDS – a huge issue for the Bronx, and at what it means to come out of our isolation to be a community of healing. In the gospel story from Mark 5, a woman who is isolated in her illness reaches out in faith to touch. She opens the way to a healing for us all.
In what ways do narrow definitions of masculine and feminine limit you? Are the macho-man and the beauty queen really the only options? This Sunday we move beyond these limits to connect deeply with God who is creating us in a wide variety of gender expressions and with Wisdom who is "delighting in the human race" (Proverbs 8:31).
This Sunday we claim and celebrate all of who God has created us to be. This is an important moment for us as a church. Jorge Lockward will reflect on the story of Esther who wanted to hide an important part of who she was for fear that it wouldn't be accepted. In coming out, she saved her people. Jorge will share his experiences coming out as a gay man and challenging the church to end its discrimination against LGBTQ people. In what new ways do you want to come out? How can we come out fully as a church, woven together in one single garment of destiny?
Maria Fernandez reflects powerfully on the gospel story of a bold and compassionate woman. (Mark 14:3-9) She connects that story with some bold and compassionate women who have made an extraordinary impact on her life, and in so doing, her story will make a powerful impact on your life.
Who and what has silenced you? How do we find our voice? In his first sermon, Argenys Taveras speaks powerfully as the host of New Day open mics and now as a student at Union Theological Seminary. As he has moved deeper into his story in search of his voice, he has discovered a connection between the Holy Spirit and speaking his truth powerfully. How are you finding your voice?