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Melissa preaching at RMC on Sept. 8, 2019

Invited to the Table – Sept. 8, 2019

Genesis 18:1-15

Melissa began her sermon talking about her many visits to A Place at the Table. Unfortunately, the first two minutes were not recorded, so we pick up from her comparison of A Place at the Table with the story of the three strangers who visit Abraham and Sarah at the oaks at Mamre. Abraham welcomes the strangers and brings Abraham and Sarah’s best for them.

What can we learn about the gathering tables in our community? Where is God present or absent? As we break bread at these tables, we’re invited to observe, to be hospitable and take part in the hospitality, and be witness to the divine presence.

Invited to the Table – Sept. 8, 2019
A Year at the Table

 
 
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Place setting with A Year at the Table in text over the plate

God shows up at the Table – Aug. 25, 2019

Genesis 1

Melissa’s sermon was preceded by viewing a video featuring James Weldon Johnson reciting the poem The Creation. The poetry of Genesis is where we’re starting our “Year at the Table.”

Our lives are dependent upon creation, just as they’re dependent upon a loving, creative God. Every time we eat, we are reminded that we do not control the world. We are reminded that our very existence is a gift.

God shows up at the Table – Aug. 25, 2019
A Year at the Table

 
 
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Melissa preaching at RMC on August 18, 2019

Surprising Faith – Aug. 18, 2019

Hebrews 11:1-16

Melissa continued the series focused on Hebrews in this morning’s message. What is faith in the midst of political distress, in a government hellbent on terrorizing the vulnerable?

It’s the failures of the people talked about in this Hebrews passage that animates our faith to continue on. They provide hope because of their brokenness. If they can be used by God, there is hope for us. We are creatures of grace, and that can give us hope.

Surprising Faith – Aug. 18, 2019

 
 
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Rachel Taylor preaching Aug. 11, 2019

Unlocked Doors – Aug. 11, 2019

Matthew 12:1-6
Hebrews 9:1-14

Rachel brought the message this morning and began by telling us about recently being locked in the walk-in refrigerator at Anathoth Community Garden. She weaved this story and several readings into the teachings from the Hebrews passage about Christ as our high priest.

Jesus, as our priest, makes us whole, by reminding us that there is a locked door but also by opening it. By reminding us that we’re in a pit, but that God is there to pull us out. He also reminds us that our gifts and efforts are not what saves us, because the gift of Jesus’ life has already done that.

Unlocked Doors – Aug. 11, 2019

 
 
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Melissa preaching May 19, 2019

Sacrifices & Finding Life – July 28, 2019

Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10 & Matthew 26:36-40

Melissa works at clearing up misconceptions we often have and reconciling some of our notions of the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and Jesus’ life and crucifixion. We were forgiven long before we knew we needed forgiving.

Sacrifices & Finding Life – July 28, 2019

 
 
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Zinith Barbee preaching at RMC on July 21, 2019

The Good, the Bad & the Cross – July 21, 2019

Matthew 12:46-50, Hebrews 2:10-18

Zinith Barbee provided the sermon this morning, intertwining stories of Wyatt Earp and cowboys, with Jesus, his family, and Pharisees. At the end of the four gospels, we don’t get the OK Corral, we get Golgotha. Jesus is not the new Sheriff in town, he’s the new light and life.

The Good, the Bad & the Cross – July 21, 2019

 
 
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Hans preaching at RMC July 14, 2019

God has spoken to us – July 14, 2019

John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-4

Hans brought the message to us this morning with his typical good humor.
We don’t always hear God speaking to us. The Bible shows many different ways God is revealed to and works through God’s people. Sometimes God speaks immediately upon request, but not often.

We need to be mindful, paying attention, and open to messages even when those messages may not be what we want to hear.

God has spoken to us – July 14, 2019

 
 
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Meghan Florian preaching at RMC June 23, 2019

A Hopeful Peace – June 23, 2019

Isaiah 65:17-25

Our guest speaker this Sunday was Meghan Florian. Her message of hope shared of the power of planting and seeing gardens come to fruition, even in times of difficulty and depression. Sometimes what we sow, only with time will others harvest. What seeds of joy and hope are we planting today, as we uproot injustice and sow peace? What might grow if we remain faithful to God’s call?

A Hopeful Peace – June 23, 2019

 
 
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Melissa preaching at RMC on May 12, 2019

Finding God in Unexpected Places – June 16, 2019

Psalm 9, Isaiah 53:4-9

This Sunday the service used the music of Patty Griffin to tell stories of a God who is present in the messiness of life. What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to say to those with their backs against the wall? The scriptures tell us the answer: God is there with her back against the wall, right beside them, and right beside us.

Finding God in Unexpected Places – June 16, 2019

 
 
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Rachel preaching July 15, 2018

The Promise of Pentecost – June 9, 2019

Acts 2:1-4, Romans 8:14-39

Rachel draws from Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime to recount the power of understanding many languages. Pentecost calls us to welcome others, to be changed, to be vulnerable, to learn new languages.

“The promise of Pentecost is that we are being made into a people, speaking many languages, to praise God and yet understand each other. ”

The Promise of Pentecost – June 9, 2019

 
 
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Melissa preaching May 19, 2019

Breaking down prison walls – May 19, 2019

Acts 16:16-40

RMC has been part of an interfaith group that spends time at the NC women’s prison, celebrating birthdays and sharing times of worship.

Prisons are created to get people out of the way. They did in the day of Paul and Silas, and they do so today. As Willy Jennings has said, prisons are never about criminals; they’re about societies. They’re a tool for control and containment.

To believe in Jesus is to be set free, just as the jailer was from the jail and the prisoner from the prison.

Breaking down prison walls – May 19, 2019

 
 
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Melissa preaching at RMC on May 12, 2019

Decisionmaking in the Church – May 12, 2019

Acts 15:1-29

While the passage is specifically about whether male Gentiles who followed the Way of Jesus needed to be circumcised, Melissa explains this really speaks to the broader decision-making process within the early church. We think we have difficulty coming to a consensus as a church; this was a much more volatile issue!

Note: there was some occasional static during parts of the recording. A few brief sections where it was particularly bad were removed as a result, while some was left in. Our apologies.

Decisionmaking in the Church – May 12, 2019

 
 
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