Scripture: Luke 13:10-17 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN February 21, 2016 He sends you flowers, but what you really want is a one on one, soul to soul, heart to heart conversation. She gives you a hug after a hard day’s work, but what you really need is a delicious home-cooked meal. The problem isn’t…
Scripture: Song of Solomon 7: 1-13 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN February 14, 2016 What does a pastor do when the first Sunday of Lent falls on Valentine’s Day? Upon initial consideration, the two days seem to be diametrically opposed with no opportunity for overlap. With ashes lingering on our foreheads, Lent is a time…
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:4-13b; Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2016 I confess I am a speed addict. No, not the drug. I am referring to the inner pace of my life. I am the person who looks for the fastest moving lane on the freeway. I am the…
Scripture: Genesis 21:8-20 Sarah Fiske-Phillips February 7, 2016 I will never forget the first time I set foot in a prison. The year was 2004. It was a lovely May day and the sun had just begun to warm the earth as California entered the summer months. It was a beautiful day. But. There was…
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN January 31, 2016 Today we conclude our four week sermon series on the RUCC Vision Statement. The first week we talked about the meaning of God – God is mentioned four times in our Vision Statement. God is a loaded word. I spent the first week unpacking…
Scripture: Galatians 3:28 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN January 24, 2016 The results are in. They like Jesus, but not the Church. Yes, a poll was taken among college students. They were asked two simple questions. The first question, “What do you think of Jesus?” and the second question, “What do you think of Christians…
Scripture: Mark 8: 27-30 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN January 17, 2016 I had just returned home for the summer from Divinity School. The doorbell rang and my father went to answer the door. As he opened the door, he found a young, well-dressed man clutching a Bible to his chest with one hand and…
Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN January 10, 2016 There was a man who was about ready to jump from a high bridge, when a second man ran up to him shouting, “Stop! Stop! Don’t do it!” “But I have nothing to live for,” said the first man. “Maybe I can help you,”…
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN January 3, 2016 What an intense year we just had! I think that 2015 will go down as one of the most eventful years in history. Think about all that happened for good and for ill: The Supreme Court makes a landmark decision in legalizing same sex…
Rev. Kraig Beardemphl, MDIV, BCC, ACPE Supervisor RUCC Worship – December 27, 2015 Have you ever had one of those moments where you’ve agreed to do something and the more you get into the nitty-gritty of it, the messier it gets, and you ask yourself: “Why did I get myself into this?” I wonder if…