Luke 13: 31 – 35 – Jill Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Even Jesus got dang frustrated when folks didn’t behave as he would have liked. We probably aren’t receiving death threats from Herod as Jesus was, but our wellbeing could be threatened by the idea that if we just try hard enough, are nice enough, say just the right thing, life will…
Sunday Worship Service at 10:30 a.m.
Sermons by Jill A. Kirchner-Rose
Luke 4: 1 – 13 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – We find ourselves hungry for many things that we believe will bring us satisfaction. The devil lays a bet that Jesus will jump at the chance for glory, fame, and the quick fix. Who wouldn’t? But Jesus keeps up the pithy one-liners long enough that the Tempster just has to…
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21- Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Your journey with God is not a performance. It’s intimate and rewarding in ways that aren’t necessarily measured. We are invited to pursue the wealth of the inner life, which reframes the paradigm that God is outward or beyond us. Instead, we might find God by turning inward, recognizing that God is connected…
Luke 6: 17 – 23 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN, This Sunday is Racial Justice Sunday. Similar to COVID-19 and as deadly, racism mutates and remains resistant. Structural racism pervades every aspect of society. Dismantling white supremacy, however, is not solely about what we must tear down. We must ask ourselves, what we must build in its place? The ancient texts…
Luke 6: 17 – 23 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Thich Nhat Hanh says, “To love our enemy is impossible.” Are these Christian and Buddhist teachings at odds with one another? Or can these two great spiritual teachers,…
Luke 6: 17 – 23 – Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – We begin a new sermon series entitled, “Spiritual Giants.” In this past year, we’ve grieved the loss of many influential persons: Bishop John Shelby Spong, Desmond Tutu, Betty White, bell hooks, Prince Philip, Cicely Tyson, Larry King, Hank Aaron, Siegried fischbacher, Colin Powell, Bruce Van Blair (RUCC Founding Pastor) and…
Matthew 5: 13 – 16, Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Today is an Elton John Sunday! Why? For several reasons. For one, today is Father’s Day, and Elton John became a father for the very first time at the age of 63! He and his husband, David, have two children. That inspires me because I became a mother for the first…
Acts 2: 14 – 18; Matthew 25: 31 – 40, Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – The movie I have chosen this morning for our movie sermon series is a documentary entitled, “Mother Teresa – Legacy Film.” You won’t find it in the movie theater, but you can find it on YouTube. According to a Harvard Medical School experiment, just watching this…
Exodus 3: 7 – 12, Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Since children remain in worship on the first Sunday of the month, it was important to me to choose a family friendly movie in our movie sermon series. The spectacular family friendly movie that is out right now (and which I highly, highly recommend) is Aladdin. Karen and I were on…
Golden Rule from multiple faith traditions, Jill A. Kirchner-Rose, MDIV, DMIN – Progressive congregations around the globe are celebrating “Pluralism Sunday” during the month of May. Pluralism Sunday was created as a celebration of our interfaith world. My greatest teacher of pluralism was my mother. As I have shared in the past, my mother explored many different kinds of faith traditions. She…