Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 | Romans 4:13-25

Jeremy Richards

I love the pairing of our two scriptures today. In our reading from Genesis, we hear one of the accounts of God’s covenant with Abraham (there are actually a number of times in Genesis that God makes this covenant with Abraham, with slight variations), and then in Romans we hear Paul’s interpretation of this very story. Towards the end of our reading from Romans, Paul says explicitly that what was written centuries earlier about Abraham was written “not for [Abraham’s] sake alone, but for ours also.”

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 | Luke 11:9-13

Jeremy Richards

This morning we’re wrapping up our sermon series on “reimagining the love of God” (at least for now…we may have a part 2 coming up). There are a lot of ways “reimagining the love of God” could go, but I chose to focus on reimagining God’s love for us, and how we can encounter that love through spiritual practices.

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 | Matthew 6:19-34 | Matthew 13:22

Jeremy Richards

This morning we’re continuing our sermon series on reimagining and receiving the love of God, on opening ourselves up to encounter the Divine. In other words, we’re talking about the spiritual life and how to cultivate it.

We know from 1 John 4 and other scriptures that to abide in God is to abide in love, so the journey into God is a journey into love. In fact, it’s love all the way through. We begin in love—we’re called by love, the road we travel is love, and our destination is love, because God is love, and God isn’t another being somewhere else, but reality itself. God is the One in whom we live and move and have our being. Love is the One in whom we live and move and have our being. As we’ve prayed every Sunday morning since 2021 began, “All things exist in love, because you, eternal God, are love.” As Horacio shared with us last week, love is the fountain and foundation of all life.

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 | Matthew 6:1-18

Jeremy Richards

Our reading this morning, Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 6:1-18, is pretty straightforward: don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t practice your religion for show. The focal point of your practices shouldn’t be the approval of others, but God, your “Father who is in secret” and who “sees in secret,” to use Jesus’ words.

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 | 1 John 4:13-19 | Hebrews 12:29

Jeremy Richards

Our theme for 2021 is simply “Love.” Well, specifically it’s “Re: Love,” which looks better written than it sounds spoken. This theme is broken down into 4 parts, each lasting 3 months, all accompanied by “re” words, because in the suggestions we received from all of you about what you wanted us to focus on in 2021, “re” words kept being used. Remembering, reimagining, renewing…. The prefix “re” is interesting because in a way it breaks down time. “Re” words invite us to revisit what is old, and to reevaluate its application for today as we look forward to tomorrow. I’m reminded of Jesus teaching, “…every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jeremiah 31:7-14 | Ephesians 1:3-14

Jeremy Richards

Our reading from Jeremiah this morning proclaims a future home to a down and out, exiled people. There’s scholarly debate about the circumstances surrounding this passage, but most agree that the context is the Babylonian exile.

Whatever the particulars, in the midst of what is a strong candidate for the most doom-and-gloom, no-fun, depressing of the prophetic books (which is saying something!) our passage today comes from a hopeful section of 3 chapters, often called the “Book of Consolation.” While Jeremiah spends most of his time predicting the impending defeat to Babylon and the subsequent exile, he promises – or should we say that God promises – hope.

Romans 16:25-27 | Luke 1:26-38

Jeremy Richards

There are some biblical stories that we know by heart. We’ve heard them so many times we could recite them in our sleep. And of those biblical stories that we know so well, none are better known than the Christmas stories. In the Western world at least, many people who don’t even identify as Christian and who have very little first-hand experience with the Church still know the story of the full inn, the baby Jesus born in a manger, the shepherds, the angels, and the wise men from the East.

Isaiah 40:1-11 | 2 Peter 3:8-15a

Jeremy Richards

Earlier this week, I was sitting in my office, reading over our scriptures for today, and I wasn’t really getting anywhere. I kept running into dead ends. I would get a bit of an idea, but it wouldn’t really take off. So I did what I often do, if the weather allows, when I’m going round and round in my head: I went for a walk in Grant Park.