Pastor Tracy tackles an ancient story about the role of two powerful women in the early history of the Israelites (Judges 4:1-24) and finds parallels in her life as a young single mother starting seminary. In both cases, we see that God provides the means, often in unexpected ways, for people to accomplish what He…
Starting from Mark’s description of Jesus recruiting “fishers of people,” Pastor Tracy examines some of the people chosen by Jesus in the parables, and how these choices make clear the meaning of “Love your enemy” . . . a meaning in which acts of love, not emotions, come first.
Pastor Tracy explores the unfamiliar aspects of the story of Jonah – – the historical context of the actual prophet Jonah – – and finds in it a message about God’s love and the Golden Rule this was surprising and revolutionary for its time. (Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10)
Pastor Tracy examines the wealth of symbolism from prophecies about the Messiah found in the story of Christ’s Baptism. She also connects that story to the Orthodox Jewish tradition of a ritual bath shared by a bride-to-be and her future mother-in-law. She finds that ancient ritual surprisingly relevant to our lives today.
Pastor Tracy continues her exploration of the parallels between the issues and players at the time of Jesus’s birth and today’s social justice concerns. For Epiphany Sunday she discussed the three Wise Men – – what they knew about hope, justice for all the people and the transformative leadership needed to challenge Roman power. She then asks…
Pastor Tracy explores the description of the Nativity in John, with metaphors of “Light,” “the Word” and “Life.” Not only is it a very intentional parallel to the language of Genesis and Exodus, it also contains a profound message about the gift of Grace. She illustrated this with a live ballroom dancing lesson in the…
With Christmas four days away, Pastor Tracy shared an amazing archeological discovery: an ancient scroll that fills-in many of the gaps in Dr. Seuss’s original account of the evil Grinch and the humble Whos.
In the second of two sermons on race and society, Pastor Tracy explores the idea that the majority population unthinkingly enjoys all sort of privileges that are not extended to minorities – – a position that has been captured by the new catch-phrase “Criming while white.” She notes that conditions were just the same in Israel 2000…
On this first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Tracy took a hard look at the state of race relations in our country, as reflected in this week’s headlines from Ferguson, MO. She explored the deep parallels between the condition of Jews in Israel under the Roman Empire and the challenges faced daily by Americans of color.…
In the second of two sermons exploring the Book of Ruth, Pastor Tracy notes the parallels between this ancient story and the experience of refugees and immigrants today: both then and now the friendship and material support these newcomers need comes through the choices and actions of people like us.