In this guest sermon, Dr. Gertmenian looks at one of the characteristics that most defines humanity: our awareness of the passage of time . . . our ability to form memories. He finds paradoxes on every side, including the idea that the fleeting nature of time may be inseparable from experiencing joy. The Rev. Dr. James…
For her second stop on this year’s Advent journey, Pastor Tracy explores Zechariah’s Prophecy regarding the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus (from Luke 1: 67-79) She finds a universal message about the inherent weakness of regimes that attempt to rule through fear, whether in ancient Egypt … in Israel under the Romans . .…
Pastor Tracy takes a long, thoughtful look at the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and concludes that they are a sign of the weakness of the Islamic nihilist groups. Unable to offer the world anything positive, their only product is fear, and they have no power to harm the civilized world unless we let them by letting fear drive out love. (Scripture:…
Pastor Tracy examines the familiar story of Jesus in the house of Mary and Martha. She concludes that the traditional interpretation suggests a savior out of touch with the human reality of life, and concludes that the deeper meaning involves the choice we all have to make between fear and love.
For Veterans Day, Pastor Tracy examines an Old Testament story about peace breaking out between Israel and ancient Syria (2 Kings 6:8-23) She reports that back then and today, different religions are able to coexist peaceably. It’s only when nationalism and political power start using religion for their own purposes that violent conflicts arise. For those…
For All Saints Day, Pastor Tracy examines the historical context of the story of raising Lazarus from the grave and traces the parallels to the origins of the American Thanksgiving tradition.
For Halloween, Pastor Tracy looks at “the second spookiest passage in the Bible,” about the number of the beast, in Revelation. She explains that it was written when things looked hopeless for the early Christians, and they saw only two choices, both bad. She finds parallel situations in our own lives, and shows that the real challenge…
Pastor Tracy takes on a very troubling passage of scripture, one that has been used down through the centuries to rationalize treating women as subservient to the will of men: 1 Corinthians 11:1-15, However, she argues that, once we understand the historical context, we see that Paul was urging tactics that would help hide the radical nature of…
The story of David bringing the Ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1-15) seems to be a perfect example of retribution theology — a fierce old testament God punishing the wicked. However, Pastor Tracy notes that a close examination of the language and practices of that time suggest a very different interpretation: a comforting God who is there…
The passages in Genesis describing Lot, his daughters, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are among the most troubling in the Bible. They seem to condone attitudes about sex and the treatment of women that we find abhorrent. Pastor Tracy draws on the original Hebrew to arrive at a very different interpretation.