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Smells Like Teen Spirit – The first Sunday after Advent we have Khette Cox as guest preacher. She is a hospice chaplain and a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School. The scripture is the familiar story in Luke of Mary and Joseph and their young son, Jesus, having gone to Jerusalem, but on the way home the boy’s parents discovering he was not with them. When they found him after searching for three days, he was in the Temple, talking with the “teachers.” The story is placed in Luke between the story of the miraculous birth and the story of Jesus’ baptism, and as such, it is a literary bridge but also a bridge as Jesus develops into the person he is to be. This story is of Jesus beginning to discover who he is and is to be. At this stage he may not know who he is, and, in her work as a hospice chaplain, Khette has often posed the question, “Who are you?” to patients. It is a question for us, too, perhaps a challenge posed by God, prompting us to discover who we are among the people of God. During the ba

Good Will To All – This traditional Christmas Eve service is one that West End UMC has held for decades. It highlights the reading of the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, read by the minister in the center of the sanctuary, among the worshippers. Our Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon, recounts Christmases growing up when their extended family drew names to give gifts, but sometimes after all the gifts were opened, there was yet another gift under the tree, and the question quickly became “Who is this gift for?” She compares that to the experience of the shepherds where the angel appears and says, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.” Later, the group of angels declares, “. . . peace among those whom he favors!” Whom does God favor? Carol presses a grammatical possibility that, with a particular comma, the statement refers to God being pleased with all of the people, not just the rich, or the accomplished, or the Jews, or any other particular group. We as a church

This is the fourth Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today’s scripture is the passage from Luke wherein a pregnant Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary’s response to Elizabeth is what has come to be known as “The Magnificat,” based on the first words of her praise, “My soul magnifies the Lord!” The text of her praise/prayer is the prophetic message for today’s message of hope. Prophecy is not so much predicting the future, but telling the truth about the present, and Mary’s message is that God is in the midst of turning things upside down with this baby in her womb. Of course, when the baby was later born, Mary (and Joseph) had all the responsibilities of parents of the infant and then as a child. As he grew up she had to let him go and saw him become a controversial figure, and then she suffered through his trials and crucifixion. After that, she was among the p

Breath for Dry Bones – This Service of the Longest Night is designed to hold space and a quiet place for those who are suffering loss or other distress. Delivering the sermon is Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our Pastoral Intern, and the text is Ezekiel’s well-known vision of the valley of dry bones. She compares much of today’s situations to that valley in that we are alive but not living, trying to navigate the loss of a loved one, or a dead relationship (with people or with one’s own spirit), or dead dreams where one’s dreams are not being fulfilled. In Ezekiel’s vision, God asks him whether the dry bones can live, and the prophet replies, “O Sovereign Lord, only you know.” Then God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, and that enlivens them. If we focus our minds on the things that are life-giving, we are accepting God’s direction that we have a response-ability to respond to God’s plans for us, and through a God-directed word we, too, can enliven what has seemed to be dead. God does what we can’t do, but

This is the third Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today’s message is from Zephaniah. The candle we light today is the pink one, symbolizing joy. In this season we experience a lot of joy with Christmas cards, gifts, and such, but, in contrast, during Advent we are waiting, preparing for the final return of Christ into the world. Through Advent we name the difference between what is and what shall be. Advent is a period of joy, not necessarily happiness. Joy is a gift of God, no matter what is going around us. Pastor Carol gives examples of words from Paul and Jesus who expressed joy in the midst of imprisonment and imminent crucifixion. The book of Zephaniah begins with scorching words of condemnation against the people, but in chapter 3, our text for today, God’s word is of forgiveness and hope, showing that God doesn’t look on us with condemnation but with presence and grace. A further word fr

This is the second Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we are hearing some messages from the ancient prophets. Today’s message is from Malachi. Our Senior Miniter, Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon, cites a book, Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, who says that in the corporate world feedback is important. Carol says that although sometimes feedback is tough for the person receiving the critical input, we all need it, and our response to God’s correction is important for our growth in faith. In some ways the book of Malachi is a scene where the people have been complaining through the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem that they are not thriving and God has forsaken them. The prophet is presenting God’s case against the people’s accusations and thus the feedback. One of the key words is “return,” which can also be translated from the Hebrew, “repent.” Malachi’s image of the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soap, both of which are harsh for the recipient but are purifyi

Our Hope Is Built – This is the first Sunday in Advent, and our theme for the season is “Messages of Hope,” during which we will hear some messages from the ancient prophets. Today we begin with a passage from Jeremiah, who, while in prison and having witnessed Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonian army, nevertheless offers a promise from God of restoration and a coming “righteous Branch” to lead justice and righteousness in the land. Today marks the return of Senior Minister Carol Cavin-Dillon after a three months sabbatical, and she delivers the Communion Meditation based on this word from Jeremiah, through which she encourages us, no matter our situation as a people or as individuals, to remember, through Jeremiah’s prophecy, that God is a builder and is with us. She also reminds us that we must be vigilant for God’s presence and willing to participate in the rebuilding. The communion that we share today is a sign and an act of that coming together with each other and with God as we gather around the t

This is Reign of Christ Sunday, and the scripture reading from John is the encounter between Pilate and Jesus when Pilate asks Jesus if he is king of the Jews. Jesus doesn’t deny it, but he says that his kingdom is not of this world. As Americans we understand monarchy knowing our country was founded upon rebellion against such rule, but Jesus demonstrates that his reign is different – there aren’t people fighting for him in this conflict. Coincidentally, Reign of Christ Sunday was founded in 1925, a hundred years ago, and in his sermon, the Rev. Will McLeane gives some historical context from 1925, contrasting the Reign of Christ to monarchies in our history. Under the kingship of Jesus, followers aren’t enslaved or oppressed but are inspired to claim Jesus as the ultimate authority in their lives. The followers of Jesus do as Jesus did and give themselves in service to others. The bottom line is that we need each other, even in times of division, and that means that the world needs a different kind of

The scripture for today is from the first chapter of 1 Samuel wherein Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, goes into the shrine at Shiloh to pray to have a child. Not only has she been unable to conceive, but Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, often makes fun of her “mercilessly.” Our Pastor of Children and Families, the Rev. Maggie Jarrell, delivers the sermon and relates Hannah’s frustration and dilemma to some situations we face today. Even when Hannah prays desperately in the presence of the Lord in Shiloh, her tears and moving lips prompt Eli, the priest, to accuse her of being drunk. In the end, though, Eli blesses Hannah, and, certainly, God blesses her as she does conceive and gives birth to Samuel. It is important for us to learn to cope, to live through the rough times, to talk about our issues with God, with family and friends, maybe to cope through exercise, to cope by serving others. Ultimately, however, it is crucial for us to remember to trust God’s love and presence. As we say in the l

An Open-Handed Future – Today we are following the story of Ruth that we began two Sundays ago when Ruth, leaving her own land, went with Naomi, her mother-in-law, to Naomi’s home in Judah. Ruth, an immigrant in the territory of what had been the enemies of her people, was there out of love for mother-in-law, Naomi. Delivering the sermon on the second part of the Ruth story, Rev. Will McLeane, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, says that, as widows, they were among the poorest of the people, and Ruth had begun gleaning in the fields in an attempt to provide food for them. Naomi encouraged Ruth to establish a relationship with Boaz, in whose fields Ruth was gleaning, and that cultivated a marriage of Ruth with Boaz that resulted in a son who would end up being the father of Jesse who was the father of David. As unlikely as all of this was, it was love that changed the courses of those lives through a radical openness to receive another. And that is the path of Jesus. We can’t control or predict where lov

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

West End UMC lay and clergy voices join together to offer a morning prayer podcast for the mornings of November 4-6. The liturgy generally follows the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer”. ...

Today is All Saints Sunday when we remember those who have gone before us, and, specifically, those members of our church who have died in the past year for each of whom we light a candle during the service. It is a communion service using the old Cranmer liturgy, and Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye delivers the Communion Meditation based on the first part of the Book of Ruth which begins in tragedy, with famine prompting Naomi’s family to move from their home in Judah to Moab, which was somewhat enemy territory. There Naomi’s husband dies, and her two sons marry Moabite women, and then the sons die. In grief, Naomi decides to head back to Judah. Of the two daughters-in-law, on the advice of Naomi, Orpah decides to stay in Moab, but Ruth sees a way forward for the future and accompanies Naomi to what is, to Ruth, foreign land. Ruth’s and Naomi’s actions lay a path for us as we face death and bereavement. Living in communion with the saints who have gone before us, we worship God who has defeated death.

What Do You Want Me to Do for You? – In today’s reading from Mark, Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd are about to leave Jericho when they encounter Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who calls out to Jesus. The author of this first gospel tends to be brief and to-the-point, and although this story must certainly have been one of the many encounters Jesus had in Jericho, it is the only one reported in this gospel, which underscores how significant the writer considered it. In Jesus’s day, some illness like blindness was often considered to have been the result of some sin of the blind person or of his parents. Thus, for the crowd to try to shush him is not surprising, but for Jesus to respond to him would have been surprising. When Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants Jesus to do for him, that Bartimaeus has the faith and confidence that Jesus can heal his blindness is key. Likewise, our response to the query of Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” is a matter of deep faith that Jesus can heal us, and

Side by Side – In today’s reading from Mark, two of the disciples of Jesus ask to sit at his right and left when Jesus enters his glory. The Rev. Aimee Baxter, our Pastor of Young Adults, delivers the sermon today. She says that the motivation for James and John to ask this is not clear – do they want to be close to Jesus, or is it a power grab? In any case, Jesus realizes they just don’t get it – being at the front has nothing to do with prestige and everything to do with humility. The other disciples are angry at the two, perhaps because they, too, want to be first, but Jesus presses a reorientation in which there is nobody at the top. And even though “the last shall be first,” it is a matter of servitude and of a posture of side by side where everyone dances together. Jesus says he came not to be served but to serve, and community as the goal can better be achieved by humility and service.

In today’s familiar scripture passage from Mark, a rich young ruler comes to ask Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and, first, Jesus cites a number of the commandments, all of which have to do with relationships. The young man says that he has kept all the commandments. Then “Jesus, looking at him, loved him” and told him he must sell everything he owns and give to the poor, which was disturbing to the young man because he had a lot of possessions. The disciples, led by Peter, pursue the same question – who can be saved? Jesus says it is extremely difficult (the analogy of the impossibility of a camel moving through the eye of the needle) for those who have many possessions, but the lesson is that God’s gift is community rather than possessions. In our lives we often need to remember that to move out of the isolation of possession and consumption and into the life of community is the foundation of love.

Common Ground – Today is World Communion Sunday. Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye, our Pastor of Mercy and Justice Ministries, delivers the Communion Meditation, based on the Genesis 2 creation story where God creates the first human from the dirt of the earth. She reminds us that although so many things tend to divide us (politics, ball teams, etc.), humans are identical through our DNA, and we share much of our DNA identity with animals and, actually, with soil. Tom Turnbull, a West End member and potter, created the communion vessels we are using today, and when asked told Stacey that the clay potters use is timeless and common all over the world. All of this speaks to the common nature of God’s creation with humans united with each other and with nature. This sets the context for taking communion at the Lord’s table united with others all over the world. In respect for World Communion Sunday, the scripture lesson from Genesis 2:4-7, 18-22 today is read in Korean by Seulbin Lee.

Today we continue with the Epistle of James, written to a congregation that the writer feels has strayed. Dr. Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our Congregational Care Intern, is preaching today and begins with her experience working at Alive Hospice this summer and her perspective on faith in the face of dying, citing a patient who, in tears, said he hoped God knew of his love for God. She reminds us that from the cross even Jesus cried out with a feeling of having been forsaken by God. Faith is complicated, but in our being tied together we are each well when the other is well, and our faith can be built and sustained on a constant relationship in prayer with God. The writer of James calls us to such consistent relationship with God, not just calling on God in times of need. And the writer of James repeatedly emphasizes the crucial importance of prayer to sustain the relationships with each other and with God.

Children’s Sabbath – Today we focus on children as we read a familiar passage from Mark 9 where the disciples have argued who among them is the greatest, and Jesus uses a child as a lesson to say that in order to be first, one must be last, putting on the mantle of a servant or a child. For our services today, children’s choirs are featured, Bibles are handed out to children, and children serve as liturgists, readers, and preachers. The two services feature different children’s choirs and different children as liturgists, giving us a glimpse at how many children attend our church.