Earth Day 2017: Reflections on Psalm 8 and the wonder of God’s creation.

On Easter Sunday, Rev. Ben calls us to believe — not in a specific interpretation of the resurrection, because there are many — but in the triumph of good over evil, beauty over ugliness, and in our power to change the world.

Rev. Ben preaches on “living as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8), drawing out lessons about choosing your truth, and of being fierce in our convictions but graceful and kind in our expression of them.

In the New Testament, the first Christian evangelist was a Samaritan woman. This reminds us that the church should not just include everyone, in the sense of allowing them to join but retaining control, but to weave them into its fabric.

Rev. Ben preaches on John 3:1, drawing out lessons about being ‘born again’ vs. ‘born from above’, and ‘listening to the wind’ vs. ‘listening to the Spirit’.

Rev. Ben preached on the temptation of Jesus in the desert, relating it to the temptation faced by churches nowadays to pursue three things above all else: financial stability, entertainment/spectacle, and political power.

Rev Ben discusses Matthew 17:1 (the transfiguration of Jesus), drawing out lessons on the need to create beauty in the world, not just in artistic terms, but also by working for justice, acceptance, and peace.

Rev. Ben discusses Corinthians 3:10 and its call to “be God’s temple”, relating it to the need to recognize God’s presence when we gather, and challenging us to be a faithful, active expression of the divine spirit among us.

Rev. Ben preaches on the need to replenish our souls, and give strength to each other, when doing the often emotionally draining work of making the world a kinder, fairer, and more loving place.

Rev. Ben discusses Matthew 5:1-12, the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, showing how it calls us to define success differently, and to live by faith in the face of a status-focused, winning-oriented world.