As a Christian community, called to peacemaking and reconciliation, we affirm that people of any race, ethnic identity, gender, who are gay or straight, of any ability, age, or economic status, are welcome to full participation in our congregation.
On our third online worship service during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melissa had some technical challenges so presented her message without notes. The scripture was from John 11, the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. When Mary and Martha tell Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died,” Jesus doesn’t […]
We all met from our homes via Zoom as the second week apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Melissa preached from John 9:1-41. This is a time of anxiety and fear, but it’s also a time for us to sift through our own lives and for us to think about what it will be like […]
On this first Sunday we streamed our service rather than meet in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Melissa preached from John 4:5-42. A small group met at Fletcher to lead worship. “These are unusual and difficult times. But these are opportunities for us to both be and to receive good news. To let our […]
John 3:1-17 We had the honor of having Ronda Singletary bring the message this morning. Ronda was recently released from the women’s prison and shared her powerful testimony, including poetry that she wrote. The recording starts with Sus Long leading the congregation in the song written by and for the women she has worked with, […]
Matthew 4:1-11 The temptations Jesus encountered shows Jesus was the Messiah. The most god-like thing to do in that moment was to not be godlike and while Jesus had the power to be godlike he chose not to. What would you do in the moment of temptation if you were in Jesus’ position and had […]
Scripture Isaiah 25:6-9Revelation 19:5-10 The secular world enslaves people, in Roman times literally and today through harsh work environments, low wages, unaffordable health care and debt. In Revelation God provokes us to see greed and the hoarding of wealth and align with the poor.
Luke 22:14-23 Our guest preacher this Sunday was Dr. Malinda Berry. This was part of the weekend she spent with us teaching on our Mennonite theology of Communion and how we might create a robust and living theology of table as a local community. Communion helps us connect with each other. Malinda drew in part […]
John 6:25-40, I Corinthians 11:23-26, 12:12, 24-27 Melissa continued the series on communion, focusing today on the role of bread. How bread comes to be is significant, from the grains to the yeast that acts as leavening. In many ways, we are bread. How do we break ourselves open to be made whole?How do we […]
Matthew 26:17-30 On this first Sunday that we held worship at Fletcher Academy, Melissa recounts the story of the Last Supper, Jesus having Passover with his friends. The account in Matthew spends more time talking about the betrayal by Judas than it does about breaking of the bread and sharing the cup. When we come […]
Matthew 5:21-24 and 1 Corinthians 11:17-26 Melissa reflects on the place where we have worshiped since 1994 and how that has affected us as a community.
Exodus 12:3-13 and Mark 14:12-25 Our biblical example of communion stems from Jesus sharing the Passover meal with his disciples. Rachel reflects on how the church’s communion practice, particularly in white-dominant congregations, can deepen rather than heal racial divisions in the church as it did in the past when white slave owners required those they […]
Matthew 3:3-17 NOTE: There were electronic issues during the recording which caused interference in the audio. It gets progressively worse toward the end of the recording, but it’s a good sermon, so if you can persevere, it’s worth it! Baptism is a little death. At the same time, all of life is baptism. There is […]
John 1, Matthew 2:1-12 Stan Wilson provided the sermon this morning. Drawing from Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Stan says to be true to our Christian vocation, we need to “not belong.” For the church to not belong, we need to be part of a community that is called to embrace the wholeness and […]
Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25 Even though Joseph is not Jesus’ biological father, Jesus becomes a part of Joseph’s story; the inheritor and adopted child of the whole line of God’s promises. Our story as Christians is also one of adoption. We were destined for adoption as God’s children through Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 35:1-10 & Luke 1:46-55 When women in the Bible have something to say, it often comes out as a song. Mary’s song, recounted in Luke 1, is revolutionary. God is on the side of the dispossessed and Mary sings of the revolution taking place through God’s world-toppling love. Melissa’s message was preceded by a […]
Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12 On this second Sunday of Advent, Melissa told us, “this is a season to be shaken up and shaken out.” Christians have a profound failure to live out the Gospel, but we’re also attuned to our failure. We require outside intervention and Jesus comes through an intervention of love. It’s […]
Amos 9:11-15 Guest speaker Angie Hong brought the message this morning. She compares her upbringing with the story from Amos. Even in the midst of destruction, we are never so far from love and grace that there isn’t room for hope.
Food is political. Eating is a kind of politics. Isaiah offers this vision of the the end of all things, centering around a meal. In this passage, all things, all people, are reconciled in God. Everything bruised and damaged is made whole, but also those who bruise and damage are made whole. We’re all there […]
World-renowned bluegrass, folk and Americana singer-songwriter Charles Pettee was our special guest this morning. Charles has set many Psalms to music and shared several of them with us as well as his song about Jesus and feeding the 5,000. You can hear many more FolkPsalms performed by Charles and other fine musicians on this YouTube […]
Lamentations 4:1-9 What did you bring today that you have not said aloud? What corner of sorrow have you left covered? We work without pause, return again to a race for efficiency, too busy to attend to the grief we bury in our chests. So pause here… Pause here among others who have come to […]
Ecclesiastes 8:10-15 The book of Ecclesiastes is a strange book to have in our canon. It’s a pessimistic book that veers into sarcasm, and it has no issue telling you exactly how life is in the world. A book for the frustrated and the cynical. It’s comforting to know that the Bible has room for […]
There are many examples of God’s plenty but where is God when there is nothing and there appears to be no hope? In this week’s sermon, Ryan Paige looks at the book of Joel. Joel writes as wave after wave of Locusts devastate everything. Crops are wiped out, even the seeds are eaten, with no […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-15 History isn’t recorded, it’s interpreted. Melissa begins her sermon this Sunday by telling about the Bible study she is co-leading on the grounds of the state capitol that compares the Confederate monuments with idolatry. Rather than statues, we need to tell stories to one another. Stories of how God’s love extends to all […]
Leviticus 11:1-22 This Sunday Melissa wove together an explanation for the Levitical rules for what meat was clean and unclean with both the current climate change crisis and our focus with A Year at the Table. Human lust for domination over creation is the root cause of climate change. God loves the whole world and […]
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121 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 919-831-2969
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