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We have what we need: Learning to Trust in God

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Our Gospel story today is that well known tale of the feeding of the multitudes, that time when Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish, and was able to feed thousands of people. I would say that based on the conversations I have had with people over the years about this story, the primary interest, focus, attention, is on that miracle and how it was achieved. How was that possible? The Gospel doesn't actually say. It just says that the people were fed, and there was enough for everybody. Everyone was satisfied, and there were leftovers. But it doesn't say how this was achieved.

Click “Read More” to read or listen to the Rev. Bingham Powell’s entire sermon for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost.

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Trust in God

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“In 1853, when my great great great grandparents walked across a good bit of this county in order to move to Oregon, they were told they could not bring along a lot of stuff with them. Loads needed to be light, so they were told to bring only the bare necessities that were needed to survive the trip and to start a new life in Oregon. The bare necessities is not everything needed. A lot of stuff they were going to need would have to be found along the way, like most of the food. Soon after setting off, they discovered they had brought too much stuff. What was necessary was even less than what they thought. So like a lot of wagon trains, the people in the party started dumping things along the road. It is hard sometimes to figure out what is necessary. With hindsight, we might question some of their decisions. One of the things that my great great great grandparents dumped was a bunch of shoes. I'm not sure that was the right decision, since by the time they got to Eugene they were barefoot.”

Click “Read More” to read or listen to the Rev. Bingham Powell’s entire sermon for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost.

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Our Companion on the Way

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“Today’s gospel lesson is jam-packed. We have three different characters interacting with Jesus, a healing that comes from a cloak, and the resurrection of a 12-year-old girl. Wow! Our first character is Jairus, the synagogue leader, a man of considerable importance and stature in the Jewish community. Second, there is a woman who is not named, only introduced as “a woman who had been suffering for 12 years.” Her position is doubly lowered, the intersection of being female and afflicted with a debilitating sickness. Two people from very different positions of power. Finally, there’s Jairus’ 12 year-old daughter. A young girl without much agency or power herself, but born into a powerful household. What’s striking to me, is how these people are treated by Jesus, how they approach him in their own ways, and how Jesus responds.”

Click “Read More” to read or listen to Ryan’s sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.

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God in the Windstorm

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In most of our readings today we hear about windstorms. Let's start with the Psalm. Psalm 107 is a poem about a series of catastrophes that people find themselves in: lost out in the desert, locked behind iron bars, near death's door, hungry and thirsty. In the section that we sang today they are out at sea, stuck in a windstorm. In each of these sections of the Psalm, after describing the disaster, God saves the people from whatever danger threatens them. Then the Psalmist says, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and the wonders he does for his children."

Click “Read More” to read or listen to Bingham’s entire sermon for the 4th Sunday of Pentecost.

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The Surprising Vision of God

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“Our first reading today comes from the Book of Ezekiel. You probably know Ezekiel best from the story of the dry bones, that great vision that Ezekiel had of the valley full of bones, when the bones came back together bone to its bone, and muscle and sinew and flesh came upon them and the spirit of God gave them life. It was a vision of new life, a vision of resurrection, a beautiful vision of restored life for a people living in what felt like death.”

Click “Read More” to read or listen to Bingham’s entire sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Pentecost

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