On New Year’s Eve, we’ll spend our time together enjoying a brunch, singing a few Christmas carols (it is technically the first Sunday after Christmas according to the church calendar), and reflecting on the year. Bring something to pass if you’re able — it can be as simple as a box of cereal and a […]
From moving trucks to our hope for reconciliation to an inn (or house) in Bethlehem, it often feels like there is no room. No room for repair. No hope of things getting better. No space for this or that group. But the Christmas story reminds us that God is able to make room, to make […]
For the final Sunday of Advent we consider the power of song – especially the way in which it can help rekindle hope. As we sing multiple carols, hear poetry and consider what lyrics to our own song of hope might sound like, we work together to find strength and resolve to move toward the […]
As we considered last week, it is possible for joy to surprise us and show up at any moment, in any circumstance. This week, Elliott shares the story of the days following John the Baptist’s birth – a story in which Zachariah’s muteness ends and he breaks into a song of sorts — a blessing […]
“Choose joy!” This phrase has become an anthem of sorts, but is it true? Is joy something we choose? Can we, therefore, do certain things to create or manufacture joy? We look at the story of Elizabeth and Zachariah and explore these questions, working to clarify what joy is and how it arrives in our […]
Our theme this year is “how does a weary world rejoice?”. We’re borrowing that line from the Christmas carol, O Holy Night. It’s a line that holds tension and hope. Tension because both weariness and joy are present at the same time and hope because…well…weariness and joy are present at the same time. This morning […]
Teresa follows up on the conversation we had about Israel/Palestine (on 10/29) by asking the question – what is ours to do? How do we move toward wholeness in the face of so much that is wrong; in the face of constant pressure to perform; in the face of a belief that we should be […]
After our gathering we had a discussion on the current war, the decades of conflict that have preceded it and what it might cause us to wrestle with in our own lives here and now.
The attacks by Hamas, as well as Israel’s response, have created so much pain and destruction. Our hearts are heavy with the weight of this war and the decades long conflict that has preceded it. What are we to do in the face of such violence and loss? What can we do, if anything? Chris […]
Join us Sunday, October 15, at Camp Scottie for a day long retreat. We’re stepping away from our normal routine to intentionally slow down, connect with each other and consider our own personal values. We’ll be back at the building on 10/22 (see the blog post on Group Sundays) If you didn’t sign up for […]
This is a moment in history full of change, questions, uncertainty and loss. So much is shifting so quickly — including what it means to be Christian (not to mention…if…I want to be Christian). A moment like this calls for courage. Courage to dream new dreams; to allow our imaginations to be reignited. To admit […]
Presence is one of God’s greatest gift to us, and in turn, it is one of the greatest gifts we can offer to each other. We consider this core value — an intentional choice we can make to be present in our world, here and now.
Listen here for Week 3 in our Core Values Series. This week, we talk about Relational Grace.
Listen as we continue our conversation on our Core Values. This week, we talk about inclusivity and what that means for our shared life together.
Listen as we begin our Core Values series. This week, we will talk about partnership and what that means to us as individuals and to us as a faith community.
We all have values. That’s true as individuals, households and communities. We elevate and hold up certain ideas over others, and if we are lucky, find others who can help us live them out. After receiving input from The Branch community earlier this year, we’ve given new language to the building blocks of our life […]
Our final Sunday in Acts considers the last chapters of this book – chapters that show us the promising reality that God’s Spirit is given to us precisely in our gritty, messy humanness.
As summer draws to a close, join us at Garfield Park on Sunday, September 3, from 10-11a (we’ll be meeting in the parking lot off of Madison Ave. by the gym and splash pad). We’ll be walking through the park, stopping along the way to reflect on the Scriptures, our lives and the world. We’ll […]
One of the consistent themes in Acts (and the Bible) is conflict. From the very beginning of the story (Acts 6), we find rumblings of discontent. How do we overcome difference? Acts 15 doesn’t give us a 1-2-3 step plan, but it does offer insight to steps we can take to help conflict become something […]
We all know what it is to feel the tension between our differences. At the center of the stories in Acts is the tension between Jew and Gentile. Those first Christians were constantly having to work out what it means to not just tolerate ‘the other’, but to be their brother and sister.
