Yesterday, we celebrated the long-awaited Confirmation Sunday at Faith, which was originally scheduled for a Sunday way back in May. As our congregation continues to move closer to a target in-person regathering date, Confirmation Sunday gave us the opportunity to experiment  with some portions of our regathering plan, holding a small in-person service to record some portions of the service. (Pro-tip: because of a conveniently-timed self-haircut, you'll be able to tell which segments I'm talking about by checking out when my hair is short vs. when my hair is unwieldy and long.)

Anyway, I preached a sermon based on Matthew 4:18-22. It was also a joy to hear the confirmands share their personally-written faith statements, and to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. God is good. A video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 13:30 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.  We plan to continue creating a full, high-quality order of worship for online worshipers, even after we begin to regather for in-person worship next Sunday, September 20.)

For yesterday's worship service at Faith, our Unraveled sermon series continued as I preached a sermon based on Luke 19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus and the sycamore tree. A video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 17:47 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the  present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.)

For yesterday's worship at Faith, Brandi and I shared preaching duties as we reflected upon the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. If you've been following this blog for a while, you already know that a recurring theme for sermons posted on this blog is that I really enjoy preaching alongside colleagues! In any event, a video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 13:37 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the  present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.)

For yesterday's worship at Faith, I preached a sermon based on Matthew 6:25-34, a part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. A video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 21:42 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the  present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.)

Happy Pride, everyone!  

I've shared many times about how much the Remaley family enjoys reading together. Storytime is one of our favorite parts of the day! To celebrate Pride Month, I pulled together a few of our favorite storybooks that speak to the experiences of LGBTQ people and themes. Each of these books make regular appearances in the lineup throughout the year (but especially in June, and in the days leading up to and following our local Pride festivals!)

To all my LGBTQ+ family:  You are seen. You are valued. You are loved.

This past Sunday we completed our "Ask the Pastors" sermon series, as we looked at questions submitted about the Apostles' Creed. The scripture text was Philippians 2:5-11. A video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 23:15 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the  present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.)

There is much to grieve about our extended period of social isolation and stay-at-home orders, even while I give thanks for continued safekeeping. Still, I have to admit I've been pretty excited for the opportunity to explore creative avenues for ministry.

My guess is that the spiritual gift of creativity is often lifted up as an asset during interviews for pastoral positions - both for pastors who are sharing their creative interests, and for congregations eager to show a willingness to be in ministry "outside the box." 

Today is Palm Sunday for Christians, although it feels a little weird this year. Like churches all around the world, Faith is navigating the changes caused by the COVID-19 health pandemic. Shouts of Hosanna in a crowded church sanctuary have been replaced by a quiet Sunday morning, with families gathering in their living room to log on for a virtual worship service.

Faith is greatly blessed to have been livestreaming our worship services for many years. In that way, our setup and processes have admittedly made the switch to online worship quite a bit easier than in many other congregations.

This past Sunday, March 15, we continued a four week sermon series entitled "I Am Faith" as I preached a sermon based on Mark 2:13-22. A video archive of all of Faith's worship services can be found on the church website, but I'm also embedding Sunday's service here.

As our nation and world continue to grapple with the Coronavirus pandemic, our online worship services will become increasingly important. Faith, like many other congregations, have now suspended all on-campus activities. As you read this -- no matter where you are in the world -- know that I'm praying for you. 

(I encourage you to watch the entire service, but my sermon from Sunday begins at the 42:41 mark. Additionally, know that Faith usually livestreams worship services at 9:30a and 11:00a. During the  present Coronavirus pandemic, we will still have a weekly worship service on our website each Sunday morning, which will be available every Sunday by 7:00am.)

I have a secret:  I LOVE children's books, children's storybooks, and books designed for children and caregivers to enjoy together.

See that? My love is deep enough that I had to add some bold, underline, and italic flair to really get my point across.

But on the other hand, I guess it's not so much a secret. My Amazon deliveries know it to be true. I often meander through the storybooks in the Target aisle, marveling at the beautiful artwork and the inclusive storylines displayed on the shelves.  I've been known to bring new books home from trips in the interest of "an unexpected gift for my child" or "doing research for work."  (It doesn't work. My wife sees right through it!)

But children's books about God, and faith?  I have more of a LOVE/HATE relationship with those.