Tag: sermon

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Breaking down barriers (October 6, 2024)

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, speaks to human creation and our relationship with God and each other. Rev. Ingrid McIntyre looks into the text to see how the very beginning of the Bible speaks to our need for connection and inspires us to work for inclusion, affirmation and equity.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit www.glencliffumc.org

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Miracles in ordinary moments (July 7, 2024)

Miracles are more than unexplained phenomena; they’re everyday blessings that fill our lives with wonder and grace. What’s the miracle in your life today? This sermon from Rev. Neelley Hicks explores the profound miracles in our lives and how God’s love manifests through humility, compassion, and righteous actions.

The scripture reading for this Sunday was 2 Corinthians 12:2-10.

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Moving into the World with Love (February 4, 2024)

In our sermon from February 4, 2024, Rev Ryan Dunn discusses the timeless nature of music and scripture, drawing parallels between the lyrics of an Elvis Costello song and the message of Isaiah 40. Join us as we unravel the connections between music, scripture, and the practice of faith in the modern world.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit www.glencliffumc.org.

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The Ongoing Journey of Saying “Yes” in Faith (January 28, 2024)

No matter where you are in your journey, know that you are never alone. Together, let’s embrace the transformative invitation that leads us to thrive in faith.

Our sermon from january 28, 2024 was delivered by Rev. Nick Baird-Chrisohon. Listen for the ways in which we are continually called to say “yes” in regards to the life of faith. As well as how modern faith communities are being challenged to adapt in the world.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit www.glencliffumc.org.

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Let’s Show Up and Love Radically: Following a God of Love in a World of Injustice (October 15, 2023)

 

Have you ever felt called to speak out against something? What encouraged your boldness, or what held you back?

Our sermon from October 15, 2023, was delivered by Pastor Nicole Nyembo. This sermon shows how we can embody radical love and make a difference in a world full of hate.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit www.glencliffumc.org.

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The Power in Our Hands: Remembering Love, Connection, and the Miracle of Empathy (August 6, 2023)

 

How does God impact your self-care? In this sermon from August 6, 2023, Rev. Neelley Hicks spoke about dealing with trauma and scarcity through a mindset of abundance and grace.

Listen for ways community provides support for one another in both physical and spiritual aspects of life. As well as how to balance self-care and compassion for others.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit: www.glencliffumc.org

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Nurturing Our Souls: The Importance of Cultivating Good Soil in a Hurting World (July 16, 2023)

How can we cultivate a nurturing environment where all can thrive? Rev. Nicole Nyembo talked about the Parable of the Sower on July 16, 2023. As you listen to this sermon, look for ways to actively cultivate good soil in life as well as common distractions that make us hard to bear fruit for justice and mercy.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we’re working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another in our spiritual journeys, visit www.glencliffumc.org

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TRANSCRIPT:

Our passage today is from Matthew chapter 13, verses one through nine and 18 through 23. If you want to follow along, it skips around a little bit, and it says that same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around on him that he got into a boat and sat there while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying Listen. A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched.

Nicole Nyembo [00:00:57]:

And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth rain. Some one hundredfold, some 60, some 30. Let anyone with ears listen. Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom of God and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart. This is what was sown on the path.

Nicole Nyembo [00:01:33]:

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while. And when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who fears the Word. But the cares of the world and the lore of wealth choke the Word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another 60 and in another 30. This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thank you.

Nicole Nyembo [00:02:25]:

Please pray with me. Loving God, may these words of my mouth and the meditations of the hearts of all of us be acceptable in your sight. Amen. So in my church, growing up, once a month until about fifth grade, our Sunday school time would be spent in a room down the hall. There was a big blue drapey stage thing watching a puppet show about faith. I guess puppet ministries were kind of a thing for a little while, I don’t know. But we had one. And the coolest part, to me, it was nice every now and then to go down the hall and listen.

Nicole Nyembo [00:03:07]:

But once you got to fifth grade, you got to put on the puppet shows. I loved that part so much more than just watching them. In the fall of my fifth grade year, we put on a puppet show during our fall festival. And that particular program was themed around the parable of the sower. I remember we had puppets of birds and vines and seeds. And our short program laid out this parable that Jesus told the crowds on that day. I don’t remember the songs that went with it, but we focused on what it meant for us to do the seeds in each scenario. What did it look like if we were planted among compact soil or forms? What were we doing wrong or right to land in that good soil? And it’s really easy to go there with the imagery that Jesus shares with him as the sower and us as the seeds.

Nicole Nyembo [00:04:06]:

But today we’re going to do something a little bit different. We’re going to think about ourselves as the soil. We’re going to be dirt today, and maybe the seeds might reflect the distance or closeness that we feel with God. So I’m going to read the passage aloud one more time. This time, consider how each type of soil might show up in your life, not what happens to the seeds. That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things, and parables saying, listen, a sower went out to sow.

Nicole Nyembo [00:04:55]:

And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth rain, some 100 fold, some 60, some 30. Let anyone with ears listen. Hear then the parable of the sower.

Nicole Nyembo [00:05:39]:

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil One comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart. This is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while. And when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the Word. But cares of the world and the love of wealth choke the Word and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case one hundredfold, in another 60, and in another 30.

Nicole Nyembo [00:06:37]:

Did anything stand out differently? So what happens when we think of ourselves as these active participants cultivating this good soil for ourselves and for others instead of just being susceptible to whatever environment we land in, just hoping for the best. The idea that we have some agency in all of this that we’re not stuck in whatever environment a seed might be thrown into it gives me hope. Especially after these last few years with COVID and political division so intense and everything else that’s gone on nationally and internationally. I can stand here for probably hours, if not longer. And that’s not even including any personal hardship that each one of us have experienced. And the idea that along with God we can create richer soil full of love and grace so that we can thrive no matter what environment we are thrown into both for us as individuals and in a community. That sounds a lot to me like doing our part in the kingdom of God. When reading through this passage a second time, what did you think of that might look like the soil of the walking path? The one where walking both animals and people had hardened the earth.

Nicole Nyembo [00:08:14]:

What did it look like to have rocky ground soil where roots can only grow so deep because rock after rock keeps getting in the way? And what about the thorns? What could either we as individuals or we could as a community do to change or work to co create the richest soil possible with God? I don’t know if you noticed in this passage listening is a crucial part in this process. We’re not left to figure it out alone because we can’t do that. When Jesus is initially telling this parable, he’s telling it to a crowd along the water. He’s in a boat speaking to a large group of people and he ends that section in verse nine saying if you have ears, hear. Later in verse 18 when Jesus is explaining the parable to the disciples so they sense move and he’s only speaking to the disciples, he says Hear then the parable of the sower this parable could be considered an invitation from Jesus into this discernment. As we grow in relationship with God and seek the kingdom here on earth together. When we truly hear Jesus’s words listening, listening with intention and discernment listening to hear how do they resonate with us differently? Our passage today ends with verse 23 which says but as for what was sown on good soil this is the one who hears the Word and understands it who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case one hundredfold, in another 60 and in another 30. Best understanding the word happens when we’re in close relationship with God.

Nicole Nyembo [00:10:24]:

When we recognize that God is always as close as our very breath. When we study God’s word Jesus’ministry and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that’s when we’re able to best cultivate this good soil. So how do we constantly discern how we can show up as Jesus did, how we can love as Jesus did. How can we imagine a world full of the love and the peace that God intends for us? And not just imagine, but to work to bring it into existence? The idea that we are soil reminds us that no matter our environment, no matter what obstacles we face, we’re not just left wherever we landed. It might take some work. It will most likely take a community, and it will definitely take God’s help. But we’re never without hope, because that’s another thing about soil. It doesn’t self correct.

Nicole Nyembo [00:11:38]:

Have you ever just left soil alone and it continues to get better? That’s not how it works. It needs other nutrients to sustain it. It needs compost and tilling and constant care for it to be its best. It can’t sit dormant and alone and still fertilize these, just like we can’t sit alone. We need God, and we need one another. To thrive, we might be able to survive, but to thrive, we can’t do it alone. So imagine we have a puppet ministry and we’re doing a puppet show about this parable. What might it include? We might emphasize ourselves, the soil, and the importance of listening and discernment.

Nicole Nyembo [00:12:31]:

What kind of songs do you think we’d include? I think a few that we’re singing today, probably. I think we would have songs about grace and about resilience in the midst of change. Probably a song or two about hope. I bet. Puppets for soil might not be as cute as puppets for birds or vines, but we can make it work. Our puppet show will serve as a reminder that we are called to cultivate the soil for one another and for ourselves in such a way that leads to thriving amidst such a hurting and changing world. I read some questions about this passage from Professor Holly Heron from Christian theological Seminary in Indianapolis. She posed the question, what would we need to do for the seed to be able to take root in our bodies and souls? So as we go from here this week, I invite you to consider that as well.

Nicole Nyembo [00:13:36]:

What would we need to do to have soil so rich that it takes root in our bodies and our souls? Amen.

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Love that Hurts: Exploring Compassion in the Gospel (June 18, 2023)

Our sermon for June 18, 2023 was delivered by a special guest: Kate Fields of Belmont United Methodist Church.

Kate spoke about the two parts of compassion: the initial hurting, and the the commission to go and share compassion. Listen for Jesus’ example of experiencing pain and for examples of compassion in action.

Glencliff United Methodist Church is an inclusive and justice-seeking congregation in Nashville, Tennessee. To see how we are working in community to spread compassion and uplift one another on our spiritual journeys, visit: www.glencliffumc.org

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TRANSCRIPT:

Kate Fields [00:00:00]:

So this morning we are in one of my favorite scriptures. As it turns out, the lectionary has lent itself to this. It’s one of those texts that I had glossed over for many years and then heard a sermon once on it and it was like pam. It hit deep this bit about Jesus having compassion for the people. It stopped me in my tracks. So as I’m preaching and sharing a word this morning, I would love to invite you to think about a time when you needed compassion because something maybe that you did that you were in the wrong for, or maybe you were just tearing yourself up about something, whether or not you were in the wrong or not. Or maybe one of your identities didn’t fit the cultural norms of who gets to be in power and you felt lonely and hurting and you didn’t belong. And in that moment, someone’s compassion was a gift of air and a gift of safety.

Kate Fields [00:01:09]:

So think about that in your own lives today when someone showed you compassion. So with that lens, let’s dive into the gospel text today and explore Jesus’s compassion. We have this description of how Jesus showed up for the crowd through healing and sharing good news in our scripture of Matthew nine and ten today. And actually what’s so fascinating to me is that the text that we have today is so reminiscent of just a few chapters before in Matthew four. And if you’re cool with that, I want to read Matthew four and just try to listen for some of those similarities in our text today. Matthew four reads this jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease there’s, the healing and sickness among the people. News spread about him throughout Syria.

Kate Fields [00:02:05]:

People brought to him all those who had various kinds of diseases those in pain, those possessed by demons, those with epilepsy, those who were paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decopolis, Judea, Jerusalem, and from the areas beyond the Jordan River. Now, when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up to the mountain, he sat down and his disciples came to him and he taught them, saying, do y’all know what this text is? We are leading into Matthew five, which is the Sermon on the Mount, which is what we know as the Beatitudes. AJ. Levine a New Testament a great New Testament scholar calls them Jesus’s greatest hits. The Beatitudes. And I think it’s a great way to explore those. But this is Matthew Four.

Kate Fields [00:02:53]:

What I just read is directly leading into the Beatitudes, right? So don’t lose that piece. That the impetus or the reason that Jesus went into this most famous sermon, his greatest hits, was because of the crowd suffering, right? And so if you remember, the Beatitudes are this blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are peacemakers, blessed are those who show mercy. Blessed are those who thirst for justice. Blessed are those who are pure in heart. They are the ones who get to see God. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit or in Luke’s version of the Sermon on the plane, they’re not on a mountain in Luke, it just says, blessed are the poor, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. So blessed, basically, are those who don’t have the power and leverage of money. These are Jesus’s Core Teachings.

Kate Fields [00:03:54]:

And the impetus of Jesus’s core teachings was the crowd who was suffering. And that’s what I can’t get over. That’s why I keep coming back to Christianity in the Gospel, because of that kind of love. And I want to talk just a moment, a little bit more about the beatitudes, because I think it helps set up Jesus compassion. In Matthew nine, Reverend Nadia Boltsweber is a Lutheran pastor and kind of become a popular author. She wrote or she preached rather, on the Sermon on the Mount in the United Kingdom, even though she’s from Denver, Colorado, and she decided to try to modernize the language of the Sermon on the Mount of the Beatitudes. And she does that in a great way. And I’ll share an abbreviated version of that, believe it or not, because it’s a little bit extensive.

Kate Fields [00:04:53]:

And so listen to this. Listen to this. As if Jesus was here in 2023, how would the Sermon on the Mount sound in 2023? She says, blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are they for whom death is not an abstraction. Blessed are those who doubt, those who aren’t sure, who can still be surprised. Blessed are they who are spiritually impoverished. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer. Blessed are those for whom nothing seems to be working.

Kate Fields [00:05:31]:

Blessed are the preschoolers who cut in line at communion. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are they for whom death is not an abstraction. Blessed are those are they who have buried their loved ones, for whom tears are as real as an ocean. Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like. Blessed are the motherless, the alone, the ones from whom so much has been taken.

Kate Fields [00:06:05]:

Blessed are those who are still aren’t over it yet. Blessed are those who laughed again when for so long they thought they never would. Blessed are those who mourn. You are of heaven and Jesus. Blesses you. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who no one else notices. Blessed are the kids who sit alone at the middle school lunch tables, the laundry guys at the hospital, the parts of ourselves that don’t want to make eye contact with a world that only loves winners.

Kate Fields [00:06:39]:

Blessed are the forgotten. Blessed are the closeted blessed are the unemployed, the unimpressive, the underrepresented. Blessed are the teens who have to figure out new ways to hide cuts on their arms. Blessed are the meek, you are of heaven, and Jesus blesses you. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are they who know there has to be more than this. Blessed are they because they are right. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Kate Fields [00:07:12]:

Blessed are those who make terrible business decisions for the sake of people. Blessed are the burnout social workers and the overworked teachers and the pro bono case takers. Blessed are the kids who step between the bullies in the weak. Blessed is everyone who has ever forgiven me when I didn’t deserve it. Blessed are the merciful, for they totally get it. Blessed are y’all y’all are the Kingdom of heaven. It’s you that is the kind of love that Jesus has. And so with that in mind, let’s take that and come back to our text today in Matthew nine.

Kate Fields [00:07:53]:

In this chapter in Matthew nine, we see the same thing that Jesus has been traveling to many cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom or Kingdom, and curing every disease and sickness. Matthew tells us that Jesus had compassion on the crowd because they were afflicted. This Jewish crowd was harassed and helpless or literally thrown down. Is the Greek there because they were like sheep without a shepherd? But what does it mean that this crowd was like a sheep without a shepherd? Because I don’t know, I don’t really get called I’m not really referred to as a sheep too often these days. But in the Hebrew Bible, or rather the Old Testament, the image of a sheep without a shepherd is used a lot and it describes the need of people. One example is in Ezekiel 34 five. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd. And scattered, they became the food for wild animals.

Kate Fields [00:08:57]:

And then later in Matthew, Jesus is described, the Messiah is described as a figure who is to shepherd God’s people or Israel. So this is a metaphor that would have been familiar in antiquity, in the first century. And so as their shepherd, Jesus enters the suffering of the crowd, the physical, emotional and demonic malaise. But I want to talk mostly today about how he enters the suffering of the crowd. Who knows how big this crowd was? We don’t know much about them, but Jesus was with them. And we hear from Matthew that Jesus had compassion on the crowd because the crowd had not yet known the good news, that Jesus was their shepherd. And you remember the sort of compassion Jesus had on the crowd just a few chapters earlier is what led to all of those blessed statements. And this time when Jesus has compassion on the crowd, the Greek word that we get to see for compassion is actually it’s not a strong enough word in English.

Kate Fields [00:10:16]:

Our English word is compassion. But in the Greek, what we have that describes Jesus here is a visceral aching. Jesus hurt for the crowd. It was not an emotional, mental feeling. The word actually means his, like, viscera. His bowels ached for the crowd. That is the strong, the strength of this word. That is how deep his love was for these folks.

Kate Fields [00:10:50]:

And he wasn’t just healing physical ailments. I think that he was hitting that deep core need that we have as humans to be seen and to belong, right? It was more than just physical healing. He was saying, y’all are my sheep, y’all are my sheep. You belong to me. You aren’t lost anymore. You don’t have to be lonely anymore. Because we know that loneliness is bad for us, right? Like, it leads us to be hyper vigilant. We don’t feel safe in being our authentic selves.

Kate Fields [00:11:29]:

And I think Jesus is saying, y’all belong. I see you. You’re not lonely anymore. You don’t have to sit on the edge. And that in itself is healing. The way that Jesus hurt for folks was just how he was. He entered into their suffering with and on behalf of the people. And there’s this interesting theological term for this notion, it’s called kenosis, and it means self emptying.

Kate Fields [00:12:02]:

Jesus emptied himself to take on full humanity so that he could hurt with us, he could coffer with us. That’s having a kind of love that hurts. And that’s what’s so compelling to me about the gospel. That’s why I’m in this. But the word compassion, that term that we see, there’s two parts to it. And that’s what I want to kind of explore in the sermon today. There’s this hurting part, this visceral aching at the beginning. But the kind of compassion that Jesus has, it became a commission, right? And we see this later in the text when he essentially compassion the disciples to go and go, he said, y’all see what I’m doing, go do this too.

Kate Fields [00:13:03]:

And that is the commissioning of the gospel. That is when he said, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. So y’all go do this, have that kind of love. I don’t want you to have, like this superficial, nicety kind of love. I want you to love people so much that it hurts. Y’all go do this. And I wonder if we can’t take that lesson too. What does this mean for us, that compassion? What is compassion, this sort of compassion, this sort of love look like for each of us in 2023 in our lives.

Kate Fields [00:13:42]:

Sometimes having compassion in the sense of aching for someone means that we’re just able to sit vulnerably with them in the hardest times and just be present with them. But sometimes compassion, if it’s because of an unjust system that functions to keep some folks on the bottom, that commission looks very different. So the situation kind of dictates the compassion and the commission. But in Matthew 25, we know that compassion and commission look like extending a cup of cold Kate to someone in need or visiting someone in prison. Feeding the hungry or clothing the naked. These actions require you to first know your neighbor’s circumstance and then be present with it, right? And respond with compassion. But today, a cup of cold water might look like leaving gallons of water for migrants coming through the Sonoran Desert, trying to get to a better life, where maybe visiting today in prison means getting to know someone on death row at Riverbend. Or maybe feeding the hungry today looks like getting involved in our local food system and helping folks have access to fresh, culturally appropriate foods.

Kate Fields [00:15:09]:

Or maybe eating locally so that we can reduce our carbon footprint and eat tomatoes from here instead of across the country. Maybe clothing the naked involves wearing second hand clothing so that we can have more clothes to go around. Maybe it’s accompanying a trans friend to a bathroom so that they feel safe. Maybe it’s learning the ways that your skin color could privilege you in showing up for racial justice. And maybe it’s joining the movement for common sense gun legislation to keep our children safe. Then the righteous will answer him, lord, when was it that we saw that you were hungry and gave you food? And when was it that we saw you were thirsty and gave you a drink? And when was it that we saw that you were a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? When was it that we saw that you were sick and visited you in prison? When was it that we saw you in these things? Truly, I tell you, just as you did this to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Compassion and commission. Jesus hurt for them.

Kate Fields [00:16:33]:

He entered their suffering, and it changed Him, and it changed them. And then he said, y’all go do this too. This is how I want you to represent me in the world. People should know that you follow me by your love, by that kind of love. That is good news. That is good news. I want to end today by reading an excerpt of a poem that this text, the scripture text, reminds me of. I thought about it immediately as soon as I read the Lectionary text for today.

Kate Fields [00:17:18]:

I think we have a patron saint of poetry, and I think her name is Mary Oliver. So I’m going to read an excerpt of one of her poems. Her poems called what Have I Learned so Far? Can one be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime and the holy, and yet commit to no labor in its cause? I don’t think so. All summations have a beginning. All effect has a story. All kindness begins with a sown seed thought buds toward Radiance the gospel of light is the crossroads of indolence or action be ignited or be gone be ignited or be gone Glencliffe be ignited or be gone may it ever be so amen. Amen.