Tampering With Dreams

In her sermon “Tampering with Dreams”, Senior Minister Patricia de Jong weaves together the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington with the story of Moses and the burning bush. Below are some excerpts from her sermon.

Watch a video of the whole sermon.

Watch Phil Porter’s telling of the story of Moses and the burning bush.

We need, this morning to be awed and yet cautious, just as Moses was when he saw the burning bush. We stand in awe; so much has been pursued in the cause for justice since that day. Following the March on Washington, people got to work and began to carve a way out of no way for American Blacks in the South. The Southern Leadership Conference got busy and so did all the people around Dr King. Racial injustice was challenged at every turn and broken open through the courageous acts of hundreds and thousands of people who refused to tolerate hatred and violence.

Dr. King’ lasting legacy and dream is not only for Americans, but for all people who have had to fight their way out of fear, violence and inequality.  We see his image today in the eyes of those freedom fighters in Egypt, Libya and Syria and in the hearts of people everywhere who understand what it means for the human heart and spirit to be trampled upon and held down because of repressive regimes, hostile dictators, and those who promote hatred instead of love and war instead of peace. And we see him in those who have dedicated their lives to creating justice, compassion and freedom throughout the world.

……

We as Progressive Christians are called to continue to press for love, justice and compassion in a culture that is threatened at its most vulnerable points. In our times, the burning bush is the call of an awesome and holy God who demands active and lively partners in the quest for a better and more just nation.

……

Many Americans are out of work and unemployment stands in the double digits. While the weathier are getting wealthier, the poor staying poor, those we are in between are disappearing.  Our prisons are filled with young men who cannot find their way in this society, who end up making a way to prison. Our universities are training people for jobs that may not exist upon graduation for some men and women. We have an African American president, but that does not mean that we have achieved racial equality or that he is free from attacks which have occasionally been about his race rather than his record. We are living in a time when some Americans are less tolerant of the differences between us rather than more tolerant, caring and forgiving.  Someone has been tampering with the dream that all of us in this nation have the chance for a just and equal existence.

Watch a video of the whole sermon.

Watch Phil Porter’s telling of the story of Moses and the burning bush.

Walk On Water

Here are the words to “Walk on Water” a song by Phil Porter and Elaine Kirkland that was sung during the Sunday service on August 7, 2011. Phil also preached a sermon called “That Sinking Feeling.” You can read a condensed version on this blog or view the video of the service.

Walk on Water
By Phil Porter & Elaine Kirkland

Chorus:
It might be nice to walk on water,
To cross a lake without a boat,
To take a stroll among the otters,
But now I’m lucky just to float.

1. It seems my cares and troubles
might make my life capsize.
I look around for sunshine
But rainclouds fill the skies.

2. My life is topsy-turvy
a boat in heaving seas.
I clutch the oars in panic
And terror clutches me.

Chorus

3. Just when I think I’m done for,
the waves have reached new highs,
I come to a conclusion
That’s right before my eyes.

4. I’ve navigated solo,
no compass and no crew,
Alone, I’d conquer oceans,
And part the waters, too.

Chorus

5. But now I see my folly.
I’m trying much too hard.
I wanted to astound folks,
And earn God’s high regard

6. To try to walk on water,
why pick a task so tough?
God knows that sometimes floating
Is miracle enough.

Chorus

© 1990, Phil Porter & Elaine Kirkland. All rights reserved.

Weaving Together Motherhood and Ministry

Shelly Dieterle, Minister of Campus Life, recently returned to work at the church from maternity leave after giving birth to twins. She is shown below with Mirabelle, Ethan and Sebastian.

It was exactly one year ago that I received astonishing news of two lives growing within me—news that dramatically changed my life and vision for 2010-11 and beyond, personally and professionally. The immediate plans for campus life were impacted by my impending absence in the Spring Semester. My vision for family life was swept away and spewed back in new form. In short, this last year was full of change, blessing, and new ways of doing things.

In January and February I ministered from my home, and frequently from a hospital bed, as I withstood early labor.  In March, I counted the hours until those two little ones gave out their first yelp.  And for the past four and a half months, I have surrendered to the cycles of new life, new life that knows no daily rhythm, no difference between night and day, no moment but the present, no need except for food, sleep, a clean diaper and love.  I have also readily accepted every helping hand, meal, hug, story and inspirational word…many from the First Church community. There has been little time for thank yous, for catching up, or for giving back. And now, my soul longs to engage with the community that has buoyed me with support throughout this journey. My expectant spirit awaits the curious engagement of students’ hearts, minds and lives.

Still, the demands of motherhood will shift the way I minister – exact impact unknown in this moment. I will be more bound by the needs and demands of family life. And yet I believe my spirit will be more present, fresh, and creative (and more efficient) by what my children teach me each day. I am more aware of the intricate balancing act, not only families work out each day, but students as well, who seem to manage more demands than any mother does!

That Sinking Feeling

This is a condensed version of a sermon by Phil Porter’s based on the story of Jesus walking on water. You can watch a video of Phil telling the story (beginning at about 23 minutes) and preaching on the text (beginning at about 33 minutes.)

The disciples were in the boat and the wind was fierce and the waves were high and they were afraid. And then to their surprise, Jesus walked toward them from across the lake. Peter, eager to believe, begged to be summoned out onto the water. And off he went. But then he got that sinking feeling…

So few things are true for all of us. But I would guess that we have all had that sinking feeling. Worries, doubts, regrets—large and small. The flutter in our gut, a dark cloud obscuring clear thought, a nervous rush that tingles all the way to our fingertips.

Don’t we long for someone or something to reach out and take our hands and pull us out of the murky waters? Jesus did that for Peter. He grabbed Peter’s hand and together they walked back to the boat. The wind ceased and the waves quieted.

Isn’t that part of what community is about? We reach out to each other in times of need. We are pulled back into the boat or help someone else clamber in.

Isn’t that part of what prayer is about? We try to quiet the rampaging worries, we breathe deeply, we look for a deeper truth and a more stable center. We ask for help from a source greater than we can imagine.

Isn’t that what Jesus is about, a man who was of a time and place but also transcends time and place? If Jesus could be there for Peter and the rest of the panicking disciples, could he also be there for me?

Isn’t that what communion is about? We gather around a table and share food like a family. We take sustenance to use when we need it and we almost always need it.

Let’s take hands. Often. That way, even if you don’t know I have that sinking feeling, you may be pulling me out of the troubling waters. Together we will get back in the boat, the winds will cease and the waves will quiet.

More about First Congregational Church of Berkeley.

Are We Ready to Feed 5000?

Meredith Jackson is a seminary intern at First Church. Here is an excerpt from a sermon she preached on Sunday, July 31, 2011, using the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just five loaves and two fishes. The prelude to this Biblical story was that John the Baptist had been recently killed.

I have hope that God will provide for our future. I trust that God will give us what we need by giving us each other. Jesus, even when he was mourning the loss of his great friend John, got out of the boat, onto the beach, and trusted that God would provide the food that the people needed. God also gave the people each other, and the people had food. They simply opened their knapsacks and lunchpails and shared what they had with their neighbor. God provided and all 5000 were fed.

I believe that First Church Berkeley can feed the 5000. I believe that there are 5000 people in the world that are searching for a place like First Church. In this space and in this time we have all that we need to feed the people. When we lift our gifts to God and give thanks and praise, we genuinely live into who we are. When we are authentic and thankful, we are able to feed the people.

Every day we hear stories of people who are searching for this church. I hear it every day—stories of violence in high schools because youth haven’t figured out that there’s another way to live. We hear of college students and seniors living far from their families and searching for people to connect with. Do you know of same-gender loving couples who haven’t been able to find a faith community that is willing to stand up for their human rights? When we hear all of these stories we know people are hungry for a place like First Church.

How many lives could be changed by this place? This community is a powerful place and it can create transformation we are longing to experience. The change towards a safe space for all people. A transformation away from loneliness and depression and into life in community. A change towards a world that knows how to seek resolution without violence.

Download the sermon…

Find out more about First Church Berkeley, United Church of Christ…

What Feeds Us?

Meredith Jackson used the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 as the basis of her sermon on Sunday, July 31. She asked a few people to share some of the things that fed them personally. This was what Bonnie Hester shared in the service:

 “I am sustained by a deep sense of God’s presence in my life, embodied in ordinary daily interactions I have with people—friends, family and people I don’t know. God is in the experience of a friend calling to check in or a neighbor sharing his freshly baked bread with me. The joy I feel as I see the world through the eyes of my 5-year-old grandson and the twinkle in the eye of his grandfather is sacred. It is even there in the impulse I feel to hold my irritation in check while driving or let someone go before me at Trader Joes. I feel a sacred presence as well as surprise when I am somehow better than myself. Every interaction is an opportunity for me to notice God’s presence. Through countless small nourishing exchanges imbued with holiness, my life is enriched and I am sustained.”