Sermons by Rev. Isiah Dennis (Page 2)
Love Talk
The greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let us be honest: This is easier said than done. Jesus is calling you and me to embody and live out what it means to be a beloved community, but how can we make this a reality, given this country’s history? Due to the history of harm that has been done? In the base camp of…
The Verdict Is In: Finding Grace in Accountability
Jesus is renowned for his use of parables, one of which involves a vineyard owner sending servants to collect profits, only to have them mistreated. Eventually, the owner sends his son, hoping for respect, but the workers treat him similarly. What lessons can we draw from this parable and others like it? How does it relate to our lives? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series diving into the Gospel of…
Speak Up!
As we continue in the season of Lent, we find ourselves in Mark with Bartimaeus. He was a blind beggar sitting in the roadside doing his normal routine, but one day, Jesus was near. Once he heard that, he yelled from the top of his lungs for Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus met and told him how it was his faith that made him well and gave him back his sight. I wonder, what does it look like…
Change Me
Jesus transfiguring in front of his disciples as they see Him in his full glory amazes me still to this day. We hear about the transfiguration but how can we truly let it amaze us and transform our lives today? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series diving into the Gospel of Mark. We will celebrate Transfiguration Sunday. We will explore spiritual practices; we will keep the gift of Sabbath, learn…
Wake Up!
Handwashing sounds like a simple task but when 2020 came around, it became important. In Mark 7 the pharisees came at Jesus disciples because they didn’t hold on to the tradition they have for handwashing. Jesus had a word about that because he saw it as a deeper than just washing hands. I wonder how Jesus’ message connects to the state of the church. In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series…
Are You All In?
Faith, a word that has so much power and yet can be hard to practice. What does it look like for us to put our faith into action? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series diving into the Gospel of Mark. We will explore spiritual practices; we will keep the gift of Sabbath, learn sacred stories, sing, pray, reflect, refuel, and revive our sense of reverence! SCRIPTURE: Mark 5:21-43 (NRSVUE) 21 When…
What’s Your Story?
Jesus calmed the storm, and he landed in the region of Gerasenes. In this area, a man who was possessed approached him and once Jesus cast the demons out, people were shocked to see him in his right mind. We can have a hard time believing people can change and I wonder if this happened today, what would our reaction be? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series diving into the…
Calm Down, Jesus Got It!
This Sunday is Human Resource and MLK Sunday. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was a pastor and civil rights leader who truly desire for us to live as the beloved community. With all that is going on in the world and the text in Mark 4 about Jesus calming the storm, I wonder “What would Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. say”?” In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we will continue our series diving…
Check Yourself
Happy New Year! When we come to the new year we make resolutions, we commit ourselves to new habits, new goals and more. Through all the new we want to bring in our lives, this means we have to let go of some things because they served its purpose at that time of our lives. What does the Gospel of Mark say about this? In the base camp of our church community, near and far, we enter our series diving…
Jubilant Joy
In Advent, we anticipate the arrival of the Christ child who we know is coming to remember how to wait for the fulfillment of God’s kin-dom on earth as it is in heaven. A fulfillment we are still waiting for. But how do we find Joy in this season? In midst of all that has been going on, how can the birth of Christ bring the joy we desire? In the base camp of our church community, near and far,…