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Claremont United Church of Christ

Religion & Spirituality Podcas

Join Pastors Jen and Jacob at Claremont United Church of Christ for sermons that are engaging, inspiring, and challenging. Claremont UCC is an open and affirming congregation that welcomes ALL people regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.

Location:

United States

Description:

Join Pastors Jen and Jacob at Claremont United Church of Christ for sermons that are engaging, inspiring, and challenging. Claremont UCC is an open and affirming congregation that welcomes ALL people regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.

Language:

English


Episodes

Let The Flame Burn Brightly

3/18/2024
In Mark 14, the Chief Priests and scribes are conspiring to find a way to secretly put Jesus to death. But in the middle of their plans comes the story of an unnamed woman with an alabaster jar. Her small act of kindness serves as a subversive act of goodness to counter the hatred of the Chief Priests' plans. And now, her amazing story calls us to join the revolution of kindness.

Duration:00:22:14

But Now I See

3/12/2024
In the blockbuster movie Inception, the characters travel into a dream within a dream within a dream. This week, Pastor Jacob explains that the Gospel of Mark is a story within a story within a story. But what all of these layers of stories reveal is that a life of faith doesn't mean we have all of the answers. There is never a pint where we have "arrived at faith." Instead, a life of faith is a continuous journey of learning more about ourselves and the world around us.

Duration:00:19:36

When it's Tempting to Jump Off the Cliff

3/4/2024
Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy serves as President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. One of the UCC seminaries, PSR is a progressive, multidenominational seminary and center for social justice that prepares theologically and spiritually rooted leaders to work for the well-being of all. A committed pastor, a nationally recognized higher education and immigration leader, and a sought after speaker, Vásquez-Levy leads at the intersection of faith, higher education, and social change. His innovations have led to cinrease access in theological education and leadership formation. Originally from Guatemala, Vásquez-Levy has lived in four countries, including working on refugee resettlement in Canada, and taught courses and led international study and service trips across the globe.

Duration:00:22:32

The Cost Of Discipleship

2/26/2024
When Jesus sends the disciples to do ministry in the Gospel of Mark, the story of their ministerial exploits is interrupted by a flashback to the death of John the Baptist. We continue our series on a unique aspect of the Gospel of Mark where one story is hidden inside of another in something called a Markan sandwich. What does Mark have to teach us about the cost of following Christ? And if the cost is so high, what do we get in return?

Duration:00:19:07

Stories Within Stories

2/19/2024
Pastor Jen kicks off our Lenten sermon series by introducing the concept of a Markan sandwich and invites us to examine two stories that are intentionally placed together in the Gospel of Mark. What is Mark trying to tell us about Jesus’ purpose through the lens of these healings?

Duration:00:19:33

From love you came & to love you shall return

2/15/2024
Pastor Jen kicks off our Lenten season with a story from the gospel of Mark in which Jesus heals people, prays, and heals more people. If reconnecting with Divine Love is what keeps Jesus going, might we try and do the same?

Duration:00:10:50

Celebration

2/12/2024
On our annual Fat Sunday we explore the spiritual discipline of celebration. The spiritual discipline of celebration does not ignore the pain in the world or the pain in our lives, but instead invites us into a radical act of joy that declares that no matter how dark the world may become, we will keep working and serving with our spiritual community around us for support.

Duration:00:17:49

Confession

2/6/2024
Pastor Jen talks about the spiritual discipline of confession and why it is good for our souls. God’s grace isn’t a free pass on our bad behavior, but rather her fierce determination to love us into our best selves.

Duration:00:15:19

Simplicity

1/28/2024
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the crowds gathered to listen to his Sermon on the Mount, "Do Not Worry." But Jesus' words seem a little shortsighted in a world where there is an abundance of issues to worry about. Pastor Jacob digs deeper into Jesus' sermon to discover how we might confront the worries of our present in an attempt to cultivate the spiritual discipline of simplicity

Duration:00:20:03

Prayer

1/22/2024
Pastor Jen examines prayer. She asks us to consider how Jesus prayed and how prayer might remind us of our relationship with our loving Creator.

Duration:00:21:48

Service "Let Justice Drip Like a Leaky Faucet"

1/14/2024
When people hear the term “Prophet,” they often think of someone who can predict the future with great accuracy. However the prophets in the Bible often focused on much more concrete issues in the present. In this teaching, Pastor Craig Hadley, talks about what a prophet is, how Martin Luther King and Amos are kindred spirits, and how we can best honor their legacies with a lifestyle of service today.

Duration:00:23:30

Meditation

1/8/2024
Pastors Jen and Jacob launch a new sermon series by inviting us to put our lives in airplane mode and quiet all of the electronic interference, if only for a moment, as we practice ancient spiritual disciplines that are meant to strengthen our connection to the Divine. This week, we explore meditation, something the Old Testament encourages us to do 58 times!

Duration:00:20:33

Blessed to Be a Blessing

1/2/2024
In this New Year's Eve sermon, Pastor Laurel talks about what it is to be "blessed to be a blessing." What does it look like to reject the "grind culture" that equates long hours to our innate work? How can we be a blessing through nothing more and nothing less than our truest selves?

Duration:00:05:58

Mary

12/27/2023
We finish our sermon series this Christmas Eve by looking at Mary, who had the audacity to place her newborn baby in a manger. But it wasn’t an accident! According to the angels, it was a sign. Join Pastor Jen as she selves into what it all means.

Duration:00:15:46

Ruth

12/17/2023
We continue our exploration of Jesus' ancestry with the great-grandmother of King David, Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite and according to Hebrew law, Israelites were not allowed to promote the welfare or prosperity of a Moabite as long as they lived. And, yet, an entire book of the Bible is dedicated to the inclusion of a Moabite! Join Pastor Jacob as he opens up about how the birth of Jesus calls us to widen our circles of love and inclusion.

Duration:00:17:31

The Wife of Uriah [Bathsheba]

12/12/2023
Have you ever noticed that Bathsheba is listed in Matthew’s genealogy as “The Wife of Uriah”? This title gives us deep insight into how our ancestors viewed her and understood her role in a patriarchal society. Join Pastor Jen as she illuminates the importance of being truth-tellers as we live out our faith

Duration:00:15:37

Tamar and Rahab

12/3/2023
Matthew's story of the birth of Jesus begins with a genealogy listing the names of all of Jesus' ancestors from Abraham to Joseph. This year, rather than skipping over the hard to pronounce names, we are going to take a closer look at Jesus genealogy and lift up the five women that are strangely included to see what they might teach us about the Savior who enters the world this Christmas. First up: Tamar and Rahab.

Duration:00:21:45

Delilah

11/26/2023
Pastor Jen finishes our “Villains” sermon series with the tale of Delilah, but asks us to consider whether she is a true villain, or if the real saboteur of the story lives inside Samson’s own heart.

Duration:00:18:07

Goliath

11/20/2023
Goliath is a larger-than-life figure in our imaginations as the giant who towers over David striking fear in the hearts of all who see him. But did you know that according to the earliest Hebrew manuscripts, Goliath was only 6 feet, 6 inches tall. Not so much of a giant after all. Join Pastor Jacob as he debunks the myth of the insurmountable, giant challenges in our lives and in our world and as he tries to make a seemingly insurmountable and complex problem like the war in Israel and Palestine a little less giant by boiling it down to this: the violence must stop.

Duration:00:21:39

The Snake

11/13/2023
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Strickland delves into the timeless narrative of Genesis 3:1-19. In her sermon titled "The Snake," Rev. Dr. Strickland unravels the profound lessons embedded in the story of Adam and Eve's encounter with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. With wisdom and eloquence, she explores the nuances of temptation, the consequences of disobedience, and the enduring relevance of this biblical account in our lives today.

Duration:00:20:39