Sermons from Cascade Church Portland
This is age appropriate theology specifically written for Pre-K kids that is fun and engaging while learning about Jesus. At the end, you will hear Sarah ask a line that is intentionally said at the end of every kids lesson at Cascade, "using your skill of curiosity, what are some questions you have from the story?" We hope this invites you to curiosity and wonder with your kiddo around the Christmas story.
Kurt Kroon talks through Nehemiah 2 and what we do with criticism. Do we internalize or reject it? What tools do you use to discern your areas of growth?
Kurt Kroon introduces the book of Nehemiah and talks about rebuilding in deconstructed spaces and what we do with power and privilege.
Kurt Kroon shares about pep rallies, Shamrock Runs and the ever present cycle of death and resurrection pulling us into the present.
This Sunday we hear from Harriet Congdon, Andrew Chang and Kendra Wenzel on their experiences with polarization and what has been helpful and harmful in that process.
Sarah Swartzendruber shares about a recent social media experience dealing with theology on her Parenting After Deconstruction Instagram page and how she processed it.
Chelsea Gerlach shares some incredibly practical next steps for engaging in polarizing conversations. In this conversation Chelsea references Loretta Ross, and you can find her work here
Kurt Kroon shares on the story of Jonah about the tendencies we have to idealize and demonize folks as a means of feeling safe and God's movement to reconcile all people.
Kurt Kroon shares about Paul, Colossians 2 and how Christ moves us to end gatekeeping.
Leroy Barber joins us to share about the US's history of reparations and how the scriptures talk about making repairs.
This Sunday Kurt Kroon interviews Alvin Hayes about the link he sees in the Civil Rights movement and Jesus Christ.
Kurt Kroon looks at Luke 8 and the parable of the sower within the context of how we interpret parables today and some of the context around what Jesus in his context.
Kurt Kroon discusses wisdom and how Jesus and John the Baptist are bringing this to us via radical inclusion through very different methods.
On this Sunday Kurt Kroon shared about how Jesus negotiates the sacredness of who each person is and the potential of who we can become. This comes with a look at Luke 13:11-17 and the healing of a woman in the synagogue on the sabbath.
Shelby Hanson leads us in a new message series that can give us fresh eyes on the parable structure and make unfamiliar what we've made familiar.
On Sunday January 29th Kurt Kroon talked about different lenses for viewing the Scriptures and how taking experiences from non-dominant folks and interpreting them through a dominant worldview can fundamentally change the message.
Chelsea Gerlach shares a message about the planet, our relationship with it and how we hear the voice of God to move towards the healing of the land and ourselves.
Kurt Kroon takes a look at comparisons between the story of Jesus birth and the origin stories of Horus, Romulus and Remus, Alexander the Great, and Augustus Caesar. We 'll see what the similarities and differences tell us.
Sarah Swartzendruber talks through the role of grief in Mary's song both as a look forward to the life of Jesus and a reflection after the death of Jesus.
Kurt Kroon talks through Luke 1:46-55 and the impact of Power Dynamics.
Kurt Kroon talks about how our interpretation of Ephesians 6:10-17 is impacted by living in the world's largest military country and how that compares to the military factors in Paul's day.
Harriet Congdon discusses the history and harm created by Ephesians 5:21-6:9, while suggesting various lenses for liberative interpretation.
Leroy Barber, Sarah Swartzendruber and Kurt Kroon discuss the inherent problems with Christian calls for unity in a post-election climate.
Insil Kang closes our Acts series with an intersectional look at Paul and how that informs the good news of Jesus.
A message from Pastor Sarah Swartzendruber on Acts 19 and the way money and the church interact.
A message from Leroy Barber on Lydia's table and the foundations of the church from Acts 16.
Jason Fileta is with us to talk about Acts 13 and how people seeking after God can be led astray by letting their fear grab after power.
Pastor Sunia Gibbs shares with us a look at Acts 10 and what we can learn about human tendency to call assimilation inclusion and its consequences.
This week we take a look at Acts 3 and how history can connect us to ourselves and those around us.
We take a look at Acts 2 and how American individualism shapes our view of church community.
Here's an introduction to the book of Acts and why we're taking a look at it in this particular moment in history.
Kurt has a chat with Mike McHargue about how Spiral Dynamics functions in our world today.
This week we take the Spiral Dynamics model and look at what healthy and unhealthy relationships to all of the stages can look like.
This week we go into Spiral Dynamics, which is an emergent cyclical theory of adult human development (I know!). Take a listen as we hope to add this system to our collective tool bags in the hopes of growing in compassion, empathy and communication with people around us.
Dr. James Hawkins brings a fascinating perspective at the intersection of emotionally focused therapy and racism.
One of the best sermons I have ever heard. Effortless weaving together of the Biblical narrative and what is happening in our world right now. Give it multiple listens to let it all soak in.
in the previous message Krispin Mayfield shared on attachment theory and phew(!!) it was good. Getting curious about the tactics we employ to feel connected to the people closest to us and how they are doing the same thing can be a game changer. We can start making choices instead of just reacting when we tune in to the frequency of connecting to others. And how this relates to the narratives we've been handed about connecting to God? Shoot dang. In this message Krispin builds on previous themes of attachment strategies to talk about yield states, self-evaluation and what communion with God and others can look like.
Krispin Mayfield (LPC) leads us on a journey through attachment theory, which is the science of emotional bonding, and how this interacts with our relationship with God. Enjoy!
For my first job at a church I worked at a nationally registered historical place. I loved to joke that I was part-time youth director and part-time tour guide. People would stop by to check out a church building built in the 1860's and I would walk them through the building and share some of the stories that I had collected over the years. Every building tells a story. It tells a story of when and how it was built. It tells a story about who labored to build it and who funded the building. It tells a story of design trends of the time and available resources for its construction. We tell the stories of the past to remember where we came from and how it informs where we're heading. This Sunday we're going to be sharing the story of Cascade. The places we've come from and where we hope we'll be in the future. While we've held consistent values as a church, how we've demonstrated those values has evolved in really beautiful ways over the past 4 + years. I hope you enjoy hearing from the folks on our board, from Sarah and me as co-pastors as we imagine what our future can be.
Have you ever partaken in a meal that felt like holy space?Great conversations, a feeling of warmth and the abundance of options. For some, maybe that’s a family dinner, others that’s at fun restaurant in Portland. After my hip surgery, I was given a Sunday off and was determined to participate in Portland’s brunch scene after working most Sundays of my adult life. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. We waited in a long line that day at Jam with a big group of friends, drinking unlimited coffee which was necessary for those of us figuring out pain killers for the first time to stay awake, and attempting to navigate with my crutches. I found it thrilling being apart of what most people have a choice to do on a Sunday and declared it one of my favorite Sundays ever. The excitement, laughter and fun if that day are forever my scene of what the last supper thought it would be until pivotal statements Jesus makes about a betrayal and his presence no longer being possible. I’ve always wondered if anyone started stress eating or asked for more wine in the tension of the moment. Did anyone cry? Did anyone suddenly not feel hungry at all or desire to take a nap in their grief and confusion?It’s this moment that we are talking abut this week as we look at Mark 14 and the first supper. No, it’s not lent, and it does feel a bit like we just got to the birth story as Christmas lights are still on our house as I write this (thanks Oregon rain). But the last supper is the story that much of our church history creates denominational decisions over who can or cannot take communion, when it’s the appropriate time and what to even do with the bread once you have taken it. For some, communion is a routine, a ritual, even a holy experience. For others, it’s just something we do.
Confession:: If I walk into a room where I just saw someone and they're no longer there, I will make a rapture joke. It's as involuntary as breathing or having my heart beat. Growing up it wasn't uncommon to see "In Case of Rapture This Car Will be Unmanned" bumper stickers and to see copies of the Left Behind book series in homes. Images of piles of clothes on the ground from a rapture are locked in my brain from TV, movies or book illustrations (which begs some questions. Do we keep jewelry but not clothing? What about fillings? What's the policy on dental work staying or going?). This obsession about the end of the world has created a complicated relationship with the Bible. We've been taught that when we read apocalyptic passages in the Bible (which is a literary form common to the ancient world) they are really clues for how the world is going to end. If we interpret the clues correctly than we will have a marked advantage over every other human being when the world really does come to the end. The Bible becomes less of a text about the heart of God and humanity, and more of a book of riddles to be solved (ie: Revelation) In our series on Mark we reach chapter 13, which is very much apocalyptic literature. We're going to look at the cultural impact of interpreting these writings as a rapture event, walk through the history of rapture-esque readings of the Bible (hint:: not as ancient as you might expect) and what these passages could really be talking about.
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