Hummelstown UCC Podcast

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Luke 14:25-33; Philemon 1-21“Some people came to (Kolkata), and before leaving, they begged me: ‘Tell ussomething that will help us to live our lives better.' And I said, ‘Smile at one another;smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other-it doesn't matter who it is-and that will help you to grow up in greater love for eachother.' And then one of them asked me: ‘Are you married?' and I said: ‘Yes, and Ifind it difficult sometimes to smile at Jesus.' And it is true, Jesus can be verydemanding also, and it is at those times when he is so demanding that to give him abig smile is very beautiful.” - Saint Mother Teresa

Genesis 1: 1-5, 31, 3: 16-19; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-10; (1 Corinthians 15: 10)From The Message by Eugene PetersonBut because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I'm not aboutto let this grace go to waste. Haven't I worked hard trying to do more than any ofthe others? Even then, my work didn't amount to all that much. It was God givingme the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. So whether you heard it fromme or from those others, it's all the same: We spoke God's truth and you entrustedyour lives.

Psalm 103:1-8; Isaiah 58:9b-14; Isaiah 58:9b-14We read in Matthew's gospel that in his last days before the cross, Jesus cleansedexploitative commerce out of the Temple, caused a fig tree to wither, and told hisfollowers that even small faith can move mountains. “The cleansing of the Templeand the withering of the fig tree tell the same story. God is not impressed byappearances, by show, or by religious busyness. What God seeks is fruit — livestransformed, the poor lifted, the sick healed, the outsider welcomed. These are themountains that need moving.” - Jeremy D. Scott

Psalm 82; Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 12:49-56“God can as little do without us, as we without God. If at first this seems a wildstatement, we may well consider in how many ways God's will depends on ourcooperation. God cannot do some things unless we think… And God cannot dosome things unless we work… Now if God has left some things contingent on ourthinking and working, why may God not have left some things contingent on uspraying?... Prayer is one of the three forms of our cooperation with God.” - HarryEmerson Fosdick

Psalm 33:12-22; Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16“A real spiritual life … makes us so alert and aware of the world around us, that allthat is and happens becomes part of our contemplation and meditation and invitesus to a free and fearless response.” Henri J.M. Nouwen

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psalm 107 1-9, 43; Luke 12:13-21Amazing God, we honor and celebrate your presence among us. We rejoice in yourgoodness and delight in your wonderful works. We lament the suffering of the worldand take courage that you are with us. We ask that you make your presence knownto us. Speak, O God, for we attune our attention for your guidance. Receive ourpraise as we glorify your name! Amen.

Psalm 138; Genesis 18:20-32; Luke 10:38-42"God weeps over our obsession with manyness and muchness... For too long wehave been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country ofclimb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation."And God welcomes us home: home to serenity and peace and joy, home tofriendship and openness, home to intimacy and acceptance and affirmation. Wedo not need to be shy." - Richard J. Foster

Psalm 52 (from the Common English Bible); Psalm 15 (from the New Revised Standard Bible); Luke 10:38-42“For too long we have thought of the Christian life as essentially either involvementin political, economic, social concerns that wear us out… or activity which keepsthe church intact and doctrinally pure. Our primary orientation cannot be aninstitution or some great cause or even other people, but first and forever to God.Unless our identity is hid in God we will never know who we are or what we are todo. Our first act must be prayer.” - from The Spiritual Life by John H. Westerhoff III andJohn D. Eusden

Psalm 25:1-10; Luke 10:25-37“The essential part of the Christian message is the idea of salvation for the wholecommunity of people, of which the individual is a member… Thus, the individualnever stands alone, but within the community, just as the individual communities arepart of the one community, the Church. The Church begins, not with an individual,but with God.” - Hans Kung

Psalm 66:1-9; 2Kings 5:1-14; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20God our Good Shepherd, we come to worship you, to tell the story of yourmarvelous deeds, to lament the horrors and suffering in the world, to find strength tobe your witnesses, and to remind ourselves of the truth of what is possible. May ourprayers rise to your heart, and your heart infiltrate our prayers. May we sing songsthat move you with delight and compassion. May we recognize and ponder thewisdom you impart to us. And, may peace rest upon us as we gather in your name.Amen.

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Psalm 16; Luke 9:51-62“The Church is not here exclusively, nor primarily, to transform society. That is notwhy we are here. When the Church sets out to transform society, very little isaccomplished. The uniqueness of the Church is denied as we enter the battle onthe same terms as secular and godless forces. We assume that justice can be wonby force, by technique, by doing. It cannot.” (Howard Snyder) We are here to be‘little Christs,' loving and serving, demonstrating sacrificial love, community, andbeing. By being the doing will happen naturally, and the love of God and neighborwill find its way.

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8: Divine Majesty and Human Dignity; John 16:12-15We embody jubilee when we live toward restoration and flourishing for all, when weembrace not only the teachings of Jesus but the way of Jesus. This moment calls usto go Into the Deep. We may cast our nets fishing for nourishment, livelihood,vocation, or community. Within the kindom, justice and righteousness reign when wehear and heed the cries of the least and respond as the Body of Christ, loving ourneighbor by sharing our abundance and holding one another accountable. -Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay

Psalm 104:24-34; John 14:8-17; Acts 2:1-21“You are called to be truly human, but it is nothing short of the life of God within youthat enables you to be so, to be remade in God's image.” - N.T. Wright

Acts 16:20-34; John 17:20-26“Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty andbeauty. Don't mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset.” - Stephen Russell

Acts 16:9-15; John 5:1-9“What would it look like for us to intentionally put healing practices at the center ofour work, like the tree of life at the center of the new city Revelation invites us toimagine, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.”-Dr. Sharon R. Fennema

Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is notugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And theopposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” ― Elie Wiesel

Acts 9:36-43; John 10:22-30May Day Morning (First Anniversary of Mother's Death) As I sit on my porchI feel my Mother's presence.The sunrise feels like my mother's arms around me.The scent of lilacs reminds me of her perfume.In the bird's singing I hear her voice.Watching the rabbit search for food,I remember the meals she made for me.I see the doe guarding her fawn and I feel certainThat Mom still watches over me.-Thomas Kinser

Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30: Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness; John 21:1-19“On the Pulse of Morning” excerptHere, on the pulse of this fine dayYou may have the courageTo look up and out and upon me, theRock, the River, the Tree, your country.No less to Midas than the mendicant.No less to you now than the mastodon then.Here, on the pulse of this new dayYou may have the grace to look up and outAnd into your sister's eyes, and intoYour brother's face, your countryAnd say simplyVery simplyWith hope—Good morning.-Maya Angelou

Psalm 150: Praise for God's Surpassing Greatness; John 20:19-31"You, O God, are our light – Grant us courage to walk into places once cloaked infear. Grant us fortitude to reveal our pain, to bind our wounds. You, O God, are oureverlasting strength, we will not turn away, we will persevere. We lift our voices indefiant praise. Give thanks to the God who never turns away – whose love breaksevery chain and endures forever."-Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Kehaunani Hill

Luke 22:39-46; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Tell me again.Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life where I believe in myself,a life where, dare I say, I love myself.Tell me again to cultivate new life—a life of dancing in the kitchenand slow cups of coffee;a life where Sabbath is viewed as a giftas opposed to a luxury;a life where I trust my own voiceand speak words dripping in hope,heavy in love.Tell me again.Tell me again because I will forget.Tell me again because change has never come easy.Tell me again, because on Monday I'll wave palmsAnd by Friday I'll be at the foot of a cross.So if you can, tell me againOf the love that changed the world,And my invitation to do the same.-SEEKING PRESENCE Cultivate Holy Week

John 12:1-8; Isaiah 43:16-21People throw around the phrase, “Let it go” like a child throws out laughter—Easy and light.I wish that's how I knew it.I wish it felt that simple.Instead I have to talk myself into a better frame of mind.I have to drag one foot in front of the other until I'm closer to love.I have to sing my mother's words in my head until I can't hear anything else.And I pray for letting go that feels like taking off shoes—a sort of coming home.I pray for letting go that won't always involve a battle between heart and mind.I pray for letting go that moves like muscle memory, but it never does.Letting go has never been as easy as holding tight.Why is that?So now and again I stand in the rain and let the clouds teach me a thing or twoabout release.And when that doesn't work,I think about the way my mother's body broke so that she could let me go—Yet another body broken for me.And when that doesn't work,I find myself on my knees—a sort of coming home,And I pray,Teach me a thing or two about grace.Teach me a thing or two about letting go.And I inhale.And I exhale.Air drawn in.Air let go.And I recognize God in my lungs, and I can't help but laugh,Easy and light-LETTING GO

2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:11b-32I have come to believeThat it's harder to cry under an open sky.So when life falls apart, throw open the windows.Invite the sun into your shadows.Lie in the grass and let the sun mistake you for flowers.Maybe this is step one in cultivating—For flowers do not grow by mistake.They need the sun, just like we need love,And time,And the grace to try again.So put your body where the light is.You'll find God there.She is warmth.You will know it.And you will feel strong.So put your body where the light is.Maybe this is step one.-SEEKING PRESENCE CULTIVATE

Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9If the trees can do it, then so can I,At least that's what I tell myself.For if year after year the trees can let goOf their brightest leaves and that warm autumn glow,Then maybe in time, like trees with their leaves,I can releaseThat which keeps me from you.Maybe in time, I can let goOf my need for certaintyAnd my need to look good,My need for busyness,And my need to numb pain;The trivial ways I measure my self-worth,Or the hurtful ways I measure yours.For if year after year the trees let go,Then maybe, in time, I can too.Maybe,In time,My heart will know spring.-SEEKING PRESENCE LETTING GO

Psalm 27: Triumphant Song of Confidence; Luke 13:31-35: The Lament over JerusalemI wish I could cultivate my daysLike my mother's favorite recipe,Blending together the sweetest things—Hope and love, you and me,Justice and peace,Music and dreams—Like spices pulled from the shelf on thewall.I'd add one cup of family,And one cup of grace.A dash of starry nights,A pinch of snow.One tablespoon of hope, and like oats,they would grow.A tablespoon of music and the hymnsthat I know.A cup for friends that feel more likefamily,A teaspoon of vanilla, for life's sheerbeauty.Three teaspoons of summer, and onetablespoon of dreams.Plus half a cup for the church that raisedme,And half a cup for the moon thatserenades me.The instructions would read:Melt your love and whisk with justice untilit expands beyond the pan.Gently stir in all that you hope for. Cover,and let rise.Drizzle with a sweet glaze of mercy.Please be sure to leave heartache andgrief tucked on the shelfBeside comparison, doubt, fear, anddepression.Busyness will make this dish sour,As will grudges and gossip, which is not tomentionTrauma and loss, or my fragile bones.So use only the best ingredientsWhen you cultivate your life.For like your mother's favorite recipe,These days are sacred.-SEEKING PRESENCE CULTIVATE

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 4:1-13Dear loved one—I hope you let go.I hope you let go of holding yourself to impossible standards.Lower the bar. Give yourself grace.God delights in who you are.And while you're at it, I hope you let go of ignoring your beauty.The mirror is tired of your harsh words, for you are made of star stuff and music.You are the only you there is, and you. are. simply. stunning.And I hope you'll consider letting go of certainty.For the sun will always rise and set, and you will always be loved.What more do we really need to know than that?So let go of your fear.Let go of perfection.Let go of busyness as a sign of your self worth,And the notion that creativity is a luxury.Be wild and free.Plant roots like a redwood,And a spine like a sunflower;For the days are short, and you are beautiful.I love nothing more than to see you happy.So don't be afraid to let go.The only thing you cannot lose is God's evergreen love.-LETTING GO: A letter to someone I love

Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36“God places us in the world as fellow workers-agents of transfiguration. We workwith God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so there will be morecompassion and caring, that there will be more laughter and joy, that there will bemore togetherness in God's world.”-Desmond Tutu

Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40: Exhortation to Patience and Trust;Genesis 45:3-11; Luke 6:27-38“If you're for the right thing, you do it without thinking.” -Maya Angelou

Psalm 1: The Two Ways; Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26“When it comes down to it, that's what life is all about: showing up for the peopleyou love, again and again, until you can't show up anymore.”Rebecca Walker

Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; Luke 5:1-11“What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow. What are brief? today and tomorrow.What are frail? spring blossoms and youth. What are deep? the ocean and truth.” Christina Rossetti

Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13; Luke 4:21-30 “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.  In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. … In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”-Albert Camus

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Luke 4:14-21Divine Body of Belonging, grant us the tenderness of feeling safe in your arms, thestability of being tethered by both gravity and grace. Help us not to resist thismoment nor our mortality. You've given us this life on earth with terrains of variedlands and feelings, guide us to navigate this being human, this being a body madein your image and likeness.-Council for Health & Human Services Ministry

1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Psalm 36:5-10; John 2:1-11"Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue."Bell Hooks

Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29: The Voice of God in a Great Storm, A Psalm of David; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22“The baptism of Jesus demonstrates abiding solidarity with humanity, particularlyexpressed in Luke's account. Jesus is with everyone else who is being baptized thatday. His presence as the intersection of human and divine does not becomerevealed until after the rite has concluded and all the people have been baptized.His humble approach to his ministry as well as his generosity in sharing hisexperiences and divine access are defined from the onset. Heaven opened for allof them just as John baptized all of them, including Jesus, the Messiah who will soonbe revealed.”Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, UCC Minister for Worship & Theology

Isaiah 43:16-21; Matthew 2:1-12BREATH PRAYER     INHALE: Each twist and turn          EXHALE: Invites me to follow you.

Joel 2:21-27; Psalm 126: A Harvest of Joy; 1 Timothy 2:1-5; Matthew 6:25-33"Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe,even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a longway from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go. Hold on to my hand,even if someday I'll be gone away from you."Crowfroot

MARK 13:1-8; 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10; {inhale....exhale...}

Mark 12:38-44; Psalm 146; Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17“The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel… its poverty by howlittle.”Sherrilyn Kenyon

Mark 12:28-34; Psalm 146: Praise for God's Help; Ruth 1:1-18"The child in each of us knows paradise. Paradise is home. Home as it was or homeas it should have been. Paradise is one's own place, one's own people, one's ownworld, knowing and known, perhaps even loving and loved. Yet every child Is castfrom paradise— Into growth and destruction, Into solitude and new community, Intovast, ongoing change."Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents“

Mark 10:17-31; Psalm 22:1-15; Job 1: 1, 2:1-10, 23:1-9, 16-17“We are a product of the immense torque that propels this universe. We are notindividuals but a great accumulation of all that lived before.” Tanya Tagaq

MARK 10:13-16; ACTS 2:42-47; ISAIAH 55“When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them,you're inviting a person into your life." Maya Angelou

Mark 9:38-50; Esther 7:1-6; 9-10, 9:20-22; Psalm 124: Thanksgiving for Israel's Deliverance“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.”-James Baldwin

Mark 9:33-37; James 3:13-4:3; Psalm 1; Proverbs 31:10-31: Ode to a Woman of Strength“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And youhave to do it all the time.”Angela Davis

Mark 8:27-30, 34-38; Psalm 19: God's Glory in Creation and the Law;Proverbs 1:20-33: The Call of Wisdom“The street is a river of life and I wade into it with a deep respect.”Bob Dylan

Psalm 125: The Security of God's People; James 2:1-10, 14-17; Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23"To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold ofthe water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and so youfloat."-Alan Watts

Mark 7:1-2, 5-8, 22-23; James 1:19-27; Song of Songs 2:8-13: Springtime RhapsodyDo not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire.-Rumi

John 6:60-69; Psalm 84:The Joy of Worship in the Temple; 1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43A Christian is the dwelling place of the living God. He created me, he chose me, He came to dwell in me, because he wanted me. Now that you have known how much God is in love with you it is but natural that you spend the rest of your life radiating that love.-Mother Teresa

John 6:51; Proverbs 9:1-6; 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14Praise for God's Wonderful Works Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honor and majesty is God's work, and God's righteousness endures forever. God has gained renown by wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful. Provides food; God is ever mindful of covenant. God has shown the people the power of God's works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of God's hands are faithful and just; all their precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. God sent redemption to the people; has commanded their covenant forever. Holy and awesome is God's name. The love of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. God's praise endures forever. -Psalm 111

Psalm 130: Waiting for Divine Redemption: A Song of Ascents; 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Ephesians 4:25-5:2We light this flame to remind us: love is the center. As we grow and connect, mature and deepen: love remains the center. When the light of truth burns all else away: love remains.-Eric Hepburn

Psalm 145:10-18; 2 Samuel 11-12“Tomorrow is always another day to make things right.”-Lauryn Hill

Mark 6:30-34; Ephesians 2:1-22; 2 Samuel 7:1-14“Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God.Peace is the nurse of love. Peace is the mother of unity. Peace is the rest of theblessed souls. Peace is the dwelling place of eternity.”-Pope Leto I

Psalm 24: Entrance into the Temple. Of David; 2 Samuel 6:1-5; 12-19“The ordinary world really is capable of hosting the infinite being.”-Rev. Richard Lischer