Sermons at MCCC - Rev. Chad Delaney

Sometimes the traditional dichotomies and dualisms just don't work!  Pastor Sarah explores these chapters of Job using Queer Theology to explore suffering and hope in our time.  

Job's story is held up as the ultimate example of dealing with our grief.  In Job 1-2 he takes all the suffering on the chin and doesn't have a complaint.  This image is usually held up as the model of faithfulness...but is that Job's whole story?  Job 7 gives us a little glimpse into Job's story and the anguish that he felt in his body, mind, and soul....and he has no problem giving God a piece of his mind.  Let's dive into this story today and over the next 2 weeks...

All around are voices of passion about the current events in our world. Are we listening and learning from those affected? Are we willing to hear a word we may not want to hear? Pastor Chad explores Paul's words to Timothy long ago, confirmation bias, and how we can start talking about Racism.

The early and modern church struggles with elevating certain spiritual gifts over others. What happens though when we MINIMIZE our own gifts. Receive encouragement today to embrace your own gifts!

Pastor Sarah Smith preaches a word on a familiar passage, but whose strength and challenge we don't fully tap into. What does love really look like?

This is the audio recording of our Xplor Send-Off Zoom Worship service. Thanks to Rev. McCreight, Rev. Kluchar, Rev. Delaney, and Linda Idoine for their leadership and guidance through the program. We took time to hear from our wonderful residents - - Natalie, Heidi, and Jennifer and then sent them off with our love and prayers.

We need Unity in Christ now more than ever...but still it eludes us. what is the basis for our unity as Christians? What should we look for in the world and within ourselves?

What does it mean to offer a Labor of Love? Today we hear a bit of the context to which the Apostle Paul wrote to, but also bring the idea into the present. included in the sermon today are the perspectives of three nurses in our congregation. You will be blessed to hear what they have to say!

What would make you jump for joy? What would make it last? A child of God is healed and raised up in the Name of Jesus Christ...what is to become of him? With a little help from Monty Python's Life of Brian we explore this great story from scripture.

in this 40+ Day period of waiting and wandering, how are we spending it? How can we nurture the soul during this time? What would that look like for us?

Happy Easter! God's blessing of peace and new life be with you and those you love! Today we are talking about what the story of Easter means to who we are as people of hope and resurrection! May the the Risen Christ meet with you wherever you are in this difficult time in our nation's history.

Today is our Palms to the Upper Room Service.  Today we will be listening to stories of Tables in Jesus’ life and ministry leading up to his Last Supper.  Listen to and reflect on these powerful stories.

Reflect with Pastor Sarah on the real grief we feel at this time and how we can respond with Holy Community.

We explore today the wonderful passage in Mark where Jesus calms the storm. What strength can we draw from this story as we face the storm swirling around us?

We live in a time of fear and uncertainty, yet we are also reminded that God is always with us and always beckoning us toward faithfulness. We are not worshipping in the church building this week but we are coming together united in God's Spirit. Be blessed, safe, and here the Good News in this passage today.

what helps you remember loved ones lost or good times had? what stirs your memory in ways that help you remember who you are? long ago Jesus invited us to take the bread and cup to remember him by...every week we seek to honor and live our this sacred request.

This begins our Lenten Series "Around the Table." Borrowing from the World Council of Churches we explore the first of five meanings of the Lord's Table. This week we consider how we might come to the Table filled thanksgiving and ready to share God's Abundance with all.

How do we recognize our place in God's Grand Design? There are times that we may wonder what our small acts of compassionate goodness will do, but we have to keep things in perspective. we gain that perspective with alittle help from Moses, Dr King, and a Brazilian Liberation theologian.

The passage today deeply challenges the church to keep first things first. As communities we can get caught up with specific particularities of theological beliefs and ritual practice...all the while forgetting what is most important. Jesus reminds us with powerful words from Isaiah to keep to the heart of what matters most.

Why do we have disgust? What do we do with it? Certainly we understand the food and drink aspect, but what about people? Some in Jesus's time may have seen the people he speaks with as contaminants and pollutants...but Jesus doesn't. Jesus honors the value of life found in the Hebrew Scriptures and continues a radical ethic of life, love, and welcome.

Last week's sermon was about becoming fertile ground to receive the Word...how fertile do we need to be? What will be good enough for God? We go across the sea to Gerasene country and come upon a demoniac, a herd of pigs, and some local folks. On this trip Jesus surprises us in more than one way and gives us a powerful message of love, life, and holiness.

Are we flat, rocky, thorny, or fertile soil as we receive the Word? What is the Word of God? Are we as receptive to the Word when it comes in different ways? What about a tough word from Dr. King? Just some of the questions we think about today in the sermon...

We take a look at a pair of Jesus's short parables about patching coats and bursting wineskins in the Gospel of Mark. The scriptures here offer wisdom about the connection of the old and the new. I tell a story about getting "OK boomered" by my brother and how the church deals with new ideas, beliefs, and practices. Do we dismiss the old or new offhand? How do we deal with the changing landscapes of congregational life and being a lively, vibrant multi-generational church?

The story of the Magi invites us to wonder: Would we have seen the star? Do we pause long enough to wonder and look for the Christ? Do we make space for God?

Full Christmas Eve Service

We are blessed to read the story of Jesus's birth and reflect on the wonder and surprise of it all. We remember that despite the turmoil and difficulty in the world, God is a God of Surprises!

What does real courage look like? We certainly can see it with Mary and Joseph...what about the shepherds? Is Courage only seen at the extremes or can there be an everyday courage God is calling us to? With a little help from Alex Honnold (free solo climber) and Dr Brene Brown (courage and vulnerability researcher) we go deeper in the story and hear the angel's call... "Do not be afraid!"

This week we explore the story of Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew. The angel comes to him telling him "Do Not Be Afraid!"...do not be afraid of what? Joseph needs to come to terms with who he wants to be and who God is calling him to be. This story may have something to say about what it means to be friend to someone in need and an ally in the cause of justice. Lots to learn from this familiar story!

The theme for this Advent is "Do Not Be Afraid.". In this first installment we look at the story of the Annunciation. The response of Mary to the angel's pronouncement gives us food for thought as we navigate fear in our own lives. How can we be faithful in the midst of our fears?

Homily on Thanksgiving Sunday. Is it possible to offer gratitude in everything?? A lesson from Brother David Steidl-Rast and the Apostle Paul.

As we consider how we might honor the future, we consider the the cultural greeting of the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania - - "And how are the children?" within this question and our text this morning we hear a call to generosity and where we might put our faith and action to work.

With a wonderful passage of scripture and a beautiful poem by Catherine Pierce called Planet, we take time to reflect on what it means to Honor the Creation. There are many practices of sustainability we can try...but what about a very simple one we don't think of often enough....?

All Saints Day sermon - - When was the first time you remember being generous? Who inspired you to be generous? Pastor Chad tells a story about one of the Saints in his life and invites us to reflect on the same.

Revelation usually brings a lot of images to our minds - - beasts and demons and dragons, oh my! Yet, this mysterious book and its rich, apocalyptic language can share a message about faithfulness, endurance, and hope even today. Learn a little about Revelation and hear an encouraging word!

How are ready are we to change and transform into better people? Some brain science is being done to try to figure out what is going on inside the brain when it comes to shifting out cherished ideas and beliefs...there's lots of work to be done in that area. In the meantime, many religious people hold on fiercely to some beliefs...what would it take to change? The characters in our story--Saul and Ananias--both changed, but it took an awful lot. A big thanks for insight on this message from 16th century theologian St. Theresa of Avila....

A great privilege to preach with Rev. Dr. Ben Bohren--our NBA Xplor Mission Specialist and an extraordinary pastor in the DOC for over 50 years. Together we share stories of Light reflecting on John 1:1-5.

Isaac Ackerman (Xplor '18-'19) delivers a powerful sermon on what it means to be a prophetic movement in a fragmented world. Can I get an "Amen"?!

Relationships in our lives, including the church, can be complicated and challenging. What lays the foundation for an enduring relationship? The early church found ways to nurture that kind of community that would make a difference in people's lives and create a genuine spiritual partnership...can we do it too?

The story of Jesus' Ascension has an interesting feature to it...the angels in the story pointed them away from the supernatural event...what is going here? The Disciples look up in excitement but are called to shift their gaze to where Jesus called them. We also take some time to celebrate the ways our church is reaching out from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.

This service celebrates Len's 8 years of ministry as the Associate Minister at Mantua Center Christian Church. Therebie wonderful music by Adam Petrosino and Jan Green. Pastor Len shares a good word from Colossians 3 and helps us see how we aren't a "normal" church!

We all love the Disney film story-arc of character transformation...Ariel, the Beast, Mad Madam Mim...fun, romantic, and inspiring! How does the story of Jesus' transfiguration compare? What is transfiguration for?

We were blessed in worship Sunday to baptized someone in the river! The scripture and the occasion remind us that we are precious in God's sight.

This week in our nation there was quite the conversation around Emma Lazarus' poem emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty. An immigration official added some edits to it and it gathered lots of controversy. When we encounter a difficult passage in the Bible, do we want to send it to the editors room too?

Who was the Lost Son in the story? Were there Lost Sons (plural?) or just the prodigal? These are legitimate questions after a re-reading of the story with the amazing insights of Dr. Amy-Jill Levine from her book "Short Stories by Jesus.". Phenomenal, deep insights are considered to think about hard, family dynamics and what it might mean to hold the door open for reconciliation.

Zacchaeus was ready and willing to hear a tough word....would you? Would the church? Oftentimes when we're confronted with a uncomfortable truth we get in fight or flight mode. How can we learn from the example of Zacchaeus?

Our scripture today takes a look at the story of the unique healing of the blind man at Bethsaida. Jesus uses saliva and he has to do it twice to help make the man see clearly! What is happening here? As we study the story in context, we see that this story is told amongst other stories where the disciples clearly have spiritual blind spots. What spiritual blind spots might you have?

The scripture story today is full of strange things that inspire and challenge us as people of faith. Jesus the healer, friends making holes in the roof, and the strangeness doesn't end there.

The Holy Spirit can move and inspire in ways that we might not recognize or expect...and people of faith have responded in different ways to that. Some respond by refusing to believe it, trying to stop it, or ridiculing it (see Numbers 11 & Acts 2). Others are more willing and open to receive and recognize the Spirit's movement. Which are we? I also tell a story about something a church pastor got extremely upset about and wrote to the editor about it...the church has a long way to go still in being open to the Spirit's leading....

Our Xplor Resident, Valeria Bejar, offers a powerful and fresh word on Matthew's Lost Sheep story. In Luke, the parable is about God, but Matthew story puts a challenging question before the Church that we must address.