The Grove Charlotte - Podcast

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50 Dear Church, A lot of people were too holy for Jesus. People found plenty of things to dislike about Jesus, but his habit of sharing meals with people really triggered them.  In all four gospels, critics accused Jesus of being a glutton, a drunkard, unrighteous and unworthy.  And they really didn't like … Continue reading "Supper Club-Week 1 // Sharing Meals with Jesus // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: John 6:1-15 (NIV) Dear Church, Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”  But it was a trick question  (It really says that in the scripture–click the link. Verse 6. You'll see!) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206%3A1-15&version=NIV Often, we believe that … Continue reading "Here and Now-Week 5 // More Than Enough // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-21 Dear Church, You know what I thought we'd leave behind in the empty tomb? Conflict. I used to think that all the misunderstandings and mistakes and tension and emotional pain of community would disappear in the lives and churches of people who really love and follow the Lord.  Like…in the really, really, … Continue reading "Here and Now-Week 4 // Holy Conflict // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 1:3, Acts 4:23-37 Dear Church, What do you pray for on the other side of resurrection?  When the risen Lord shows us that none of the powers and principalities that threaten to destroy us have the power to do so, when we see the empty tomb and know that … Continue reading "Here+Now-Week 3 // Boldness & Generosity // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14 (NRSV) Dear Church, I'm thrilled to share that we are welcoming Cedric Lundy to the pulpit this Sunday. He'll be preaching from Ephesians 1:4-11–sharing his deep conviction, formed by his own family experience and study of scripture that our resurrection life is an adoption story.  Each one of us is a beloved … Continue reading "Here and Now-Week 2 // Our Adoption Story // Cedric Lundy"

Scripture: John 21:1-19 Dear Church, But these words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  (John 20:31) These are the last words of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John. They sound like an ending, … Continue reading "Here and Now-Week 1 // We Believe, Now What // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: John 20:1-18 & John 21:25 HE IS RISEN! Easter Worship at the Grove Pastor Kate MurphyThe Grove Presbyterian Church Want to chat about what you have heard? Click here:https://www.thegrovecharlotte.org/connect-with-us

Scripture: Matthew 20:29 to 21:11 Dear Church, Throughout this sacred season of Lent, we've been walking towards the glorious revelation of the cross and empty tomb which forms the heart of our faith and hope in Jesus. Now we are only a few steps away. But first, a parade. A strange, but joyous parade. And … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 6 // Donkey Sunday // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Romans 3:19-26 Dear Church, Early in the first century a man newly named Paul wrote a letter to a struggling church in the capitol city of the Roman Empire. These days we call that letter ‘the Book of Romans,' and we read it as if it were the raw material for a volume of … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 5 // One & Done? // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Mark 10:32-45 Dear Church, Jesus turned to his friends and said, ‘We are going to Jerusalem, and when we get there, everyone is going to turn on me. I'm going to be arrested and tortured and humiliated and killed.' And James & John said, ‘Cool, cool. Hey–give us whatever we ask for!' And Jesus … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 4 // Power & Authority We Despise // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-16 (NIV) Dear Church, We are spending the 40 days of Lent seeking scripture for wisdom about sacrifice. What kinds of sacrifices are pleasing to the Lord? So far, we've mostly focused on what not to do. You know, don't kill your brother because your sacrifice is not acceptable. Don't kill your daughter … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 3 // What's Acceptable? // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Judges 11:1-11, and 11:29-40 Dear Church, If we don't know God, we cannot make an acceptable sacrifice. Even if we want to. In the book of Judges, there is a terrible, tragic and important story about a man named Jephthah and his only daughter. Jephthah was one of the judges of Israel. He was … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 2 // Knowing God // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16 Dear Church, Along with disciples across the world and generations, we set aside the next forty days before Easter as a season of repentance, spiritual growth and sacrifice. Sacrifice? As modern Christians, we are very comfortable thinking about Jesus making a sacrifice for us on the cross. But most of us feel … Continue reading "An Acceptable Sacrifice-Week 1 // Sacrifice? // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Revelation 1:1-19 Dear Church, A surprising amount of scripture was penned by prisoners. Paul wrote most of his letters while imprisoned. And Revelation, the fiery apocalyptic poem that concludes the Bible, was written by a pastor named John while he was jailed on the isle of Patmos. Most people think the key to understanding … Continue reading "Seeds of Faith-Week 5 // Dragons & Angels // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Joshua 14:5-15 Dear Church, The Bible is a dangerous book. The word of God is power (see Romans 1:16) and power is neutral. As my old New Testament professor used to say, ‘the same electricity that toasts your bread can kill you dead!' Power itself isn't inherently good or bad. But the power of … Continue reading "Seeds of Faith-Week 4 // Carry the Promise // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Mark 12:41-44 Dear Church, There is a lot of controversy about the Bible story we're going to hear today.. A widow goes to the temple and throws two small coins into the treasury. Jesus is watching and commends her. He explains that while other gifts seem larger, she has given all she possesses. For … Continue reading "Seeds of Faith-Week 3 // The Power of Small // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Exodus 3:1-15 Dear Church, Moses was eighty years old the first time he met the Lord.  He was a failed revolutionary, a fugitive with a violent criminal past who was hiding out in the wilderness tending his father-in-law's sheep. He had given up his dream of liberating his people from slavery in Egypt. And … Continue reading "Seeds of Faith-Week 2 // Burning Bush // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Genesis 11:30-12:4 Dear Church, Abram was 75 years old the first time he heard from God.  And that first (tiny) word God said to Abram is a seed out of which the Spirit grew salvation. That word? GO Go from your country and your family and your father's house…to a land that I will … Continue reading "Seeds of Faith-Week 1 // GO // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture: Psalms 130 & 131 Dear Church, In 1966, Robert F. Kennedy made a speech citing the ‘ancient Chinese curse' may you live in interesting times.  As you probably inferred from my punctuation, these words are neither ancient nor of Chinese origin. But the idea that living in interesting times is a curse sure does … Continue reading "On Purpose-Week 4 // Hope // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 21:28-32 Dear Church, (Almost) everybody loved Jesus until one day, and after that day almost no one did. On that day, he rode a donkey, rearranged some furniture and argued with some powerful people. The next day, he cursed a fig tree (?) on his way back to tell them some stories. This … Continue reading "On Purpose-Week 3 // Come Alive // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 5:1-4 Dear Church, Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. (Matthew 5:1) Jesus was in the middle of a crowd. And then he left. He climbed up a mountain and once he was there, he sat down and began to teach the passages of scripture … Continue reading "On Purpose-Week 2 // Beatitudes // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 2:41-50 Please welcome Nicole Thompson as she preaches from Luke 2:41-50 Want to chat about what you have heard? Click here:https://www.thegrovecharlotte.org/connect-with-us

Scripture: Luke 2:8-12 Hello Grove! We find ourselves in that strange week after Christmas, but before the New Year, where, if you are off and have children home for the holidays, you may not know what day of the week it is. On the opposite end, if you are working or have timely demands of … Continue reading "Faith Beyond Belief-Week 5 // Luke 2:8-12 // Elder Nicole Thompson"

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20 We will gather for Christmas Eve worship at 5 pm tonight! Candles, Carols & Communion All are welcome Fancy hot chocolate afterwards! Want to chat about what you have heard? Click here:https://www.thegrovecharlotte.org/connect-with-us

Scripture: Luke 1:57-80 Dear Church, This Advent we are working our way through the story of Zechariah. After a long life of righteous faithfulness, the Lord sent an angel to announce that he would play a miraculous part in the coming of Jesus. This was beyond anything Zechariah could conceive or imagine. So, he was … Continue reading "Faith Beyond Belief-Week 4 // Zechariah Reborn // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 1:39-56 Dear Church, After the glory of last Sunday's cantata, we are resuming our Advent journey through Zechariah's story.  We met the elderly priest Zechariah as he served at the altar of God in the holy of holies in Jerusalem's temple. Who knows what he expected when he walked into that sacred space, … Continue reading "Faith Beyond Belief-Week 3 // Elizabeth & Mary // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 1:1-24 Dear Church, “In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah…” Luke begins his gospel acknowledging that there are already many other written records of the life of Jesus, but he promises that his will be an ‘orderly account' because he has ‘carefully investigated everything from the beginning.' His account … Continue reading "Faith Beyond Belief-Week 1 // Zechariah // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 7:7-12, 24-29 Dear Church, As I sit in a coffee shop working on this letter to you, the woman at the next table is reading intensely. She's underlining and taking notes and pausing frequently to reflect on what's she's just read. She's consuming the book she's reading. I wondered what she was studying … Continue reading "True/False-Week 4 // How We Read // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 7:7-12, 21-23 Dear Church, When I am confused and scared and discouraged, I run to the promises of Jesus. I remind myself that he said, ‘All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away' or ”Come to me, all you who are … Continue reading "True/False-Week 3 // What if Jesus meant what he said? // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 7:7-12, 15-20 Dear Church, Sometimes the words of Jesus soothe, and sometimes they sear.  This Sunday, we will pick up where we left off last week in the sermon on the mount and consider this teaching from our Lord: Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly … Continue reading "True/False-Week 2 // True & False Prophets // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Matthew 7:7-14 Dear Church, There's an old Spiritual that contains the line ‘Everybody talking about Heaven ain't going there.'  I think the only proper response to that is…ooof.  It seems like the kind of thing Christians, people who believe in the power of grace and forgiveness and new life, shouldn't be singing. Except, Jesus … Continue reading "True/False-Week 1 // Jesus' Words // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 12:1 & 13-31 Dear Church, Two brothers came to Jesus desperate for his help. And after listening to their plea, he said: No. No way, I'm not helping you. I don't want anything to do with this. Can you imagine? Having a problem and turning to Jesus and then watching him turn away? … Continue reading "God's Economy-Week 4 // Abundance // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Leviticus 25:1-24; 35-38 Dear Church, The summer before I headed off to college, I told my youth pastor that I wanted to read the entire Bible. He said, ‘that's great–but don't waste your time with Leviticus, it's got nothing to do with Jesus.'  In my youth pastor's defense, I'm certain he just didn't want … Continue reading "God's Economy-Week 3 // A Jubilee Economy // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Exodus 16:1-18 Dear Church, “Gather as much as each of you needs” Those were the instructions that Moses gave the children of Israel on the night before God fed them with manna–the bread of heaven. There's a lot to ponder in this story. The people were in a strange place. They couldn't take care … Continue reading "God's Economy-Week 2 // The Omer Way // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Genesis 1:1-31, Matthew 6:25-34 Dear Church, In 1992 James Carville was the key strategist for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, hung a sign on the wall to get campaign staff to remain focused on three key points with potential donors. The second bulletin point read, ‘The economy, stupid.'*  And so ‘it's the economy, stupid' became … Continue reading "God's Economy-Week 1 // Matthew 6:25-34 // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 7:36-50 Dear Church, This Sunday we wrap up our six-week session of ‘Sin School,' and I'm sure that some of you are wondering what the point of it all was. Given all the harm that has been done in the name of condemning sin, shouldn't we be retiring this dangerous and arcane theological … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 6 // Know Sin, Know Jesus // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  John 8:1-11 Saints, Sin is offensive. Jesus is a disruptor of sin. When we put those two together, we're left with a conundrum. How could Jesus, deemed Lord of Lords, Holy Magistrate, Counselor, and Friend, be of statute and judge people who aren't caught actively sinning? And yet, be gracious, merciful, and kind to … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 5 // We Need a Savior // Elder Shardae' Henry"

Scripture:  Romans 5:12-21 Dear Church, This week at Sin School we turn to the passage in Paul's letter to the Roman church that we call chapter 5. For millennia, scholars and theologians have been studying these words and then arguing about a concept called Original Sin. I bet you've heard of it. I bet you … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 4 // Original Sin? // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 11:1-13 Dear Church, Last week, when Octavia led our time of corporate confession and pardon, she shared how a weekly practice of confessing sins was unfamiliar to her when she first came to the Grove. At first, she wondered what kinds of things people were doing that they needed to confess their sins … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 3 // The Gap // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Genesis 11:1-9 Dear Church, Does God just not like tall buildings? That was my question the first time I heard about the Tower of Babel and no Sunday School teacher ever answered it to my satisfaction. Why was God so bent out of shape about the people coming together to work cooperatively to build … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 2 // The Tower // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Genesis 3:1-24 Dear Church, This Sunday, we're going to sin school. Because let's be so for real, as the kids say. We have some un-learning to do. Some of us were taught that sin was what other people did.  Some of us were taught that almost everything we did was sin.  Some of us … Continue reading "Sin School-Week 1 // Back to School // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Joshua 24:1-15 Hello Grove! I am so looking forward to sharing the message with you this Sunday. There are so many changes taking place as we wind down the summer. We are beginning to pack up our summer toys and prepare to make lunches and get bookbags ready for homework. Many of us have … Continue reading "Astonishment // The Choice Is Yours // Nicole Thompson"

Scripture:  Psalm 8, Psalm 13 Dear Church, We've just wrapped up an astonishingly good week of Camp Wonder (VBS, if you're old school!) with children and youth at the Grove.  Each morning we played and sang and worshipped, told stories, made art, created friendships and feasted at the breakfast and lunch tables. We pounded flowers … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 8 // Wonder Full // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Exodus 25:1-9, Exodus 31:1-11 Dear Church, We come to the Grove from a lot of different places and backgrounds. We like different foods and root for different teams and celebrate with different foods and traditions. Other than Jesus, we have very little in common. But over the years, I have discovered one other place … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 7 // God is Group Work // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  1 Kings 19:1-13 Dear Church, For a long time I was part of a church that used a standardized liturgy each time we celebrated communion. The pastor would come to the table and say, ‘The Lord be with you,' and we all knew to answer back, ‘And also with you.' That part always bothered … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 5 // God is Close To Us // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 15:11-32 Dear Church, When my girls were little, we had to teach them how to say sorry. And we had to practice–a lot.  Like all young children, they had trouble controlling their impulses, using their words instead of their hands (or feet!) and asking instead of taking. Things could escalate quickly. So we … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 4 // We Are Forgiven // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Luke 15:1-24 Dear Church, So far in our Season of Astonishment, we've marveled at two glory-filled truths: We are Chosen & We are Changed. But on their own, these might be astonishing and terrifying truths. Recently, I was watching a sci-fi show where the evil supervillain could pick and switch any unsuspecting person, without … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 3 // We Are Loved // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  John 3:1-21. 1 Peter 1:3 Dear Church, He was a Pharisee, a member of the ruling council and a spiritual leader of his people. He was respectful and curious and sensitive to the moving of the Spirit. He knew the Bible inside and out.  You could sum up Nicodemus in one word:  Faithful. And … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 2 // We Are Born Again // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  Exodus 3:1-12, John 15:16 Dear Church, For the last five years, I've been making a weekly podcast with my friend and fellow pastor Eulando Henton.  It's cleverly titled “2 Pastors take a walk and make a podcast.” We talk about pastor-life, racial justice, transformation and growing healthy & holy multi-ethnic, multi-cultural churches. And we … Continue reading "Season of Astonishment-Week 1 // We Are Chosen // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  2 John 1-13 Dear Church, My favorite saint is a woman called Julian who lived a long time ago in a place called Norwich. She had visions, the most famous of which is the one of some thing ‘that appeared to be hazelnut.' At that time, she knew the Lord was showing her that … Continue reading "First, Love-Week 4 // The Meaning of Life is Love // Pastor Kate Murphy"

Scripture:  1 John 4:7-21 Dear Church, I love the book of 1 John because the message is profoundly simple: God is love, and if you are God's children, you will be people of love. This is what Christianity is all about! In his marvelous little book The Love That Is God, Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt summarizes … Continue reading "First, Love-Week 3 // 1 John 3:16 // Wes Vander Lugt"