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June 14, 2020 - Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7; Matthew 9:35-10:23 Marilyn's message this Sunday is titled “Doing What We Can’t Do On Our Own,” which is from Matthew 9:35-10:23. This is Matthew’s version of Jesus sending the disciples out into God’s “harvest” to not only invite new disciples but to extend his ministry of compassion. Bulletin

June 7, 2020 - Matthew 28:16-20 Marilyn's message on Trinity Sunday is titled “Going Toward the Uncomfortable,” which is from Matthew 28:16-20 and is most commonly known as Jesus’ “Great Commission” story. Bulletin

May 31, 2020 - Acts of the Apostles 2:1-21 Pastor Marilyn's message this Pentecost Sunday is titled “Re-Igniting Jesus’ Mission” and is from the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-21 Bulletin

May 24, 2020 - Psalm 47; Luke 24:44-53 Pastor Marilyn's message this Ascension of the Lord Sunday is titled “Being Clothed with Power” and is the story of Jesus’ departure from physically walking the earth as recorded in Luke 24:44-53. Bulletin

May 10, 2020 - Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10 Marilyn's message this Fifth Sunday of Easter is titled “Being Built into a Spiritual House” and is from 1 Peter 2:2-10. Bulletin

April 3, 2020 -  Psalm 23; Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47 Pastor Marilyn's message this Fourth Sunday of Easter was titled “Living Every Day in Awe and Wonder” and is from the Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47. Bulletin

April 26, 2020 - Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; Luke 24:13-35 Pastor Marilyn's message this Third Sunday of Easter was titled “Joining Us on the Way” and is from the Emmaus Road story as recorded in Luke 24:13-35.   Bulletin

April 12, 2020 - Matthew 28:1-10 Pastor Marilyn's message on Sunday was titled “Meeting Jesus on the Way” and is from the story of Jesus’ resurrection as recorded in Matthew 28:1-10. View Bulletin

April 5, 2020 - Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Matthew 21:1-11 Pastor Marilyn's message is titled “Shaking the City” and is from the story of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday at the beginning of this coming week we call “holy.”   View Bulletin

March 29, 2020 - Ezekiel 37:1-14; John 11:1-45 My message this Sunday is titled “Dreaming Beyond the Boundaries” and is from the story of Jesus raising his friend, Lazarus, from the dead. It’s yet another week when I originally planned to preach this story, I had no idea of the ways in which we would be facing new and unchartered waters and being challenged to “dream” beyond what we’ve so far known!

March 22, 2020 - 1 Samuel 16:1-13; John 9:1-41 Marilyn's message this Sunday was titled “Seeing the World Differently” and is from the story of Jesus’ encounter with and healing of the man born blind. When I originally planned to preach this story, I had no idea how very differently we would be “seeing” our world by now!

March 15, 2020 - Genesis 12:1-4a; John 3:1-17 Marilyn's message is titled “Being Born Where We Are” and is from the story of Jesus’ nighttime encounter with Nikodemus, during which he states the well-known “For God so loved the world…..”

March 8, 2020 - Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-42 Marilyn's message is titled “Sharing Living Water,” and will be a first-person reader’s theatre presentation from the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. View Bulletin

March 1, 2020 - Genesis 2:15-17; Matthew 4:1-11 Reverend Marilyn Gamm's message is titled “Beginning Our 40 Days” and will be from Matthew’s version of the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. View Bulletin

February 16, 2020 - Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Reverend Marilyn Gamm joins Trinity as our Transitional Pastor today! She preaches on God giving growth. View Bulletin

February 9, 2020 - Isaiah 58:1-12 On Hannah Nutt's last day as our Pastor for a while, she preaches on forming ourselves, and others, into faithful people. View Bulletin

February 2, 2020 - Matthew 5:1-12 One of the very strong traditions of our faith, the Beatitudes, are discussed in this sermon lead by Hannah Nutt. View Bulletin

January 26, 2020 - Matthew 4:12-23 Hannah Nutt returns to the pulpit to preach on following Jesus without hesitation and without question, but wonders whether she would want to go out and be fishers of people the way the original disciples did. Instead she points out the little things we do to continue the dedication and discipleship to our community. We also honor and say goodbye to Ginny Richmond. View Bulletin

January 12, 2020 - Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 3:13-17 The Reverend Jay Summerville joins us this Sunday to preach on preludes, be it from a play, a ballet, or the message of the gospel. View Bulletin

January 5, 2020 - John 1:1-18 "Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it." Hannah Nutt shares the story of the wise travelers who embarked on a journey to discover the source of the light. View Bulletin

December 15, 2019 - Matthew 11:2-11 Hannah Nutt reminds us all of a common phenomenon in modern pop culture: a superhero, so easily recognizable to us in their plain clothes, somehow fooling everyone in the fictitious home world. Superman, Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.... Yet no one ever believes it could possibly be Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, or Buffy Summers behind the eyes of their fantastical heroes. Do we not even believe that anyone around us could be Jesus, made flesh again? Why is it so hard to see the Christ in each other? He is coming, is He not?

Dec. 8th, 2019 - Isaiah 11:1-10 The Rev. Dr. Rosario-Rodriguez stopped by Trinity this past Sunday to moderate our congregational meeting and celebrate the Eucharist with us. The Reverend delivered a powerful sermon questioning the idea that a human being (a president, a spokesperson, a celebrity) could be the "root out the stump of Jesse" as promised in the scripture... or if that is even possible.

December 1st, 2019 - Matthew 24:36-44 Pastor Hannah Nutt talks about the historical observance of light around this time of year. The darkness of winter, though overwhelming, is not to last forever. We have lived with oral tradition about these patterns for a very long time. But Jesus speaks of a different light. This arrival of light is the light of heaven. There will be no "springing forward" or "falling back" when the light of Christ comes, only salvation. Matthew 24:36-44

Luke 23:33-43 Guest Pastor Hannah Nutt admits that the scripture this week feels odd to read on a celebratory Sunday before Advent begins. But Hannah uses an example, a clip from the film "Son of Man" which retells the Crucifixion story in modern-day South Africa. In the clip, a character portraying Jesus is hung on a cross after being taken and killed by an armed militia in the night. Jesus's mother leads a small group to sing and dance at the foot of the cross. (The clip of the film has been removed from the sermon for copyright reasons). Hannah goes to to explain that the Reign of Christ is, in fact, a modern reign. Christ is with us past, present, and future. Modern laws that divide us are not Christlike. We are called, Hannah says, to place our bodies on the line to defend humanity in the face of oppressive laws and regimes. But also, we are called to celebrate the reign of Christ by dancing at the foot of His cross.

November 17, 2019 - Luke 21: 5-19 Members of Trinity gathered on this special Sunday to renew their commitment to the church. Guest pastor Hannah Nutt ponders the unique position Trinity is in; Without a regular pastor to turn to, Trinity members must turn to each other.

November 10, 2019 - Job 19:23-29 Hannah Nutt speaks on the Scripture reading from the Book of Job, exploring the idea of suffering as a punishment. Suffering, she says, is not from God, because God is on our side.

Luke 19:1-10 Reverend Max Hill reflects on his experience growing up honoring the deceased every year, by re-enacting the life of a resident of his town. Come to find out, they were also a reverend, and this discovery leads Max to ponder his connection to them.

We read the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) Seminarian Hannah Nutt explores why we pray a "Prayer of Confession," and calls on the congregation to quit hiding our sins underneath our "Sunday Best."

Scripture texts: Genesis 11: 1-9, Acts 2: 1-13 The Rev. Dr. Damayanthi Niles preached on two Scripture texts: The Tower of Babel and the Day of Pentecost, when many people began "speaking in tongues" but understanding each other. Dr. Niles explores why the authoritarian or imperial version of "peace" carries with it a cost much like that portrayed in the story of Babel. Are we as Christians supposed to always understand people who are different than us? Do we let people speak their native tongue, or do we force them to speak "American?"

Guest pastor Hannah Nutt explores why we as Christians still ignore the signs that we are to live like Jesus did. Jesus claims that the rich man, who ignored the plight of Lazarus, had all the signs he needed. Living in this world without compromising our Christianity is, to put it lightly, very difficult. So... how do we do it?

Guest pastor and Seminarian Hannah Nutt led worship this past Sunday, known as "Native American Sunday" in the PC USA. Hannah talked about the history of the land on which Trinity is built. This land is important, and was important to the indigenous Osage nation that was displaced many years ago. The scripture reading was connected to this sermon, as it told of Joshua gathering the tribes of Israel on land that, Joshua discovers, is already being occupied despite God's promise that it would go to the descendants of Abraham.

Genesis 32: 22 - 31 The Reverend Dr. Damayanthi Niles joined Trinity's worship to talk about Jacob, a verified trickster, wrestling with God all night until dawn. Rev. Niles explains how Jacob is blessed yet has to wrestle with God to realize his blessings. So too must the Trinity Congregation wrestle with our blessings to come out stronger, and to be who we were meant to be.

Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56 Guest Seminarian Hannah Nutt describes our Christian relationship to division. Hannah talks about her own identity being a woman, queer, and an alumni of a small college. She describes the ways in which division from a larger "norm" can be embraced and respected without smug superiority or judgement.

Isaiah 1:10-20 & Luke 12:32-40 Guest Seminarian Hannah Nutt, longtime friend of Trinity, discusses how often we treat Jesus' comeback as no more than a story. Hannah describes an example from her life, waiting until the last minute to do journals in a Bible Studies class. Not only would it be easier on her psyche to do them throughout the semester, but her procrastination is exactly what we do as Christians more often than not. We treat Jesus' coming like it will happen... eventually. It can wait until tomorrow, we think... Or next week, since we still have those season tickets to Six Flags and would really like to go one more time... But the Bible does say, "the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Are we ready?

Reverend Wagner this Sunday explored the relationship between Judah and Joseph, as one having to do with loss. Judah experiences loss after allowing and even aiding the Midianites to take Joseph. Reverend Wagner talks about how, when people describe things like love and acceptance, they often do so by explaining the times they felt unloved and rejected. In order to understand one, we often must truly experience the other. The Book of Genesis often explains "why" something is the way it is, and the pastor left the congregation with some questions to ponder. Why are we the people we are now? What has happened or not happened to us to shape us? What connections might we be able to draw from our greatest losses to our greatest achievements? Are there experiences of loss in our lives that have gone un-examined? Can we examine them?

Genesis 25:19-24 The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner calls upon a theory that, in understanding the conflicts in culture and society, we are not to blame poverty or violence for those who suffer. Rather, there is a simple explanation: The snake born from a chicken's egg. The "Basilisco" is a mythical creature that can kill with a stare. The basilisco here is used as an idea that people can kill by using only a few words to describe someone else. People are described simply, and their humanity is then pushed out of the picture. The basilisk, although a small creature, is something to be avoided and feared at all costs. More importantly, the basilisco is meant to never be looked at or understood further.This scripture, however, is a "basilisco-busting" story. These two siblings were related and connected despite their entire history of conflict. We all have a basilisco that we tend to dehumanize. What stories have we told about them?

Genesis 24: 42-28This week's sermon from Rev. Dr. Johanna Wagner is all about love and relationships. The reverend offers three tips to know if your relationship is a good one. Travel from Canaan to Mesopotamia, and plant yourself by a well.Find someone at the well, and see if they water the camels.Don't just stay at home with Lot. The reverend uses the scripture to explain that we must watch how those close to us treat us, treat others, and are willing to change; we must be willing to travel spiritually and emotionally. We must look for people who can handle journeys.

On a special episode of TrinityCast, the Reverend Dr. Wagner talks with Trinity's music director, Ron Robinson! Ron talks about why he picked the songs he did for this upcoming Sunday, and Rev. Wagner connects it to the sermon. Check it out!

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner explores the calls we receive from God to take risks. "Leaving home" is a common theme in scripture, and not just in the book of Exodus! Many stories in the Old Testament deal with leaving home. In the New Testament, Jesus represents someone who leaves home, to come to us and instill faith in us. It used to be that many people experienced Church in their homes. The reverend believes this is partly why modern Christians do not notice the strong calls to leave home throughout the Bible. But in these modern times, the need to take risks and leave our comfort zone is perhaps even more visible. More and more of the world news we are seeing is out of our control, and so we must be even more ready to explore, ask questions, and be on the move. For the sake of the present, and of the future. What is God asking us to leave behind? What is the new land God is trying to show us? What is preventing us from doing this?

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner talks about the creation of the Church, through stories of people's differences. The reverend argues that when people overcome their fear of an "other," they can give birth to a new "church." Older people and younger people feel differences, just like people who identify with their assigned-at-birth gender feel different from those who do not. "But isn't that when church happens?" asks pastor Wagner. The church changed and grew over time, to accept differences in time and place that are inevitable. Incredible stories and experiences come out of the differences between people. These clashing of differences and overcoming of stereotypes are when the spirit moves us, as it moved the Apostles on Pentecost.

This episode of the A.S.K. series is all about the devil. The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner goes through historical and biblical ideas of the devil, while co-host Sarah Schmidt chimes in with many thoughts about how people look at evil. As it turns out, things are not necessarily explained by sticking to the rules of good vs. evil, light vs. dark. Why do we look to pin things on a great evil, while ignoring personal responsibility? At the same time, why do we put pressure on ourselves, without acknowledging outside pressures and forces? There are lots of interesting thoughts in this episode of Ask, Seek, Knock! Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner asks the congregation about certain experiences in their lives. If they've had doubts about the meaning of life, if they've challenged hateful ideas, or have been moved by a social issue so much that they were moved to act, the Reverend says that they've experienced an ascension. Reverend Wagner suggests a theme of the Old Testament: Don't worry about that, it's not as big a deal as you think it is. Things and people that seem to run the world are not as permanent as they seem, but people like Jesus, who are often discounted and downtrodden, end up having more eternal an impact on the world. The Ascension is all about saying that the things that really matter to God, are the things that are associated with Jesus. What we think and say our values are, if they aren't in line with what we are doing in our life, an ascension must happen in order for us to move forward.

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner discusses the different reasons that people struggle with opiate addiction; medical, legal, and cultural. Throughout the many stories of Jesus healing people, there are usually people who help or advocate for those trying to be healed. In this story, however, the man trying to get up and walk is not being helped by anyone. In fact, this man does not even have a straight answer for Jesus asking "do you want to be healed?" Despite the man's hopelessness, Jesus heals him. The Reverend cites the arguments put forth in the book "Cruel Optimism," such as putting more focus on maintaining things rather than things. The author believes that optimism gets in the way of experiencing happiness, because of our perfectionism. When it comes to opiate addiction, people do not have the same level of optimism. The song "Amazing Grace" is brought up, to make the point that grace is "amazing" because it finds and helps the wretched, not those who are already healing and/or healed. The Reverend lays out ways to combat our own misgivings and stigma surrounding addiction. We must not act like addiction is un-treatable, we must not ignore the satisfaction that comes from life after addiction, and we must not rely on harm reduction over treatment. Then, the reverend lays out the advent of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, used to actually treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder, previously thought to be un-treatable. What people need is hope, not doubt, for healing.

The Rev. Dr. Johanna Wagner introduces this sermon by pondering some of the intense language in the scripture. This harsh language is sometimes what it takes to make us see the necessity of loving everyone, even those who are not only different, but difficult. The reverend discusses Elizabeth Holmes, the Silicon Valley "inventor" who received tons of investment money with a false promise of a portable machine that could do complicated blood tests without requiring a huge lab. A difficult person to love, considering the fraud she committed. The reverend then goes on to talk about children in the Los Angeles County foster care system, who become increasingly difficult to love when their homes, birth families, or futures become jeopardized. In John's gospel, the Lord commands us to love one another, and that love will show people that we have been commanded by God. What sometimes gets missed is, Jesus commands us to love one another right after he learns Judas has betrayed him. The reverend tells the congregation that love must be a command, because love is not always easy; love doesn't exist in a vacuum.

With climate change a hot topic these days (some would say it's getting hotter every year), Trinity's Adult Education series led to a very compelling presentation and discussion. Assistant Professor of History at Washington University Venus Bivar gave a presentation focused on the European industrial revolution, and the cycle of "growth" that our American society has grown accustomed to since then. Economic growth became inseparable from fossil fuel consumption, which became inseparable from climate change. While scientists are warning us of the effects, Professor Bivar pointed out that the social climate surrounding consumption has yet to really shift towards reducing & re-using, in addition to recycling. Trinity congregants asked questions and brought ideas forward to try and better understand this issue. This was a fascinating presentation, and we hope you enjoy! Update: Professor Bivar has sent on some recommendations for people interested in learning more about the politics of climate change and economic development... Tim Jackson, Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet (London: Earthscan, 2009)Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014)Stiglitz, Sen, and Fitoussi, Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up (New York: New Press, 2010)Robert Gordon, The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War (Princeton, 2017)

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner points out some strange aspects of this story at the end of the Gospel of John. While the end of chapter 20 leads us to believe that the gospel is “done…” here we have a story in chapter 21! This story is also somewhat a mundane one, until the apostles finally catch some fish. Rev. Wagner compares this to a story her stepfather told. He was in East Berlin, trying to get to a play in West Berlin, back when those two halves were divided by a border. He experiences a few shame-filled moments and is late to the play, and his lesson to Johanna is that now he is always early to the theater. This experience is like the Apostles’ journey: after all the struggles and chaos of their journey, they find themselves back at home, in a somewhat normal, mundane life. Yet, now they are to be true Apostles, not just disciples. Most of life is lived this way. In our normal lives, there are opportunities for extraordinary things to happen. So, while John has spent so much of his Gospel emphasizing the holy and exalted nature of the Christ, reminds us that the voice of God is also a simple, everyday voice.

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner poses the question: Would you rather be an apostle or a disciple? Many people, the reverend guesses, would rather be a disciple. Disciples have much less of a responsibility to go out into the world and really do what Jesus did. Jesus makes this decision for us: "So the Father has sent me, so I send you." The Reverend goes on to offer 4 steps to being an Apostle: Remember that this mission is a good one. Ask yourself: Is this something Jesus did during his ministry? If so, consider yourself "sent" to do this thing.Set some apostolic goals: "Today I will [insert task here] as someone sent to [do that thing] by Jesus." Try to see your life and intentions as things you have been sent to do.Believe that Jesus has a purpose for you. Every day, Jesus is asking us "Do you love me?"

The Reverend Dr. Johanna Wagner starts off by explaining why people did not believe the women who ended up discovering Jesus' empty tomb: These women are not literal angels. The Reverend explores how angels in Luke's gospel have been the ones to deliver the promises of new life, from Jesus' birth, to reminders of Jesus' own words. The Reverend goes on to explore the visual aspects of Trinity's Easter service that provide the promise of new life: white paraments hanging, bouquets of flowers, and children singing.