This morning's gospel is a series of parables about heaven. Pastor Jonathan explains that Jesus used these parables to tell us that God's grace is very different from what the religious leaders of his day (and even some in the present day) would have you believe. Rather than having to conform to standards, or follow certain rules, God's love and grace are freely given to those who would accept it.

This week's gospel is another parable about sowing seeds, but in this one, Jesus tells how weeds will be sorted out. Pastor Hannah explains that a weed is really a human concept, because it is simply a plant growing where you don't want it to. Much like Jesus explains the parable, Pastor Hannah reminds us that it is up to God to sort out the weeds among us. We are just to spread God's love.

In this week's gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, and how the seeds represent those who hear the word of God. Pastor Michelle explains that, despite the challenges that the world throws at us, God sows the seeds of faith with us time and again. He wants us to spread those seeds of love, faith and mercy to the world.

On this Independence Day. Pastor Hannah reminds us that while the Kingdom of God was expected to arrive with strength and power, God's way is the way of peace and unity. In the same way. America was founded on the ideals of peace, liberty and justice. Like all things created by humans, we struggle to live up to those ideals, but we can still celebrate what we aspire to.

Today's gospel is Jesus telling his followers how good it is to welcome others, bringing them closer to the Kingdom of God. Pastor Michelle expands on this by giving examples of how welcoming, or being welcomed, makes us all part of the community we share.

Today, Pastor Hannah explores how we become who we are, starting with our earliest childhood experiences, and through our adult life. Each event defines who we are and where we belong, but God has established *whose* we are even before we are born.

In this week's message, Pastor Jonathan reflects on how camp can be a place where the Holy Spirit can create bonds among the kids who attend. Not only that, but the experiences kids have at camp can, and do, leave lasting impressions. This is especially timely as many of our young people will be headed to camp this week.

In this sermon Pastor Michelle discusses how we were made to be connected to God and one another. Only through this connection are we most fully ourselves. God has woven us together in community.

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, Pastor Hannah explores one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. God is 3 distinct persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, when we talk about God, we are talking about one person.

In today's gospel lesson, Jesus shares the Holy Spirit with his disciples, telling them "if you forgive he sins of any, they are forgiven..." Pastor Jonathan explains that this is Jesus way of telling his disciples that God's forgiveness is not only unconditional, it is meant to be shared. Because God's forgiveness is unconditional, our failures are not the final word.

In this sermon Pastor Jonathan discusses how as Jesus prays that we may all be one, we are called into relationships that transform lives. On this day we celebrate the work with the Haitian Timoun Foundation, welcome new members into the congregation, and celebrate the ministry of Pastor Tom. The power of Christ's love draws us together as one through all of these celebrations.