A bright star, a group of strangers, a long pilgrimage, an evil king, and a little child. This week Pastor Jim & Pastor JC share some reflections on what the ancient story of the “Three Kings” might mean for our faith this new year.

Advent Sermon Series The Divinity of Jesus Although many people like to think primarily of Jesus as a great teacher and a prophet for social justice and compassion, our tradition teaches us that the core fact about him is his divinity. While recognizing that many Christians may consider Jesus’ divinity to be a mystery beyond our grasp, or too unscientific to insist upon, Dr. Jim Keck will describe why it is so important to him to see the fullness of God in our friend Jesus.

Holiday season is a season of going home. The prophets of old often reminded the community of that home, what it looked like, what it should be, and how to get there. This week, Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas, invites us to consider how we might come home to God, to community, to love. What does that look like? How do we get there?

Advent Sermon Series This is a time of increasing fear in our world. A time that will call for moral clarity and resolve. Simply being afraid will do us no good. Thankfully, it’s this time in the church’s story of Christ, that angels begin to appear. The angel Gabriel to Mary, the angels around the manger, and the first words of an angel are always, “Do not be afraid." This Advent we will listen to that angelic voice. We will set fear aside and seek to behold the Christ. To behold the great miracle that God is doing in Christ. Gather with us this Advent, and Behold, the Light.

As we begin the countdown to Christmas we come with similar human struggles from those who were waiting for salvation over 2,000 years ago. The call from the gospel is that we increase in love for one another in the midst of our hoping and our fears, our planning and our anxieties, that we continue to lean on love in the midst of our lives. When we do that, salvation begins to emerge in us, for us, and for the world.

It is sorta tradition for Dr. Jim Keck to pick the top ten things he is thankful for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. So we will hear the typically odd assortment of things he explores, but we will be reminded of how key the ‘attitude of gratitude’ is to our lives.

Jesus was a storyteller. Fully one third of all his teachings are in the form of short, imaginary stories called parables. This week, Dr. Jim Keck, will unpack the great story we call “The Prodigal Son.” Hidden within this story is the theme of joy and how crucial Jesus felt the experience of joy was to a human life. Come and experience the joy of a God who rushes out to embrace each one of us.

As we prepare for the holiday season the texts of scripture begin to get a bit harsh, troublesome, and dystopian. It would be easy to ignore these ancient warnings about the end of things . . . and yet, if we pay attention and get beyond our initial discomfort we'll find good news in good times and in difficult times. The divine life showing up and asking us to pay attention, to be hopeful, and to bear witness.

First-Plymouth's Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas, Minister of Proclamation and Practice of Justice and Rev. Neil Thomas, Senior Pastor at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, discuss issues of mental health, just action and how sexuality and gender identity play a role in our Spiritual lives, in this latest edition of the Just Conversations Podcast.

Rev. Dr. Katherine Willis Pershey Guest Preaching Rev. Dr. Katherine Willis Pershey is the Co-Pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ, in Appleton, WI. Rev. Pershey received her Master of Divinity degree from the Claremont School of Theology in California. She recently completed a Doctor of Ministry degree on the theme Holy Presence: Eugene Peterson and the Pastoral Imagination from Western Theological Seminary in Michigan. She was the solo pastor of South Bay Christian Church for five years and served as Associate Pastor of The First Congregational Church of Western Springs for fourteen years. Katherine is a member of the Board of The Christian Century and is also a regular contributor to the magazine. She is the author of Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family and Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity. She completed yoga teacher training in 2018, and is certified through YogaDevotion to teach faith-integrated yoga. Katherine and her husband, Ben are raising two teenage children.