Join us for Pentecost Sunday on June 5th as we begin our worship series, “Finding God in the Flames: Campfire Stories from Scripture.”
We will kick off the summer by looking at some of the great fire stories of the Bible. From the Holy Spirit descending onto the disciples through tongues of flame, to Moses and the burning bush, join us as we explore the life-giving light of God Sundays in June.
In celebration of Pentecost, everyone is encouraged to wear colors that represent fire to worship on June 5.
In our MythBusters worship series, which begins May 8, 2022, we will take a look at some common sayings that have become cliché and try to determine if they have any biblical basis and if so, what that is. Most of these sayings will be ones you have heard a million times. You may even use them regularly yourself! We’ll focus on four well-known phases, including “Everything happens for a reason,” and “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Often we say these clichés, thinking that we’re being helpful, without having thought out the entire implication of what we’re saying and whether it is really based in scripture and theologically grounded.
The Long & Winding Road: Following Jesus When the Path is Rough The season of Lent, the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter has long been called a journey. It is a journey we take with Jesus, even when the road he walks is rough. Beginning on Sunday, March 6, you are invited to join us for a new Lent worship series, “The Long & Winding Road: Following Jesus When the Path is Rough.” Our faith often faces struggles and challenges along the way. Through this worship series, we will look to the teachings of Jesus from the Revised Common Lectionary readings for Lent to find the grace and wisdom to continue the journey, even when the path is rough. To follow Jesus is to be a person of the long and winding road.
To accompany our shared and personal journey during Lent, the St. John’s Writers’ Group has produced a Daily Devotional for Lent. The readings begin on Ash Wednesday and continue through Easter. On Sundays, there is a Reflection Guide for small group and personal use, which coincides with the readings and themes shared during our Sunday morning worship services. Thank you to all who contributed to the devotional.
Printed copies are available from the church office. Download a copy of the 2022 Lent Devotional to read on a screen (pages in order) or to print at home (pages in booklet format). You can also find the devotionals as posts on our Lent 2022 Devotional landing page here.
Siblings. Parents. Grandparents. Children. Best Friends. Partners. Neighbors. Coworkers…
No matter who you are, how old you are, or what kind of personality you have, relationships create the fabric of our lives. We all want relationships that are healthy and life-giving, but that’s not always easy. Join us on Sunday, January 16 as we begin a new worship series called #RelationshipGoals. Throughout this five-week series, we will look to scripture for ways we can make our relationships healthier and more meaningful in 2022.
Close to Home Advent and Christmas Worship Series November 28 to January 2
On Sunday, November 28 (the first Sunday of Advent), we will begin a lectionary-based Advent worship series called: “Close To Home.” When something hits “close to home,” it affects us deeply. Through the topics of Homesick (Hope), Laying the Foundation (Peace), our cantata, “The Song of the Shepherd,” composed by Dr. Terry Byars in 2020 (Joy), and Seeking Sanctuary (Love), we name our deep longing for God to come close to us and make a home on earth.
An accompanying daily Devotion Booklet will be available for each household starting Sunday November 21 or from the church office.
The prophet’s voice was often heard during times of great challenge and struggle in the life of God’s people. Just as the prophet Jeremiah spoke God’s word about a hopeful future to the people of his time, we too hear his voice saying to us, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
Join us for the Sundays in October as we discover that God’s vision for our future is one of great hope.
Sunday October 31 will be commitment Sunday. You can make pledge your support to St. John’s with any amount – small or large – as your spirit guides you.
So many meaningful conversations begin with a simple question and the curiosity to truly listen. This worship series seeks to cultivate courage, curiosity, and connection by asking meaningful questions that arise in Biblical stories. In a time when humanity is easily pulled apart, the topics of this series seek to strengthen our capacity for empathy and compassion. Shaped around guiding questions, our hope is that this series leads us deeper into the heart of the matter—and deeper into connection with God and one another.
Ultimately, this final question invites us to hope and imagine. Through dreams, visions and holy encounters, we see the minds and hearts of two very different people opened in our scripture reading from the Book of Acts, Chapter 10. Through their courageous conversation, their narrow perceptions of others expand, the Spirit descends upon them, and they share in community and compassion.
What we know for certain is that we need each other. How does this question invite us to lean in with curiosity and openness in order to strengthen the connections between us? How does this question invite vulnerability and open heartedness in our relationships? What are scriptural examples of those in need and the people around them who responded in an effort to help? We’ll spend time with Job in the First Testament and Paul in the Epistles as we explore these questions together in worship.
We’ll explore the value of making space for one another’s pain and dig into our scripture passage from Mark with its reminders that Jesus not only doesn’t shy away from human suffering but always seems to be right in the thick of it.
Road Trip: A spiritual journey through Scripture and our National Parks
June 27-August 1
Join us on a virtual road trip this summer as we “visit” some of our National Parks and explore the various and sometimes unexpected faith lessons we can glean along the way. Each week, we will shine a spotlight on God’s creation by highlighting one of our nation’s wondrous National Parks. We hit the road on Sunday, June 27.
Our final stop on our summer “Road Trip” series. Glacier Bay National Park is different from the other Parks we have talked about this summer because rather than providing a steady, constant presence it is changing drastically and fast. The vision that Revelation gives us of New Jerusalem is a vision where we live in harmony with one another, where everyone has what they need, and where exploitation and greed has ended. Christians are not being called to look forward to the day when we can escape our world, but rather we are called to partner with God to help transform our world into the new, more just world that God has imagined for us.
In Sunday’s service, we will visit Zion National Park in Utah, we will also recall the story of God’s presence in the wilderness as the Lord provides and leads the people to the Promised Land, often referred to as Zion.
Just like the mighty sequoia intertwines its roots with other trees to form a strong foundation, today we hear about how Jesus calls us to do that too, with his Word and one another.
July 11, 2021
“Closeness to God” Matthew 14:20-23, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12-13, and John 6:14-15 Rev. Lane Cotton Winn, lead pastor
Did you know that the Bible references mountains over 500 times!? Join us this Sunday as we head up the mountain with Jesus and explore Grand Teton National Park as our “Road Trip” worship series continues.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The most visited National Park is also home to an incredibly diverse ecosystem with more species of trees than the continent of Europe and more salamanders than anywhere else in the world. From Psalm 104 we celebrate how ALL of creation is giving glory to God!
We begin our summer worship series by hitting the road to Yellowstone, the first national park.
Road Trip Notes
As part of worship each week we have heard from members in our congregation who read devotionals from the book that inspired this series. Those videos, “Road Trip Notes,” are available to watch in our Vimeo Showcase:
Worship Notes Passport Journal
To accompany the road trip, we will have a Worship Notes Passport Journal for you. This booklet is intended to be part journal and part passport, with prayers and reflections sprinkled throughout. We encourage you to take notes during worship and get your booklet stamped each week during the series on the corresponding National Park page. There will be a Stamp Station in the Narthex.
Journals will be handed out starting June 27. Those at the end of the series with the most stamps for services attended, will have their name put in a drawing for one of the books that inspired this series. (Separate drawings will be held for Adults/Youth and Children, with age appropriate books.)
A printer-friendly PDF of the Worship Notes Passport can be downloaded here.
A digital version for viewing on your preferred electronic device can be downloaded here.
You may also contact us and we will mail you a passport journal (office@stjohnsbr.org) or stop by the church office and pick one up. Those worshipping online can email Pastor Lane for details on how to receive stamps.
The poet Mary Oliver asks what we will do with our one wild beautiful life? That same invitation in our lives is reflected in scripture where we too are called to be accountable for how we will live out our faith. For the next three weeks Pastor Deirdré will share a series “Ready, Set, Geaux” as we follow the path of Christ and strive to grow in our discipleship.
June 13, 2021
Geaux! Psalm 20 Rev. Deirdré Halliburton, associate pastor
We are called to trust that God will equip us for life’s journey. The Psalmist reminds us that God hears and responds to the prayers of his people and we go, sustained by the Holy Spirit and the community of faith.
June 6, 2021
Get Set Psalm 138 Rev. Deirdré Halliburton, associate pastor
We hear from the Psalmist that God sits enthroned on high and yet is mindful and shows great love and compassion on his people. We are called to have hearts and attitudes of praise and thanksgiving as we prepare for the work to which we are called.
May 30, 2021
Get Ready Isaiah 6:1-8 Rev. Deirdré Halliburton, associate pastor
Are we ready to be accountable for how we live out our faith?
As Easter people, we are called to dance our dances of joy and freedom for all the world to see–even and perhaps especially in times of great difficulty. Dances of hope. Dances of justice. Dances of love. Join us for worship during the Easter season, as post-resurrection stories point to the joy of living in the beloved community and extending that fellowship through our witness as we dare to dance again!
As Jesus prepares to leave the disciples, he opens their minds and blesses them. The result after he ascends is their return to Jerusalem with great joy and a desire to worship and bless God in the temple. What happens when the “eyes of our hearts are enlightened” like the disciples experienced? How will we respond as we wait for the dancing Spirit?
Why on earth would Jesus choose such a diverse group of personalities to be his disciples? This week we discover that a good team is not about being of the same mind and doing the same things. It’s not about agreeing on everything or having like personalities. It’s about loving one another.
On Youth Sunday our students led worship at both services. We recognized our graduating seniors as we continued our “Dare to Dance Again” worship series.
How do we know the rhythm and dance of our lives is faithful? Drummer of the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart, wrote: “To fall in love is to fall in rhythm.” It is love for each other by which we know we are followers of Jesus, the ever-attentive shepherd. In the face of societal rules and attitudes that strive to foster “everyone for themselves,” they will know we are Christians by our love. How can we listen to the music that draws us together, “falling in rhythm” with neighbor in order to build up the whole?
We name that sometimes we’re unsure about our steps in this world. For the disciples, even “while in their joy” at seeing Jesus post-resurrection, they were still “disbelieving and wondering.” 1 John reminds us that even though we may not know our next steps, we can be sure in them because we are “beloved” children of God and we will be like the one in whose steps we can surely follow — the resurrected Jesus.
April 11, 2021
Dancing Together John 19: 20-31 Rev. Deirdré Halliburton, associate pastor
Dancing requires that we pay attention to our dance partners. It requires finding a rhythm together. The first Sunday after Easter brings the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples and breathing the Holy Spirit on them, pointing to the power of being together, of finding fellowship in the presence of Jesus and the presence of the community. What does it take to dance together?
Dare to Dance Again Children’s Moments
Our Children’s messages each week have been shared by St. John’s family members via video, and we’ve collected those in a Vimeo playlist if you’d like to watch them all together:
