Guest Preacher: Sunday, January 30, 2022
Reverend Kris Bergstrom (she/her)
Acting Conference Minister
Southern California Nevada Conference, UCC
Kris has been called to serve as Acting Conference Minister through December of 2022. She has been the Associate Conference Minister for Central and Northern Associations since November of 2020 and the chair of the Conference Ethics Team for several years. Prior to joining the staff, she sat on the Conference Board of Directors. A second-career clergy person, Kris has 35 years of experience as an educator and educational administrator. She has advanced training in dispute resolution, conflict mitigation and mediation. Rev. Bergstrom was the senior pastor of Church of the Foothills in Ventura from 2012-2018. During that time she chaired Northern Association’s Church and Ministry Committee. Her unique skills and experiences will lead us through a year of strategic planning and the search for the next settled Conference Minister.
Sermon Title: “We Make the Way by Walking”
Scripture Reading: John 11:38-44
Jesus Raises Lazarus
Again feeling very upset, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a large stone covering the entrance. Jesus said, “Move the stone away.”
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “But, Lord, it has been four days since he died. There will be a bad smell.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said these things because of the people here around me. I want them to believe that you sent me.”After Jesus said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with pieces of cloth, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go.”
Keep the Faith and Struggle On
by Kaji Douša | published on Jan 27, 2022
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” – Genesis 32:24 & 30 (NRSV)
As a minister, I have the privilege/responsibility of responding to people’s deepest questions (sometimes). The most frequent request has something to do with a version of this question: “How am I supposed to respond to this?”
My ego tells me that I have a fantastic answer. But my faith tells me something different. Because the truth is that there is no one way to listen to God, engage God, ask questions of God.
This doesn’t mean that there won’t be folks who will tell you otherwise. There are some who will tell you that they know exactly how God wants you to respond to a challenging moment. (Heck, if I’m honest, I’ve certainly done the same.)
But here’s the truth: your questions, your struggle, your relationship with God are your own. Being in relationship with God calls you to relationship with others who profess the faith. It’s not a solitary endeavor. But, while you hold God in community, you are given the chance to struggle with God in a place no one else can see.
Jacob, a progenitor of the faith, struggled hard! In the end, he emerged completely changed (bless his heart, his hip was never the same).
Struggle with God and watch yourself be transformed; your questions are valid and blessed. Your challenges are never beyond God’s reach. You are not meant to follow without question. Push back and see what God can do.
Prayer
God, you meet us in the struggle. Help us to ask the right questions so that we can see you more clearly. Amen.
About the Author
Kaji Douša is the Senior Pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, in New York City.
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