Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:26-31

What does it mean to look in the mirror and truly believe that what you see is "very good"?

As we conclude Pride Month, we return to the very beginning of the sacred text—not to look through the lens of original sin, but to reclaim our original goodness. In this Sunday's sermon, we anchor ourselves in the creation account of Genesis, where God fashions humanity in the divine image (Imago Dei) and pronounces the vast, diverse spectrum of creation as holy, intentional, and completely good.

Far too often, religious spaces have conditioned people to believe they must fix, hide, or apologize for who they are to be accepted. But the creation story tells a radically different truth: You do not have to earn your sacred worth. You were intentionally crafted by a loving Creator who delights in your existence, and you were beautifully born this way.

Join us as we discuss:

• The Full Spectrum of the Imago Dei: How the beautiful diversity of human identity reflects the infinite creativity of a expansive God.

• Original Goodness over Original Shame: Reclaiming the truth that God’s first, most foundational word over your life is "Very Good."

• Dismantling the Divine Mistake: Stepping away from theological frameworks that weaponize faith against identity, and resting instead in inherent belovedness.

• Rolling Up Our Sleeves in Celebration: How embracing our own created goodness compels us to show up for our neighbors, fight for local equity, and build a community where everyone can safely live in their truth.

You are a masterpiece of divine poetry, exactly as you are. Step out of the shadows of shame, celebrate the unique reflection of the Divine that only you can bring to the world, and rest in the love of the One who made you.

• Primary Topic: Sunday sermon celebrating inherent human worth, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the foundational goodness of creation.

• Scripture Focus: The creation of humanity in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-31).

• Community Connection: Concluding Pride Month with a message of original goodness, deep neighborly love, and authentic local inclusion.

We welcome a guest preacher today, Rev. Nancy Hodgkinson.

Rescue | Genesis 21:8–21

In this sermon, “Rescue,” we turn to the difficult and powerful story of Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21:8–21. Cast out into the wilderness, Hagar reaches the end of what she can see, only to discover that God has not abandoned her or her child. God hears the cry of the vulnerable, opens her eyes to what is life-giving, and makes a way where there seemed to be no way.

This message invites us to reconsider what divine rescue really looks like. Rescue may not always arrive as escape from every hardship, but as presence, provision, courage, and the opening of our eyes to the well already near us. For anyone who has felt pushed aside, unseen, excluded, or afraid, this sermon offers a reminder: God hears, God sees, and God remains present in the wilderness.

Rooted in a progressive Christian understanding of Scripture, this sermon reflects on radical love, divine compassion, and the God who stands with the vulnerable, the rejected, and the beloved.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:35–10:8

What happens when we move from being observers of the crowd to active participants in the healing of the world?

In this Sunday's sermon, we look closely at the moments when Jesus encounters a weary, scattered crowd and is moved with a deep, visceral compassion. He doesn't just see a mass of people; he sees individuals who are lost, hurting, and "like sheep without a shepherd." But the Gospel doesn't stop with Jesus feeling pity. Instead, his compassion transforms into a commission as he turns to his disciples and says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

When the world feels increasingly divided and heavy, the Gospel offers a completely different posture: a call to see one another with genuine empathy and to step forward in faith.

Join us as we explore:

• Moved by Compassion: Moving past abstract, polite sympathy to experience the raw, active compassion modeled by Jesus in the face of human suffering.

• From Disciples to Apostles: Understanding the crucial shift where we move from being passive learners ("disciples") to sent messengers of hope and healing ("apostles").

• Freely Received, Freely Give: Grounding our service, our equity, and our labor in the profound truth that we love and serve out of the abundance of grace we have already received.

• Rolling Up Our Sleeves for the Harvest: How structural equity, neighborly care, and tangible acts of justice are the concrete ways we answer the call to labor in God's harvest field today.

You are not an outsider to this work, and you do not have to wait until you are perfect to be sent. Come step into the harvest field, embrace your call to mutual care, and rest in the truth of a love that has already been freely given to you.

• Primary Topic: Sunday sermon focusing on compassion, discipleship, and stepping into the harvest field of service.

• Scripture Focus: Jesus commissioning the twelve disciples (Matthew 9:35–10:8), God's love poured out (Romans 5:1–8), and a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:2–8a).

• Community Connection: Transitioning from passive observation to active neighborly love, mutual care, and local justice initiatives.

In this sermon, “You Are Not a Debate. You Are Beloved,” we reflect on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and Paul’s image of the Body of Christ. Each person is a sacred and necessary part of the whole, not an argument to be won, a problem to be solved, or a debate to be judged.

This message invites us to remember that belonging is not based on sameness, status, ability, background, certainty, or approval. In the Body of Christ, every member matters. When one suffers, all suffer. When one is honored, all rejoice. God’s love does not reduce us to labels, arguments, or divisions. God calls us beloved.

Join us for a message about Christian community, radical belonging, spiritual dignity, and the healing truth that you are already part of the body, already needed, and already loved.

Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 | Matthew 28:16-20

On this Trinity Sunday, we step into one of the most profound, beautiful, and frequently misunderstood mysteries of the Christian tradition. All too often, the church treats the Trinity as an abstract, three-headed mathematical puzzle to be solved from a distance. But when we look closer at the scriptures, we find that the Trinity is not a cold doctrine—it is a living, breathing model of dynamic relationship, community, and radical equality.

In this week's message, we look past the theological jargon to see what a Triune God means for our real, everyday lives. If God is inherently relational, then the work of faith can never be solitary; it must be communal. And if the divine dance of the Trinity is built on absolute equity and mutual honor, then our public lives must reflect that same commitment to fairness and justice.

Join us as we explore:

• The Messy Middle of Relationship: Why the divine dance of the Trinity calls us out of isolation and into the beautiful, sometimes complicated work of true community.

• Born of the Spirit: Moving past Nicodemus’s literal, legalistic questions to understand what it means to be fundamentally transformed by the wind of the Spirit.

• The Heart of Isaiah's Call: Looking at Isaiah's vision not as an excuse to hide in a holy temple, but as an urgent mandate to step out into a fractured world and say, "Here am I. Send me."

• Radical Neighbors, Radical Wages: Reflecting on the upcoming vote on Oklahoma State Question 832 regarding the state minimum wage, and why structural equity is a spiritual obligation, not just an economic policy.

True unity does not require any part of us to disappear, and faithful community never settles for a cheap, polite silence. As we wrap up this holy season and look toward the summer, let's step out of the sanctuary and back down to earth—ready to roll up our sleeves and join the Spirit in the messy, necessary work of love and justice.

• Primary Topic: Trinity Sunday sermon exploring community, structural equity, and relational faith.

• Community Connection: Reflecting on economic justice and neighborly love ahead of the upcoming vote on Oklahoma State Question 832 to raise the minimum wage.

Scripture Readings: Acts 2:1-21

Happy Birthday to the Church! On this Pentecost Sunday, we trade in our ordinary routines for the colors of fire and a celebration of the day the church was set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. But as we unpack the famous story from the Book of Acts, we discover that Pentecost is much more than a historical birthday party—it is a beautiful, disruptive, and ongoing miracle.

All too often, we confuse unity with sameness, assuming that the goal of faith is to blend into a single, uniform language or culture. But the true miracle of Pentecost is not uniformity. The Spirit didn't erase the native languages, histories, or accents of the gathered crowd; instead, the Spirit met people exactly as they were, honoring their diversity and allowing them to hear the deeds of God's power in their own native tongues.

In this message, we lean into what it means to be a true Pentecost church today:

• Moving Beyond "Colorblindness": Why phrases like "I don't see color" can inadvertently ignore systemic pain and history, and how a Spirit-filled vision actively sees and blesses difference.

• True Unity vs. False Unity: Recognizing that true connection doesn't require anyone to hide their story or vanish into the background to keep the peace.

• Prophetic Listening: What it means for our community to actively listen to the voices of our underpaid and historically marginalized neighbors—especially as we reflect on community realities like the upcoming vote on Oklahoma State Question 832.

• Faith with Shoes On: Remembering those who sacrificed their real lives ahead of Memorial Day weekend, and parsing the vital difference between loving our neighbors and confusing the flag with the cross.

Christian waiting is never passive. It is active, hopeful readiness with our sleeves rolled up. Let’s move past the safe security of the status quo and step out into the public square, open to a Spirit we cannot control, ready to listen, and brave enough to love.

If this message resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a rating, and share it with a friend who is seeking a deeper, more courageous communion.

Scripture Readings: Acts 1:6-14 | John 17:1-11

What do we do when life leaves us stranded in the "unfinished, messy middle"?

In this Sunday's sermon, we explore the story of the Ascension—not as a spectacular religious magic trick that takes Jesus away, but as a profound shift in how we experience His presence. All too often, we treat the Ascension as a story about looking up and escaping the world. But the true miracle of the text occurs when the messengers interrupt the disciples' upward gaze and send them right back down to earth.

Whether you are navigating the space between a diagnosis and a treatment plan, the space between graduation and the next chapter, or the economic space between a paycheck and the bills, this message is a gentle, honest reminder that absence is not abandonment.

Join us as we discuss:

• Why the church can't afford to get stuck staring at the sky.

• How "Christian waiting" is never passive resignation, but active, hopeful readiness with our sleeves rolled up.

• Finding the courage to simply show up and lean on community when your own faith feels fragile.

The space between is not empty. Come back down to earth, back to the table, and back to the work of love—because the Spirit is stirring right here in the middle of our real lives.

Take the time this week to reflect on what it means to actively love our neighbors who live in the challenging spaces between hard work and sustainable wages. We encourage you to pray, read, and reflect on how we can seek the good of all people in our public life.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need a word of encouragement in their own "in-between" season.

The God You Already Know Acts 17:22–31; John 14:15–21

What if faith is less about finding a distant God and more about becoming awake to the sacred presence that has been with us all along?

In this sermon, Rev. David Wheeler explores a more life-giving way to understand God’s power — not as control from above, but as persuasive love within and surrounding all things. For anyone who has struggled with inherited images of a God who causes, allows, or controls suffering, this message offers another faithful way to imagine God: not distant, not coercive, but near, relational, and always calling creation toward healing, justice, connection, and life.

This is a sermon for the doubting, the deconstructing, the quietly wondering, and anyone still searching for a God who looks like love.

Preached May 10, 2026, at New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma City, OK.