Ankeny UCC

A Welcoming Church Family Exploring Progressive Christian Theology

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A Welcoming Church Family Exploring Progressive Christian Theology
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Being Witnesses

April 11, 2021
The first chapter of Acts reminds us that Jesus's time on earth ended, but that the church went on. In the wake of Easter, what will we do to bring…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Acts 1:1-11
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Insomnia in Gethsemane

March 28, 2021
Entering Holy Week, Jesus is up all night struggling to face our final fear: certain death. What do we discover about ourselves in his anxious hours?
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 14:32-42
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Bodies and Betrayal

March 21, 2021
The work of reconciliation begins with recognizing the discomfort that comes from recognizing that the stories we have told ourselves about the world, and ourselves, do not match up with…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 14:13-26
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Doing What We Can

March 14, 2021
In moments of urgent need, we do what we can. If that means anointing one about to die, we do that. If that means giving to the poor, we do…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 14:3-9
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Message More Than Form

March 7, 2021
In these linked stories from Jesus's ministry in Jerusalem, we see the message: preaching sacrifice for others while using their sacrifice for your own ends is the opposite of holiness.
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 11:15-19, Mark 12:38-44
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

In Despair, Words of Hope

February 28, 2021
The Psalmist reminds us that the first step toward reconciliation and the work of building God's world together is repenting of our sin. In America, to build the nation we…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Psalm 130
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

The Meanings of Mercy

February 21, 2021
When Bartimaeus calls out "Jesus, son of David, have mercy!", he understands Jesus better than the disciples. He then asks Jesus to help him see. He understands why he is…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 10:46-52
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

The Eyes of A Child

February 14, 2021
Jesus tells us to welcome children in our midst, and also to learn from their minds and examples. What are their lessons?
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 10:13-16
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Five, Five Hundred, Five Thousand

February 7, 2021
Jesus reminds me that we never truly stand alone, but that in the power of community relationships, we can build the abundant world of God.
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 6:30-44
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

The Ground’s Too Rocky By Far

January 31, 2021
Jesus reminds us that what may be clear to us may not be clear to others. But even as we work to tell stories that others understand, we need to…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 4:1-20
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Paralyzed by Sin

January 24, 2021

Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 2:1-12
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Christ Beyond Our Walls

January 17, 2021
One striking part of Jesus's ministry was the way he refused to show the fullness of who he was before the time was ripe. Perhaps he did not want people…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 1:29-39
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Who is Righteous?

January 10, 2021
As Mark tells the story, the Pharisees in Levi's house assume that the people Jesus is eating with are not righteous. Jesus turns it around and questions their authority to…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Mark 1:16-20, Mark 2:13-17, Mark 2:13-19
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Joyful Miracles

December 13, 2020
In the midst of darkness, when we receive joy, we are called to share it. Maybe it will change someone else's life the way Mary changed Elizabeth's life!
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Luke 1:26-38
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Peace As Reconciliation

December 6, 2020
The peace of Christ is not passive. It is not the absence of active conflict. It is the reconciliation of conflicts within ourselves, with each other, and with God, with…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Luke 1:11-20
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Giving Thanks, in the Midst of Uncomfortable Parallels

November 22, 2020
As we head into Thanksgiving week, the story of the Israelites coming to their promised land and finding it inhabited resonates. As we see the complications in the story of…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Joshua 1:1-9
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

In the Desert, with Purpose

November 15, 2020
At the foot of Mount Sinai, the people Israel saw the model of our relationships with one another, based on mutual love and obligation. In this time, our mutual obligation…
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Exodus 19:1-8
Service Type: Sunday Worship
Plague Year, Shine Curriculum

Hunger, Satisfied

November 8, 2020
Like with the Israelites in the desert, sometimes we need to recognize Manna from heaven and just say, "thanks."
Preacher : Nathan Willard
Passage: Exodus 16:1-4, 13-21
Service Type: Sunday Worship

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