Sermons on Welcome
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Sermons on Welcome

Rev. Shannon Weston – April 21, 2024

This week we celebrate Earth Day in worship by focusing on plastics. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly,” Jesus tells his followers. Unfortunately, we seem to have confused “abundance” with “excess,” and nowhere is that more obvious than in the ways we produce, use and discard plastics. Join us as we discuss the question, Do the plastics we create give us a better appreciation for the abundance that exists in God’s creation, or…

Teachings about Communion

For his last sermon at Govans, Pastor Tom invites the children to circle up around a blanket on the floor; a makeshift Communion Table. He teaches about how we welcome all kinds of people but also work to keep everyone safe, and how the symbols of the bread and cup represent Jesus love and courage within us always.

In Defense of Committees

The early church did something that churches would continue to do for millennia: they formed a committee. When issue of caring and social justice arose within the early church they created a group to help make their ideals into reality. Pastor Tom will encourage us to consider doing the same today by joining one of the many committees at Govans. – Sermon from November 19, 2023.

Cultivating Generousity through Financial Giving

Pastor Tom offers some basic teachings about financial giving including the use of proportional giving as a way to measure our growth as generous people. Many people don’t feel able to tithe today, but we can make that as a goal and ask God to help us become more generous.

Commitments vs. Callings

When King Solomon was offered anything from God, he asked for a discerning mind. We are called to discern how we are called by God to engage with the world. We are called to discern when we are called to move from hearing a calling to making a commitment.

Stewardships of Virtue and Goodness

We often think about being stewards of material things like money, stuff, or the earth. We also think about being stewards of our time and talent. But, can we also be stewards of goodness and virtue? Pastor Tom uses David’s prayer of repentance as a jumping off point to explore this question.

Invitational Faith in a Religiously Plural World

John is clearly calling us to an invitational faith. To follow Jesus means to invite others to follow Jesus. Yet, we can struggle with this calling when we believe other faith traditions are equally valid to our own. We also know as individuals we are not any better than anyone else. So what can John teach us about sharing our faith today? Come and see.