North Decatur Presbyterian Church

2.21.21. Wilderness is a concept that is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. What significance does wilderness have in our own journey? Join us this Sunday we examine the Gospel of Mark's account of the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

2.14.21. Transfiguration. Metamorphoses. Change. It's the effect of God's wonder-working power. It happened to Jesus on a mountaintop. It happens everywhere around us. And it even happens to us. Rev. Lewicki, preaching.

2.7.21. And He Cured Many Who Were Sick We have never been so aware of sickness and health as we are in this pandemic. Into this moment, comes a story of Jesus as a healer of those who are sick (Mark 1:29-39). How are we supposed to hear stories like this today? We hear from some of NDPC's "healers" as they reflect on this story and their own work.

1.31.21. "Authority" is a word that makes us uncomfortable. We are often skeptical of the word authority (and we're right to be skeptical). Join us this Sunday as we examine the gentle authority of Jesus and what it means for us today." Robert Schoonover preaching.  Mark 1:21-28

1.24.21.  Jesus calls the disciples, Simon and Andrew, and the brothers James and John. It all seems so smooth, so easy. These four men see a guy wandering by, he says a few vague words about God, and they leave their whole world--jobs, families, future--to follow him. Easy. Too easy? This Sunday, we dig a bit deeper into the story of the first disciples and explore our own reasons for wanting--or not wanting--our world to change. Rev. David Lewicki preaching.

1.17.21. In the midst of a tumultuous time in American political life, and on the cusp of the annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. David Lewicki preaches about how we might continue to conceive of God's role in our political life today. Does God put leaders in power? Does God pull them down? Our text is from 1 Samuel.

1.10.21. This week, we read the story of Jesus’ baptism. Jesus was a grown man when he stood in a line of strangers, waiting his turn to wade into the muddy river to let Wild John plunge his head under the surface. In the years after Jesus’ death, his disciples did something peculiar. They kept dunking people under water as a sign of being joined into the life of Christ. We still do it. And we will remember our baptisms this Sunday. We welcome our interim virtual music director Paul Vasile. Rev. Lewicki, preaching.

Join us as the Epiphany season begins. 1.3.21.

12.27.20. Rob Schoonover preaching from Luke 2:22-40. The new year offers new beginnings, and this Sunday’s text shows us how even folks in ancient Israel were looking for new beginnings. The text gives us a tiny glimpse of what kind of new beginnings those in ancient Israel were looking for. You may find they aren’t so different from what many of us are looking for in 2020. So tune in as Rob Schoonover attempts to tackle this interesting text. The image is is from Star Wars, but it captures the essence of what the sermon will be about. 

12.20.20. Mary's song is a fixture of the Advent season. We've come to pin our hope on this young woman's voice glorifying God in the midst of uncertainty. Her song offers a vision of our bodies and souls magnifying the essential will of the divine. But every mother knows there is grief amidst the glory. As we read Luke 1:46-55 and listen to choral interpretations of the Magnificat let us consider the minor notes of Mary's life marked by motherhood and servanthood in the shadow of an extraordinary son. Rev. Beth Waltemath preaches on The Glorifying Soul.

12.13.20. It is the third Sunday of Advent -- we light the candle of joy. This Sunday's scripture reading is from the oldest book in the New Testament, First Thessalonians. The reading begins, "Rejoice always." Always? Even this year? Even when life feels heavy and strange? We spend time naming the sources of our joy as we draw closer to Christmas. Rev. Lewicki, preaching.

12.6.20. The greatest kiss in literature is from a surprising source: the Psalms. This Sunday, the 2nd in Advent, we read Psalm 85. There, the kiss of justice and peace gives us an image of the Beloved Community that we all long to share. We light the candle of Peace. Rev. David Lewicki preaching.

11.29.20. This Sunday's preacher is our newest Ministry Fellow, Kendra Peebles. Please welcome Kendra to her first experience in NDPC's virtual pulpit!  The sermon will come from Isaiah 64:1-9. We often find ourselves longing like the Israelites, desiring and waiting for God to perform wonderful deeds as in the past. During this Advent season, God is desiring for us to do more than simply wait.

11.22.20. Matthew 25 is the mantra of "social justice" Christians. But it is much more than a call to feed the hungry and house the homeless. It is an  invitation to see all people as bearers of the image of God, to see the incarnate Christ in the most offensive places. Rev. David Lewicki, preaching.

11.22.20.

11.8.20. "Stay awake." "Stay awake." "Stay awake." Jesus tells a parable about ten young people waiting for a party to begin. The wait is long. Too long. Some were ready. Some were not. "Stay awake," Jesus says. Rev. David Lewicki, preaching.

11.1.20. Matthew 5:1-12. 2020 is supposed to be the symbol of perfect vision. Instead, it is the year of collapse on multiple fronts. What do we make of all the ways we have fallen as a society and a culture? The scales may be falling from our supremacist lenses but the scales of justice continue to tip in favor of the oppressors. As we look back this All Saints' Day in 2020, we grieve all the lives we have lost as a nation, a world, and a church.  We ask ourselves how far have we fallen. How do we get back up again?  As the gospel singer says, "Is a saint really just a sinner who fell down and got up?" In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to look for the blessed in very unexpected places. We hear from some of our own members about the ordinary people who impacted their life and faith in unexpected ways.  Who is the saint leaving their mark on your life? And whose life are you blessing unawares? Rev. Beth Waltemath preaching.

10.25.20. When the world feels like it’s going to hell in a handbasket, what word helps you keep your balance, keep going, keep believing? This week, we hear someone ask Jesus the same question: “what is the greatest commandment?” Jesus’ answer is still a word that nourishes our faith, even in the most chaotic of times. Rev. David Lewicki, preaching.

10.18.20. Taxes (and Other Matters of Life & Death). Mathew 22:15-22. The question to Jesus begins as a trap: "Should we pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" Jesus responds by asking his questioner to pull out a Roman coin and look at it. So begins one of Jesus's most curious, powerful, and persistent lessons. Whose are you? To whom do you belong? And, by virtue of this belonging, what do you owe? Rev. David Lewicki, preaching.

10.11.20. Freedom through Consecration: Exodus 35: 1- 29. Decorating for the seasons, making a meditation space, setting aside quiet time in the morning, taking daily walks to ruminate, observing a day of rest? What rituals do you do to mark time or space as sacred? How do you tame the chaos with the hope of order? After a long list of fatalities, frustrations and failures in the wilderness, the people of God pool their resources and offer their skills to build a tabernacle as a tent for holiness to dwell temporarily. The building of the tabernacle and all its precious objects like the seat of Mercy and the bread of Presence remind them that even in times of prolonged confusion, the presence of God is as close as the most precious hour or sacred object we set aside to draw divine wonder to us. Rev. Beth Waltemath, preaching.