Today, we explore Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians on belonging to one sacred body as many members in One. Remembering that we can only be as healthy or as […]

Hayley and Vince tell stories about the value of being rooted in an open community and the power of rituals in everyday life. (Image from @scotthepainter) Financial Board Letter http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.or…

This week we wrap up our sermon series on Original Blessing by summarizing what we’ve learned and looking at it in light of the Sermon on the Mount. Learn more […]

Our celebration with some personal stories and a brief message on how churches embracing Pride today can find a powerful Biblical parallel in the early church's embrace of the Gentiles (Art: Peter in the house of Cornelius, by Gustave Doré, 19th century) FINANCIAL BOARD LETTER 2024: http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024 Join our live chat! h…

God’s desire is for us to both trust Them and show that we can be Trusted. We’re invited to grow and mature, to become discerning of good and evil, to hold grey […]

What does it look like to have pictures of fathering that are rooted in tenderness instead of power and control? How can this tenderness then inform our view of God? Hayley reflects on what it means to call God Abba Father. FINANCIAL BOARD LETTER 2024: http://brownlinechurch.org/board-letter-2024 Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New h…

We look at another Scriptural metaphor that can help us think about how to live lives that reflect goodness and integrity. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]

Vince shares one of his biggest personal lessons in solidarity, and brings our theme “from charity to solidarity” to a close by talking about a very important challenge to making that mindset shift: guilt.By Vince Brackett

We look at how the Bible asks us if we’re able to pick up the mandate of Original Blessing. Can we humans be trusted to care for ourselves and the […]

We dwell in a good God; a good God dwells in us. Today, we’ll explore how Original Blessing can help us turn away from the arrogance of thinking, “I don’t […]

What's the distinct help that prayer offers to the building of a solidarity economy that works for all of the 99% of people who have to work for a living, and not just a few at the top? Hayley and Vince discuss through the lens of the Church Calendar's celebration of Pentecost. (Icon Art by Kelly Latimore) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNX…

On this Pentecost Sunday we talk about the symbolism of the trees and water in Scripture, and how we’re invited to drink from the Spirit to strengthen our souls and […]

Like Jesus, we can be thoughtful about what images we let (and don't let) form our personal images of God. In our current moment of global war crimes, mass economic exploitation, and collective deconstruction of versions of faith that no longer work for people, we need mothering images of God more than ever before. (Mosaic: Jesus as Mother Hen -- D…

We look at the metaphor of the garden in Scripture to explore what it’s saying about Original Blessing. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of […]

The usual way Americans interpret Jesus' parables is surprisingly weird. Continuing our series "From Charity to Solidarity", Vince explains with a look at Jesus' Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard from Matthew 19-20. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center For Cooperative Development) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJ…

We talk about how the concept of Original Blessing is solving a different problem than Original Sin, which leads to a different gospel message. Instead of humans needing saving from […]

This week we take a closer look at some of the history and shortcomings of Original Sin and why it fails us. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]

Hayley and Vince dig deeper on how a solidarity mindset is distinct from a charity mindset, with a focus on the role and promise of community. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center For Cooperative Development) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechu…

We’re starting a new sermon series on Original Blessing and how this idea impacts how we see God, ourselves, and our role in the world. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

Join our church in dreaming together this spring about a more profound, more connecting, more sustainable way to address economic suffering and struggle in our country. Vince sets the table for this ongoing project teaching us about the God of Solidarity, who calls us toward the same mindset. (Illustration by Lauren Rolwing for The Southeast Center…

Today, we explore two versions of Paul too often used for harm. Then, we consider some new perspectives on Paul, which can transform the meaning of his words. As he […]

Jumping off of our community's discussions and comments over the last couple months, Hayley reflects on our Lenten practice of trying to give up unhelpful and incomplete beliefs. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.or…

Pastor Ken explores the first three books of the old testament—Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus—to highlight the foundations of harm alleviation in scripture. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]

Easter's celebration of Resurrection isn't about elevating Jesus above all, like an authoritarian emperor. It's a vision of hope and justice to lift up ALL people, that begins with Jesus, and moves forward by the power of persuasion, not force. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources htt…

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we see in his teachings and actions a roadmap for how we are called to live in the world. We orient our own deep […]

Our church's tradition on Palm Sunday, beginning Holy Week's re-telling of the last days of Jesus' life, is to talk about the Cross. This year, Vince talks about the way Jesus' death on the Cross can help free us from cycles of revenge and retribution, and encourages us to give up the popular American belief known as Penal Substitutionary Atonement…

The story of Palm Sunday offers an invitation to live our lives in ways that bring about peace through justice. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

As we continue our sermon series on following Jesus during a rise in Christian Nationalism, today we look at a repeating pattern: liberation movements followed by a rise in “stiff-necked” […]

Does Christianity have to be the only game in town for it to be anything worthwhile? Or can Christianity be a distinct, important contribution to the world — worth giving your life to — AND other world religions also have truthful, ultimate things to offer the world too? Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurc…

We talk about the violent militancy of this white Christian nationalism and then look at Jesus for some guidance for how to relate to it. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

The idea of "eternal conscious torment" disgusts, and even traumatizes, many. Unfortunately, it feels like it is synonymous with Christianity, even though it is (gasp!) not in the Bible! Hayley and Vince point us toward alternative Christian beliefs about eternity and morality. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownli…

The best predictor that someone embraces Christian nationalism is that they also subscribe to traditional gender norms. We look at how Genesis starts out the Bible narrative with a challenge to gender hierarchy […]

Our wider culture's good response to self-punishing versions of religion is to focus instead on self-care. Hayley highlights the helpfulness of that, and yet also wonders if it is incomplete, before suggesting an alternative aim we might make our goal, from deep in the Jesus tradition. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http:/…

We contrast how Jesus used power with the dominionist theology that’s driving part of the white Christian nationalist movement today. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

Hayley and Vince kick off the Lenten season sharing several ways BLC hopes to help you (and your friends/family/roommates) live with intentionality and meaning over the next 40 days, without feeling exhausted or burdened. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org…

We talk about the deep story driving Christian nationalism, and touch on how that story is counter to the project to which Jesus called his followers. Learn more about Blue […]

We tie up various loose ends and respond to some outstanding questions after leaning into the discomfort of talking about suffering for the last month. (Art: "Sorrowing Old Man At Eternity's Gate" by Van Gogh) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources D…

This morning we talk about the path to healing after a loss. Healing doesn’t mean getting back to the person we were before the loss, but rather integrating the loss into […]

A natural response to suffering in church settings is: “I’ll pray for you.” Which is great! But it can also lead to disappointment, or even (dare we say it) embarrassment. How can prayer to alleviate suffering be an important and deep part of our lives and communities? Are there popular beliefs about prayer we need to unlearn? Join our live chat! h…

We talk about how our emotions often feel like they’re in chaotic disarray in the weeks and months (and sometimes years) following a loss—feeling the feelings is part of the path […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

What is it behind the most inspiring stories we know of people embracing suffering? Vince wonders if it's a certain kind of perspective that's hard for modern Western people to learn. But it still can be! (Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http:…

We talk a bit about our shared human experience of grief, and how to care for each other in times of mourning. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

Vince & Hayley respond to a grab bag of questions about suffering and the tension of alleviating vs embracing. (Image from the Center for Action & Contemplation) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate…

We talk about God’s work in us during the cold, wintery seasons of our spiritual life using Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the sea beast.Learn more about Blue Ocean […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

For MLK Day weekend, we continue our look at the tension of alleviating suffering and embracing suffering for a good, full life, learning from some of Dr. King's 1967 speeches. Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connect Resources http://brownlinechurch.org/resources Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/…

Kim Robinson, Executive Vice President of The Forum for Youth Investment and the Managing Director for the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, guest preaches—incorporating some of her research to talk about […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

That is the question! Vince reflects personally and intellectually on how a good, full life seems to involve BOTH a commitment to alleviating suffering AND an embrace of the inevitability of suffering. What do we do with that? How does one hold that tension? Jesus' life and ministry offer needed insights.Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJS…

On Epiphany we celebrate the story of the magi. Today, we also look to the night sky in a reflective exploration of what we can learn from the moon, who […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

Pastor Emily, joined by the children of Blue Ocean, shares stories about St. Nicholas of Myra; followed by a performance by the Ypsilanti Youth Choir, led by Crystal Harding. Learn […]By Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor

Hayley brings us to the provocative, beautiful suggestion from 13th century mystic Meister Eckhart that we are all called to be mothers who give birth to God -- bringing God's Spirit into the uprootedness of life, into the most unfathomable of circumstances. (Art by @osageandfern) Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8 New here? http://brow…