One Thing West End UMC Podcast Audio podcast

23:52

The Wisdom of Trees – This morning we travel our Summer of Psalms by reading Psalm 1. The Communion Meditation is delivered by our Senior Minister, the Rev. Dr. Carol Cavin-Dillon. She notes that there are references to trees throughout the Bible. The Genesis story of the Garden of Eden has stories involving several trees, and in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, there is also a tree of life. Carol lists some other familiar stories of trees in the Bible, and here, in the first Psalm, is an example of a tree as a very positive image for us. As pointed out in the psalm, she examines the characteristics of righteousness versus wickedness, as we do not often classify ourselves in either extreme, but maybe the images aren’t extreme. The image of a tree whose roots are deep is a clear example for us, keeping practices of justice and righteousness at the forefront of our lives so we cannot be moved. Trees with deep roots at a stream as depicted in Psalm 1 never stop growing, and that, too, is an example for us so that we, too, continue to be challenged and growing, standing our ground in the deep soil of God’s ways. If we are thus grounded, we, too, may bear fruit to feed the world.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

1
Praying in the Dark 30:18

12 days ago30:18

30:18

Praying in the Dark – Today we begin our summer series of scriptures from the Psalms, this one from part of Psalm 143. Delivering the sermon today is Dr. Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our pastoral intern in Congregational Care. She points out that the psalmist is crying out in deep despair with a tired, troubled soul and a plea to God not to turn away or the psalmist will die. In some ways this is indicative of a need for suicide assessment of the one crying out. But this psalm is also penitent, confessing that the psalmist has hurt a lot of people but knowing that God still loves the psalmist. Dr. Wilborn points out three possible factors that can send us to this deep despair: (1) choices we make and conditions we are enduring (like illness, loss), (2) interpersonal relationships that are crashing, and (3) institutions, much as the world we may find ourselves in currently. Dark times call for desperate measures, and prayer is an SOS in such times. This psalm teaches us that we can always go to God in prayer, that prayer can be open and honest, and that through prayer we can commit to follow the light of Christ as our GPS, bearing no hate for anyone.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Making All Things New 21:24

19 days ago21:24

21:24

Making All Things New – Today’s scripture is from Revelation 21, where John of Patmos, the visionary, sees a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, along with an announcement that God will be dwelling with the people and there will be no more tears, sorrow, crying, or pain. It is appropriate for the Easter season when the agony of Good Friday was tossed away by the resurrection of Jesus. The question for us is whether we believe that God is always doing a new thing. In her sermon, Carol gives several personal examples of times when things appeared dismal, but then they turned around. She also cites several places in Biblical prophecy where those kinds of things were heralded by the likes of Isaiah and Jeremiah. She reminds us of the setting for the Book of Revelation, believers who were suffering because of their beliefs in God as ruler rather than the Roman emperor as ruler. Those believers were sometimes even executed for their beliefs, but this word from God through John of Patmos offered them a new Jerusalem, a new hope. If or when we feel like everything is falling apart, it would be good to remember this vision of the new Jerusalem and God’s promise to live among us and make all things new.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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A Vision with Hope 22:08

26 days ago22:08

22:08

A Vision with Hope – Often when we need comfort or hope and reach out for a Biblical passage for help, we latch onto things like “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” from Psalm 23, and most of us do not turn to the book of Revelation because of its graphic scenes of destruction. However, this final book of the Bible gives us glimpses of God’s kingdom, and those glimpses, as with today’s scripture from Revelation 7:9-17, are full of hope and comfort. It helps if we realize that Revelation was written to believers in a period when they were being crushed under Rome for their beliefs and rejection of the Roman emperor as the king. Some believers were even killed for that. This passage is one of the visions in Revelation of God on the throne with the lamb, representing Jesus, there, too, and innumerable people from every nation and language dressed in white, carrying palm branches, and praising God. It is a model for our hopes when things are bad and we need comforting. In the end it is the love of God and the beckoning of Jesus that will solve our problems and leave us comforted and rejoicing. It reminds us of who we are, whose we are, and where we belong.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Feasting and Feeding 26:40

5 weeks ago26:40

26:40

Feasting and Feeding – Today is Confirmation Sunday and we are confirming/baptizing seven youth who have been through the confirmation process. Today’s scripture is the familiar story from the Fourth Gospel of the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to seven of his disciples who are fishing. As part of this story, Jesus fixes them a meal so that when they come ashore he feeds them. After the story of the resurrection in the previous chapter, we might feel like the story of Jesus is over, but this story underscores Jesus’s challenge to the disciples to carry on what Jesus had been doing throughout his ministry. First, they are nourished, and then, most especially with the conversation between Simon Peter and Jesus, they are commissioned to go forth. In many ways, it is a model for our own baptism and commissioning, and it is demonstrative for the confirmands who are being baptized and brought into church membership today. The questions and challenges Jesus has for Simon Peter reflect that the basis of nourishment to him, to the other disciples, and to us is the love Jesus gives. Then the direction to “feed my lambs” gives us the mission with which we, like those disciples, are charged.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Moving Beyond Awareness 18:48

6 weeks ago18:48

18:48

Today’s scripture is a passage from the first chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians, and delivering the sermon is Rea Green, a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School and our Ministry Intern. Rea begins by saying that she recently saw the moon and was struck by its stunning beauty, only to have a friend tell her that it wasn’t the moon at all but a streetlight. In this way she introduces us to the fact that she is very much vision impaired. She gives some background and different viewpoints of the author and setting for Ephesians, but says what is clear is that it is written to a people that need assurance and unity, and the letter describes God’s love for the “we” and “us” referred to in that letter, and it thus calls for unity under the love of God. And unity does not mean “uniform,” but a coming together in the knowledge that all are loved by God, even through our diversity. In that sense, the letter calls for awareness and recognition of our differences, but it then calls us to move beyond awareness to a call to action to embrace our differences and foster a deep love for all.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Recognizing Resurrection 29:26

7 weeks ago29:26

29:26

Recognizing Resurrection – Today is Easter Sunday. Traditionally, the scripture for Easter Sunday is the story of the empty tomb, but our scripture chosen for today is the familiar story in Luke’s gospel of the two men walking to Emmaus and, unknowingly, being joined by the risen Jesus as they walked. One of the reasons to have this story on Easter is that our Lenten theme has been Table Transformations, and this story concerns yet another table, this one hosted by the risen Christ. The two disciples in the story are unknowns to us and not among the twelve, and, having witnessed the crucifixion, they are walking away, paralyzed by their grief. Are we in situations paralyzed by grief and loss? They call him a prophet, but now they have doubts that he was the expected messiah. Their hopes have been dashed. Maybe we, too, have lost hope, and, if so, we are on the road to Emmaus, and, whether we recognize it or not, we are accompanied by Christ. In the story, when they sit down for a meal, the guest becomes the host, lifts the bread, breaks it, and in that act they recognize that this is the risen Christ. Our communion services repeat that – a table with everyone having a seat, and the risen Christ is the host. Let us go forth with our tables open to all, knowing that the risen Christ is our host.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Persevering Love 32:47

7 weeks ago32:47

32:47

Persevering Love – Today is Good Friday, the time of solemn remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion. The Rev. Aimee Baxter is delivering the Good Friday Meditation, and the scripture reading is the Fourth Gospel’s account of the trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus. Rev. Baxter first referred to the series from several years ago, “WandaVision,” that built on the grief Wanda experienced in the death of Vision. Rev. Baxter said that many of us sit in loss and sadness, too, and she pointed out how much of that is demonstrated in the narrative of the trial of Jesus, then his crucifixion. Even Judas grieved his betrayal of Jesus and ended his own life. Peter, who denied even knowing Jesus, reacted in grief and rage in cutting off the ear of a soldier. And well beyond that, we can imagine the grief of the closest disciples of Jesus, and certainly of his mother who stood at the foot of the cross. But throughout the narrative, Jesus asserts the presence of the love of God and demonstrates it in his own acceptance of what he deemed must be. Here we are on Good Friday, participating together in a very solemn and disturbing remembrance, and yet we know that through it all there is God’s beckoning love, and Easter is on the horizon. It is persevering love that will support us through our grief.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Lenten Meditation for the Friday of Holy Week 8:38

7 weeks ago8:38

8:38

Rev. Will McLeane and Sheyla Soriano lead us in a liturgy and prayer for Good Friday of Holy Week.

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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A Table Transformed 23:09

7 weeks ago23:09

23:09

A Table Transformed – Today is Maundy Thursday, and our Lenten theme has been, “Table Transformations,” so certainly this service of remembrance of the Last Supper fits that theme. Rev. Shannon Baxter is delivering the Communion Meditation, and the scripture reading from the Fourth Gospel is the familiar story of that meal and of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. He first recounted a family situation some years ago when he obtained slabs of flooring from flooding in Savannah and planned to use them to build a large dining room table. The project took a long time, but when it was eventually completed it was truly a transformed table. In the story of the Last Supper, as Jesus turns to washing the disciples’ feet, taking on the role of a servant, it is, also, a transformation. God comes off the throne to care for creation, which is much like a gardener gives care to the plants in the garden to see them flourish. God wants to see everyone thrive.…

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Lenten Meditation for the Thursday of Holy Week 5:55

7 weeks ago5:55

5:55

Pastor Maggie Jarrell and Andrew Breeden lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Thursday of Holy Week.

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Lenten Meditation for the Wednesday of Holy Week 6:47

7 weeks ago6:47

6:47

Pastor Shannon Baxter and Tammy Lewis-Wilborn lead us in a liturgy and prayer for the Wednesday of Holy Week.

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Lenten Meditation for the Tuesday of Holy Week 5:18

7 weeks ago5:18

5:18

Rev Stacey Harwell-Dye and Beth Bernard lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Tuesday of Holy Week.

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Lenten Meditation for the Monday of Holy Week 6:19

8 weeks ago6:19

6:19

Join Pastor Carol Cavin-Dillon and Hampton Randall as they lead us thru a liturgy and prayer for the Monday of Holy Week.

West End UMC Podcast Audio Podcast

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Prevenient Grace 26:29

8 weeks ago26:29