Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

Preached by Winton Boyd on Sunday June 13, 2010

Opening introduction to Phoenix Affirmations

As people who are joyfully and unapologetically Christian, we pledge ourselves completely to the way of Love. We work to express our love, as Jesus teaches us, in three ways: by loving God, neighbor, and self. This includes the following affirmations:

First Affirmation

We walk fully in the path of Jesus, without denying the legitimacy of other paths God may provide humanity

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Preached by the Rev. Ken Pennings on May 16, 2010

Prior to the 16th century, people conceived of the earth as the center of the universe. Then Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo introduced us to a whole new view of the cosmos. We’re now a space-age people. Continue Reading »

Preached by Winton Boyd on April 25, 2010

Philippians 4
Celebrate God all day, every day. Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Holy as the Day is Spent – by Carrie Newcomer
Holy is the dish and drain
The soap and sink, the cup and plate
And the warm wool socks, and the cold white tile
Showerheads and good dry towels
And frying eggs sound like psalms
With a bit of salt measured in my palm
It’s all a part of a sacrament
As holy as a day is spent
Holy is the busy street
And cars that boom with passion’s beat
And the check out girl, Counting change
And the hands that shook my hands today
Hymns of geese fly overhead
And stretch their wings like their parents did
Blessed be the dog
That runs in her sleep
The catch that wild and elusive thing
Holy is a familiar room and the quiet moments in the afternoon
And folding sheets like folding hands
To pray as only laundry can?

I loved our two gatherings last weekend with folk singer Carrie Newcomer; and her ability to help us find the sacred in the ordinary through songs that wove their way into our hearts. I’ve heard from many of you how one or two of the songs touched you in a particular way. Like many of you, I felt on the verge of laughter and tears the whole time I was in her presence. I say that not just as some groupie, but as one who realized that she, as a poet and songwriter, was tapping into some deep and real human emotions and experiences.

I love the sentiment in today’s “sacred text” from her song – “holy is the dish drain – it’s all part of a sacrament…hymns of geese fly overhead and stretch their wings like their parents did. ..Holy is a familiar room …and folding sheets like folding hands to pray as only laundry can…” Continue Reading »

Preached by Winton Boyd on Sunday, April 11, 2010

Like many of you, when we were looking at the house that became our home, there was one feature that leapt out for us, that moved that house from “mmm?” to “aaah! This is it.” In our case, it was our screen porch jutting out of the back of the house into a mostly wooded lot. It was breathtaking. So breathtaking, in fact, that my father in law turned on his North Dakota charm on the front walk; talking nicely and folksy with another couple looking at the house, in order to stall so that we could have more time. Continue Reading »

Preached by Ken Pennings on March 28, 2010 (Palm Sunday)

Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan have written a wonderful book called The Last Week. They begin their account of Jesus’ last six days with a colorful portrayal of what we are celebrating today. They describe “the triumphal entry” of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, riding on the colt of a donkey covered with home-spun cloaks into the East gate of Jerusalem at the same time that Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, enters the West gate riding on his mighty steed covered with military cloaks and armor. Continue Reading »