Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

Preached by Winton Boyd on May 11, 2008
Acts 2

Today, I am grateful to be a part of the United Church of Christ, which has invited its churches to seize a moment in our national consciousness to talk about race in this country. Continue Reading »

Preached by Winton Boyd on May 4, 2008

Acts 1:6-14

Every parent who has ever taken a long trip by automobile with a child knows the most common words spoken by children during those trips -sometimes within moments of departure. Continue Reading »

Preached on April 27, 2008 by Winton Boyd
Acts 17:22-31; John 14:15-21

Lest we think that our religious pluralism is a new phenomenon, this story from the life of Paul reminds us that from the beginning – the people following Jesus have always been relationship with those following other religions, ideologies, and philosophies of life. While much of the church’s efforts to convert others to Christianity has been disrespectful and violent; and while much of it runs completely counter to our own sensibilities –this lectionary story from Acts may be able to speak to us about how to live as authentically Christian in a religiously plural world. Continue Reading »

Preached by Ree Hale on April 20, 2008

Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28; Acts 2: 42-47
Genesis 1: 26-28
God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take Charge!”
(We did a lot of that, we did our best to prosper, we reproduced, we filled the earth and took charge.) Earth now is a crowded place, and it is getting more crowded all the time. Continue Reading »

Preached by Winton Boyd on Sunday, April 13, 2008

Last week in Java and Jesus we heard a wonderful quote from a Native American storyteller. I would like to use it as I begin this reflection on Noah. I don’t know if this story reall happened, but I know it to be true. It is a foundational story of our faith. This is the second of three weeks in which Ree Hale and I are preaching on issues related to the earth and our relationship with it, I want to take a gander back into this old and often misunderstood story. Continue Reading »