Urban Village Church

UVC, Emily McGinley, Executive Pastor | Risking to Dream (Acts 18:9-11)

Any dream worth dreaming involves risk of some kind. And, if it were only up to us to see our dreams through, it might feel impossible. Our passage today reminds us that when it is God who has given us the dream, it is also God who will help us keep going when the going gets tough. 

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UVC, Christian Coon, Pastor of Emerging Ministries | Practicing Prayer (Luke 22:39-44)

We continue our sermon series on spiritual disciplines with a focus on prayer this week. Prayer can be pretty intimidating! Many of us feel we must bring something or be something in order to engage in this foundational faith practice. But Jesus shows us when he prays in the passage from Luke 22 that you only need to bring one thing: yourself. Engaging with God and sharing all of your hopes and dreams and fears and anxieties is exactly what God desires

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UVC, Hannah Kardon, Teaching Pastor | Practicing Hospitality (John 12:1-2)

Throughout Lent we'll be looking at the spiritual practices of Jesus and how they got him ready for the events of Holy Week. Pastor Hannah speaks this morning about the details in between Jesus’ actions that we don't often consider. In between the miraculous healings and wise parables Jesus practiced his faith too! We’ll explore today his practice of regularly breaking bread with friends, and how sharing a meal with the people you love just might be the transformative spiritual practice you've been searching for.

Following her sermon, Pastor Hannah shares an update with the UVC community.

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UVC, Darneather Murph-Heath | Mardi Gras Celebration

This week we enter Lent- a time when we reflect on ways we can fortify and deepen our faith. And singing is an amazing spiritual practice to lead us! This morning we’ll focus on the power of song and the ways music can speak to our emotions. Chicago musician Clif Wallace leads us in worshiop alongside a New Orleans-jazz ensemble with a guided reflection from Pastor Darneather Murph-Heath

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Sign up to receive our eNews and stay in the know! (link to sign up is at the bottom of our webpage). Follow us online and support our bold, inclusive, and relevant ministry into the new year! 

 

UVC, D’Angelo Smith, Site Pastor | Dreaming to Restore (Job 33:12-16a)

This Sunday in worship, we explored the text Job 33:12-16a:

Now you’re wrong about this; I’ll answer you,
    for God is greater than anybody.

Why do you contend with him,
    saying that he doesn’t answer all your words?[c]

God speaks in one way,
    in two ways, but no one perceives it.

In the dream, a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls upon humans,
        during their slumber on a bed,

then he opens people’s ears…

 

Pastor D’Angelo reflects on the passage “then he opens people’s ears…” considering sleep alongside US history and current circumstances stemming from the pandemic. You’re encouraged to listen with a pillow and blanket!! 

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UVC, Emily McGinley, Executive Pastor | “Choosing to Trust” (Acts 1: 15-21)

We hope this throwback meets you in a holy way. During our ‘Popcorn Gospel’ series, Pastor Emily spoke candidly about the realities of suicide with the all important, completely necessary reminder that YOU MATTER, and at UVC, you are always invited to come and be part of something that is inclusive, and relevant, and love-infused. Whether online or in-person, we can’t wait to see you 

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Sign up to receive our eNews and stay in the know! (link to sign up is at the bottom of our webpage). Follow us online and support our bold, inclusive, and relevant ministry into the new year! 

UVC, Hannah Kardon, Teaching Pastor | We Who Dream of Freedom (Daniel 2)

Dreams inspire us, nourish us, and keep us moving towards a future we can’t see quite yet. This week’s dreamer, Ella Baker, once said “This may only be a dream of mine, but I think it can be made real.” We will follow her and Daniel of the Bible through their journeys to make dreams real in the midst of an oppressive, imperfect world, and in the process, hopefully get a little closer to making some of our dreams reality. 

 

(At 4:40, we listen o Sweet Honey in the Rock’s ‘Ella's Song’ which you can access online here: youtu.be/S2T216XgiO0)

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Sign up to receive our eNews and stay in the know! (link to sign up is at the bottom of our webpage). Follow us online and support our bold, inclusive, and relevant ministry into the new year! 

UVC, Christian Coon, Pastor of Emerging Ministries, Rest as Resistance (Psalm 3:1-6)

If you grew up with in a family with a strong Protestant work ethic, it may seem sacrilegious to talk about sleep, napping, and rest as powerful acts of faith. But Number Three in the Big Ten (of commandments) puts it right there: Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Sabbath. Shabbat Which means "rest."

As we talk about dreams this month, it makes sense that we would also talk about sleep and rest and that's the focus of this Sunday. What does it mean to rest as an act of faith and resistance in a society that constantly asks more and more of us?

UVC, D’Angelo Smith, Site Pastor | Dreams of Protection (Matt 2:19-23)

In scripture, God tells Joseph in a dream to flee Judea with Mary and Jesus and go to a town called Nazareth. At one of the most pivotal and courageous moments in our nation’s history, Harriet Tubman received dreams from God that directed and protected her on a perilous journey to freedom from slavery, freeing over 70 other enslaved people. In their dreams, Joseph and Harriet receive guidance on how to protect themselves and community. 

 

This Black History Month we’ll explore all the ways God works through our dreams and invites us to be dreamers too: dreamers of grace, liberation, rest, and joy.  Please join us! All are welcome and affirmed!

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urbanvillagechurch.org

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Sign up to receive our eNews and stay in the know! (link to sign up is at the bottom of our webpage). Follow us online and support our bold, inclusive, and relevant ministry into the new year! 

UVC, Christian Coon, Dreams that Guide Us

Pastor of Emerging Ministries Christian Coon reflects on how God intercedes in our lives (including in our dreams) to provide guidance and protection. The Scripture focus is Matthew 2:19-23.