St. John United Church of Christ

06/16/2026

Sunday morning message for 6-14-2026
Message title: "Supercharged Mission"

06/13/2026

Message Supplement for 14 June 2026

The Bible verses for today’s message: Matthew 9: 35 – 10: 8

Consider the saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37b). This suggests that the harvest is helping people find and embrace Jesus’ message. As always, there is much work to do in spreading the core of Jesus’ teachings, first and foremost with the empowerment of love.

Jesus spoke to many people directly, but he also spread God’s message by sending out disciples. Curiously, Jesus restricted his message to Jewish people: “ ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ “ (Matthew 10:5b-6).

Questions arise when Jesus forbade his disciples to visit any non-Jewish areas. Wasn’t Jesus supposed to welcome everyone? Part of the difficulty can be addressed by realizing that Jesus was a Jewish person focused on reforming Judaism. It was mostly after Jesus left earth that his followers began to spread the message to a broader ethnic audience, throughout the vast Mediterranean basin of the Roman Empire.

Now comes an impactful punch that reveals how power can be shared by God’s followers: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8a). This incredible list of miracles is what Jesus told his disciples to accomplish during their mission to evangelize Judea. We don’t have reports about how much of these amazing acts were performed, but consider the significance of how Jesus gave his disciples the same authority and power as he himself had. Wow! Apparently, Jesus could make it possible for others to do exactly the same feats that he performed.

We can wonder if any type of miracle was beyond the reach of the disciples that Jesus sent. Some people of faith conclude that the instructions that Jesus gave to his ancient audience are still valid, hence their preoccupation with claiming similar miraculous acts today. Such thinking may risk overlooking context, which is vital when interpreting volatile religious literature. Just because Jesus may have commissioned his original audience to do certain things does not mean that we, almost two-thousand years later, enjoy the same privilege. Of course, there is no sure way other than that of empirical observation to prove that modern followers of God can or cannot perform the miracles promised in ancient times. Yet the most significant issue is that the most profound miracles are not the showy acts of dramatic physical healings but rather the critical one where a person is transformed spiritually, from the inside/out.

Tapping into God’s spiritual power isn’t always straightforward or easy. Lack of a personal spiritual life and external hurdles can hold us back. Jesus warned his closest friends and disciples about the trouble that they’d encounter: “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mathew 10:16). Serpents aren’t known for wisdom, but for slyness and cleverness. As for doves, they represent a sense of holiness, purity, and innocence. The imagery of doves also suggests that we can carry God’s spirit above and beyond the reach of the wolf-like opposition.

God’s followers may appear as vulnerable sheep, ready to be devoured by terrifying wolves. As the good shepherd, Jesus often spoke about his followers being like sheep who need the guidance and protection of a shepherd. The surprise is that followers of God can become wise and agile underneath the blithe and calm of their sheepish exterior.

We are reminded to not give up on ourselves as we travel life’s highways and byways. We may not raise the dead as Jesus promised his initial missionaries, but we can nonetheless contribute to the miracle of helping to transform peoples’ lives. We are God’s precious messengers. Despite opposition, we can be empowered to do wonderful acts of compassionate love.

--Reverend Larry Hoxey

06/08/2026

Sunday morning message for 6-7-2026
Message title: "Better Than Law"

06/04/2026

Sunday Message Supplement for 7 June 2026

Bible verses for the message: Romans 4: 13-25; Matthew 9: 9-13

Today’s topic is the supremacy of faith over religious law, leveraging the example of Abraham, the legendary founder of the Jewish religion and of the Hebrew ethnic group. Abraham didn’t create a body of religious laws, but that came later with Moses, who started the process with the Ten Commandments.

Abraham’s relationship with God was more verbal and faith-based than written and rule-based. But starting with Moses, a series of priestly authorities began Judaism’s downward slide into a morass of rules, rituals, and religious legalities. Many Old Testament prophets sought reforms, but their message couldn’t dislodge the stubborn reliance on priestly-based religion.

Many lively personalities came and went for centuries, between Judaism’s misty origins and Jesus, who parsed a new version of Judaism: “For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Matthew 9: 13). Jesus wasn’t the first to try to return Judaism to its less institutionalized Abrahamic roots, but he was the most famous.

Paul, the prolific New Testament writer, authored a deep letter to the Roman Christians. Although Jewish, Paul distanced himself from the sacred law. Paul elevated Abraham’s role as faith-giver rather than law-giver. To make his point, Paul invoked Abraham. “For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13). These sentiments echo what Jesus taught.

Paul reacted against a dogmatic, Jewish mindset that promoted thousands of rules and laws. Many were so burdensome as to suffocate people’s souls. Jesus’ simplifying of matters into his single commandment of love (the core of his teachings) began a process that subsequently helped Paul create his distinct vision of the religion.

There was a fitful transition between ancestral Judaism to Jesus’ reform faith, originally called “The Way.” Paul abandoned his conservative Jewish faith after a dramatic conversion. He then exerted a tremendous influence on his Mediterranean audience as a pivotal author and missionary. But there was a serious problem: Jesus failed to return as promised. Recognizing this, Paul’s thoughts and words helped transform Jesus’ message into a settled, institutional force.

The work of Paul and others resulted in Christianity’s rise into a political and military powerhouse. Ironically, the teachings of Jesus and Paul were used to justify imperial Christianity, which overcame the Roman Empire as its pagan heart collapsed. However, before long, Christianity began casting ominous shadows as it projected unrivaled power and prestige.

Paul’s Christianity highlighted the tension between legalistic religion and personal faith. Judaism and other religions that emphasize commands and reliance on rites and rituals promote reformist counter-movements. Even in Jesus’ day, Judaism was not a single, monolithic religion. Different groups, some conservative and others progressive, vied for people’s allegiance. Through its continual fracturing, Christianity has become even more diverse.

Paul and Jesus’ efforts created a dramatic shift from Judaism’s animal sacrifices. What the two reformers taught was the substitution of a single sacrifice—Jesus’ death. The new religious formula became thus: the sacrifice of God’s messianic son Jesus + personal faith in this process = redemption.

Followers of God claim that Christianity has lost its way, abandoning its initial emphasis on compassionate love for an embrace of sectarian hate. In a similar way, the ageless conflict between legitimate faith and destructive law continues. A more hopeful course awaits new reformers or, better yet, the inspired insights of individual believers.

–Reverend Larry Hoxey

05/31/2026

Sunday Message Supplement for 31 May 2026

Bible verses for today’s message: Luke 1: 39—57; 1 Samuel 2: 1-10

The cousins Mary and Elizabeth anticipated the birth of their respective sons, Jesus and John (later known as John the Baptist). Mary traveled into the Judean hill country to stay with Elizabeth, who upon Mary’s arrival had an unusual experience: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41). This strange response highlights the future significance of the male children that would be born to Mary and Elizabeth.

Ponder Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting: “. . .‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .’ “ (Luke 1:46b-47). Mary shared an ecstatic litany about her role in God’s plan for humanity. Such “birth pangs” of a miraculous event are often nearly indescribable since they attempt to outline a change from mundane life to an incredible divine plan.

Consider the prayer of Hannah, the Old Testament co-wife of Elkanah. That’s right, biblical marriage is not the idealized fiction embraced by cultural conservatives. Polygamy, for instance, was acceptable. Infertile Hannah was mocked by Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife. Then Hannah bore Samuel, whom she graciously dedicated to God. Hannah gave a long, intense response, and her religious ecstasy was similar to Mary’s and Elizabeth’s: “. . . ‘My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God’ “ (1 Samuel 2: 1b). The Bible narratives about Hannah’s prayer are even more intense than what this brief excerpt suggests.

The delight of revealing God’s promises can unleash tremendous passion. Each of the three women in our study played vital roles through the birth and career of famous sons. Sadly, seldom was lavish praise offered by the Bible writers about the birth of daughters. And even thousands of years later, sexism remains a viral flaw enshrined within the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Religious zeal can arise from many of life’s pivotal moments, including our spiritual development, that roughly parallels the joy of mothers such as Mary, Elizabeth, and Hannah. And the metaphor of spiritual birth is a common rhetorical device. Indeed, one of the most iconic verses for many contemporary Christians is John 3:16, where Jesus proclaims to the Jewish leader Nicodemus that he must be born again. Birth is significant not only for the continuation of our species, but also for the radical newness of a spiritual awakening.

Fans of intense religious conversion emphasize drama. Energetic emotions, either real or feigned, make some people into spiritual celebrities. The truth is that people have various levels of emotion about their religious experiences. Some have an extraordinary change in their persona while others do not. Theatrics isn’t a valid measure of spiritual legitimacy. Yet fundamentalist denominations promote altar calls and other dramatic artifices that capitalize on the public performance art of their maladaptive ideologies. There are countless stories from people inside such groups who’ve felt pressured to exaggerate their sensations, many later confessing that they had succumbed to social pressure and other coercive forces.

Most transitions into parenthood, or toward a new spiritual path, are more subdued than those of the three women discussed today. Nonetheless, it is worth exploring how our decisions can transform us. Certain events promote change, and we can manage whatever happens going forward. No matter what new role is thrust upon us, we can become more compassionate followers of God (and this matters, more than anything else).

We can be joyful over change, whether it be welcoming a new generation or our own evolving consciousness and maturity. Religious exultation needn’t be limited to miraculous motherhood. Each of us can celebrate a new era no matter our gender or life stage. God is with us, and that is ultimately what ensures our spiritual empowerment.

–Reverend Larry Hoxey

05/24/2026

Sunday morning message for 5-24-2026
Message title: "True Spirit Power"

05/23/2026

Sunday Message Supplement for 24 May 2026--Pentecost Sunday

The Bible verses for today’s message Acts 2: 1-21

Pentecost is a time of awareness about our spiritual DNA. Jesus promised that he would send marvelous spiritual energy to encourage his harassed, vulnerable followers in the early days after his departure.

Indeed, strange events occurred on that original Pentecost: flames of fire appeared as people spoke foreign languages without prior knowledge; and the astonished new believers felt emboldened. Peter, Jesus’ closest friend, stood up and explained that even greater wonders would occur. What a spirited party!

Pentecost events divide modern Christians. Some argue that we should expect the same miracles as two-thousand years ago. Such folks read the Bible and conclude that the same signs are necessary today. Other Christians claim that Pentecost miracles were relevant only for the earliest church, when the religion risked extinction. As to the ongoing popularity of modern tongues, psychologists refer to the practice as glossolalia, otherwise known as contrived babble as described by many critics.

The Way, the earliest name for the reform movement founded by Jesus, evolved into Christendom, the political and religious force in western civilization after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Despite Christianity’s power and influence, many people crave something more. For them, the Pentecost events are not merely historical but aspirational, signs of being a true believer according to their “full gospel” rhetoric.

Critics cite the sensationalist distractions embraced by the Pentecostal and Apostolic denominations, many of which promote a prosperity “health and wealth” ethic that monetizes televangelist hucksterism, the profitable industry of expert manipulators capitalizing on people’s ignorance and gullibility. The audience goes along with the show, casting their tribute, because they crave affirmation and validation. Such misled people have succumbed to creatively coercive social pressures and a viral, grassroots ideology.

As for any need people feel to demonstrate the reality of their faith, the best way is to follow the path of love. Tongues, along with so-called faith healings, lure people into faux faith power. In contrast to pursuing sensational experiences, faith legitimacy turns on spiritual maturity, not the showy contrivance of shallow theatrics and orchestrated parlor tricks.

The greatest expression of religious faith is compassionate love, which is the central point of Jesus’ teachings. Consider Jesus’ two greatest commandments, citing love of God and neighbor (Mark 12:28-34). Also consider Jesus’ Golden Rule of doing unto others as you’d have them do to you (Matthew 7:12). Rather than follow such clearly pivotal teachings, many people choose complicated illusions.

Feigned spirituality is no substitute for love. As for spiritual power, wondrous things happen when we attain transformed attitudes and actions, rather than hysterical delusions that fail to prioritize love. Embracing God’s spirit means that we practice love of God and neighbor above all else.

It is encouraging to be aware that God’s spirit is within each of us. As to miracles, the greatest is uniting our hearts and minds to provide love for every living creature, just as Jesus emphasized. Translating God’s timeless love into a more compassionate, empathetic humanity is the goal, rather than stroking people’s egos through fake religious experiences.

God will act through us. The challenge is to keep our faith alive by pursuing love rather than a sideshow circus. We demonstrate legitimate faith as we fulfill our mission to love our neighbor and God holistically, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is how we truly recognize and celebrate Pentecost.

–Reverend Larry Hoxey

05/20/2026

Sunday morning message for 5-17-2026
Message title: "Restored by God"

05/20/2026

Sunday Message Supplement for 17 May 2026

The Bible verses for today’s message: 1 Peter 4: 12-14, 5: 6-11, 2 Peter 3: 8-9a

The writer proclaims: “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). This promise of care was relevant for the persecuted early believers in Jesus’ new religion, called “The Way.” Jewish and Roman authorities were intent on destroying the early faith.

Fast-forward about two-thousand years and we realize that not even the smiling faces of the prosperity preachers—those who downplay endemic suffering—can deny its prevalence. Suffering is an inescapable reality, but the writer of 1 & 2 Peter doesn’t define either the “little while” of suffering’s duration or what is being done to manage sources of suffering.

Most of the biblical writers experienced suffering, hence it is not surprising that they assured those similarly afflicted to either endure their blessed torment or to obtain solace from a distant, future remedy, one that seldom arrived. As to how God perceives timing, Paul conjectured about the relativity of a divine perspective: “. . . with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise . . . “ (2 Peter 3:8b-9a). All of this is somewhat interesting, but to many suffering people, God’s heavenly perceptions aren’t all that consoling.

We can avoid making unhelpful statements to people having hardship. Declaring to someone that, “If you had greater, more sincere faith God would relieve your suffering” or “Let go and let God!” are wrong, insensitive babble. We can avoid making things worse by instilling false hope, in a way that suggests that a simple snap of a finger can make all the pain go away. Even for pious and deeply religious people, healing can be more of a process than a quick event.

Rather than discuss the source(s) of suffering, other than the curse on humanity from the Garden of Eden incident, Paul tried irony: “. . . we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance . . . (Romans 5:3). People who suffer seldom feel any better when bragging about it; suffering isn’t properly a sadomasochistic pleasure. And people don’t enjoy suffering simply because endurance may come of it. Suffering can be unbearable, eventually destroying life rather than enhancing it. Though some people emerge from suffering heroically intact, it still exacts a terrible toll.

We now turn from the harsh yet necessary realities to how to positively manage suffering. Using a future reward as an excuse for not helping suffering people now is a weak and cruel approach. Followers of God don’t substitute the hope of a future remedy for rescuing people. Action is key!

Encouraging victims to stare up into heaven is a cruel dismissal of the real chains binding them now, here, in the present, which is where God will help us to set people free. The writer of the biblical letter of James spoke about offering people actual help, not delayed promises: “and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that’ “ (James 2:16).

We can do more than offer vague assurances that things can get better. Alleviating social suffering, for example, means that we must face and aggressively pursue its sources, such as prejudices, discrimination, injustice, inequality, and diverse other evils.

Despite its limitations, Peter’s message is a reminder that God is not indifferent to our suffering. A proper trust in God doesn’t mean that we’re in denial about mortality or the fact that everyone must die physically. Also, all but the most possessed religious zealots realize that God will seldom if ever keep us from every annoyance or inconvenience, some of which may contribute to our resilience and maturity.

Certainly God can alleviate suffering. The mysteries of the spiritual world are such that people experience miraculous events, including healings from horrendous illnesses and crimes, and answers to prayers that almost defy belief. Even more vital for us spiritual beings is the wondrous healing and revitalization of the human soul, which no earthly suffering can extinguish; only the flesh rots. The gist is that we must admit life’s harsh realities while not being crushed by them as we work hard to lessen their impact.

--Reverend Larry Hoxey

05/19/2026

We at St. John are here to help you achieve health in mind, body, and spirit. As for physical health, engaging with the arts can slow biological aging:

Taking and looking at photos could be good for your health.