Morning thoughts...

As I write this, I am bombarded with images on the news of protests and uprisings. The headlines speak over and over again of the bickering on Captiol Hill, and the discontent with politicians. It feels, as though, we are at some sort of tipping point, though I cannot quite put my finger on it just yet. Maybe you can. I don’t know.

What I do know, or rather, what I claim to believe is hope. Not necessarily some audacious hope that is mired in political banter, or is it some religious pie-in-the-sky, we all sing kumbaya kind of hope (although that would be fun, right? ). The hope that I am filled is this deep sense of calling that God has upon our community. The hope that we have as people who have been invited by a loving and grace-filled God into relationship with the divine, with one another, and the world. Through that relationship, we seek to find places where we can work for justice, where we can advocate for the oppressed, where we can seek wholeness in salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Each week, I am renewed by our sense of call through our worship together. In the times we work together to make sandwiches or walk to raise awareness of homelessness issues, I am renewed by our call as a people who seek justice, love mercy, and who long to walk humbly with God. I pray that in spite of the images that are put before us, images that could dampen our hope, may we be reminded of the God who calls us from darkness into light, and who loving leads us in hope.

Peace,

Jimmy

The mountains tremble and the earth shakes...

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Psalm 46:2-3

Dear friends,

Whew! What a week it has been. The question that has been asked the latter part of the week is, “where were you when the earthquake struck?” Living in a city like Washington, DC, you meet people from all over the world. My guess is there were plenty of folks from the West Coast and other parts of the world who had experienced earthquakes, but for many of us, it was a first. It leaves you trembling a bit…and thinking. Now, here were are sandwiched between two incredible forces of nature, an earthquake and a hurricane. One is very unpredictable, the other much more predictable. How often is the DC area rattled by and earthquake and then battered by a hurricane within the span of five days? It’s an incredible thing to reflect on as we think about the power of creation. If you recall, after God brought forth life from chaos, God rested. I think after the earthquake, a little rest would be in order.

We are in the midst of our Sabbath series, but it may be hard to think about rest as we prepare for possible tropical storm weather conditions. I pray that we all may find moments of time and sacred spaces where we can reflect on the wonder of creation while inviting the Holy Spirit to restore our bodies, souls and minds. Please be mindful of the weather conditions and be prepared. As we say in the South…we will see you on Sunday..”God willing and the creek don’t rise!” Let us not to forget to pray for and to help those most vulnerable in natural disasters.

Joy and Peace,

Jimmy

This week at Crossroads

Dear friends,

As we near the end of July, I hope that you have been able to find moments of solitude, gratitude, and play. Many of you will do just that in the month of August. As you are in town, you are invited to join us for worship at Crossroads. This week we are wrapping up our series on the Power of Food. We’ve explored our call to feed the hungry around us, we have been challenged to rethink how we approach food, and we’ve discussed the power food has to bring us together. Our final look this week has to do with looking beyond food as we explore ourselves in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Once basic needs have been meet, we can begin to move forward in our journey seeking something greater for our lives. In the sermon “Not By Bread Alone,” we will explore the power of the presence of one another in our lives as we seek to find purpose and meaning. This self-actualization can be given space to grow and flourish through the holy spirit and with the encouragement and help of others. Jesus said that human kind cannot live by bread alone. While we need to food to exist, we need more to flourish and grow. Join us as we explore this together.

In our prayers:
Healing prayers for Mary Jean Evans, Annie Butler’s mother, and the people of Norway
Prayers of empowerment for our Volunteers-in-Mission team going to Nicaragua and for Susan Fratzke who is working in Belgium
Prayers of wisdom for the leaders of our country
Prayers of strength and healing for those struggling with emotional and mental illness
Prayers of mercy for those traveling this August
Prayers of grace for our community of faith
Prayers of discernment for the Crossroads vision
Prayers for our various service ministries and for the residents of the St. Luke’s shelter

Coming soon!

August Sermon Series: Sabbath. Join us as we explore this ancient, but often ignored practice of Sabbath. We will take the month of August to discover again the roots of Sabbath, how we might bring that into our place of work, how Sabbath helps us with advocacy, and practical ways to practice Sabbath drawing on our Christian tradition as well as Jewish and Muslim traditions.

The next installment of Jazz in the Garden will be Friday, August 12 from 6:30-8:30 featuring the Tara Hoffman Trio. Spread the word! Find more information at metrocrossroads.org

Food series wrap-up: As a part of the response to our sermon series called the Power of Food, we will be joining in a cooperative parish effort to feed those who are hungry around us. In the coming weeks you will hear information about trips to glean at local farms and the Salvation Army Grate Patrol. There will also be nutrition classes starting in the fall as well. Please pray about how you might serve in these areas.

Small group Bible study: Returns this fall. More information and opportunity to sign up soon.

Serving at Crossroads: We invite you to be a part of the Crossroads team. We are seeking help with food preparation and hospitality, greeters, and sound and video technicians. We will have opportunities to sign up at the service, but you can also e-mail me for more information.

I hope to see you this Sunday as we open ourselves to God’s movement in our lives.

Joy and Peace,

Jimmy

The Power of Food

Jimmy

We close out our sermons series on the Power of Food by actually going beyond food. Jesus said that human kind cannot live on bread alone. There is much more than that. Once we meet the basic needs and we are no longer physically hungry, we begin to seek the more that God has in store for us. This is the final level of Maslow's hierarcy called self-actualization. We will explore how those around us helps us to reach this point in our journeys.

I hope you will join us. I can't wait to see what God is doing this week!

Peace and Joy,

Exploring the Arts at St. Luke's

We convey our faith story in many ways. We tell stories, we preach, we sing, we paint, we draw, we create pottery, we write poetry, and the list goes on and on. There are many ways to explore our faith, justice, and hospitality through the arts. This summer at St. Luke's, the Crossroads community is invited, along with our neighbors, to experience and participate in one or more of four classes that will be offered. Find a complete listing and description below. You can find the registration forms by going to this page: http://metrocrossroads.org/#/connecting/summer-at-st-lukes.

Art Class:
Time: Wednesdays at 7pm
Dates: 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 8/3, 8/10
Cost: $40 includes supplies

Class Bio: Faith and the Visual Arts

In this class students will explore many of the ways in which faith and visual arts intersect. Each class will include a short devotional and art lesson followed by time for students to put those lessons into practice in a weekly project. The projects are designed to useful for people of varying artistic background.

Personal Bio:
Ben Sloan is currently a Masters of Divinity student at Wesley Theological Seminary studying to become a pastor in the United Methodist Church. In college he studied studio art and world religions at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. Ben has displayed his art in solo and group shows at churches and universities across the country. His preferred medium include pottery, oil painting, and charcoal drawing. To see some of his art visit www.benjaminsloan.weebly.com.

Art Class:

Dates: July 12th-August 9th
Time: Tuesdays 5-6:30pm
Cost: $40 includes supplies

“We live within the process of creation just as much as it exists within us.” - Shaun McNiff -

This class will look at what we have to say in the world and how to convey that voice through visual form. Art has the capacity to create a space where we can find and use our own voice as well as engage those of others. We will explore these voices through various mediums and experimentation with our unique styles of visual communication. No expertise is needed. In fact, expertise is probably best left at the door along with any notion of how art should look.

Emily’s love of art started with summer visits to her beautiful Grammie where no trip was complete without an artsy or crafty project. Since then, she’s been hooked to creating for the purpose of community and self-expression. Her favorite mediums are painting with acrylics and enamels, drawing with pens, pencils and charcoals, photography and digital manipulation of old photographs. Themes that are typically found in her work are memory, absence, presence, process, connection and creation. Emily finds the commonly held notion that art is for those who understand it and/or those who are told that they are ‘good’ at it endlessly frustrating. She’s not quite sure what it even means to ‘understand’ art or to be ‘good’ at it. Emily firmly believes that living is an act of creativity and that if anyone has ever told you that you are not good at art, that person has been misinformed.

Yoga Class:
Dates: July 2, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6th.
Time: 9am Saturdays
Cost: $75

Class Bio:
Post-natal yoga for Mommy and Babies.A class that helps a new mother relax, stretchand spend special bonding time w/ her newborn. Class focuses onrebuilding mothers strength as well as helping her find breathing techniques to help w/ stress and lack of sleep. Baby must be at least 6 weeks old and mother must have doctors approval to begin yoga practice. Yoga mat and blanket for baby to lieon is needed.Mothers should feel comfortable stopping to nurse,bottle feed, or change diaper whenever needed.

Personal Bio: Monica Zoll
I started my yoga practice when I first moved to NY in 1997. Along with yoga I also was active in spin classes, weight training, and running. In 2002, I married and moved back to my hometown area of Maryland and began to work as a Montessori Teacher in a Charter School in DC. I used my yoga practice with the children in the classroom, as well as contined my personal practice. During my first pregnancy in 2005, I used yoga to help throughout the pregnancy and once my daughter Isabella was born, we took the post-natal "Mommy and Me" classes together. I also became certified in children's yoga through YogaTales and worked with 3-6 year olds. During my second pregnancy with my son Miles, I was certified through YogaFit for pre-natal yoga. Again, yoga helped me through my second pregnancy and during recovery. My children love watching and participating in yoga, it's a wonderful gift to give yourself and your children.

Dance Class:
Dates: 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27
Time: 4:30-5:30pm Wednesdays
Cost: $30

Class Description:

Dance & Spirituality
This class is for those who would like to explore dance and for those who would like to explore spirituality. This four week class will be a mix of both of these topics and will introduce different dance genres, ideas on how to use dance to explore your spiritual life, practices for movement-meditation and prayer, not to mention fellowship and lots of fun! You do not have to have ever taken a dance class or a bible study before to take this course. All are welcome! The class will meet from 4:30-5:30 on the Wednesdays in July. Please contact Jennie Murray with any questions you might have.

Jennie Murray is a three-year resident of the District and has been exploring dance for the last 25 years. She is currently working on her MDIV from Wesley Theological Seminary, where she dances with the Wesley Dancers, and is very interested in exploring the ways in which dance can and has been used to explore and teach us about life and our relationship with God. She currently works for Catholic Charities, assisting recent refugees, and attends Mt. Vernon Place UMC in Chinatown. Jennie currently lives with her partner, Max, and dog Sammie in Adam's Morgan.

A Theology of Picnics!

Gathering around the table, whether it be the communion table or the dinner table, is one of the most powerful things that we do in the church. When we have table fellowship, we begin to see one another for real. We receive grace that transforms us and sustains us. We break bread with one another so that we might establish authentic relationships, and thus, hopefully open ourselves to an intricately woven, diverse community.

As we live into the series on community that we are exploring, I want to suggest that one of the things we are called together to do is to eat. We are called together to eat the bread of life in Holy Communion, and we are called to form dynamic and life giving relationships around the dinner table. This week at Crossroads, we have a powerful (and fun) opportunity to continue our exploration of community around the table. We will gather around the communion table during worship, but afterwards we will take our community to Guy Mason Park to gather around the picnic table!

At Crossroads, we know that God moves in our worship, in Holy Communion, in our music, through our prayer stations...we also acknowledge that God moves in our eating and playing together.

Eating and playing aren’t the only goals, though. We do hope that we can connect with and get to know our neighbors around the church and in Glover Park. This isn’t a time for scary evangelism techniques (no Bible beating), but rather, it is a time when we seek to genuinely get to know people who may come to the park, and who may join us for food. We should certainly share about our church if they ask, but we want folks to know that we care about who they are. We want to first be a neighbor who shows compassion, justice and mercy. We want to show that God is at work in our midst in our worship, service to others, and play! This theology of picnics will be on full display this Sunday, June 12 after worship.

You are invited and encouraged to help us out! We need folks to bring chips or drink (or both), and we need some folks who are willing to help set up. Also, I encourage you to invite someone to come with you. There will be plenty of food!

Please dress very casual as we will be in the heat!

Worship begins at 5 PM (Pentecost!) and the picnic will begin at approximately 6:15 PM!

I can’t wait to see what God is up to this week at Crossroads!

Joy and Peace,

Jimmy

All Who Are Thirsty...

There is nothing I like more than a hot cup of coffee. I mean a good cup of coffee. One that has the right amount of freshly ground coffee beans with a touch of cream and just a pinch of sugar. That is one of my pleasures. If I was traveling in the wilderness, I would want my coffee. Yet, it doesn’t quench my thirst. When I am parched, I don’t reach for my cup of java in hopes of being refreshed. I reach for water…

Here we are in the season of Lent. We are, indeed, somewhat in our own wilderness. In our community, we are exploring the movement from old to new, from death to life, from thirsty to quenched. We have begun the process of learning who we are, shedding some of that, and moving to the next place of recognizing new life around us and choosing to claim that new life. As we move through this Lenten journey, I invite us to explore what we choose. When we are in need of something that delves deeper, and quenches thirst, do we still choose that which will satisfy us in the moment only to leave us wanting more later?

Last week we explored that idea that as pilgrims on a journey, we are always looking to encounter something more. Something deeper. The question is, when we find it will we choose it?

I am excited to see what God will do this week at Crossroads.

See you Sunday at 5 PM.

Joy and Peace,

Jimmy

Bridges and Bombs

I recently came across a song written by Aaron Niequist, who is a worship leader at Willow Creek Church in Chicago. The song has a catchy tune and simple lyrics. One of our singers at Crossroads chuckled a little because it reminded him of a folk song from the 60s. In a way, I guess that's right. But I think it bears singing, reflecting and listening to given what we are experiencing now. The chorus goes:

But love, love can change the world
Oh do we still believe that love
Love can change the world
Oh do we still believe that love, love
God is love, our God is love and love
can change the world.

The things that catches my attention is the line "Oh do we still believe?" That is a question for us in our Lenten journey. In a season where we are listening for God and looking for new images, we are still experiencing disaster and war. Just this week, bombs began to fly over Lybia. I am torn because it would appear the NATO forces were doing it for humanitarian reasons (to protect citizens from Ghaddafi's forces). However, where does it stop? Do the bombs keep dropping so that we rid the world of another dictator? Maybe that's the answer...maybe not. I know that good people of faith are on both sides of this issue. But, it raises a lot of questions...

Which brings me back to the song. The opening verse goes:

Bridges are more beautiful than bombs are. Bridges are more beautiful than bombs.
Listening is louder than a lecture. Listening is louder than a shout.

I like the images of bridges. They connect one thing to another. Jesus was a bridge builder between us and God. We are bridge builders between each other, and between the church and humanity. I want to invite us all this week to look for ways that we can be a bridge in someone's life. Where can we connect someone with the love of God. Through our service? Through mercy? Through our compassion? Through listening? Through giving? What will it be for us this week?

Bridges are, indeed, more beautiful than bombs are. Do we still believe that love can change the world?

Let's find out.

Joy and Peace,

Jimmy

Check out Aaron Niequist teaching this song to the folks at Willow Creek. (Be careful, you'll be singing along pretty quickly).

Encountering Something More...

Surely there is more to life than this! Earthquakes, tsunamis, the volatile stock market, job losses, radioactive scares, congressional hearings on Islam, hate speech approved, potential airstrikes in Lybia, murders, overpaid athletes being coddles, underpaid workers losing rights to bargain as a group, and kids ingesting cocaine at a local elementary school. Surely something better is hoped for. Surely something better was intended! I know that reading this list is a negative way to start the day, especially considering we will have a beautiful day here in DC. Yet, this list was pulled from the news headlines this morning. It is the very thing we would encounter when we read the newspapers or go online for news. As a people of faith, how do we respond to this. Do we respond to this?

We continue our Lenten journey this week by exploring our desire to encounter something more. To encounter something more in our personal lives, in our corporate lives as a faith community, and as a part of creation. A Jewish leader named Nicodemus went looking for something more one night. He left the safe confines of his home to travel the dark streets in search of the man with whom the Jewish leaders were not happy with. Nicodemus went looking for Jesus. His desire to encounter something more left him pondering a statement about being born again.

Our Lenten journey is about a path through the wilderness to prepare us for something else. To prepare us to be baptized or more fully live out the covenant made in our baptism. This journey often leaves us pondering statements and situations. Seeking justice and mercy even as injustice and acts of hate stare us in the face. As we continue this journey (and following up on last week) we continue to learn who we are. In that learning process, we begin to understand what drives us and what motivates us. We listen and actually hear God’s voice speaking to us to come and follow. To encounter more. Even when our own personal lives do not mirror the news headlines, we recognize that life is even more than about us. For the world to encounter something more…something different, then we must encounter something more. In order to do that, we’ve got to go looking…

Surely there is more to life than this! Let’s find out together.

I am excited about what God is doing, and I look forward to what will

happen this Sunday at 5 PM.

I hope to see you there.

Joy and Peace,

Leaving Life as We Know It...

Beloved community,

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. It’s a day that marks the beginning of the season of Lent for the Christian church. Our journey in Lent is one that is marked by the self-examination of our hearts. We take stock of what is important to us, and what our priorities are in our lives. We repent of our primarily self-centered ways, and seek to be deeper, more faithful disciples of Jesus. We prepare ourselves in hopes of being transformed.

Now, what does all of that mean? I just used a bunch of churchy words and phrases in that last paragraph. Are they important? Should we take them seriously? Well, that is a good question. We struggle with the notion of discipleship. We say we want to “transform lives,” but what does that mean? What does it look like to be “deeper, more faithful disciples of Jesus? Well, I’m not sure I know exactly, but I want to invite all of us to explore that together. One of the ways in which we figure it out is in community.

Throughout Lent, we are going to explore together the phrase, “Leaving life as we know it...” The Gospel stories throughout Lent reflect the temptation that we face, the most basic human tendency to sin, the brokenness of our world, the joy found in new life, and a call to move from one place to another (spiritually, physically, and sometimes emotionally). How does that translate to our lives? What should we do with that? What if we don’t want to move from the life as we know it?

Every times the season of Lent comes around, we find ourselves, I believe, at a crossroads. Where will I put my resources? How will I spend my time? What will I give up? What will I take on? Does it have any meaning in my life? It is my hope that we, as a community, can explore these questions and more together as we seek to be a community that “extends radical hospitality, transforms lives, and pursues justice.

I am incredibly excited to see what God is up to this week and beyond at Crossroads. I hope you are too!

See you at 5 PM this Sunday!

Jimmy

When God is Silent...

Living in a big city brings with it all sorts of noise. Fire engines and ambulances. Honking horns and helicopters. People milling about the Mall and people protesting in front of the White House. There seems to be some kind of noise all the time. Depending on where you live, it can be 24/7. We are even aware of it during our worship on Sunday evenings. In our times of silent prayer, you can dogs barking and children playing. We can hear the sirens and the honking horns that seem to break into the silence in our worship.

As we wrap up the series on prayer, we are reminded that of the contradictory nature of silence when it comes to God. In our prayers, often silence is the best way to listen for God’s still small voice. Yet, after we have prayed, often the silence can be deafening. As we wait to hear from God, the silence becomes paralyzing, lonely, and sometimes, painful. We move from listening for the still small voices to reacting to anything and everything we hear. We long to hear God, but sometimes what we get is…silence. In her book "When God is Silent," Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "God's silence is the more threatening (over God's speech), perhaps because it is the more frequently experienced of the two." Quite often people will come to a pastor not because of what God said to them last night, but most often because God is saying...nothing.

So, as we explore prayer, how do we approach this silence? What does it mean? What do we do? The Dark Night of the Soul can be unbearable, but what might God be saying when God seems to say nothing at all?

What will we do in the silence?

See you Sunday at 5 PM!

Jimmy

A Life of Prayer

This month, we are exploring our struggle with prayer. There are so many questions that surround this mysterious spiritual discipline. In the first week, we explored why we pray. First and foremost it is about relationship with the Triune God. Secondly, it provides an avenue to be transformed -- for our lives to bend towards holiness.

This week, we will explore the very practical side of prayer: how we pray. We will look at different disciplines and possibilities as we seek to be a praying community. Above all, it doesn't matter when or where, ultimately, we are invited into a relationship with God through the discipline of prayer. I invite all of us to explore this life-changing practice.

See you Sunday.

Jimmy

Martin Luther King Day of Service

Prayer, Remembrance and Service! On Martin Luther King, Jr. day, the Crossroads team led a service of prayer and remembrance followed by a day of service. Nearly 90 folks came out to work in the St. Luke's Mission Center (cleaning the homeless shelter, making sandwiches for the hypothermia shelter residents, preparing the hostel for mission groups, etc). It was a great day that began with worship, and with Mary Jean giving her testimony about attending the March on Washington in 1963. Thanks to all who came out as we seek to turn our worship into witness.

New Sermon Series: Found in Lost

Join us as we begin our January sermon series based on the theological ideas found in the popular television show, Lost. The first week, we will explore the great mystery of faith and how we are invited to embrace that mystery in the midst of many questions and doubts. Click below to watch a short video about the series.



This week: Embracing the Mystery
Rev. Jimmy Sherrod, preacher