Preparing for Worship - John Kelly, pastoral resident. Between ice storms, I fit in a visit to California. Though I spent the majority of last week in Bakersfield for a wedding, I was also able to sneak down to Pasadena for a symposium hosted by my alma mater,...
Preparing for Worship - Heather Mustain. Today we sing a hymn with words written by Ken Medema. Many of you know and love Medema’s work. But for those who don’t know him, his official bio states, “For four decades, Ken Medema has inspired people through...
Preparing for Worship - LeAnn Hampton. “Words mean something,” a common phrase in our home, is usually uttered by my professional writer husband. As this sermon series began with I Corinthians 13:13, “And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the...
Preparing for Worship - Heather Mustain, associate pastor. As I walked down the chancel steps last Sunday, my jaw dropped as I wrapped my arms around my friend Patti. The last time I saw Patti, I was 5. She was my caretaker before I was old enough to go to...
Preparing for Worship - Jeff Hampton. It’s really quite remarkable: this thing we do together called church, this place we call Wilshire. For almost two years we’ve stuck together through a pandemic that has battered and shattered many organizations and institutions....
Preparing for Worship - Darren DeMent, associate pastor. Have you ever had the opportunity to observe the night sky in a dark sky preserve or registered dark sky park? I’ve been fortunate enough to have that experience a few times in my life, and it is truly...
Preparing for Worship - Brianna Childs, pastoral resident. Both our names and the meaning of our names can be such a crucial part of how we are formed throughout our lives. They become a big part of our identity, whether it be the history of a last name, the...
Preparing for Worship - Lindsay Bruehl. This is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. It is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Today I am in Sherman, Texas, preaching at Leap of Faith Church, a church Wilshire...
Preparing for Worship - Mary Kay Jackman. Today in worship we meet the Magi. To Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, the Magi in Matthew’s gospel were neither kings nor wise; they were Persian or Chaldean...
Preparing for Worship - George Mason, senior pastor. This Sunday is the Second Day of Christmas. If your mind goes straight to the song about the Twelve Days of Christmas, you know that your true love was supposed to give to you two turtle doves to go along with that...