Mental Health Sunday Sermon 2023
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe preaching at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis for Mental Health Sunday.
What happened to God so loves the entirety of the cosmos (John 3:16) and all are equal before God (e.g. Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:28)?
God is never on the side of the conquerors. Everything Jesus taught indicates that God is on the side of the marginalized, the oppressed, the outcast, the ones being invaded.
How do we as followers of Jesus reclaim this command to love our enemies and treat others as we wish to be treated?
Putting on garments of beauty and God’s glory doesn’t come naturally.
Healing stories are fascinating, let alone the raising from the dead stories. Our 21st Century minds try to rationalize and minimize the power of such accounts. I know I spent years wishing I could touch Jesus garment and be healed from sickness.
Sometimes I feel like I keep saying the same things and the echoes go on and on with no one listening. It’s how I’m feeling now as I contemplate the familiar words of 1 John 4:7-8: 4:7
It’s been quite a week here in the Twin Cities, and in my life. The verdict of guilty on all three charges in the Chauvin trial shifted the mood considerably. There is now hope where there was none. However, this hope is mitigated by the killing of Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and Ma’Khia Bryant.
There is no peace here. Jesus may have breathed peace on his disciples. However, many have turned away from the peace he both breathed and embodied.
I love the story of Thomas. He wasn’t going to believe what he had not seen with his own eyes or touched with his own hands. History has labeled him “Doubting Thomas.” It’s a bit of a misnomer.