First Church Berkeley Godcast

We can sink into cynicism and despair in the face of the world’s peril or we can choose to act with hope and even joy, each of us playing a part in healing the world. Rachel Bauman suggests that we will need spiritual practices to take on this adventure.

Senior Minister Molly Baskette notices that each of the characters in the story of Moses' birth was only doing what one would expect in the situation. It was God’s weaving together of these individual actions that created the extraordinary event.

Minister of Art & Communication Phil Porter suggests that some of the characteristics of progressive Christians have may prepare them for the difficult challenge of dealing with climate change,

Guest preacher Ken Iha suggests that if we are made in God’s image, then surely the wildness of God is in us as well. That wildness includes imagination, creativity, problem-solving, wonder, awe, and delight.

How big is God? God is so big that Ze cannot be described by any single word (even a gender-neutral pronoun). Director of Youth Ministries Trust Hilton notes that every word we use for God is a metaphor, helping us to touch God’s power in different ways.

Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman explores suffering, faith, and fairness through the story of Job, a righteous man who is tested by God. By the end, we understand that the world consists of both good and evil, order and chaos, suffering and joy.

Minister of Art & Communication Phil Porter weaves together the story of Jesus temptation in the wilderness, personal tales and lessons from Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Into the Woods” to talk about challenge, danger, transformation, and resourcefulness.

Senior Minister Molly Baskette cites recent scientific work on the effects of controlled doses of psychedelics to treat some mental illness, to explore the power of awe. Awe allows us to enter into a larger awareness that expands beyond ourselves.

In the first of a sermon series called “The Wildness of God,” Senior Minister Molly Baskette explores the fragility of life and the power of God. Things get broken—we are broken. Yet God can do much with that brokenness.

Director of Youth Programs Trust Hilton and members of the senior high youth group, Winthrop, share their reflections on their recent work camp in Stockton, CA, and where they saw God in their experience.

On Pride Sunday, Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman reflects on the gifts of queer folk can “shine” when they are included in faith communities and can fully claim God’s love.

Senior Minister Molly Baskette wonders aloud whether it is as easy and exclusive as it sounds to claim Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Savior or whether salvation is for the whole world—a “package deal” in which everyone is saved.

Loi Almeron shares that our internal structure is changing day by day whether it is seen or unseen. These unseen experiences are where can put our focus, rather than on temporary externalities. In the face of the struggle, we must not lose heart.

For this all-ages service about "upstanding," Phil Porter talks about how we can stand up to those who might be threatening or challenging even in our own community, as well as the ways that we can directly address issues of racism and discrimination.

On Mental Health Sunday, Rachel Bauman shares her own story about the way mental health issues in her family affected her as she was growing up. She invokes the healing stories from scripture that show how Jesus was saw and named illness and challenge.

On this Sunday of Pentecost and the confirmation of eight youth, Senior Minister Molly Baskette reflects on how we are hearing each other and the Spirit. She imagines what claiming one’s faith as a young person in the UCC in this day and age might mean.

Guest preacher Michael Piazza notes that in the morning's scripture Jesus chooses to use the image of a mother hen as a symbol of protection, embracing and demonstrating his vulnerability.

Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman leads the congregation in a reflection on Isaiah’s call to a “new heaven and a new earth,” a hopeful cry for justice and peace for all people.

Public Theologian in Residence, Marvin K. White mines the rich topic of “love.” In his theopoetical style, he explores the generosity of God’s love, our own capability to name and claim it, and the direct connection between love and justice.

In the wake of the 2016 election, guest speaker Steve Almond wrote “Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to Our Country.” He challenges the “bad stories” that have come to shape us as a people. Can we dream up new stories?