Harvard Avenue Christian Church

Most Christians can rattle off the little phrase “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s been on enough bumper stickers that we seem to claim it. And it’s comforting when it comes to the sin that has tripped us up. It’s the sin of others that tend to make us […]

text : Mark 9: 38 – 41 // There is a growing sense that many Christians – and believers in other faith traditions – are feeling overwhelmed, sidelined, and misunderstood. It’s more than a feeling. For increasing millions of people in the wider culture, Christianity feels like a long list of rules that matter to […]

text: Luke 10: 25 – 37 // Neighbor. The very word conjures up some image for us. It may be the sweet widowed woman who lived next door during our childhood. It might be the term used when you run into someone while on vacation whom you discover is from your hometown. “Neighbor!” we say. […]

text : Proverbs 31: 1 – 9 // Like King Lemuel’s oracle gleaned from his mother’s wisdom, we all have that voice of proverbial wisdom in our lives. It might be a grandparent or the sage librarian that took us under wing. Whoever it is, theirs was likely a voice of experience that we treasured […]

text : Mark 7: 24 – 30 // Many have said that a parent is only as content as their least contented child. Something in that sentiment reminds us that we are intertwined, one to another. On this Father’s Day, we celebrate the father figures in our lives and the call for us all to […]

text: Mark 10: 17 – 22 // How far can you ride life on goodness alone? We often equate ‘good’ and ‘kind’. Lord knows the world could use all the kindness we can muster. Even so, when it comes to biblical justice, being good isn’t the sum goal of life. As the rich man approaches […]

text : Galatians 3:23-29 // Our earliest memories likely include a sense of social identity. We belong to the family. We go to that church. We play on that team.Our parent works at that factory. We begin to shape those identities without giving it too much thought. It naturally creates a sense of ‘my people’ and […]

text : Romans 10: 8 – 17 theme verse: “… how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?” (Romans 10: 15) // We all have a story to tell. We learn by hearing stories, and we teach by telling them. Our rabbi, our teacher, Jesus, was a storyteller too … why? Because storytelling […]

text : Acts 11: 1 – 18 theme verse: “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11:17) // If all of humanity is made in the image of God we must believe in […]

text : Acts 7:54 – 8:1 theme verse : “And Saul approved of their killing him.” (Acts 8:1) // No one expects to brave the wilderness without experiencing some unexpected setbacks. Many a mother has said, “There’d be days like this.” Nothing worth braving happens without some resistance. The Jesus movement ran into such resistance […]

text : Acts 5: 12 – 16 theme verse : “…they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by.” (Acts 5:15) // The disciples, getting well themselves, recovering from the heart-stopping realities of […]

text : Acts 2: 37 – 42 theme verse : “For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (Acts 2:39) // Fishing was no longer the business. If you’ve ever given up all you’ve ever known, something you […]

text : Acts 1: 12 – 17, 21 – 26 theme verse: “Then they drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1: 26) // The exhilaration of the big moment, the big season, the tragedy or the triumph always gives way to the reality that life goes on. In […]

text : John 21:15-19 theme verse: “After this, Jesus said to Peter, ‘Follow me.’” (John 21:19b) // Peter walked the peaks and valleys of that first Holy Week (without knowing we’d remember it as we do of course) and is picking up the pieces in the aftermath. Clearing his head by doing what he does […]

text : John 21 : 1 – 7 theme verse: “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.” (John 21:7) // How many times have you stood at the edge of something from which you were […]

text : 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 theme verse: “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”(1 Corinthians 1:25) // Easter on April Fool’s Day. What are the chances of that happening? Not great. Since 1700, Easter has landed on April Fools’ Day eleven times. In percentages, that’s 3.5 […]

Traditional readings from gospel texts, prayers, and choral works, marking the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Week Thursday evening worship to mark the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the giving of the new covenant in communion, and the mandate (‘mandatum’ – Maundy): “Do this in remembrance of me.” // text : John 13, selected verses preaching : Rev Courtney Richards

text : Mark 11: 1 – 11 theme verse : “If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it…’ (Mark 11:3) // Growing up in a small town, creeks were a plenty and ready playground for curious kids. Farmers on the many gravel roads also knew you often […]

text: John 12: 1 – 8 theme verse : “Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.'”(John 12:7) // “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This was the idea behind the birth of the garage sale. Beyond that simple idea, is another […]