Pastor Adam Preaches

Welcome to my preaching podcasts! My preaching is guided by the nonviolent love of God that seeks a more just and compassionate world.

In the Biblical witness, and especially through Jesus Christ, we see that God confronts the unjust powers and principalities of the world in order to bring justice and healing to our religious, political, and economic institutions.

In other words, Jesus didn’t come to save us from a violent God. He came to save us from our own violence and injustice.

This sermon series is based on Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney’s lectionary series titled A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church. You can purchase Dr. Gafney’s lectionary series of books. I have found it to be a wonderful resource for preaching, study, and spiritual depth.

While I am the Executive Director of the Raven Foundation where we seek to heal our image of God and of ourselves, I’m also the Pastor at Clackamas United Church of Christ. You can worship with us on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel at 8:30a PT and on campus at 10:30a PT.

Advent Joy as Resistance

December 16, 2024

Scripture - Isaiah 12:2-5; Luke 1:39-45 The third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Joy. There is a lot of anxiety in the world, especially during the holidays. Do we really have space in our lives for joy? There are forces in our culture that try to take ... See more

You Have Already Found Favor with God. Now What?

December 9, 2024

Scripture - Isaiah 41:17-20; Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she has found favor with God. But what did Mary do to earn this favor? The Gospels tell us nothing about what Mary did. And that's the point. Mary already had favor with God. ... See more

You Can Find a Way When There Is No Way

December 2, 2024

Scripture: Zechariah 8:3-8; Luke 1:5-15 The prophet Zechariah and the Gospel of Luke speak into a time when hope seemed to vanquish and the way forward looked impossible to find. But both assure us that we can make a way forward when there seems to be no w... See more

Christ Is Not a Christian Nationalist

November 26, 2024

Scripture: Matthew 27:27-37; John 13:34-35 Christ is a different kind of king than Christian nationalists want. He is not the king who justifies dominion and control over others. He is not the kind of king who leads to violence and war. Rather, he is the k... See more

How to Survive the Valley of the Shadows

November 18, 2024

Scripture: Psalm 23; II King 24:8-14; Luke 7:11-23 Many of us feel like we are in the valley of the shadow of death in our culture. The ancient Jews went through their own valley of the shadow when they were conquered by the Babylonians. And Jesus met a wo... See more

Revelation Part 6: God’s Protest Continues – Q&A

November 12, 2024

Scripture: John 1:5; 1 John 4:7-8; Revelation 21:1-4 In the conclusion to our Revelation series, we review the theological and political critique that Revelation aims at the Roman Empire. We make connections today to the American Empire. Then we conclude w... See more

Revelation Pt 5 – Salvation Is Radically Inclusive

November 4, 2024

Scripture: Revelation 19:19-20; Revelation 21:22-26 In the conclusion of our sermon series on Revelation, we discover that God's plan for salvation includes those we thought would always be excluded. Could it be that Revelation actually reveals God&... See more

Revelation Pt 4: How To Defeat the Dragon

October 21, 2024

Revelation 12:7-12; Revelation 13:9-10 Revelation reveals the nonviolent God of love, but also reveals evil. The dragon in Revelation 12 is Satan and the symbol of evil. The dragon is the accuser, whose accusations are based on lies. These lies are meant t... See more

Disability Theology and Awareness

October 15, 2024

Scripture: Genesis 1:27; Mark 10:17-31 October is Disability Awareness Month. In this sermon, I talk about disability theology and the church. We have come a long way when it comes to making a more just and loving world with our disabled siblings, but we s... See more

The Book of Revelation Pt 3 – The Four Horsemen of the Evil Empire

October 7, 2024

Scripture: Revelation 6:1-8; Revelation 7:9-11 Who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Do they have any relevance for us today? The Four Horsemen represented the political oppression of the Roman Empire. The horsemen symbolize violent conquest, econo... See more

Crowdsourcing the Sermon: Practices for Inner Peace

September 16, 2024

Scripture: Luke 19:41 Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, saying that it didn't know the way to peace. But do we know the way to peace? We are bombarded by images and commentary of rivalry, conflict, and violence. How do we get peace within ourselv... See more

The Book of Revelation Pt 2: Worship Is an Act of Resistance

September 9, 2024

Scripture: Revelation 4 Did you know that for the early Christians, worship was not merely a pious act of devotion? It was also a form of political resistance. Check out part 2 in this series on the Book of Revelation for more! ... See more

The Book of Revelation Is the Apocalypse

The Book of Revelation Pt 1 – This Is the Apocalypse

September 3, 2024

Scripture: 1 John 4:16b-20; Revelation 5:1-10 The Book of Revelation has been controversial from the beginning of Christian history. Many believed that it didn't belong as sacred scripture, others believed it did. In part 1 of this sermon series on Re... See more

Locusts, Bridges, and the Realm of God

August 19, 2024

Scripture: Tracks to the Waters Edge, by Olive Schreiner; Luke 3:21-22 Locusts lay down their lives to build a bridge for other locusts to pass over a river. Is there hope for humanity to lay down our lives so that all of humanity can survive and pass to ... See more

How to Overcome Toxic Masculinity with the Bible

August 12, 2024

Scripture: Ruth 2; Luke 12 From demeaning women to scapegoating immigrants, toxic masculinity is on full display in the US. Fortunately, the Christian faith has the tools to overcome toxic masculinity. We explore more in this sermon. ... See more

God and the Problem of Suffering

August 5, 2024

Scripture: Ruth 1:15-22 and Luke 18:1-8 If God is good, then why is there so much evil in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do bad things happen at all? In the book of Ruth, bad things happen to Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law. Naomi sa... See more

The Role of Women in the Early Church Will Surprise You

July 31, 2024

Scripture: Genesis 16:13-16; Romans 1:1-7 During much of church history, women have been silenced. But that wasn't the case in the beginning. Jesus advocated for women and Paul was friends with women who had leadership roles. This is all rooted in the... See more

How To Love Your Trump Supporting Neighbor

July 22, 2024

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-12; Mark 12:41-44 Ruth takes it on faith to become a stranger in a strange land. Are you feeling like a stranger in a strange land when it comes to politics? Sometimes I feel so lost when thinking about people with whom I disagree. Ruth... See more

The Cure for America’s Spiritual Sickness

July 15, 2024

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12; Matthew 25:31-46 The assassination attempt on a political candidate is another revelation of the spiritual sickness that runs throughout the United States. That sickness is the belief in violence as a way to solve our problems. C... See more

Project 2025 Is Anti-Christian and This Is Why

July 8, 2024

Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-15, John 6:14-20 Project 2025 is the right-wing conservative playbook for Republicans to take authoritarian rule in the United States. It is promoted by Christian Nationalists who want to use their version of religion to force other... See more

Open and Affirming Part 2: God’s Original Design for Marriage Is Not What You Think

June 10, 2024

Scripture Genesis 2 and Matthew 19 Many claim that God's original design for marriage was for one man and one woman. But is that true? No. The account in Genesis 2 is far more interesting and playful than marriage between one man and one woman. Listen... See more

Open and Affirming The Goodness of Creation

Open and Affirming Part 1: The Goodness of Creation

June 4, 2024

Scripture - Genesis 1; Mark 1:9-13 In this new series, we explore why our congregation is open and affirming of our LGBTQ siblings. In part 1, we explore the creation story in Genesis 1 and also Jesus' baptism and wilderness experience in Mark 1:9-13.... See more

God Is Not Offended By Your Doubts

May 28, 2024

Scripture - Hosea 11:1-4; Matthew 28:16-20 In both of our passages, people doubt in God. You might expect God to respond with judgment and threats of hell, but instead, God responds with love and care. That's because God is not offended by our doubts.... See more

Pentecost Sermon: Take a Deep Breath. It’s the Holy Spirit.

May 22, 2024

Scripture: Acts 2:1-18 There is a lot of anxiety out there. I sure have some of that anxiety. You might, too. Fortunately, the Christian tradition has a practice of breathing that is connected to the Holy Spirit. Did you know that in the Bible, the word fo... See more

Mother’s Day Sermon – The Early Church Was Open and Affirming of Our Queer Siblings

May 13, 2024

Scripture - Acts 8 Did you know that the early church was open and affirming of people who were queer? Oh yes. That's because the early church didn't reject people based on who they were. Because in this new community, we can no longer use laws t... See more

The Bread of Life and the Bread of Death

May 6, 2024

Scripture - John 6:35-40 Jesus claims to be the Bread of Life. That means that there is bread that leads to death. The dehumanizing of others is a rotten bread that destroys our souls. We are seeing this rotten bread throughout our world and our country. B... See more

Why Christians Should Care about Climate Change

April 29, 2024

Scripture: Isaiah 52:7-10 and John 4:24-29 The prophet Isaiah claims that "all the earth shall see the salvation of God." But what does that mean in the face of climate change? In this sermon, Pastor Adam talks about the dangers of climate change... See more

All You Need Is Love? Really?

April 22, 2024

Scripture: Jeremiah 7:1-7 and John 14:18-22 The prophets speak of God's justice. In fact, if we don't care for the poor, widows, orphans, and immigrants, we are worshiping false gods. Only when we care for the vulnerable are we worshiping the tr... See more

Why You Don’t Have To Fear God’s Judgment

April 15, 2024

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-3 and John 5:25-29Have you been told that God is judgmental? That God is always looking over your should and counting your sins to decide whether to condemn you to hell? God isn't like that. But God has made a judgment. It's j... See more

Easter Sermon – How to See the Resurrected Jesus

April 1, 2024

Scripture: John 20:10-18 Mary saw the resurrected Jesus through her tears. How can you see the resurrected Jesus? Check out Pastor Adam's Easter sermon for more! ... See more

God Only Rides In a Toyota Starlet

March 25, 2024

Year B, Palm SundayMatthew 21:1-11 On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What would be the equivalent today? And how is this act a subversion of Empire and political violence? Check out Pastor Adam's Palm Sunday sermon to fi... See more

God’s Original Design for Marriage Is Not What You Think

March 17, 2024

Year B, Lent IVI Kings 17:8-16 and Mark 8:1-21 Marriage and divorce have always been controversial issues. When Jesus was asked about divorce, he referred back to marriage in the creation story. But what was God's original design for marriage? And wha... See more

Managing Anxiety

March 10, 2024

Year B, Lent IVI Kings 17:8-16 and Mark 8:1-21 Are you feeling anxious these days? There are quite a few things we could be anxious about. Wars, injustices, illness, financial situations. How best can we manage all this anxiety? In this sermon, the congreg... See more

Subverting the Conquest Narrative of the Bible

March 3, 2024

Year B, Lent IIIScripture - Joshua 6:15-25 and Mark 7:24-30 The sermon reflects on the events of January 6th in Washington DC, particularly the involvement of groups like the Jericho March, who protested the 2020 election results based on claims of fraud p... See more

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