THE SHEMA: STRENGTH

Salt House

THE SHEMA: STRENGTH

November 17, 2024 • Deuteronomy 6:4–5

What do we do with the hate that we see in ourselves and in our wider world at any time, and especially in the aftermath of the election? Our final week with the great Hebrew prayer, the Shema, we land in the final word of our sermon studies: to love God with all our strength (Me'od).

This Sunday, Pastor Sara leads us into the surprising meaning of this word. We'll wrestle with the deep how's and why's of what it means to love our friends and our enemies in this chaotic global moment, as Jesus taught us.

REV. TERRY KYLLO

November 10, 2024 • Terry Kyllo, Ryan Marsh

Meet Reverend Terry Kyllo as he offers a particularly poignant post-election sermon this Sunday at Salt House. In his decade's-long work to counter dehumanization and encourage interfaith relationships, Rev. Kyllo realized many Christians struggled to find their “Why” for knowing and partnering with other wisdom traditions. To make interfaith work possible, the Christian majority needs to discover their own traditions calling to recognize our common humanity. He states it this way, “I was born into White Christian Supremacy. But I was not born for it. You weren’t either. The Creator has more beautiful ways for us to live and is restoring what was taken from us. Jesus invites his followers to take the long, painful, joyous, and healing journey of daily baptism to find our identity among all the Creator’s children, all made in God’s image.”

RABBI YOHANNA KINBERG

November 3, 2024 • Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg, Ryan Marsh • Deuteronomy 6:4–5

Meet Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg from Kol Ami Center for Jewish Life. Here we are learning ancient Hebrew words and studying the Shema, which happens to be the most important prayer in all of Judaism. So we thought, "Hey, we should learn from our neighborhood Rabbi!" Join us Sunday to welcome and learn from Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg for a teaching on the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) from a Jewish perspective as we continue to expand and deepen our love of God and neighbor, together.

THE SHEMA: SOUL

October 27, 2024 • Ryan Marsh • Deuteronomy 6:4–5

This Sunday is our Pumpkin Party! It's the season to have fun with fear, so that fear doesn't have fun with us. And surprise! The Shema comes to us as a fear-buster. Through God's Word spoken to us, we're given the courage to stick our neck out, loving God with all our soul (nephesh), which is pretty terrifying if you think about it. But in a complete reversal of the world's wisdom, fear of God liberates us from all other fears.