Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor Sunday Sermons

Today, we explore two versions of Paul too often used for harm. Then, we consider some new perspectives on Paul, which can transform the meaning of his words. As he […]

Pastor Ken explores the first three books of the old testament—Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus—to highlight the foundations of harm alleviation in scripture. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we see in his teachings and actions a roadmap for how we are called to live in the world. We orient our own deep […]

The story of Palm Sunday offers an invitation to live our lives in ways that bring about peace through justice. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

As we continue our sermon series on following Jesus during a rise in Christian Nationalism, today we look at a repeating pattern: liberation movements followed by a rise in “stiff-necked” […]

We talk about the violent militancy of this white Christian nationalism and then look at Jesus for some guidance for how to relate to it. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

The best predictor that someone embraces Christian nationalism is that they also subscribe to traditional gender norms. We look at how Genesis starts out the Bible narrative with a challenge to gender hierarchy […]

We contrast how Jesus used power with the dominionist theology that’s driving part of the white Christian nationalist movement today. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

We talk about the deep story driving Christian nationalism, and touch on how that story is counter to the project to which Jesus called his followers. Learn more about Blue […]

This morning we talk about the path to healing after a loss. Healing doesn’t mean getting back to the person we were before the loss, but rather integrating the loss into […]

We talk about how our emotions often feel like they’re in chaotic disarray in the weeks and months (and sometimes years) following a loss—feeling the feelings is part of the path […]

We talk a bit about our shared human experience of grief, and how to care for each other in times of mourning. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]

We talk about God’s work in us during the cold, wintery seasons of our spiritual life using Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the sea beast.Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

Kim Robinson, Executive Vice President of The Forum for Youth Investment and the Managing Director for the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, guest preaches—incorporating some of her research to talk about […]

On Epiphany we celebrate the story of the magi. Today, we also look to the night sky in a reflective exploration of what we can learn from the moon, who […]

Pastor Emily, joined by the children of Blue Ocean, shares stories about St. Nicholas of Myra; followed by a performance by the Ypsilanti Youth Choir, led by Crystal Harding. Learn […]

Guest preacher Lisa Ruby talks about ways to actively find peace in our daily lives. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past services, learn […]

We look at Luke 2 and talk about how Simeon and Anna understood the story they were part of and the role they played in it. They stood in a […]

We finish up our series by looking at the stories of a couple of saints who embody the longing for a healthy relationship with nature and with people of other […]

We talk about the mystical stream of the faith that connects Logos and Woman Wisdom and Jesus—remembering that God transcends gender. We also touch on a couple of the icons […]

We remember these saints to remind ourselves that we don’t have to do anything extravagant to be remembered as a person who shows God’s love to the people around us—we […]

On this All Saints Sunday we’re starting a new series talking about the communion of the saints and the icons we use in our worship space. We start off by […]

In the final sermon in our membership series, we talk about the grace and inclusive welcome of the table of God. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]

We talk about how we’re compelled to walk paths of justice on our faith journeys, led by the Creator and in the company of others. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

We talk about what it means for the Creator to provide basic care, concern, and comfort to us in the midst of life’s many troubles, and how being nourished by […]

This morning we talk a bit about our values of connection and intentional community, and then three congregants share a little of their own story. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Jesus taught his disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor“ and “woe to you who are rich.” These challenge our expectations on who is truly blessed and chosen by G-d. […]

We’ve been talking about how, when religious meta-narratives undergo seismic shifts, people start to gather at the edges of faith because parts of the core don’t work for them anymore. […]

Innovation and the reimagining of Christianity is happening on the margins of our faith tradition. We chat a bit about TFAM and how our church found fellow travelers on our […]

We interact with the work of Rabbi Benay Lappe, who has a framework for what happens when the stories of our faith traditions start to unravel. It’s an invitation to […]

In a series where we’re exploring a few well-trod prayers, we look at a beloved compline prayer that offers some tools for praying before bed or during the night. Learn […]

We talk about the imagination St. Hildegard von Bingen had for how the Divine interacts with the creation, how her imagination informed the prayer she penned, and how it might […]

We give some history and context for the Sarum Prayer to better understand why we pray it together every week during our Sunday services. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Research shows that prayer and meditation are good for our brains. Today, we look at meditation and prayer as food for our mind and soul through the lens of two […]

Sheerah is a builder of cities. Her brief story is tucked away as a remnant within a book of remnants, but it’s an important one for helping some people see […]

Guest speaker Crystal Harding leads the Ypsilanti Youth Choir in a couple songs and then shares about her experience of speaking truth to power. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Guest Speaker Christian Axelgard shares a bit of his own story and why he connects with the story of Jonah. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

Ruth is a story all about deeds of loving-kindness. When we are tempted to judge others or use the Bible for harm, Ruth the “compassionate friend” teaches about the greatest […]

Pastor Emily shares a lighter sermon about why she loves Barnabas—and how his story shaped her spirituality and influenced how we do church here at Blue Ocean. Learn more about Blue […]

We draw inspiration from the story of the Exodus to talk about the importance of supporting reparations. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past […]

Churches have been part of the American myth-making machine since colonial settlers stepped foot on the continent. White theologians and pastors over the centuries created theologies justifying white supremacy. So it’s […]

We have a story in our tradition that I think can help us get at ways of talking about some ways a faith community can help diminish shame. Using the […]

We look at the psalms and how they’re meant to function in a way that shapes us, so that—when we’ve experienced trauma, suffering, grief, injustices—we can learn to articulate our pain […]

Scripture encourages us to love our neighbors, but what does that mean? Helping others and being kind creates connection, reduces loneliness, and increases happiness. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Rachel Murr, a licensed therapist, shares about resilience and creating communities that help us build it. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past services, […]

Emily and Caroline have a conversation about mental health and spiritual communities. They touch on the language we use when we speak of mental health symptoms, the overlap of spirituality […]

Faith communities can be healing communities. We start out a new sermon series by talking about the conditions we cultivate as a church to make the space emotionally safe and healthy […]

Using the story of the man who lived among the tombs in Mark 5, we talk about the perniciousness of shame and finding community healing. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]

New scholarship by Rev. Dr. Mitzi Smith suggests the possibility that both Mary and Jesus had a slave status. We use that lens to look at how Jesus may have […]

A claim of the resurrection is that we have a rabbi who is still with us, able to teach and guide us, and—as part of that leadership function—to mediate Scripture […]