Advent 2023

Tim Kim ·

Making the House Ready for the Lord by Mary Oliver

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice — it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances — but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord; you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

Remake Believe: 95 (New) Theses Campaign

Tim Kim ·

It's no secret that things are awry in the capital C church. Division, discrimination, deception, death-dealing doctrines, and dire boredom seem to rule the day. Perhaps that's why many of us ended up here at R+B: a little church trying to figure out how to remake belief. We wanted to find (or build) something a bit more wild and alive, and a lot more loving. 

Collectively, we've been at it for a while now. We've learned a lot and yet we know our work is not nearly done. We have our own unlearning, listening, and growing to do. Remaking belief is a lifelong journey - beckoning us beyond what we know. 

This Sunday we are going to recommit to this remaking believe stuff in a fresh way. We’re launching our 95 (New) Theses campaign! A way for us to share our deepest dreams and biggest imaginings for a better church (and world) with one another and to hear from people beyond this community about what they yearn for as well.

Scripture: Luke 13:10-17

Worksheet: https://www.rootandbranchchurch.org/rmb-worksheet

Remake Believe Board: Community Vision Board

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Values, Sabbatical, Dreaming Accountability

Tim Kim ·

If you haven't heard, Tim will be going on sabbatical starting in July and we’ve been doing Mission, Vision, Values work as a team. Join us as we wrap up the last couple months of conversation around our community values: invitation, contemplation, and co-creation. If you were at our All Together Meeting, we talked about them being the values that have risen to the surface over years of conversation and practice. And now that we've laid them on the table, what's next?

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Music

Lent Playlist

Tim Kim ·

Each day of lent, we’re updating a playlist with songs related to themes of mortality, sin, repentance, transformation, etc. Songs will range from hymns to post-rock instrumentals to 70s folk. Follow the playlist on your preferred platform today and tune in each day for a new song.

Apple Music | Spotify | Youtube

Sermons

Pandemic and Protest - Sin

Tim Kim ·

As we try to navigate a time of real upheaval, it is worth wondering what the spiritual dimensions of all this might be. We ask such a question not just because we are a church community, but because the diagnosis and cure for all that a pandemic and racism bring to the surface must also speak to the deeper truths of our humanity.

For our first sermon, Virginia explores racism through the framework of sin.

Listen On:
Apple Podcasts
Podbean

Prayer Pod

Prayer Pod Ep. 2

Tim Kim ·

Prayer Pod is a short, guided prayer session of meditative practice, poetry, and music. Prayer can be hard! We hope this makes it a little more accessible and immersive. As our country reckons with its deeply embedded history of racism and violence, this episode reflects on lament and confession.

Put on some headphones (this episode in particular will sound weird without them!) and give it a listen. 

Episode 2
Poem: Untitled by James Baldwin, A Memory by Saeed Jones
Music: Original
Podbean
Apple Podcasts

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