2025 Livestream and Vespers

December 28, 2025: We are on the cusp of a New Year. What will 2026 bring for you? Where does God fit in with your plans? Let’s consider how God shapes you for the future and how you can develop faith for what is to come through hope and renewal. Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

December 24, 2025: Join us for our Christmas Eve service this evening as we celebrate the good news of Christmas with service of lessons and carols, joy, and candlelight. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

December 21, 2025: Join us this week for All Music Sunday when we’ll tell the good news of Love that comes through music, featuring the variety of music groups from St. Paul’s including our choirs, vocalists, instrumentalists, ensembles, handbells, our Open Door Band and more. Both services will take place in the sanctuary at 9:30 and 11 a.m. You won’t want to miss the message in scripture and song as we prepare our hearts for the fullness of this season!

December 14, 2025:  We often hear Jesus referred to as the “Son of God” and the “Son of Man.” Throughout the popular Christmas lullaby, What Child Is This?, however, the lyrics refer to him over and over as the “Son of Mary.” This equally powerful description points to his being reared by a woman who, upon hearing she would bear a child, said “yes” to one of the most difficult and precarious situations she could face in her day. And then she sings with joy a bold and courageous song of justice for the ages in which she envisions a new world that God is bringing to pass. She goes on to guide and help form this child who would tend to the suffering ones. How can we proclaim a deep joy “in spite of” hardship in our time? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

December 7, 2025:  In a world full of noise and commotion, God can easily get lost in the shuffle. Silence has the power to change that, as we learn from the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5-25, NLT. What does silence do for us, and how can we cultivate silence in our spiritual walk? We will explore these questions together as part of our Advent observance. Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

November 30, 2025:  The nature of humanity seems to point to the need for a “savior,” especially when we feel things are out of control. People in the time of Jesus’ birth were no different. They hoped for a new reality of communal wellbeing in the midst of corruption and violence. Peace only existed by definition of the Roman Empire. The collaboration of religious and state authorities for the sake of the rich and the demise of the poor was a hard reality for most. For what do we hope in our time that will be “good news for all  people”? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

November 23, 2025:  What’s the good word? I’ll take your word for it. I didn’t get that word. What does that word mean? These are words we use to ask someone what’s new: convey trust; ask for clarification; or speak of a missed communication. The author of the fourth Gospel offers great instruction for using the word when speaking of our faith system. Rev. Judy May preaches.

November 16, 2025:  Words matter! That’s what we’ve been learning in November. But what about “religion” and politics”? Those are two words we are told not to let creep into conversations lest they spoil good relationships. Does our faith have a voice to speak into the world around us, including the political world? How do we choose our words when these two parts of our world seem to collide? Join us this week as we discover the intersection of faith and politics. We’ll also be celebrating some amazing anniversaries as all couples are invited to renew their wedding vows during both of our services. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

November 9, 2025:  We are living in a time of great hurtfulness– selfishness, discord, anger, violence; however, there is an alternative for disciples of Jesus Christ. The way of Jesus is life-giving, offering a positive impact on your life and the world around you. We will consider what that way of Jesus is about and apply it to your life today.  Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

November 2, 2025:  The human tongue is powerful. Our words have the capacity to tear another down or to build one another up in faith and life. Who are the people whose words have breathed life into you? How might their witness inspire the words we speak into this day and time? Join us as we remember our saints and celebrate some of the life-giving words and actions that they shared with us.  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

October 26

Due to recent Facebook changes, we are changing what we post on that platform.

October 26, 2025:  At the end of the day, there is only one question that Jesus asks of Peter. In fact, it is so important that he asks Peter three times. The answer would come to define Peter and Jesus’ Church to this very day. What shall we say?  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

October 19, 2025:  On the shore, following the resurrection, Jesus established a new community as he shared breakfast with the disciples. How does Jesus continue to invite us to the table of plenty today? How do we expand the table and the invitation?   Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

October 12, 2025:  When the miraculous catch comes in, the disciples recognize Jesus. Peter runs to the shore to discover a roaring fire and breakfast ready to be served. How and when did you first see Jesus at work in your life? What made you run to the shoreline? And what did you discover on ;your journey?   Rev. Judy May preaches.

October 5, 2025:  There is nothing like the exhaustion one feels when one is fishing all night only to come up with empty nets. Do you wonder if what you’re doing makes a difference? Have you ever felt as if you’ve put your heart, soul, mind, and body into a great effort only to come up with nothing to show for it? This week, we’ll find out what happened to the disciples after a tiring, but fruitless night on the lake.   Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

September 28, 2025:  Life and racing can bring distractions along the way. What’s the finish line look like for us as Christians? How do we stay focused when our attention is divided? What’s at the heart of how we’re called to run this race? What is the prize for which we race? Is it just on the other side of eternity? How might we run in such a way that the joy of the finish might impact ourselves and the world around us here and now?   Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

September 21, 2025:  In a long race, it can sometimes feel like we’re running the course all by ourselves. We all need a pacer to run with us. Connecting with a community of faith empowers us to run harder, faster, and even longer as we realize that we’re better when we’re running together with others.  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

September 14, 2025: The Race of a Lifetime is not a sprint. Rather, it is more like a marathon. What happens when we get to 13.1 miles and we’re worn out? How do we keep pressing forward when it feels like we’ve run out of fuel? This week, we’ll discover how to take hold of what God shares with us along the journey so that we might make it through the middle miles that zap our strength.  Rev. Judy May preaches.

September 7, 2025: God invites everyone to join the journey of faith. God gives us all that we need to get a good start. How might we lace up and use the tools that God has shared to continue to grow as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

August 31, 2025: Joseph’s brothers treated him horribly. In the end, they found themselves groveling before their brother begging for mercy. Yet, Joseph had a different take on his own story. How does God turn around and redefine the stories of our own lives? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

August 24, 2025:  When you wrestle with God, you wind up with a hip out of socket. Or at least Jacob did. But he found a blessing in the wrestling match. Is it okay to wrestle with God…with faith…with questions…with doubts? Is there blessing to be discovered in our struggles? Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

August 17, 2025:  Has anyone ever stolen your blessings… your hopes…. your dreams? We know we shouldn’t even up the score, but…  Join us as we watch two brothers fight for their father’s blessing as one takes matters into his own hands and runs off. Yes, the Bible is filled with family drama. But let’s find out how it all ends and what God might have to say about it. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

August 10, 2025: “Be careful what you ask for; you may just get it!” The result in the Old Testament text from Genesis is a highly dysfunctional family system caught up in a “who’s in and who’s out” conflict. Come hear the response of God to the crisis of making poor decisions.  Rev. Judy May preaches.

August 3, 2025: Let’s take another look at Noah and the flood. How is a fallen creation cleansed and renewed? Can even God have a change of heart?  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

July 27, 2025: Come join Amy Heitman along with our children, youth, and volunteer team as we celebrate the good news that we learned at Vacation Bible School. There’s sure to be lots of movement, music, and celebration as we dive into friendship with God this week. You won’t want to miss this Sunday! VBS children will sing at the 11 a.m. service. Both services will be held in Hickey Hall.

July 20, 2025: What happens when our greatest dreams are suddenly on the altar? What is it that God asks of us when we only see one way out? Just how does God provide when it looks like our dreams have come to an end? Gabriel Ervin preaches.

July 13, 2025: The High School Youth are home from their Worktrip to Redbird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky. On Sunday, at 11 a.m. in the Sanctuary they will lead the service and share their experiences during this life-changing week. You will want to see the Worktrip Video and hear their testimonies. Worktrip team preaches.

July 6, 2025: Humans are created in God’s good image to reflect God’s goodness in the world. Yet, we are also given the choice to live into that goodness. What happens when we choose differently? Who is impacted the most? Is there a way back to the perfect life of the garden? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

June 22, 2025: You just have to love Scripture! Please come this Sunday to hear the fascinating study in decision making, loyalty, and obedience verses disobedience. The appointed Old Testament text from II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 may help us answer the question “Should I stay or should I go?” It’s the Elijah story, part two! Rev. Judy May preaches.

June 22, 2025: We all get to a point when our energy is low, our motivation is weak, and we feel like we’re running on empty. That can happen spiritually, too. What can you do about it? In this message, we will consider ways to fill your tank and grow closer to God in the process. Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

June 15, 2025: From where do you get advice? Whom do you trust for guidance when life seems overwhelming? In the Old Testament text for Trinity Sunday, we are introduced to “Wisdom”…in the Greek…”Sophia”. Chapter eight offers us her autobiography…Wisdom was at God’s side as a master worker at creation. The Gospel of John reports that Jesus was also there at the start, the one who manifests forgiveness and love. The Spirit of Wisdom, the Holy Spirit is God’s gift of guidance…a personal advice consultant. Wisdom is calling out for our attention. Can you hear her? Rev. Judy May preaches.

June 8, 2025:  Happy Birthday, Church! June 8 is Pentecost Sunday and we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit that came down on that first Pentecost celebration. In that moment, the Church was born as the disciples were empowered to transform the world. Wear something red (the color of this special day) and join us as we celebrate the first offerings towards our Transforming St. Paul’s campaign. Don’t forget to join us in the Garden of Hope for a beautiful butterfly release following each worship service.  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

June 1, 2025:  When Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples were a bit bewildered, staring at the sky. Angels appeared and told them to stop looking heaven-ward and start looking around, so they could continue Jesus’s mission and work. How can you look around and participate in what Jesus would have you to do to bear witness and serve? Let’s consider practical steps you can take to impact your life and that of others. Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

May 25, 2025:  DETOUR AHEAD! How do you respond when your carefully planned details suddenly have to be changed? Interruptions in our timelines, the expectations others have of us that must now be put on hold, perhaps a career path encounters a roadblock…detours. But are all detours bad news? This Sunday we will hear how the early church grew because of an important change of direction. Paul, Silas and Timothy had their itinerary rerouted by none other than the Holy Spirit! Do we listen for that inspiration (breath of God) when what we signed up for can’t be accomplished? What good news might emerge from the change in direction…if we follow God’s vision for us? Rev. Judy May preaches.

May 18, 2025:  This Sunday morning, eleven of our youth will be taking a big step in their faith journey as they are confirmed at our traditional service in the Sanctuary at 11 a.m. Confirmation is an exciting new beginning of our next steps in faith. As Jesus prepared his disciples for his own departure, he gave them this command, “…love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for another.” At 9:30 a.m., our children’s choir will be sharing with us at Open Door. In both services, we’re going to hear an exciting update from our Transforming St. Paul’s campaign as well. It’s certainly a Sunday of celebrations and we look forward to seeing you there. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

May 11, 2025:  The practical gospel is realized when you put Jesus’s teachings into practice, especially about helping others. In Acts 9:36-45, we find the story of Tabitha, a woman who lived the practical gospel, and Peter, who made himself available when she needed him most. Consider how this story from Acts can inform your walk with God. Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

May 4, 2025:  In the courtyard of the high priest, Peter denied ever knowing Jesus three times while the Lord was on trial before Caiphus inside the house. Following the resurrection, Peter openly professes his love for Jesus three times on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus meets him and the other disciples. Peter is transformed by grace. Even still, Jesus reminds him that to love Him means to care for and love the lambs and the sheep. That moment shapes his calling as well as our own. Join us on Commitment Sunday, May 4, as we celebrate communion with one another and offer our Transforming St. Paul’s commitments that we might restore, renew, and reach out to see ourselves and our world transformed around us. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

April 27, 2025:  On this Second Sunday of Easter the Epistle lesson comes to us from Acts, Chapter Five. Here we find those ordinary people, Peter and John, “uneducated and common men, illiterate and uneducated in the schools” according to the civil authorities of church and state, out there proclaiming the gospel. Ordinary people transformed because they had been with Jesus. Upon what is our faith founded? Is it the witness of those bold enough to stand before today’s version of “the council”? Are we the ordinary people who have become extraordinary and transformed because someone got in good trouble and shared the story of our resurrected Lord? Let’s be like Peter and John! Rev. Judy May preaches.

April 20, 2025:  Tune in to be inspired and filled with the hope that springs eternal for us as we rediscover God’s Great “I Told You So”. Don’t forget to join us in the upper parking lot off of Romeo Street for a dove release at 10:40 a.m. as we share witness to our world that “Christ is Risen, indeed!” Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

April 13, 2025:  Join us on Palm Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with a parade led by our children and a live donkey in both services of worship and an exciting Easter Egg hunt for children at 10:30 a.m. on the south lawn off the rear side of the church. In addition to a powerful display of praise and anticipation celebrating our ministries at St. Paul’s with the palm branches, cloaks on the road, and our shouts of “Hosanna,” we’ll reflect on the enduring influence of encountering Jesus and the ripple effect of our response to Him. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

April 6, 2025:  In her book, Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, Diana Butler Bass writes, “Gratitude is, however, more than just an emotion. It is also a disposition that can be chosen and cultivated, an outlook toward life that manifests itself in actions—it is an ethic.” What does the “grateful life” look like for us? How do we live out our gratitude? Join us this week as we discover how one woman expressed her gratitude and how others perceived her actions. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

March 30, 2025:  The well-known parable of the prodigal son has a lot to teach us. Consider that this is a story of two lost sons and the extreme desire of their father to find them. In the same way, God has an extreme desire to find those who are lost, struggling, hurting, and vulnerable. Can you identify with this? Are you open to letting God find you? Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

March 23, 2025:  Life throws us curve balls, doesn’t it? Towers fall, hurricanes and fires happen, tragedies strike, and we’re left asking, “Why?” Even Jesus’ listeners struggled with the age-old questions, “Why do bad things happen to seemingly good people? What did we do to deserve such punishment?”  Often we equate tragedy to retribution for our known or unknown faults and failures. Our sense of justice is clouded by our judgments against ourselves and one another. Come and discover how God’s persistent love cultivates growth, even in the most barren places. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

March 16, 2025:  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I’ve longed to gather your children like a hen, her brood safe under her wings…but you refused and turned away.” (Jesus) Now, read those words and substitute the name of where you live for Jerusalem. Why is Jesus trying to gather us close to him? Where and how are we scurrying out from under those wings and off to danger? Who are the stand-ins for the fox and hen? . Rev. Judy May preaches.

March 9, 2025:  Have you ever been in the wilderness? Are you finding yourself there now? The wilderness can be a place of isolation and vulnerability. It can also be a place of competing voices, from within and without. As our Lenten journey begins, we’ll explore how Jesus dealt with the tempter’s whispers, promising power and ease, in the wilderness. In our lives, amidst the noise of competing desires and societal pressures, how do we discern the authentic voice guiding us? Join us as we listen for God’s voice when other voices clamor to be the loudest. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

March 2, 2025:  As Peter, James, and John traveled up the Mount of Transfiguration, little did they know how differently they would see Jesus in the following moments and days. In their journey with Jesus towards the Mount of Calvary, they, too, would be transformed Between Two Mountains, in the valleys where Jesus poured out love, grace, and compassion. How might Jesus continue to fill us on the mountains and lead us in the valleys as vessels of love, grace, and compassion today? If you’re watching online this week, join us in offering your bread and juice at home as we celebrate communion together. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

February 23, 2025:  Grace is life-giving. Grace through Jesus Christ exceeds all our expectations and overcomes all our excuses. It leads to freedom and the abundant life. Consider the story of Rahab as grace became faith at work in the lives of others.  Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

February 16, 2025:  You won’t want to miss out this week as we continue our series, Redemption’s Tapestry: Woven by Women. Tamar, a woman of courage and resilience, found herself in a desperate situation with limited options. Today, we’ll explore Tamar’s story, examining her pursuit of justice in a world that often failed to protect the vulnerable. Though unconventional, we’ll discover how her actions reveal a deep longing for justice and a profound trust in God’s ability to restore even in the face of immense hardship.  Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

February 9, 2025:  THOSE women said what? To whom? Why? By what authority? Two named Hebrew women from the Exodus narrative, Shiphrah and Puah, have a great deal to teach us “moderns” about decision making, obedience, integrity and faith in God. Are we called to be heroines and heroes? To what purpose are we called? “Got Courage?”  Rev. Judy May preaches.

February 2, 2025:  Throughout February, we’ll talk about five Biblical women whose stories are less familiar to us in our new series, Redemption’s Tapestry: Woven by Women. Three of the five women are direct ancestors of Jesus. Even when their story is told, they are not always viewed favorably. Yet their story is critical to God’s redemptive work in our world. Join us this week as we hear about Bathsheba: A Story of Unexpected Grace. Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

January 26, 2025:  God is always at work in the world, but it takes people of vision to recognize it. Some people are way finders who help us sense a new calling that God has for us. When we come together around a vision of God at work, we can do great things for God. Each of us has a part to play in this as the body of Christ. So, let’s get started! Rev. Rick Kress preaches.

January 19, 2025:  In Wicked, Elphaba who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, is born into a world where she is not received. Her green skin stands out. Yet her differences cause her to see others who experience injustices around her until she finally decides that she can’t be silent anymore. Something changes within her as she begins to stand in a new understanding of her identity. Following a time of exile, Isaiah reminds the people of God of the new identity that God is bringing to them as well. The prophet says, “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her….” God’s claim on our lives as a people of faith gives us a new identity as well. How might we live into who God has created us to be? Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.

January 12, 2025:  What do Mufasa, the Lion King and the Prophet Isaiah have to tell us about our identity? To whom do we belong? Who is “in” and who is “out”? What does it mean to live in community? On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday, we are reminded of how these questions are answered in our baptismal liturgy, in Scripture, and in hymnody. As 2025 unfolds, may we refocus and renew our commitment to live the new life offered by water and the Spirit. Rev. Judy May preaches.

January 5, 2025:  Don’t forget to invite some friends over to watch “Mary” on Netflix and join us on Sunday as we reflect on the courage of a mother, father, and the magi in the face of Herod’s cruelty. With popcorn in hand, we’ll discover anew how God may be calling us to be courageous in our own day! Rev. Elbert Dulworth preaches.