Midway Christian Church Sermon Podcast

Sacred Earth, Sacred Worth (Part 6) September 24, 2023 It simply not enough to say we will love one another. We are called to practice what we preach, practice the example given to us by Our Creator which is one of surrender, of humility, of grace, and of connection.

"Healing Relationships" 1 John 4: 7-21

Sacred Earth, Sacred Worth (Part 5) September 10, 2023

There is so much hate in this world especially against people who look differently from us, think differently from us, or have different life styles than us. Too often we assume that if we all look alike, think alike, dress alike, live alike, then we will achieve peace while in reality when the Spirit calls to be one, it is calling us to unity, not uniformity. "Glorious Diversity" Genesis 11: 1-9

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Sacred Earth, Sacred Worth (Part 4) September 3, 2023

As people of faith, we are called not to look around for someone else to deal with the brokenness and hurt that fills our world but Rather as co-partners in working to bring about God’s beloved community here on Earth. We are that someone.

"Sacred Creative Vocation" Isaiah 6: 1-8

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Sacred Earth, Sacred Worth (Part 2) August 20, 2023

When we begin the work of reconciliation and healing in compassion, literally meaning “with passion”, with the energy of love, we are drawn into relationship with those around us. We begin to embrace our connections to each other, to the world around us. We begin to see others, see Creation as good, as ones which reflect the light and love of God. "Spirit of Compassion" Mark 12: 28-34 Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Sacred Earth, Sacred Worth (Part 1), August 13, 2023

The Creation story shows us a model of shared power, shared capacity, shared obligation for tending. It reminds us that “genuine interaction and interdependence are characteristics of God’s creative activity.

"Creation as Blessing" Genesis 1-2: 4

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

July 30, 2023

“Then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken and will act.” We speak about unconditional love, but do we act it? We can count on God for unconditional love for us, but we can also count of God to do the same through us.

"Dem Bones" Ezekiel 37: 1-14

Lessons from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Part 3) July 23, 2023

Because of God’s grace and love, because we have been transformed, because we know that this world does not have the last word, as disciples of Christ, we are invited, not just to have a passive faith in a deity some light years away, but to be encouraged to embody a life grounded in the promises of the resurrection, in the hope of the good news. Lessons from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Part 3) "Hope of Resurrection" Romans 6: 1-14

Lessons from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Part 2) July 16, 2023

Paul says that those who have been justified by faith have been set in right relationship with God, not because of anything we did do deserve it. But rather we are in right relationship because of who God is…a God who is slow to anger, a God who is faithful from generation to generation, a God who in steadfast in love. Lessons from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Part 2) "God's Love Poured Out" Romans 3: 28-30; 5: 1-11

Lessons from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Part 1) July 9, 2023

As people of faith, we struggle to name what the Gospel actually means. We struggle to name how it transforms our faith. And we struggle with words like salvation, especially in relation to the good news.

"Gospel as Salvation" Romans 1: 1-17 Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

The Awakened Traveler (Part 1) June 4, 2023

God intentionally led the people of Israel out of Egypt by a roundabout way, reminding us that sometimes the best part of the journey is not arriving at the destination but what we learn along the way, the people we meet, the experiences we have, the opportunities to try something new because as the people of Israel soon learn “beginning a journey involves leaving ‘home’–whether that is a physical place in order to explore another part of the world, or changing a mindset that is keeping us from expanding our spiritual capacity.” "Leaving Home" Exodus 13: 17-21

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

May 28, 2023 This is Pentecost...where the old is made new, where the celebration which honors the first fruits of the harvest takes on new meaning, where all the people of God are reminded of our connection to and for each other.

"The Day of Pentecost" Acts 2: 1-21 Scripture Reading: Pastor Rick Smith, Historic Second Christian Church, Midway KY Sermon: Rev. Heather McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

May 21, 2023

Jesus leaves his disciples with, leaves us with, this. . . a reminder that “it is in living out God’s love for the world that we have oneness with God, that we have oneness with each other.” This oneness is not uniformity. It is unity. 

"Made Your Name Known" John 17: 1-11

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

May 14, 2023

We were given the Spirit of Truth to guide us, to ground us in God’s Wisdom, and to help us find our way as we become the embodiment of God’s love as we live out the vision of God’s Beloved Community coming to fruition here on Earth.

"Spirit of Truth" John 14: 15-21

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

May 7, 2023

As people of faith, we know that we are not alone, that we are surrounded by a community of brothers and sisters who walk with us, that we have the promise that there is nothing that can ever separate us from God's love. "This is true hope, even when our hearts are troubled."

"Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled" John 14: 1-14,

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

April 30, 2023

At the Table, the disciples catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, which invites them to hear again that death does not have the last word. That in the Kingdom of God, all are seen as Beloved Children of God, that at the Table, there are no seats of power or honor, there are only opportunities for all to be embraced as equals.

"How Did We Not Know?" Luke 24: 13-35

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

April 16, 2023 - Earth Sunday

Our scripture this morning is not a typical Earth Sunday passage. Rather it is a confrontation and a conversation about the ways of world, specifically in how we care for the land and care for others in crisis.

"The Church Needs to be A Joseph" Genesis 41: 14-36

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 7) April 9, 2023

For Mark, what matters is that we have the promise that transformation, that the new life of the empty tomb, meets us in every single minute of every single day. For Mark and for us…the story is still being written. "How Do You Measure Transformation" Mark 16: 1-8

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 6) April 2, 2023

We need to hear again, that this world does not have the last word; that to know that God is still at work in our world; that for times such as these, as people of faith, we are called to preach the good news always, using words when necessary; that just when it seems hopeless, like the darkness has won, like it is all too much, the Kingdom of God will always find us.

Palm Sunday sermon Matthew 21: 1-11 ("How Do You Measure the Life of A Woman or A Man?")

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 5) March 26, 2023

Grace is often so intangible that we don’t know we need it until after we have experienced it.

"How Do You Measure Grace" John 3: 1-21

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 4) March 19, 2023

Authentic community, the Beloved Community of the the Kingdom of God is based on unity, not uniformity. "How Do You Measure Community" Matthew 18: 10-20

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 3) March 12, 2023

Everyone’s spiritual journey, everyone’s spiritual growth is different because we have had different life experiences. We are from different backgrounds. We see life differently because of these various lenses.  "How Do You Measure Spiritual Growth?" Luke 8: 4-15

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 2) March 5, 2023

“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth”. -Matthew 6: 24 "How Do You Measure Wealth?" Matthew 6: 19-21, 24

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Measure Your Life in Love (Part 1) February 26, 2023

Just as Jesus reminds his disciples, Jesus reminds us that success looks very different in the Kingdom of God. Success in the Kingdom of God looks like the selling of what you own, and giving the money to the poor; like following Jesus to the cross; like for “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.” "How Do You Measure Success?" Mark 10: 35-45

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew (Part 5) February 19, 2023

It is not enough to just hear the words of the Sermon on the Mount. As disciples of Christ, As disciples of Christ, we are called to incorporate them into our lives, to let them become a part of who we are, to let them transform us into the people God calls us and created us to be and then to follow them with all our heart, mind and soul. "What Do These Things Have in Common?" Matthew 7: 1-14, 24-29

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew (Part 4) February 12, 2023

Pondering the lilies of the field and the birds of the air "invites us to return to the miracle of the present moment, to remember amidst the everyday troubles of life that ‘there is a today; it is’ ". (Kierkegaard 2018: 76)

"Lilies of the Field" Matthew 6: 25-34

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew (Part 3) February 5, 2023

God created the light. Jesus is light in the darkness. And yet we, fragile and flawed human beings, are the light of the world. Jesus says, “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others.”

"Salt and Light" Matthew 5: 13-20

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew (Part 2) January 29, 2023

As people of faith, we have spiritualized the Beatitudes so much so that we think of them only as a way to get into Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, we should look at them as an invitation to embody these blessings in our lives as disciples of Christ so that we can “see more clearly the ways we can act to bring God’s Kingdom into people’s lives.”

"Blessed Are You" Matthew 3: 13-17

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Lessons from the Gospel of Matthew (Part 1) January 15, 2023

Jesus’ identity is confirmed….not by the crowds who like his teaching, not even by the he heals. Jesus’ identity is confirmed by the one who formed his very being, who breathed life into his bones, who created him in God’s image.

"The Beloved" Matthew 3: 13-17

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Reflecting the Sacred (Part 4) December 18, 2022

Both Isaiah and Matthew, remind us that God is with us; that God is at work in this world; that the process of healing, of wholeness, of sacred knowing is grounded in the story of love and light which has been unfolding since the beginning of time.

"Sacred Knowing" Isaiah 7: 10-16 Matthew 1: 18-25

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Reflecting the Sacred (Part 3) December 11, 2022

"Sacred Space" Isaiah 35: 1-10; Luke 1: 46b-55
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Reflecting the Sacred (Part 2) December 27, 2022

In the midst of all the noise which fills our lives, can we as people of faith still hear God’s voice speaking to us, calling to us, reminding us who we are, reminding us whose we are. Can we hear this call to reconnect in the midst of all that noise which pulls us away from the sacred in our midst?

“Sacred People” Matthew 3: 1-13; Romans 15: 4-13

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

Reflecting the Sacred (Part 1) November 27, 2022

As a community of faith, we are being invited to soften our focus on life, to blur the hard edges of our lives, to see the whole picture with our hearts, to train our hearts to love as God loves, and to look at life through the reflections of the sacred.

 “Keep Awake” Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

November 20, 2022

Jesus wants the people to understand that it would have been enough that God provided physical bread to end their hunger pains. But God did more than that. God sent the Bread of Life to the people to satisfy the people’s spiritual hunger.

"Bread of Life" John 6: 25-35

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway, KY

November 13, 2022

God never promises bad things will never happen to us. What God does promise us is that we do not have to be afraid because we know God is there with us, guiding us and leading us, God is there, surrounding us with grace. We do not have to be afraid because we know that God will always have the last word.

"Things Are About to Happen" Luke 21: 5-19
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 8) November 6, 2022

"There are times when belonging is not cemented in the lived moment of an experience but in the lively or somber retelling of the moment afterward. Which means we can transfer belonging to the next generation by welcoming them into memories that they (or we) have not lived but choose to steward”. -Cole Arthur Riley

"Memory" Deuteronomy 6: 4-9; Luke 24: 13-25

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 7) October 30, 2022

“We are a people more concerned with ruling than loving. This is a mistake that positions us in places where we are no longer close enough to another person or thing to perceive its pain or need. To be human in an aching world is to know our dignity and become people who safeguard the dignity of everything around us. To protect everything may seem like too great a call. But we will not survive without it.” -Cole Arthur Riley.

"Justice and Liberation" Amos 5: 23-24; Matthew 11: 2-30

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 6) October 23, 2022

I think we were made to be delighted in. And I think it takes just as much strength to believe someone’s joy about you as it does to muster it all on your own. -Cole Arthur Riley

"Repair and Joy" Ezra 3: 10-13; Philippians 4: 1-9,

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 4), October 9, 2022

Our faith story tells us that God makes us lie down in green pastures, that through rest and renewal we will find salvation, that sometimes when we are feeling as if we don’t have our feet underneath us the best thing we can do is go have a little snack and take a nap.

"Rest" Psalm 23: 4b-6; Luke 8: 22-25
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

World Communion Sunday Community Service, October 2, 2022.

As we find ourselves in a place where the church is more and more segregated, let us work to bring denominations together; to bring the people who follow Christ together, with the sharing of the one thing we all share in, that is Holy Communion.

"Us" 2 Timothy 1 7-9
Rev. William Hale of St. Paul AME Church, Versailles, KY
Midway Christian Church, Midway, KY

This Here Flesh (Part 3) September 18, 2022

Fear comes in many different shapes, forms and experiences. We try to stave fear off by grasping by what we control when in reality what our faith teaches us is it is not one or the other. To be human is to be vulnerable, is to know that life is uncertain, to know that God has given us promises.

"Wonder and Calling" Psalm 19; Matthew 18: 1-5
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 2) September 11, 2022

"In a Christian community everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensible link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Place and Belonging" Genesis 28 1-5; John 14 1-4
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

This Here Flesh (Part 1) September 4, 2022
This worship series is based on the book "This Here Flesh" by Cole Arthur Riley.

"If we are divided from our body, we are also divided from the body of the world-which then appears to be other than us, or separate from us, rather than the living continuum to which we belong.” – Philip Shepherd

"Body and Dignity" Genesis 1: 27-28; Hebrews 2: 5-9;14
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

"Places of Honor" Luke 14: 1, 7-14

The Kingdom of God is like a place of honor that is given to all regardless of social status, wealth, or education. The Kingdom of God is like a gift freely given. It cannot be earned. It cannot be bought. The Kingdom of God is like the first time we were all accepted for who we are, not for what we can do for others.

Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl, Midway Christian Church, Midway KY

"Set Free" Luke 13: 10-17

Sabbath is not simply about rest, although that is a huge part. Sabbath is about bringing about God’s Peaceable Kingdom here on Earth.