Taylor Mertins

Trinity Sunday [B] – Mercy Precedes Judgment

Isaiah 6.1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8.12-17, John 3.1-17; Is it necessary for Christians to feel like strangers in a strange land? How can visitation feel like proclamation? How can we receive the keys to heaven? Is there splendor in silence? These…

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Special Announcement – What We Talk About When We Talk About God

On June 14th, 2018 the team behind Crackers & Grape Juice will be hosting a live event in Hampton, VA. We will be at Bull Island Brewing Company from 6pm – 9pm with special guests to talk about faith and theology without using stained glass language….

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Day of Pentecost [B] – Rebelling Against King Jesus

Acts 2.1-21, Psalm 104.24-35b, Romans 8.22-27, John 15.26-17, 16.4b-15; What happens when you live off the map? How can we be faithfully diverse? Is Pentecost the birthday of the church? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed…

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Easter 7B – A Better Way To Vote

Acts 1.15-17, 21-26, Psalm 1, 1 John 5.9-13, John 17.6-19; Is the church supposed to be democratic? Are there connections between finances and church leadership? How do we know what we need? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed…

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Easter 6B – BFD

Acts 10.44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5.1-6, John 15.9-17; What’s more important in the church – quantity or quality? How do we tell stories well? What is the most difficult commandment? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with…

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Easter 5B – Love Loves To Love Love

Acts 8.26-40, Psalm 22.26-40, 1 John 4.7-21, John 15.1-8; What should you do when there’s an interruption in worship? What’s the best model for evangelism? Is there a difference between the personal Jesus and the cosmic Jesus? Can the church grow by…

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Easter 4B – You Are NOT The Good Shepherd

Acts 4.5-12, Psalm 23, 1 John 3.16-24, John 10.11-18; Can anything good come out of Twitter? What are we supposed to do with stained glass language? Is it possible to have love without sacrifice? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely…

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Easter 3B – Don’t Make Jesus Hangry

Acts 3.12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3.1-7, Luke 24.36b-48; Should we read/preach beyond, or before, the lectionary texts? How was Jesus both elected and rejected? Is the gospel immoral? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed with guest…

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Easter 2B – Witnessing By Listening

Acts 4.32-35, Psalm 133, 1 John 1.1-2.2, John 20.19-31; What’s the difference between unity and uniformity? Do we rely too heavily on statistics? What does resurrection breath smell like? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely Warmed…

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Resurrection of the Lord [Year B] – Jesus Is Back, Jack

Isaiah 25.1-9, Psalm 118.1-2, 14-24, 1 Corinthians 15.1-11, Mark 16.1-8; Is resurrection synonymous with celebrating the spring? What should be preached on Easter Sunday? How does God show up? These questions and more on this episode of Strangely…

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