What does biblical manhood actually look like? Spoiler: it's not what you've been told. This sermon explores the story of Joseph—a carpenter who had every reason to walk away from Mary's inexplicable pregnancy but chose something more difficult: solidarity, humility, and embracing mystery over control. Pastor Tonetta draws from the metaphor of a Korean spa scrub to explore what we need to shed during Advent: patriarchy disguised as righteousness, charity that keeps us comfortable instead of solidarity that costs us something, and the false hope of optimism that crumbles when things go sideways. Joseph's power wasn't in control—it was in his subversive tenderness and willingness to not be the main character. If you're exhausted by shallow positivity and wondering what real hope looks like when the world feels dark, this is for you. Includes questions to sit with whether you hold privilege or need to ask for more support.  

Not all fear is the same. Some fear protects you from real danger—and if you've experienced religious trauma or spiritual abuse, those fears are legitimate. But other fear is trickier: it's the voice telling you you're not capable, not worthy, that you can't trust yourself. This sermon explores how to tell the difference between protective fear and the fear of inadequacy that keeps you small.   Drawing on the stories of Mary and Jeremiah—both of whom faced genuine, life-threatening risks—Antonio offers a framework that doesn't gaslight you about danger but also doesn't let fear of your own potential win. The goal isn't moving forward fearlessly, but faithfully. Baby steps count. And yes, you can say yes while still trembling.

What do you do when giving up feels simpler than keeping going? When even the people you admire most are questioning whether any of this matters? This sermon explores why despair can feel like a guilty pleasure—offering a horrifying kind of consistency in chaotic times—and why that simplicity is ultimately a lie. Drawing on the story of John the Baptist questioning Jesus from prison, this message wrestles with what hope looks like when you're running on empty. The answer isn't about manufacturing optimism or pretending things are fine. It's about learning to see the quiet, unspectacular work of repair that's already happening around you—the food pantries, the phone calls, the people showing up exhausted but still showing up. You don't have to see the finish line to run the race. Your small, faithful acts of repair matter even if you never see them bloom. This week, do one thing without needing to know if it will work.

What do you do when you've buried your hopes because holding onto them hurt too much? When the world feels so dark that giving up seems like the only way to survive the next day? This Advent sermon explores an uncomfortable truth: hope isn't always comforting—sometimes it's terrifying. Drawing from an ancient poet writing amid literal apocalypse and a couple who'd long given up on their dream, this message wrestles with two competing realities. Sometimes our circumstances don't change the way we want, but hope can still emerge in unexpected ways. Other times, hope breaks through demanding we seize it—but fear keeps us from reaching out. Whether you're facing political despair, personal disappointments, or just trying to figure out how to keep going, this sermon offers a framework for distinguishing between what we can change and what we can't—and why showing up matters either way.

What if the book of Revelation isn't about escaping the world, but about resisting it? Drawing from visits to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing site and a memorial to lynching victims, this sermon reframes Revelation's final vision as a manual for living under empire—any empire that crushes human flourishing. The ancient text offers more than comfort for the afterlife. It presents a choice: whose reality will you live inside? The sermon traces how even kings who warred against God appear at the gates of the New Jerusalem, suggesting something provocative about reconciliation, boundaries, and the possibility of transformation. You'll encounter the phrase "making all things new, not making all new things" and consider what it means to practice hope when hopelessness feels easier. Discover why Revelation might be less about predicting the future and more about performing resistance in the present.

For centuries, Western Christianity has taught that hell means eternal conscious torment—but what if that's based on a mistranslation? This sermon digs into the Greek text of Revelation 20, the "millennium debate," and why early church theologians read the "lake of fire" as refining transformation rather than endless punishment. Drawing on scholarship about the word aion (age, not eternity) and the character of a God whose "mercy endures forever," this message offers a different framework: one where death itself dies, where the fire is surgical rather than sadistic, and where justice work—though painful—becomes participation in resurrection. Especially relevant for anyone processing church hurt, questioning traditional theology, or wondering what it means to work for justice when systems feel immovable. Also includes honest reflection on loss, community endings, and what happens when good things die.

We've been told Revelation is about predicting the future or achieving the right political outcomes. But what if it's actually about something we can't control or engineer ourselves? This sermon explores how the Bible's most misunderstood book challenges both religious conservatives and progressive activists to reconsider what liberation actually means. Drawing on imagery of empire's collapse and unexpected visions of hope, this talk argues that treating faith as either a political platform or an intellectual puzzle drains our capacity to act. Instead, Revelation calls us to something bigger: receiving what we cannot explain, resisting what we cannot ignore, and enduring when logic fails. If you've ever felt exhausted by trying to figure everything out or felt your doubts piling up despite all the books you've read, this perspective on salvation as "spaciousness" rather than certainty might reframe everything.

What do you do with biblical texts that depict God pouring out bowls of cosmic destruction? For those of us who believe in a nonviolent, loving God, passages like Revelation 15-16 create serious problems. They've been used to terrorize people and justify violence for centuries. This sermon offers a different way forward. By understanding apocalyptic literature as symbolic resistance writing from the powerless, and by reading through three theological frameworks—universalism, pacifism, and open theology—we discover something surprising: even here, the text itself points toward universal reconciliation rather than eternal punishment. The sermon explores how God's wrath might be less about cosmic revenge and more about love fiercely opposing what harms creation. If you've ever struggled with violent biblical imagery, wondered how justice and mercy fit together, or wanted to resist oppressive systems while still holding onto hope, this conversation is for you. Includes a bonus Andor reference about resisting empire.

Why does doing the right thing seem to cost everything while everyone else appears to be thriving? And when resistance feels futile, is conformity really that bad? Using Revelation 13's symbolism of beasts and marks, this sermon cuts through religious jargon to expose how state power and propaganda work together to make injustice feel inevitable. It's raw, vulnerable, and honest about the real costs of standing firm—including a church losing its home and a queer preacher wrestling with the temptation of closeted safety. You'll walk away understanding that you're not fighting individuals but systems, and that endurance means actively resisting with others, not suffering alone.

We all participate in systems that harm people—it's nearly impossible not to. Your credit card, your phone, your morning coffee: all connected to exploitation somewhere down the line. So what do we do when opting out isn't really an option, but going along feels like giving up everything we stand for? This talk digs into why resistance always comes with a price tag—lost security, financial strain, real consequences—while compliance costs something harder to measure: your sense of who you are. Drawing on MLK's final speech and current struggles for justice from Gaza to the U.S., it asks the question: what will happen to your neighbor if you don't stand up? If you've ever felt stuck between doing what's right and doing what's safe, or wondered how to keep going when the systems seem too big to fight, this one's for you.

Ever wonder why the Bible ends with dragons, cosmic battles, and a woman giving birth in space? Turns out, Revelation 12 isn't trying to predict the future or scare you—it's doing something far more interesting. This passage takes everything the Bible has been saying about good, evil, death, and resurrection and cranks it up to high definition. Drawing on Eugene Peterson's insight that Revelation is meant to "revive our imagination" rather than give us new information, this sermon explores how ancient apocalyptic imagery speaks directly to our current moment of chaos and uncertainty. Whether you're familiar with the book of Revelation or have always found it confusing, you'll walk away with a fresh perspective on why these strange, vivid stories might be exactly what we need right now.

What does it mean to witness suffering without becoming bitter or indifferent? Can you stare directly at systemic injustice and still believe in life?   Using Assata Shakur's poem "Affirmation" and readings from Revelation 6-8, this sermon reframes ancient apocalyptic literature as a survival guide for communities under oppression. The Four Horsemen aren't about end-times predictions—they're about naming the root causes of violence, inequality, and death that plague us today. Through Indigenous interpretations of judgment as restorative rather than punitive, and examples from movements for justice, it offers a framework for maintaining hope while doing the hard work of resistance. Because hopeful witnesses don't ignore the riders of death—they call them out while planting seeds anyway.

Ever wonder why the Bible is so hard to understand? It's not just because it's old—it's because we're missing the cultural references. Just like future generations won't get "boots with the fur" or calling 411 for information, we're 2,000 years removed from the world that wrote Revelation. This talk explores the throne room vision in Revelation 4-5 and its central image: a lion that's actually a lamb. It's the key to understanding the whole book—and it completely redefines what power and victory look like. Instead of a warrior God coming back for revenge, we see sacrificial love as the ultimate form of strength. This matters because what we worship shapes how we see justice, community, and ourselves. For anyone deconstructing harmful theology or wondering if worship can be meaningful without manipulation, this offers a different way forward—one where you can question everything and still choose to pay attention to what matters.

The U.S. government recently issued a directive targeting groups that show "anti-American" or "anti-capitalist" tendencies. Early Christians faced eerily similar accusations: they were called atheists, conspirators, and haters of humanity. This sermon explores how the book of Revelation wasn't written as a prophecy decoder ring—it was a survival manual for communities resisting empire. But there's a twist. After unpacking how to read Revelation as a guide for dissident discipleship, Pastor Anthony turns the mirror on progressive faith communities themselves. What happens when deconstruction—necessary as it was—becomes a wall that keeps out not just toxic religion, but genuine encounter with the sacred? Can you be both critically thinking and spiritually surrendered? Includes a powerful testimony about kidney transplants, monuments to God's faithfulness, and why hope isn't magic—it's work. For anyone who's left the church but still wonders if there's something worth rebuilding.

How do you resist injustice without becoming what you despise? In times when hope feels scarce and violence seems to win, many of us struggle with what we're supposed to feel—and how we're supposed to respond. This sermon tackles those uncomfortable tensions head-on. Rather than treating Revelation as a roadmap to the end times, this message reframes the ancient text as a guide for "dissident discipleship"—living with integrity when the world around you demands compromise. You'll discover why the center of Revelation isn't the four horsemen or 666, but something far more relevant to our current moment. Whether you're wrestling with recent events, questioning how to maintain hope, or wondering how faith intersects with resistance, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on an often-misunderstood text. No religious background required—just bring your questions about how to live well in turbulent times.

How do you stand up to injustice without letting anger consume you? How do you fight systems of oppression without becoming the very thing you oppose? These questions feel especially urgent right now, as many of us wrestle with complex emotions about violence, justice, and what it actually means to create change. This talk explores the Book of Revelation not as a cryptic prediction about the end times, but as a practical guide for "dissident discipleship" — learning to resist empire while staying grounded in what gives life rather than death. Drawing on the image of Jesus as "the Lion who is really a slain Lamb," we'll examine what it looks like to wield power through vulnerability and maintain hope without naive optimism. Whether you're familiar with religious texts or not, you'll walk away with concrete insights about navigating resistance, processing difficult emotions, and staying human in dehumanizing times.

Many of us carry shame about our faith - shame about questions we've asked, people we've hurt, or feeling like we don't fit the "good Christian" mold. This honest reflection explores how religious shame can poison our relationship with spirituality and keep us from authentic community. Drawing from a summer of solitude and the apostle Paul's bold declaration "I am not ashamed of the gospel," this message distinguishes between life-giving faith and the harmful interpretations that wound people. Through vulnerable storytelling and practical wisdom, it offers a path toward shame resilience and deeper authenticity. Whether you're wrestling with religious trauma, feeling like an imposter in your calling, or simply trying to separate genuine faith from toxic messaging, this conversation provides tools for healing and two essential questions for personal reflection.

Ever feel like you're the only one who cares? Like you have to fix every injustice or no one will? Many of us cycle between doing too much, burning out, then either withdrawing completely or blaming others for not stepping up. This pattern destroys both activists and movements. Drawing from the ancient story of prophet Elijah's breakdown and recovery, Daniel explores how sustainable resistance requires intentional rest. He weaves together current events, Palestinian concepts of steadfast resistance, and practical psychology to show why caring for yourself isn't selfish—it's strategic. Whether you're overwhelmed by news cycles, exhausted from volunteering, or struggling to balance self-care with showing up for others, this offers a framework for staying engaged without losing yourself in the process.

We all hit walls—whether it's career ambitions that feel out of reach, relationships that drain us, or dreams that seem impossible. But what if the problem isn't your limitations? What if you're just misreading the signals? Trevor shares a fresh perspective on personal boundaries, offering practical tools to distinguish between obstacles worth pushing through and limits worth accepting. Through relatable stories (including one about spectacularly breaking expensive furniture), he explores how understanding your constraints can actually expand your possibilities and lead you toward what you actually need.   You'll walk away with specific techniques for self-assessment, including the three-circle test, energy audits, and how to listen to your body's wisdom. Perfect for anyone tired of fighting the wrong battles and ready to work with their authentic self instead of against it.

Do you exhaust yourself trying to fix everyone around you? Civil rights lawyer and pastor Antonio explores why our need to be everyone's savior leads to anxiety, burnout, and resentment. Whether you're supporting struggling friends, fighting for social justice, or caring for family members, the pressure to solve every problem can be overwhelming. Drawing from the example of John the Baptist, Antonio reveals how embracing your human limitations isn't selfish—it's essential. He shares practical insights on setting boundaries that actually make you more effective at helping others, not less. Learn the difference between being a supportive person and being someone's unofficial therapist, and discover how acknowledging what you can't control creates space for real solutions. If you're tired of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on sustainable caring that protects your mental health while still showing up for the people and causes you love.