First Church Berkeley Godcast

Reflecting on the themes of sleep, faith and safety in Psalm 4, Emerging Leader Kim Druziako shares her own stories of survival as she first moved to the Bay Area. After her community is evicted from a warehouse space she turns to sex work to survive.

Thomas, the twin, missed out when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room. Young Adult Minister Kit Novotny notes that even though we don’t know exactly why he wasn’t there, he had his own FOMO moment—“fear of missing out.”

On this Easter Sunday, Senior Minister Molly Baskette talks about “eukatastrophe,” the “sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears.”

On this Palm Sunday, Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman reflects on freedom. After a period of ministry on the margins and with the marginalized, Jesus was headed into Jerusalem—into the middle of things bringing God’s promise of freedom.

Young Adult Minister Kit Novotny invites us into a sense of vulnerability and trust as “fools for Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:18-21; 25) in the tradition of iconic saints and prophets who sometimes demonstrated their humility in public and theatrical acts.

Given the challenges of the last few weeks, Senior Minister Molly Baskette share that, like the punchline in an old joke, felt like a “frayed knot.” And yet she could grasp onto the ropes of faith God has thrown to her, both mystically and practically.

Beginning with a story of her own experiences giving birth, Senior Minister Molly Baskette emphasizes the importance of breathing into the moment. God does that for Joseph in a dream about the truth of Jesus’ birth.

On Advent Music Sunday, Minister of Art & Communication Phil Porter begins by imagining the first song that was ever sung. Then he explores how music moves us in so many different ways making it an important way to experience and express the holy.

Young Adult Minister Kit Novotny notes that as human beings we will fall short of the glory of God. Like other sensitive bodies, John the Baptist. can see this reality and calls his people to a new thing, immersing them in the water of the Jordan River.

Senior Minister Molly Baskette explores the apocalyptic nature of the Matthew text in which one is left and the other is taken. We are called to be even more “woke,” to put our privilege on the line and to understand that God is calling us to re-creation.

On Transgender Day of Remembrance & Visibility, First Church mourns the lives of transgender people murdered over the last year. Former Emerging Leader Sonny Graves draws on both the pain and the promise of the story of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was intrigued enough by Jesus to climb up into a tree to get a glimpse of him. Minister of Community Life Rachel Bauman notices that it was Zaccaeus’ joy at being truly seen by Jesus that led him to share his wealth.

Senior Minister Molly Baskette preaches on the story of the Pharisee who stands in the middle of the temple and prays loudly about his virtue and the tax collector who prays humbly in a corner (Luke 18:9-14).

Senior Minister Molly Baskette reflects on the ephemeral nature of our own lives and all that stands around us. She also suggests, though, that it is neither surprising nor inappropriate that we might cry out to God in sorrow and anger “How could you?”

In the wake of the fire at First Church Berkeley, Young Adult Minister Kit Novotny reflects on the experience of “awe,” a complex mix of fear and wonder, of dread and reverence.

In the wake of the September 30 fire that damaged a significant part of First Church Berkeley, Senior Minister Molly Baskette reminds the congregation that we have a “building from God not made by human hands.”