Midrash Nyc

Historically we moved from human sacrifice to animal sacrifice to various modes of self-sacrifice. We did and still do this with the belief that by sacrificing something, God will be moved to bless or accept us. In this sermon Rev. Josh unpacks several theories held throughout Church history around the meaning of Jesus' death for Christians and the world. What if Jesus' death was simply a result of the life he lived? What if the death and resurrection of Christ is understood as a catalyst to reform society, inspiring people to follow His example and live good moral lives of love?

In this first sermon in our "Why Communion and the Cross" series, Pastor Angela explores the history behind Communion. The sermon aims to challenge and remove the barriers set by the guilt and shame culture and to replace it with Joy and Gratitude.

Easter Sunday marks the culmination of the holiest week of the Christian calendar all over the world. It is the fulfillment of prophecy where we celebrate the resurrection power of Christ Jesus. This sermon highlights the various ways Jesus reunites with his close friends after rising from the grave. It also illustrates how our 40 days of Lent and spiritual gardening has allowed new life to breakthrough in us through our union with Jesus.

In the sixth week of Lent and the start of Holy Week, Pastor Mak preaches on the story we now know as Palm Sunday. It’s the story where Jesus enters Jerusalem surrounded by a celebratory crowd claiming Jesus is King. But the entrance itself isn’t the only point. The entrance is part of this continued movement towards facing what's to come. And the week ahead isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The light is fading fast. What can we learn from anticipating Jesus’ death and resurrection?

The 5th Week of Lent highlights John 12, and a very unique experience which Jesus has in Bethany while sharing a meal with friends. This selfless act helps us consider the special ways we too can confidently give of ourselves with abandon, and exercise lavish love for ourselves which can ultimately be extended to others as we seek to build community.

A predominant religious view is that God can’t be around sin, God must separate Godself from humans' sinfulness. Its this very reasoning that led to the religious elite of Jesus' day, isolating themselves from people who they deemed sinners. However, in this sermon Rev. Josh challenges us to let go of certain views of God and cultivate a view of God that recognizes that God never distances Godself from us but we in our shame estrange and hide from God. So Did Jesus come to change God's disposition toward humans or to change humans' disposition toward God? How we answer this just might change how we love ourselves, God, and others?

Recent Bootcamper Nytasha joins us for the third week of Lent as we tackle “The Parable of the Fig Tree.“ This parable told by Jesus in Luke 13 is given as an answer to the question of cause and effect as it relates to good and evil. Follow Nytasha as she explores this concept from a different angle, Cancel Culture and our society’s insistence of giving up on those who do not bear fruit.

Rev. Venida journeys through the second week of Lent with a focus on Cultivating Meaningful Work. In the highlighted Gospel story, Jesus boldly places priority on ensuring that he was accomplishing his goals, rather than shirking back because of fear, uncertainty or distrust. Jesus’s work of love, healing and transformation can help us feel more content with ourselves, and the gifts we extend to others.

Rev. Josh started our Cultivating and Letting Go series by connecting the story of Jesus fasting and praying for forty days in the desert in order to cultivate the beginning of ministry to the value of us cultivating our spiritual lives so that we are prepared for the struggles and tribulations of our everyday life. Jesus wanders with God as a spiritual practice, thus preparing him to face trials and stay centered on his purpose. Many of us may have gotten out of the routine of spiritual practices or have baggage around being guilted to read our bible or pray. But quite frankly there is a smorgasbord of ways to connect with God and perhaps we can engage these opportunities anew.

In the final sermon of this series, Bible Say What, Pastor Mak explores the journey to finding oneself in the very text that may have once been used against us. How can someone begin to find themselves in the text if they haven't even felt permission to find themselves in the church? So many of us here have come from a background of harmful theology, myself included. Many of us have been told or taught that our very existence is shameful and unwelcome in Church. If we’ve been told we shouldn’t even be seen in a church, how on earth are we supposed get to a place of seeing ourselves in the text. If the messaging that’s been ingrained in us leaves people like us out, or worse- characterizes people like us as the villains, how are we to feel anything other than distant and resistant to opening the Bible, let alone reading it with the intention of seeing ourselves in it. It can feel incredibly daunting. It feels incredibly daunting to me. One could say this sermon topic is the “scare the you-know-what out of me”

In today’s sermon we ask questions related to the Bible, and whether it is the authority which is the word of God to be believed and obeyed; or whether its words were inspired by God; or whether it’s infallible and free from errors and untruths. There are so many different beliefs and theological perspectives, and there probably will be until the end of time.

What themes do you think can easily be missed if reading this text from a place of power and privilege? Jesus placed himself in solitary with the weak and so did Moses and the 17 prophets in the Hebrew Bible. So what happens if you don’t find yourself as weak? Might you find it difficult to see yourself in the narrative of Scripture as the one in need, being oppressed, held captive. Jesus came to give sight to the blind… perhaps this is spiritual metaphorical blindness. In this sermon you’re invited to see the text anew from the perspective of black liberation, how might this lift is a spiritual blindness to see a broader vision?

We continue this sermon series by looking at how Jesus and his disciples read the Bible. Through the framework of Rob Bell’s work, What Is the Bible?, we consider Interpretation, Incarnation and Invitation to determine how we too can be enlightened through the retelling of Scripture.

Jennifer Uriele Derenoncourt will continue with our new series, Bible Say What? and explore questions like What is the version of the Bible you want to take with you on this journey of life? What are the stories that speak to you and how do you interpret them? How do those stories align with your God?

Ever heard someone refer to the Bible as the manual or GPS for life, the magic 8 call, the rule book? Well Rev. Josh started our new series, Bible Say What? By exploring questions like: What is the Bible if not a GPS? Who wrote the Bible? Who decided what books were included? When did it come together? How and Why do we even read the Bible? Some of the responses to these questions just may surprise you…

Using the story of the Magi visit to Jesus, and the escape to Egypt, this sermon reminds us of how individually and collectively, we keep on seeking Jesus. We keep connecting with Him through worship, and through the love, joy, and goodness we share with others. It also reminds us that even in the most unlikely of circumstances, God will continue to graciously be found holding our questions, answers, and all of who we are, from generation to generation.

In two miraculous turn of events, Mary and Elizabeth, two relatives, experience a special connection through the power of a greeting and the Holy Spirit which ultimately helps us consider how we are able to see God in each other.

Have you ever experienced a shift or change in how you understood yourself, God, spirituality, the world, racism, sexism, sexuality, or perhaps your expectations for yourself vs. your family's expectations? Has it ever been difficult for certain people to trust where God is guiding you? Have they struggled to stand alongside you through every season of your life? Well in this sermon Rev. Josh RaderLee looks at similar challenges that Mary and Joseph faced as they discerned their unexpected future together. Joseph choose a better way after a divine intervention that shifted the way he saw God, himself, and his fiance. Do you or someone you know need a divine intervention to shift their or your thinking?

Pastor Venida shares what the 12 days were like after the announcement of her mother's body's transition.

Pastor Josh kicked off our advent series, “From Generation to Generation” with a kid-friendly sermonette by highlighting the generations of Jesus' ancestry from Matthew 1. In that long list of names, we remember the trauma and triumph of those who came before; each name holds a story and their story gives way to Christ’s story. What is your story? Who is part of shaping your story? And how are you loving and living to shape the next generation?