What Comes After

Jesus taught his disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor“ and “woe to you who are rich.” These challenge our expectations on who is truly blessed and chosen by G-d. […]

We’ve been talking about how, when religious meta-narratives undergo seismic shifts, people start to gather at the edges of faith because parts of the core don’t work for them anymore. […]

Innovation and the reimagining of Christianity is happening on the margins of our faith tradition. We chat a bit about TFAM and how our church found fellow travelers on our […]

We interact with the work of Rabbi Benay Lappe, who has a framework for what happens when the stories of our faith traditions start to unravel. It’s an invitation to […]

In a series where we’re exploring a few well-trod prayers, we look at a beloved compline prayer that offers some tools for praying before bed or during the night. Learn […]

We talk about the imagination St. Hildegard von Bingen had for how the Divine interacts with the creation, how her imagination informed the prayer she penned, and how it might […]

We give some history and context for the Sarum Prayer to better understand why we pray it together every week during our Sunday services. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Research shows that prayer and meditation are good for our brains. Today, we look at meditation and prayer as food for our mind and soul through the lens of two […]

Sheerah is a builder of cities. Her brief story is tucked away as a remnant within a book of remnants, but it’s an important one for helping some people see […]

Guest speaker Crystal Harding leads the Ypsilanti Youth Choir in a couple songs and then shares about her experience of speaking truth to power. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Guest Speaker Christian Axelgard shares a bit of his own story and why he connects with the story of Jonah. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find […]

Ruth is a story all about deeds of loving-kindness. When we are tempted to judge others or use the Bible for harm, Ruth the “compassionate friend” teaches about the greatest […]

Pastor Emily shares a lighter sermon about why she loves Barnabas—and how his story shaped her spirituality and influenced how we do church here at Blue Ocean. Learn more about Blue […]

We draw inspiration from the story of the Exodus to talk about the importance of supporting reparations. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past […]

Churches have been part of the American myth-making machine since colonial settlers stepped foot on the continent. White theologians and pastors over the centuries created theologies justifying white supremacy. So it’s […]

We have a story in our tradition that I think can help us get at ways of talking about some ways a faith community can help diminish shame. Using the […]

We look at the psalms and how they’re meant to function in a way that shapes us, so that—when we’ve experienced trauma, suffering, grief, injustices—we can learn to articulate our pain […]

Scripture encourages us to love our neighbors, but what does that mean? Helping others and being kind creates connection, reduces loneliness, and increases happiness. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church […]

Rachel Murr, a licensed therapist, shares about resilience and creating communities that help us build it. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past services, […]

Emily and Caroline have a conversation about mental health and spiritual communities. They touch on the language we use when we speak of mental health symptoms, the overlap of spirituality […]