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"When the Fullness of Time Had Come" (December 31, 2023)

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Location: United Church of Hyde Park Scripture: Psalm 147:13-21 (or 13-20) and Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 Sermon title: When the Fullness of Time Had Come   Link to video on YouTube https://youtu.be/yhDeUTXSISg Link to Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nWiRxChQJMSAN43EWmM5V?si=uhvZWIHER9W30J2KpncaKg   1. Postexilic era -The context of Psalm 147 The first scripture today is from Psalm 147. This Psalm begins with “Hallelujah” and also ends with “Hallelujah.” Scholars put this psalm with other four psalm into the same collection as “hymn of praise to GOD.” These five psalms are used for daily morning service, to praise the kingship of God. From the context of Psalm 147, we can tell it was composed after the Israelites were allowed to return to their homeland, and the Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt under the permission and assistance of the Persian Empire. It’s hard to imagine what that felt like to be captured, and removed from your home, and reallocated to a foreign co
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"Be with the Lord forever" (Transgender Day of Remembrance, TDoR 2023) (November 12, 2023)

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Date: November 12, 2023 Occasion: Transgender Day of Remembrance and candle lighting service at United Church of Hyde Park Sermon title: “Be with the Lord forever” Scriptures: Amos 5:18-24, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18   0. Prayer Would you join me in the prayer after the candlelight. Our God, Our Divine, Our Creator, bless those who are in our hearts on this day of remembrance, named or unnamed - young and old, of every race, faith, and gender experience whose lives were stolen by violence. We pray in your embrace there is now comfort, there is now love, there is now peace. Bless those who survive, and continue to see a new day rise in the rays of your sun. Bless every beautiful gender of your creation. Bless us in all our different lives and experiences. We know your image is abundant and refuses any limit or constraint that says there is only one right way to be. We know in you, the possibilities are endless and each and every are holy sparks of life. (prayer by Sonny Gra
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Location: 1448 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
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"Faith that crosses beyond barriers and regulations" (August 20 2023)

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  Sermon: Faith that crosses beyond barriers and regulations Scripture: Isaiah 56:1-8 and Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 Date: August 20, 2023 Location: United Church of Hyde Park   0. opening In the past several days, the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions held their annual conference at McCormick Place in Chicago. The theme this year is “ Defending Freedom and Human Rights .” [1] There were more than 10 thousand participants representing around 200 different religions. This year is my first time to be at this gathering. Before I attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions, I always assumed the largest gathering of multiple religious people was AAR (American Academy of Religion) or SBL (Society of Biblical Literature). Apparently, I was wrong. I noticed there are so many differences among people there: their religions, skin color, cultural background, the way they worship, and food they eat, and the clothes they wear. I felt I am but a member of a larger group of r
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Location: 1448 E 53rd St, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
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