Episodes
-
08 Nov 2026 | Faith at Work: Career vs. Calling
As we continue our series on the intersection of faith and work, this week we will explore what it means to have a calling, and how this connects to but […]
-
01 Nov 2026 | Faith at Work: Humans In the World
We open our new series on how faith insects with our work in the world by framing how the Bible views the role of humans in the world. Learn more […]
-
25 Oct 2026 | Rooted and Expansive: The Legacy of Huldah
Using the story of Huldah in 2 Kings 22, we explore themes of connection, honesty, long-term relationships, generational diversity, and the faithfulness of those who came before us. Learn more […]
-
18 Oct 2026 | Rooted and Expansive: A Spirit-Filled Community
What, or who, is the Holy Spirit? In the Bible, we find numerous stories of people who are said to have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Through the power […]
-
11 Oct 2026 | Rooted & Expansive: Solus Jesus
In this sermon we explore what we mean by “Solus Jesus” in this long conversation we’ve inherited in the Christian tradition. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]
-
04 Oct 2026 | Rooted and Expansive: Following the Jesus Way
This week we explore what it means to follow Jesus by looking at the story of the twelve disciples. Who were these people Jesus chose to follow him? What did […]
-
27 Sep 2026 | Rooted & Expansive: Treasures Old and New
We use the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus’ image of the treasury to help us find tools for reconstructing our faith, so that we’re both deeply rooted in The Way of Jesus […]
-
20 Sep 2026 | Grace Upon Grace: Grace Covers a Multitude
Using the story of Paul’s relationship with John Mark, we talk about how grace allows us to hold one another’s stories and offenses with a little more openness. Learn more […]
-
13 Sep 2026 | Grace Upon Grace: Grace Steadies Us
The peace that passes understanding doesn’t ask us to minimize our grief, or our fear, or our anger, or the difficulty of what we’re carrying at any given time. What […]
-
06 Sep 2026 | Grace Upon Grace: Grace Flows Through Us
Throughout Paul’s letters, he talks again and again about grace. It is the heart of his message. But what does grace look like for Christians living in ancient Rome, where […]
-
30 Aug 2026 | Grace Upon Grace: It Is Enough
NOTE: audio quality is degraded; a full transcript is included, below. Using the story of Saul-turned-Paul, we start to unpack the beautiful concept of grace. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]
-
23 Aug 2026 | Going Meta: Confession and Communion
Since the earliest days of the Christian movement, Jesus’ followers have gathered together around scripture, song, and sacrament. While worship services vary in style and content, the practices of confession […]
-
16 Aug 2026 | Going Meta: Why We Sing
Every Sunday we sing words that come from different centuries and cultures and theological traditions. We sing the experiences of people beside us and people who died long before us. We […]
-
09 Aug 2026 | Going Meta: The Sunday Liturgy
We talk about the form and structure of our Sunday morning service to give us a better framework for why and how we worship the way we do. Learn more […]
-
26 Jul 2026 | Nothing Can Separate Us
Congregant Bruce Umpstead shares about how he came to a more inclusive faith, and the meaning he’s found in practices like Lectio Divina. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. […]
-
19 Jul 2026 | Song of Songs: God Is Love
We inhabit a world filled with love and with possibilities for love: opportunities to meet one another with freedom and presence, to take one another’s joys and sufferings seriously, and […]
-
12 Jul 2026 | Song of Songs: Beauty Will Save the World
As we continue our sermon series on the Song of Songs, we will be considering the importance of beauty, how beauty leads us to wisdom and love, and how it […]
-
28 Jun 2026 | Song of Songs: Seasons of Love
To love creation is to recognize that the earth isn’t merely the stage on which our lives unfold but it’s a living community to which we belong. In order to […]
-
21 Jun 2026 | Song of Songs: Flora & Fauna
This week we open a new sermon series where we’re looking at the Song of Songs through an ecological lens to discover what it might have to say to us […]
-
07 Jun 2026 | Pray & Act: A Gift of Leadership
Leadership is the Spirit-given work of helping a community live into its calling. Pastor Emily weaves in the voices of several people with a leadership gift to highlight some godly […]
-
31 May 2026 | Pray & Act: A Gift of Faith
The gift of faith is the Spirit-given ability to trust deeply in God’s presence and goodness, especially when circumstances make that trust difficult. We talk about how people with this gift […]
-
24 May 2026 | Pray & Act: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a central theme in the book of Acts. As followers of Jesus were busy debating who could be baptized into the community of […]
-
17 May 2026 | Pray & Act: Prophecy and Discernment of Spirits
We talk about what prophecy and discernment look like in practical terms, and how they work together to encourage us and provide wisdom. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]
-
10 May 2026 | The Quirkiest Gift—And the No-Nonsense God it Signifies
Sister Elena Guerra, Pope Leo XIII, Agnes Ozman, William Seymour, and Lucy Fallows: The Story Behind the re-emergence of the Spirit’s quirkiest gift. (And a bonus: what Pope Leo XIV […]
-
03 May 2026 | Pray & Act: The Ministry of Healing
The Bible is full of stories about healing, especially the Gospels. For this reason, the expectation of divine healing has been a normal part of the church’s life. In this […]
-
26 Apr 2026 | Pray & Act: Hospitality & Generosity
Looking at the Book of Acts and the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke, we talk about how the gifts of hospitality and generosity can be seen […]
-
Apr 19 2026 | Pray & Act: Holy Fire
We’re starting a new sermon series this morning on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We talk about how the stories between Easter and Pentecost point to a God whose Spirit […]
-
12 Apr 2026 | Faith Comes Softly
We talk about the Road to Emmaus, and the invitation is to keep walking on a journey of faith. To stay attentive. To remain open to the possibility that there is more happening […]
-
05 Apr 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Resurrection Power
On this Easter Sunday, as we remember the story of Jesus’s resurrection together, it might be surprising to consider that Easter doesn’t take place outside of the wilderness. Easter happens right in the […]
-
29 Mar 20206 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Testing, Testing
Wilderness tales often include tests of character in the Bible; it’s probably clearest in Jesus’s story. In the wilderness God realized he could trust Jesus to use his authority and influence with […]
-
22 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: What’s Mine to Carry?
We look further at the story of Elijah to help us navigate questions around burnout, rejuvenation, and discerning what’s ours to carry and what’s not ours to carry. Learn more […]
-
15 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Count the Ravens
Using the story of Elijah and the ravens, we talk about how God provides for us and sustains us in the hardest times of life. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]
-
08 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: God Was in This Place
The wilderness is a common image in scripture. It signifies the places in life where God feels absent and it seems like we’re alone. The story of Jacob offers us […]
-
01 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Survival Wisdom
Using the story of Joseph we talk about hard-won survival wisdom gained in the wilderness. The boy who had big dreams becomes a man who can manage a crisis. Learn […]
-
22 Feb 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Memory
We open our new sermon series and talk about how remembering God’s faithfulness and other ways we get through hard times builds resilience. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. […]
-
15 Feb 2026 | The Cost of Discipleship: A Bonhoeffer Redux
In 1937, while leading a seminary declared illegal by the Nazis, the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote one of his most famous books: The Cost of Discipleship. In the book, […]
-
08 Feb 2026 | Gideon: Trusting God
We look at the ending of the story, focusing on some of the comic elements, and talk about how the story of Gideon is trying to teach us that friendship with God […]
-
01 Feb 2026 | Gideon: When God Waits On Us
Bishop Tim Wolfe teaches from the story of Gideon to encourage us that God can use us to change the world for the better. He highlights the verse that talks […]
-
25 Jan 2026 | God Lets Gideon Ask Questions
When it seems like everything is on fire and God has abandoned the world, Gideon’s story reminds us that we are not alone. God is with us, inviting us to […]
-
18 Jan 2026 | Gideon: Becoming God’s Friend
We open a three-part sermon series on friendship with God using the story of Gideon in Judges 6–7. Who does God say you are? What does it mean to build […]
-
11 Jan 2026 | Nuance and Compassion: The Story of Ruth
We use the story of Ruth as scaffolding for talking about care and concern for immigrants. Our message also includes a presentation by Amanda Schwartz, a staff attorney at the […]
-
04 Jan 2026 | Remembering Epiphany
The Christmas season ends on January 6th with the celebration of Epiphany. On this day we remember the story of Herod, an insecure king, who was visited by magi from […]
-
21 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Shepherd Sentinels
The night Jesus was born, some shepherds were playing a role that would have been familiar to anyone shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures—the role of the watchmen. We talk about […]
-
14 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Find Joy in the Waiting
From Board Member Lisa Ruby: Pivoting away from quiet anticipation to rejoicing and elation as we light the candle of joy. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]
-
07 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Warn the City
In the second week of Advent, as we continue our series on the legacy of the watchmen, we are invited to consider the story of Ezekiel the Prophet. Ezekiel was […]
-
30 Nov 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Wait in the Night
It’s the first week of Advent, the season when we wait in the darkness with hope that God’s presence will break through. We talk about how the watchmen of Scripture provide a […]
-
23 Nov 2025 | Thoughts on Gratitude
Using a story from the Gospel of Luke, we offer a few thoughts on gratitude this Thanksgiving week. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past […]
-
16 Nov 2025 | Sermon on the Mount: Which Story to Trust?
Today we reach the edge of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus brings everything to a choice. There are different ways to live. Which story will we trust? Which foundation […]
-
09 Nov 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Judge Not
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to judge one another and not to get caught up worrying about other people’s issues when we have plenty of […]
-
02 Nov 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Don’t Worry ’Bout a Thing
We continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount and then have a little chat about the church in lieu of our normal membership series. Learn more about […]
About this show
Weekly messages and seasonal series from Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor
Hosted by
Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor
Categories