Sermons at Morehead FCC

In Becoming Neighbor: The Good Samaritan and the Call to Inclusive Community, Rev. Nancy explores Jesus’ parable (Luke 10:25-37) as a radical invitation to cross boundaries. Drawing on voices like Clarence Jordan and Miguel De La Torre, she reflects on what it means to live as neighbors in a divided world — not by defining who deserves kindness, but by becoming people of compassion, justice, and inclusive love.This episode is the third in our fall series "What Does Love Look Like Here?" on the core values of FCC Morehead. In August we're considering inclusive community—a vision of church as people of God's holy feast: breaking bread, sharing hope, and building belonging together.

When the crowd blocks the doorway in Capernaum, four friends climb up and tear open the roof to bring a man who was paralyzed to Jesus. In this sermon, Pastor Nancy reflects on that bold act of love through the lens of architect George Clarke’s BBC show, Old House New Home, where restoration means asking what to cherish, what to let go of, and what to transform.Drawing from Mark 2:1–12 and Ephesians 2:11–22, this episode explores how faith communities can become renovators of grace—unroofing barriers, widening the circle, and letting the light in.This episode is the second in our fall series on the core values of FCC Morehead. In August we're considering inclusive community—a vision of church as people of God's holy feast: breaking bread, sharing hope, and building belonging together.Breaking Open Barriers is a message about courage, creativity, and the gospel of radical inclusion—because sometimes love means taking a sledgehammer to a dividing wall.

When Jesus turns scarcity into a feast, everyone is fed—and no one forgotten. Pastor Nancy reflects on compassion, community, and the miracle of inclusion that calls us to widen the circle today.This episode launches our fall series on the core values of FCC Morehead. In August we'll consider inclusive community—a vision of church as people of God's holy feast: breaking bread, sharing hope, and building belonging together.We begin with a story found in all four gospels—the feeding of the multitude. When Jesus turns scarcity into a feast, everyone is fed, and no one forgotten. Listen as Pastor Nancy reflects on compassion, community, and the miracle of inclusion that still calls us to widen the circle today.Scripture: Isaiah 55 : 1–5  |  Matthew 14 : 13–21Reflection Questions: What fears of scarcity make it hard for us to welcome people whose stories or identities stretch us? How might abundance loosen that fear?To support this podcast and the ministries of FCC Morehead, KY, visit our website.

In this sermon, Pastor Nancy reflects on Romans 8:26‑39, in which Paul reminds us that even our groaning is holy. Through the story of a small Kansas City congregation transformed by the Spirit’s leading, she explores how struggle can become openings to new life and how communities discover they are inseparable from God’s love. It’s a meditation on prayer beyond words, hope coming alive in hard times, and the Spirit’s ongoing work of renewal in uncertain days.To support this podcast and the ministries of FCC Morehead, visit our website at fccmorehead.org/give.html

Sermon by Tom Manning-Beavin

Paul’s famous words in Romans 7, “I do not do the good I want,” at once seemingly straightforward, open up more questions than easy answers. Is it personal confession, a structured lament, or voiced by a rhetorical creation? Regardless, Paul's words have challenged readers through the centuries. In this sermon Pastor Nancy takes a detour through Greek philosophy as she invites us to expand the possibilities of Paul's words. Can we find hope and freedom despite a seemingly divided heart? Paul says yes.Scripture: Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Listen as Pastor Nancy reflects on Paul’s vision of freedom—not as license, but as love. Drawing from Romans 6 and the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary, she explores how grace liberates us from the tyranny of sin and calls us into responsibility and community. Along the way, she weaves stories of musicians and chefs who find creativity through constraint, reminding us that true freedom flourishes within loving limits.Scripture: Romans 6:12-23

When freedom feels delayed and faith grows complicated, God still hears. Pastor Nancy reflects on Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and Ishmael, and the multiple lens by which we approach Scripture. Listen to this timely engagement on how to honor the complexities of our founding stories and the diversity of perspectives we bring to them.Scripture: Genesis 21:8-21To support this ministry and FCC Morehead, visit www.fccmorehead.org/give.html

A Tent of Meeting: Sermon presnted by Rev. Jonathan Adkins

In this week’s message, Get in Losers, Pastor Nancy reflects on Matthew 9:9‑13, 18‑26 where Jesus not only calls Matthew to follow—but then follows Matthew and others home. Through stories of mercy that move from table to street to home, Pastor Nancy invites us to see how God‑with‑us crosses boundaries, heals what’s broken, and keeps widening the circle of grace.

Pastor Nancy’s Trinity Sunday sermon turns to Genesis 1—a creation story born in exile—to reveal a God who collaborates, nurtures, and brings life out of chaos. An invitation to say with our lives: Let there be.Genesis 1:1-2:1

In this Pentecost message, Pastor Nancy reflects on Acts 2:1–21 and 1 Corinthians 12:1–13, exploring how the Spirit moves us from isolation into joyful, communal life. With stories ranging from the first Pentecost to a spontaneous “tarps off” moment at a baseball game, she invites us to rediscover the gifts the Spirit gives for the common good—and the love that makes those gifts real in the world.

In this Ascension Sunday sermon, Pastor Nancy explores Acts 1:1–11 and the hinge moment between Luke and Acts, where the disciples’ anxious question, “Is this the time?”, meets Jesus’ invitation to wait, pray, and imagine God’s kingdom more expansively.Through ancient icons, communal prayer, and the Spirit’s boundary‑breaking promise, Asking Better Questions invites us to release narrow expectations and cultivate a holy curiosity that opens us to God’s presence in one another and in the world.

How do we find courage and compassion in our everyday life? Drawing from 1  Peter  3:13–22 and John 14:15–21, Pastor Nancy reflects on the origins of Mother’s Day as a movement for peace and justice, and on Christ’s call to live faithfully—right here, right now.

Surrounded by Stones

What happens when the risen Christ shows up in the middle of our confusion, our trauma, and our everyday routines? Pastor Nancy walks us through the Emmaus story, Luke 24:13-35, with two disciples, a mysterious stranger, a shared meal, and a 17th‑century painting that hides a surprising clue.This episode reflects on how God meets us on the road, at the table, and in the simple openness of the next human moment.

Closed Doors

A Sermon for Easter Sunday

In Scrapbooks of Mercy, Pastor Nancy walks us through the winding history of a beloved gospel story. Along the way we uncover Jesus widening the sacred circle of grace. once more Jesus refuses the scripts of shame, opens space for mercy, and invites both the accused and the accusers into new life. This sermon for the fifth Sunday in Lent invites you to flip through your own “scrapbook of mercy,” remembering the stories of grace from your faith journey.Scripture: John 8:1-11To support this podcast and the ministry of First Christian Church of Morehead, KY, visit our website.

"Dreams for the Neighborhood" invites us to make space to listen for voices on the margins, building on Jesus's intentional welcome of children and the Hebrew Scriptures prominent theme to provide for the vulnerable in our communities. This is a hopeful, grounded reflection for anyone longing to see their community transformed by compassion.Crying Glacier documentary LINK.Deuteronomy 24:17-22; Matthew 19:13-15The ministries of FCC Morehead depend on support from our listeners. Visit fccmorehead.org to give.

These are days when many feel a bone‑deep weariness—from juggling too much, and wondering how far our energy, hope, and resources can stretch. We are caught in the mindset of scarcity. In “Holy Imaginations,” Pastor Nancy turns to Mark 6:29–44, the feeding of the multitude, to explore how Jesus meets our very human exhaustion with compassion to widen what we believe is possible. This sermon invites us to set aside the idea that we alone can solve big problems. Instead Jesus encourages us to cultivate a sacred imagination that sees the power in community connections, through which we bring our small offerings together and the Spirit multiplies them into unexpected abundance.

Pastor Nancy moves from a first‑century dinner table in Luke 7 to the opening days of the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran, revealing how nations—and individuals—can fail to see the humanity of those they harm. Drawing on Martin Buber and Martin Luther King Jr., she presses a timely question at the intersection of faith and politics: What happens when we treat people as objects instead of beloved neighbors?Links: Rick Steves' Iran documentaryMLKJr's Letter from a Birmingham Jail

In her first sermon for our Lenten series, Tell Me Something Good, Pastor Nancy finds common threads in a wedding party in jeopardy, a wild mustard seed, and a shared Iftar in Gaza. Listen as she reveals how God’s good news keeps breaking in through small, surprising acts of hope. To support the ministries of First Christian Church of Morehead, visit FCC Giving.

Awash in Glory

Lights, Cameras, Action: faithful living in dark days

What Are We Doing Here?

Redefining Power

A weary world, a distant star, and travelers who refuse to let fear decide their steps. In this Epiphany sermon, Pastor Nancy invites us to follow the ancient way of the Magi and the road modern pilgrims of peace travel to discover how as Rumi suggests, "let the beauty we love be what we do."

Take Courage

When You're Running out of Hope

And Still

Thriving Churches Understand Community and Rest. In her sermon, "Leaning into Holy Rhythms" Pastor Nancy explores the wisdom of Sabbath-keeping, what we can learn from the cycles of rest and work.

Feeling stuck? This week’s sermon reminds us that God is always doing a new thing—turning ruts into renewal, rubble into joy. From Shirley Valentine to Isaiah’s vision, from small churches in Kentucky to Christchurch’s “Cardboard Cathedral,” we’re called to resist stagnation, expect God’s goodness, and discover joy along the way."All the way to heaven is heaven." - Catherine of SienaThis sermon is part of our ongoing series, Thriving Churches.

Always Flexible

Shaped by Gratitude

A Thriving Church is a Thankful Church

Thriving Churches Are Rooted in Scripture. Reflection questions for this week's worship:What does “being rooted in scripture” look like for you? for our congregation?What stories or passages of Scripture are important to you at this stage in your life?What are the biggest challenges for you in reading/studying scripture?

What would you do if you were brave? This week at FCC Morehead, we continue our Thriving Church series by diving into the proposition: "Thriving Churches Reject a Fear Mentality." Amid uncertainty, God calls us to flourish. In a world that often trades courage for caution, we’re reminded that perfect love casts out fear—and thriving begins when we dare to dream beyond it. Reflect with us: What is God’s dream for us that feels scary? What would you do if you were brave?Let’s be a church that chooses love over fear, justice over silence, and thriving over survival. Read Pastor Nancy's sermon here: https://ruminari.wordpress.com/.../freed-to-love.../

The first sermon in the series, Thriving Church, based upon the book, “Thriving Church: What We Can Learn from Faithful Congregations” by Erin Cash and Kory Wilcoxson. 

A Faith Against the Odds

Embracing Lament

Lost Things

Living for Good: a sermon for the first Sunday in the Season of Creation.Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Luke 14:25-33For a background article on PCBs, see "The Code of Ethics for Chemists between Universal Values and Local Reality."KY Fish Consumption Advisories50 States of Recycling 2.0

Social Networking, Jesus-Style

Repair and Restore

Do some sayings of Jesus make you say, hmmm? On Sunday, Pastor Nancy had questions for Jesus, too. Take a listen to her sermon, "A Change Is Gonna Come," on Luke 12:49-56.

Faith in What Can Yet Be

Love Changes Everything

In this departure from the usual sermon format, Pastor Nancy leads the congregation on a historical walk through the Chalice Hymnal. Highlighting music from the 4th century into the 20th century, the congregation joins in singing verses along the way.

Sermon for July 13th, by Rev. Leanna Coyle-Carr