MATTHEW

Exploring Trauma and Healing

Join Leah as she leads us into the transformative new “Hurt to Whole” series, where she explores the deep connections between trauma, healing, and spirituality. Reflecting on her father’s experience with PTSD and her own year-long study of trauma care, she sheds light on how trauma affects our bodies, minds, and relationships. In this session, Leah tackles essential questions such as what trauma is, how it shows up, and how being trauma-informed can shape our spiritual communities. With compassion and insight, she also connects Jesus’ ministry to modern trauma care, offering pathways for healing and hope. Discover how we, too, can move from hurt to whole.

Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.

Reading Through Love

Join Leah as she concludes the "Sacred Sources" series with a captivating look at biblical interpretation. Drawing inspiration from the Greek god Hermes, Leah introduces us to the art and science of hermeneutics – the practice of deriving meaning from texts. She expertly guides us through various interpretive lenses used throughout history, from early Jewish and Christian approaches to modern liberation and feminist theologies. Leah then turns our attention to Jesus' own interpretive key, found in Matthew 22:34-40, which emphasizes love as the central tenet of faith. This enlightening teaching equips us with valuable insights for reading scripture through a lens of love, encouraging a deeper and more nuanced engagement with the Bible. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your biblical understanding and enrich your faith journey.

Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.

The Gospel Truths

In today’s teaching, Leah unpacks the complexities of the New Testament Gospels as part of the summer series, “Sacred Sources.” During seminary, many students face a pivotal moment when they realize the Bible’s formation is more complex than previously imagined. This often leads to a crisis of faith, but it can also lead to a more mature and nuanced understanding of these sacred texts. In this teaching, Leah explores what the Gospels are, how they came to be, and their significance. While the Gospels aren’t eyewitness accounts or direct transcripts of Jesus’ words, they are powerful, faith-driven narratives that offer us a profound connection to Jesus. By understanding the historical and literary context of these texts, we can approach them with fresh eyes and deeper reverence, finding new ways to connect with the life and teachings of Jesus.

Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.

Cultivate Self-Awareness: An Introduction

Below you'll find an audio slideshow, audio alone, and sermon notes from Leah's teaching on self-awareness, presented on May 8th, 2016.  Feel free to listen, download, and read the notes. This is the first in our new series, Cultivate!

Find sermon notes here. And a bonus! A short video explaining "Rose, Bud, Thorn" is below: 

Why church?

Why church?

Church.  Why church? What is it’s value?  What is it good for?  What’s the point?
These are questions that people of faith living in 2015, especially in extremely secular, liberal, academic, urban settings like Berkeley and the greater Bay Area have to wrestle with.  They are questions ultimately at the heart of what we are doing here today.