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Claremont United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. Jacob Buchholz

Browse published sermons from Rev. Dr. Jacob Buchholz in Claremont United Church of Christ.

Nov 21, 2021 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

You Ask, We Preach: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

One of the most challenging questions of our faith is why bad things happen to good people. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does God allow evil to exist in our world? Join Pastor Jacob as he works through this difficult question.

Oct 31, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Ghost Stories: The Saints Among Us

When the writer of Hebrews says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of things unseen, we are told that we can have this assurance because we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Pastor Jacob shares about the encourageme

Oct 10, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Ghost Stories: The Witch of Endor

In a moment of fear and panic, Saul goes to the Witch of Endor to find answers. But what causes us to demand certainty in the first place? Can we find peace amidst the uncertainty?

Sep 19, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Wabi-Sabi: What Kind of God Gets Crucified?

Ancient Christians used to be slandered as donkey worshippers. The donkey was a symbol of foolishness and what could be more foolish than worshipping a God who died on a cross? Join Pastor Jacob as he teaches us how to embrace the foolish aspect of our fa

Sep 5, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Wabi-Sabi: No Excuse Will Do

In Exodus 4, God calls Moses to go to Egypt to rescue God's people. But, Moses has a few objections first. Sometimes we too have objections to the idea that God might have a calling for us in this world. Join God and Moses as they have a conversation abou

Aug 22, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Crossing Rivers: By the Rivers of Babylon

During this sermon series, we have seen God part the waters of seas and rivers on behalf of the Israelites, but what happens when we come to a river that won't part at all?

Aug 8, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Crossing Rivers: Passing the Mantle

So many world religions worry about who is next in line: as pope, as imam, and head of the church. In 2 Kings, the people are worried that there will be no more prophets once Elijah is gone, but Elisha appears to take up his mantle and continue his work.

Jul 25, 2021 5:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Myths and Monsters: The Leviathan

The ancient Israelites imagined the chaos and tragedies of their lives as embodied in a fabled sea creature known as the Leviathan. Even though we don't believe the same mythologies, what can we learn from these poetic descriptions of the Leviathan about

Jul 11, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Myths and Monsters: The Ten Plagues

The story of the ten plagues reads like a typical Hollywood disaster movie, but it contains one of the most theologically problematic sentences in Scripture. What does it mean for God to harden Pharaoh's heart?

May 23, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Created to Create: In Order to Create, We Must MAKE SPACE

In our hurried, frenzied lives, it can be hard to pause and listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance. Today, may you take a breath, and create the space needed to be your most creative self.

May 2, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Be the Change: The Ethiopian Eunuch

Sometimes faith is not about having the answers, but about asking the right questions. In Acts, the Ethiopian Eunuch asks, "What is to prevent my being baptized." What a great questions! There may have been a lot actually that might prevent him, but he di

Apr 18, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Be the Change: The Daughters of Zelophehad

Pastor Jacob shares why he thinks the Book of Numbers is one of the most interesting books of the Bible and why the obscure story of The Daughters of Zelophehad is one of the most important passages in the entirety of the Bible because it helps us underst

Apr 4, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Holy Fragments: Piecing Together the Story (Easter Sunday)

A modern term helps us understand what is happening in Luke's account of the resurrection: gaslighting! Seriously, read it for yourself! Join Pastor Jacob as he celebrates the importance of listening to the voices of every single holy fragment, including

Apr 2, 2021 12:00 PM America/Los_Angeles

Holy Fragments: When Breath Becomes Air (Good Friday)

On this most powerful night of the year, Jesus gives up his last breath. Our breath is so important to us, but it has been cut short for so many in the dual pandemics of Covid-19 and racism. As we mourn the death of Christ tonight, we also mourn those who

Mar 21, 2021 3:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Holy Fragments: A Revolution of Love

So much of Christianity is defined by what Christians are against. But what if we placed special emphasis on what we are FOR?

Mar 7, 2021 2:00 PM America/Los_Angeles

Holy Fragments: Old Things Made New

In the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus learns that he has the power to make all things new. Join Pastor Jacob as he explores our own ability to make old things new, just like Christ, as we write the stories of our lives.

Feb 21, 2021 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Holy Fragments: An Unnamed Woman

Do we truly see the people around us? Do we feel seen? Strangely, one of the only stories shared in all four Gospels is of an unnamed woman with an alabaster jar. Join Pastor Jacob as he tries to help us see her as she truly is.

Jan 24, 2021 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Didn't See That Coming: Hiding Places

In the Gospels, we find the disciples hiding after Jesus' death, finding it hard to believe everything that Jesus told them. Why do we sometimes have a hard time believing what is right in front of us?

Jan 10, 2021 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Didn't See That Coming: Jacob and Esau

Our new sermon series starting today is entitled, "Didn't See That Coming: Embracing the Unexpected." But we definitely SHOULD have seen the events of this week coming because they are a result of our country's inability to deal with its legacy of white s

Dec 27, 2020 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Epiphany: Epiphania

In today's world we often specialize in a single discipline or trade, but today Pastor Jacob invites us all to be generalists as we explore several different topics and try to answer the question, "How can we see God?"

Dec 20, 2020 2:00 AM America/Los_Angeles

Home for the Holidays: Family Stories

Each year the children retell the nativity story and make the birth of Jesus alive again in our times. Telling the nativity story again and again each year is a lot like the family stories we tell during the holidays. Pastor Jacob shares some of his famil