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Watch the Sermon Series

“The View from the Other Side” | Twentieth Sunday of Kindomtide
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“The View from the Other Side” | Twentieth Sunday of Kindomtide

Experience worship at Union Church. Continuing fall sermon series: What is Church?, Rev. Nikki Renée invites us to leave behind the gates that separate us and answer Lazarus’s call: “Come out” into shared life beyond the tomb. 💜 About Union: The Union Combined Parish is a multisite United Methodist congregation in Boston committed to love and liberation—historically Black, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ empowering. Learn more about Union at https://unionboston.org. 🔗 Connect with us: We are a family of believers from all walks of life from all over the world. Let us get to know you, become a member of Union, or find community in person and online at https://unionboston.org/connect. 💪 To give to Union's mission of love, justice, and service, go to https://unionboston.org/give.
“Inconvenient and Inclusive Grace” | World Communion Sunday | Eighteenth Sunday of Kindomtide
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“Inconvenient and Inclusive Grace” | World Communion Sunday | Eighteenth Sunday of Kindomtide

Experience worship at Union Church. Continuing fall sermon series: What is Church?, Rev. Kyle walden calls us to embrace God's unconditional invitation to the table of grace and proactively welcome all people—especially those on the margins or absent—into a loving, non-transactional community. 💜 About Union: The Union Combined Parish is a multisite United Methodist congregation in Boston committed to love and liberation—historically Black, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ empowering. Learn more about Union at https://unionboston.org. 🔗 Connect with us: We are a family of believers from all walks of life from all over the world. Let us get to know you, become a member of Union, or find community in person and online at https://unionboston.org/connect. 💪 To give to Union's mission of love, justice, and service, go to https://unionboston.org/give.
“The Miracle of Gathering” | Eighteenth Sunday of Kindomtide
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“The Miracle of Gathering” | Eighteenth Sunday of Kindomtide

Experience worship at Union Church. Continuing fall sermon series: What is Church?, Rev. Nikki Renée calls us to never forget "the miracle of the gathering" where God works through our community to wake us up, answer our prayers, and bring us out of the darkness together. 💜 About Union: The Union Combined Parish is a multisite United Methodist congregation in Boston committed to love and liberation—historically Black, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ empowering. Learn more about Union at https://unionboston.org. 🔗 Connect with us: We are a family of believers from all walks of life from all over the world. Let us get to know you, become a member of Union, or find community in person and online at https://unionboston.org/connect. 💪 To give to Union's mission of love, justice, and service, go to https://unionboston.org/give.
“An Alternative Community by Grace” | New Member Sunday | Seventeenth Sunday of Kindomtide
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“An Alternative Community by Grace” | New Member Sunday | Seventeenth Sunday of Kindomtide

Experience worship at Union Church. Celebrating New Member Sunday, , Pastor Kyle Walden to reimagine the church as a counter-cultural community of divine grace and mutual aid that disrupts systemic exploitation and embraces the equal, unearned worth of all people in God’s kingdom. 💜 About Union: The Union Combined Parish is a multisite United Methodist congregation in Boston committed to love and liberation—historically Black, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ empowering. Learn more about Union at https://unionboston.org. 🔗 Connect with us: We are a family of believers from all walks of life from all over the world. Let us get to know you, become a member of Union, or find community in person and online at https://unionboston.org/connect. 💪 To give to Union's mission of love, justice, and service, go to https://unionboston.org/give.
“A Different Kind Of Speech” | Sixteenth Sunday of Kindomtide
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“A Different Kind Of Speech” | Sixteenth Sunday of Kindomtide

Experience worship at Union Church. Introducing Union's new sermon series, "What is Church?," Pastor Jay Williams invites us to journey together through Jesus’ parables, that we may see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and become the interdependent body of Christ. 💜 About Union: The Union Combined Parish is a multisite United Methodist congregation in Boston committed to love and liberation—historically Black, multicultural, and LGBTQ+ empowering. Learn more about Union at https://unionboston.org. 🔗 Connect with us: We are a family of believers from all walks of life from all over the world. Let us get to know you, become a member of Union, or find community in person and online at https://unionboston.org/connect. 💪 To give to Union's mission of love, justice, and service, go to https://unionboston.org/give.
Answer the Question: What is Church?See Responses from your Church
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Fall 2026 Sermon Series

What is Church? This fall, we’re turning to the parables and teachings of Jesus to explore this question together. Through stories of forgiveness, belonging, hospitality, stewardship, love, justice, and abundances, we’ll consider not only what church is, but what God might be calling the church to become.

Our current context begs the question: What is Church? During the rise of Christian nationalism and the dismantling of American democracy, it is important for us to ponder what our faith demands of us today. As the Union Combined Parish evolves, let us imagine a new way of being church together.

Read the Parables

The Purpose of the Parables

Matthew 13:3-17

Reflection Question:

How do the parables help us understand the meaning of “church” ?

Sermon Title:

“A Different Kind of Speech”

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Reflection Question:

How do we live differently from the exploitative ways of this world?

Sermon Title:

“An Alternative Community by Grace”

Parable of the Friend at Night

Luke 11:5-13

Reflection Question:

What becomes possible when we gather?

Sermon Title:

“The Miracle of the Gathering”

Parable of the Great Dinner

Luke 14:12-24

Reflection Question:

What excuses do we use to opt out of community? And who is missing around our table?

Sermon Title:

“Inconvenient and Inclusive Grace”

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Reflection Question:

What do we owe to one another?

Sermon Title:

“The View from the Other Side”

Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24–30

Reflection Question:

How do we discern the truth together?

Sermon Title:

“Holy Conferencing and Discernment”

Parable of Sheep and Goats

Matthew 25:31-46

Reflection Question:

Why should we do good works? How do we care for each other?

Sermon Title:

“A Shared Union” (On Doing the Right Thing)

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:3-7

Reflection Question:

What happens after we are found?

Sermon Title:

“On Coming Home”

Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Reflection Question:

Where are we planted? How do we grow our church?

Sermon Title:

“To Listen Well”

Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14

Reflection Question:

What is our righteousness for?

Sermon Title:

“On Being Right”

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