On December 21, Tabernacle’s Community Ministry will provide holiday meal ingredients to over 250 families, and we need muscle power to make it happen!
We’re looking for strong volunteers to help during these times:
• Friday, December 20, at 9:30 AM @Aldi: Load bags of apples, oranges, potatoes, and shelf-stable items into trucks at Aldi and transport and unload at Tabernacle (2 hours max).
• Saturday, December 21, at 7:30 AM @Aldi: Load turkeys, chickens, hams, milk, and eggs in to trucks @Aldi (1 hour max).
• Saturday, December 21, 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM @Tabernacle: Help to carry groceries to cars throughout the morning. Feel free to join us anytime!
Your strength and time will make a huge difference as we share the joy of the season with our neighbors. If you’re able to help, we’d love to have you!
Doug and Lea Coppage are looking for people to help with next summer’s Baseball Camp in Vác, Hungary! The camp will be Monday, June 30, through Saturday, July 5; the trip would be (approximately) Friday, June 27, until Tuesday, July 8.
These are the kind of people we’re looking for: 1. 8-12 year olds who play baseball/softball, 2. their parents 3. any age ball players 4. chaperones 5. people interested in helping in any way.
Please ask God whether you might take part in this. If you do, contact pastor@tbcrichmond.org
Date Details: Friday, June 27 at the latest: FLY to Hungary Saturday, June 28: ARRIVE in Hungary Sunday, June 29: REST, PREP for camp Monday-Saturday, June 30 – July 5, 2025: CAMP Sunday, July 6: Go to church in Budapest AND/OR Budapest tour. Monday, July 7: Budapest tour OR fly back to the States. Tuesday, July 8: fly back to the States.
We lift up the Cochrane Family and all those who loved and shared life with Jimmy. In this time of sorrow, let us find meaningful ways to be the heart and hands of Christ, bringing comfort and compassion to those who are grieving. As we honor his life, let’s also express our gratitude for the many ways Jimmy touched our lives and the life he continues to share with God. Let’s commit to pray, for comfort and thanksgiving!
James “Jimmy” H. Cochrane, Jr departed Newport, the Hokie Nation and his SCV camp unexpectedly on October 24. He was born in Richmond, spent much of his childhood and adult years in Rockville. Jim graduated from the Collegiate Schools, Virginia Tech (Architecture) and the University of Richmond (Transportation Management). He was the ultimate Tech fan, rarely missing a Hokie football or basketball game. When he was not wearing orange or maroon, he might be found in Civil War battalion attire or a Scottish kilt. He was pre-deceased by his parents J. Harwood Cochrane and Louise “Lulu” Blanks Cochrane, and his sister Suzanne Austell Martin. He is survived by his sister Judith Cochrane Hines, seven nieces and nephews, twelve great nieces and nephews and fiance’ Dale Hawthorne Harper. Jim worked at Overnite Transportation, Highway Express, then owned and operated a TourTime America motorcoach franchise.
He served on the boards of the Richmond Ski Club, the Museum & White House of the Confederacy, Huguenot Springs Cemetery and the American Frontier Culture Museum. Jim was fiercely proud of his Cochrane Scottish heritage and his brotherhood in the Kappa Alpha Order. He was well versed in American and military history. He was a long time member and Commander of the J.E.B. Stuart camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, coordinating and commanding numerous reenactments throughout Virginia and the south. He dedicated his life to civil war history and the battlefields of the Shenandoah Valley will forever be a part of his legacy. He retired to Wintergreen and subsequently Newport to be near his beloved Blacksburg.
He was larger than life and will be greatly missed by his family and friends in the Richmond Ski Club, the Knibbs Battery cannon battalion, Kappa Alpha and at Virginia Tech. There will be a memorial service at 11am Wednesday 11/6/24 at Woody Funeral Home at 1771 North Parham Rd Richmond, Va 23229. A private interment will follow. A Celebration of Life will follow a cannon salute at Huguenot Springs Cemetery on a later date.
Learning to See: Join us this Thursday, Oct. 24 at 6-8 p.m.
Just days earlier, they had witnessed Jesus’ brutal death in Jerusalem, leaving them overwhelmed with grief and uncertainty. Two of His followers, one named Cleopas and the other unnamed, now walk the road to Emmaus, their minds swirling with questions. How could this have happened?What if everything they believed was wrong?What next? Along the way, they find themselves hosting a stranger, and as they walk, they speak repeatedly of the burden of failure. As the sun begins to set, stillness—the great amplifier of anxiety—settles in. Broken hearts break bread together, and then it happens—the stillness is broken with the miraculous. Eyes are opened, the presence of the risen Christ is made known, and the presumed hosts find themselves invited yet again into a future wide open.
The Emmaus Road is long, and while you won’t see it on any map, it intersects at every corner in the city we call home. Just after the pandemic, Alcoholics Anonymous began meeting weekly in the “Blue Room” of the little church at the corner of Emmaus and Grove. There, each week, just after the sun goes down, the brokenhearted gather together and inevitably find themselves less alone than they thought they were. Stories of brokenness, despair, healing, and transformation are shared in that space. It’s on the road to Emmaus the future is resurrected, one broken heart at a time, one step at a time.
This Thursday, I’d like to invite you to the corner of Emmaus and Grove. We’ll gather together with one of the leaders of the AA meeting that takes place every Wednesday in the Blue Room. We’ll hear stories, and perhaps some of us will even feel called to share some of our own. Perhaps, in the sharing of stories and also in the stillness—the great amplifiers of God’s presence—we’ll all catch a glimpse of a resurrected future? Perhaps we, each and every one of us as guests, might leave that place more resolved to keep walking, one step at a time, toward that future together?
I hope to see you there.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns Pastor Details for Thursday, October 24, 2024:
The sermon emphasized that spiritual growth is not a one-time event but a continuous journey. Baptism represents the ongoing pattern of dying to our false selves and rising with Christ, over and over. Paul calls us into a lifelong relationship with God that demands daily surrender to grace.
Quotes:
“Grace isn’t just for our past sins, but for the ongoing process of transformation in our lives.” — From the sermon
“Spiritual growth is a journey, not a moment. It’s an ongoing invitation to trust in grace.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Where in your life do you feel called to surrender more fully to ongoing spiritual growth?
How might viewing your faith as a continuous journey change the way you approach daily challenges?
2. Baptism: A Continuous Journey, Not a One-Time Event
Baptism symbolizes more than a one-time moment of salvation. It’s an invitation to participate repeatedly in the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul teaches that we don’t leave behind sin in a single act, but we live in a daily pattern of surrender and renewal.
Quotes:
“Baptism isn’t a ritual of finality. It’s the starting point of an ongoing journey with God’s grace.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
How does your baptism (or your understanding of baptism) inform your current spiritual practices?
In what ways can you more intentionally participate in the “death and resurrection” pattern of spiritual growth in your everyday life?
3. Sin as Disconnection from God
Sin is not just a list of wrong behaviors, but an expression of our disconnection from God. It’s a failure to trust in God’s love and provision. Paul invites us to go deeper than surface-level morality and look at the spiritual root of sin—our distance from God.
Quotes:
“Sin is not about being bad; it is about being disconnected from God, and grace is the connection that heals and restores us.” — Greg Boyle
Reflection Questions:
How do you typically understand sin in your own life? Do you tend to focus more on behaviors or the deeper issues of trust and disconnection from God?
What steps can you take to reconnect with God in areas where you feel distant or mistrustful?
4. Idolatry and Fear-Based Living
The root of sin is a failure to trust in God’s sufficiency, leading us to live out of fear. We create idols—control, success, or security—when we feel uncertain. Living in fear keeps us from relying on God’s provision and invites us to hold onto false securities.
Quotes:
“The root of sin is our failure to trust in God’s sufficiency. Instead of trusting God’s provision, we rely ultimately on ourselves.” — Mark Biddle, Missing the Mark
Reflection Questions:
What idols (e.g., control, success, security) do you find yourself clinging to in times of uncertainty?
How can you shift from a fear-based way of living to a life more rooted in trust and surrender to God’s provision?
5. The Tug of Grace: A Moment-to-Moment Decision
We are continually pulled by fear, the root of all sin. The tug of grace is what gets our attention, but it’s not enough to keep us from being pulled under. It’s the invitation to decide: will we allow fear to drown our true selves, or will we let go of the rope, die to self, and let God’s grace drown our false selves?
Quotes:
“The tug of grace is God’s invitation. It’s not about resisting fear through our strength but about letting go and trusting in grace.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Can you identify moments in your life where fear has pulled you away from trust in God? How did the tug of grace invite you to respond?
What would it look like to let go of the rope and fully surrender to grace in a specific area of your life?
6. Dying to Self and Living in Christ
Paul teaches that true spiritual life comes through repeated death to self. We are called to continually surrender our false selves—our fears, pride, and need for control—and trust in God’s resurrection power. This ongoing death and resurrection is what allows us to live fully in Christ.
Quotes:
“We are called to ‘just keep drowning.’ It is in dying to our false selves that we can truly live.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
What aspects of your false self (e.g., pride, control, fear) are you being called to surrender in this season of life?
How have you experienced spiritual resurrection after moments of dying to self? What new life emerged from those experiences?
Quotes for Further Reflection
“Grace isn’t just for our past sins, but for the ongoing process of transformation in our lives.” — From the sermon
“Sin is not about being bad; it is about being disconnected from God, and grace is the connection that heals and restores us.” — Greg Boyle
“We are called to ‘just keep drowning.’ It is in dying to our false selves that we can truly live.” — From the sermon
“The root of sin is our failure to trust in God’s sufficiency. Instead of trusting God’s provision, we rely ultimately on ourselves.” — Mark Biddle, Missing the Mark
“When we live out of fear, we are essentially choosing self-reliance over grace, and in the end, that will always pull us under.” — From the sermon
TBC Richmond
Reflection Guide: Romans 6 and the Pattern of Dying to Self
We were the only two in line, strangers waiting for the pharmacy to reopen. It took her little or no time to begin to openly share her story with me. As she spoke about her journey through illness and healing, her hands told the story as much as her words.
She gently touched her head, right where the tumor had been, explaining how peace first entered her life—something she grasped intellectually after the surgery, as she processed what she had been through.
Then, she placed her hand over her heart, describing how that peace deepened, becoming something she could feel more fully.
But it was when she placed both hands on her stomach that her voice softened, and she said, “But now, I know it here.” This was peace she carried in her gut, a knowing that had grown through suffering, endurance, and the long journey now behind her. And she couldn’t keep it to herself—the peace had become too real, too profound, not to share.
Her testimony brought to life the very words of Paul in Romans 5. He speaks of suffering producing endurance, endurance shaping character, and character leading to a hope that does not disappoint. There are no platitudes here—no quick fix for pain. Paul is sharing the journey that he, and so many others, have walked: through suffering, into endurance, and into a hope that transforms us from the inside out. This is not about earning anything—it’s about receiving the grace of God, who walks with us and delivers us through every trial. God is with us every step of the way.
As we sang together at the end of last Sunday’s sermon,
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.”
The suffering we endure becomes the very path through which God leads us into hope. This journey isn’t about mere survival—it’s about discovering a peace so deep, a hope so life-altering, that we are never the same.
*Atrium Roofing Project Update Due to safety concerns voiced by the scaffolding company and our desire to avoid risk of interference with our duty as a voting precinct for the upcoming elections, the atrium roofing project is delayed. We do not have a definite start date currently. We will coordinate with Chandler Construction to also avoid any overlap with the scheduled elevator project timeline of November 7-21, 2024. Other details remain the same:
The elevator will be available during this project.Overhead protection will be in place.
When work begins, we anticipate a three-week project timeline
The atrium stairwell will be blocked off from use. Users of the facility will be asked to use another entrance if possible.
Signage will be present to help direct users to the elevator or to another entrance.
There will be a dumpster at the Meadow Street/alley corner location, protected by plywood and with signage.This will prevent interruption of alley use.
*Elevator Control Panel Replacement Project Please mark your calendars now—this project requires that our elevator is out of service for two weeks. This work is scheduled for November 7-November 21, waiting until after the Presidential election to be sure that there is no interference for that commitment.
The B&G Committee, pastoral staff, and Administrative Board are making every effort to communicate this information to all building users. We are researching options for how we can best serve our building community during this project time frame. More details will be provided as we get near the start of the work. Please keep reading the TAB for updates.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding as we manage these two important improvement projects.Please direct any questions you may have regarding these building initiatives, or any other suggestions regarding our facilities, to Donna Soyars at soundsidedfs@gmail.com.
1. Facing Resistance: Reflecting on Our Discomfort
The pastor acknowledged his initial resistance to Paul’s teachings, especially the perception of Paul’s arrogance. This resistance is something we often experience when faced with uncomfortable truths that reveal our own vulnerabilities. Paul’s writings, especially in Romans, challenge us to embrace grace over pride, and to let go of the need to control or judge. It is in releasing our resistance that we find transformation.
Quotes:
“God’s grace is not a gift we can earn by being strong; it is a gift we receive by admitting our weakness.” — From the sermon
“The arrogance that pushes back against grace is the same arrogance that resists transformation. The sooner we surrender it, the sooner God can work in us.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
When have you resisted a difficult truth in your spiritual journey, and what did that resistance reveal about your own need for control or comfort?
How does embracing the reality of God’s grace change your view of Paul’s teachings and how you relate to others?
2. Suffering as a Path to Growth
Paul teaches that suffering is not a curse but a pathway to growth and transformation. As Paul writes in Romans 5:3-4, “suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” This chain reaction is how God shapes us through hardship. Instead of seeing suffering as something to avoid, Paul invites us to see it as an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and trust in God’s love.
Quotes:
“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.” — The Message paraphrase of Romans 5:3-4
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” — William Barclay
Reflection Questions:
How do you typically respond to suffering—do you avoid it or embrace it as part of the journey?
Can you think of a time when suffering produced growth or deepened your hope in God?
3. God’s Presence in Suffering
One of the key themes of the sermon is that God is not distant or uninvolved in our suffering but walks alongside us through it. Paul understood this deeply, having endured great personal suffering. His message is that God doesn’t cause suffering, but God is present within it. This reframes how we view hardship—not as something to escape but as a place where we can encounter God’s love most powerfully.
Quotes:
“God is most present in our suffering, not to fix it, but to walk with us through it. It’s in those moments that we find the deepest sense of God’s grace.” — From the sermon
“Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 5:5, NRSV
Reflection Questions:
How has your understanding of God’s presence during suffering changed over time?
When have you felt God’s closeness during a difficult season in your life?
4. Justification: Being Grounded in God’s Grace
Justification, as explained in the sermon, is about God “putting us in our place”—not to humiliate or punish, but to ground us in grace. Whether we find ourselves feeling superior or inferior, justification reminds us that we all stand equal before God, with our feet firmly planted on the same ground of grace. Paul’s message is clear: we are all recipients of God’s love, and that levels the playing field.
Quotes:
“Justification is God putting us in our place—firmly on the ground, not hovering above others or sinking below. We all stand equal in God’s grace.” — From the sermon
“It’s not about what we do; it’s about what God has done for us.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Where do you feel ungrounded or out of balance in your life? How might God be calling you to find your footing in grace?
How does seeing yourself and others through the lens of God’s grace change your interactions with others?
5. Endurance Leading to Hope
The sermon emphasizes that endurance isn’t just about getting through hardship, but about being transformed by it. Paul teaches that through endurance, our character is refined, and that character leads to a hope that will not disappoint us. This hope is rooted in God’s love—a love that doesn’t falter in the face of suffering, but is strengthened by it. Endurance, then, becomes a spiritual practice, not just a survival tactic.
Quotes:
“Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” — Romans 5:3-5, NRSV
“Hope is not a feeling; it is a decision to trust in God’s love, even when we cannot see the way forward.” — From the sermon
Reflection Questions:
Where in your life do you need to cultivate more patience and endurance? How can you lean into the process of growth even when it feels slow?
How has God shaped your character through the challenges you’ve faced? How does that give you hope?
6. Peace Beyond Understanding
The peace Paul speaks of in Romans 5:1 isn’t just the absence of conflict—it’s a profound sense of reconciliation with God, a peace that permeates our entire being. This peace, described in the Greek word eirene, points to a state of wholeness and restoration that goes beyond what we can intellectually understand. It’s the kind of peace that, as the woman in the pastor’s story described, resides “in the gut” and transforms our outlook on life.
Quotes:
“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us.” — Romans 5:1-2, The Message
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God in the midst of chaos.” — Paraphrased from the sermon
Reflection Questions:
How have you experienced a deep, lasting peace in your life, one that goes beyond mere calm or absence of stress?
What steps can you take to seek a deeper peace in your relationship with God and others?
7. The Pharmacy Story: A Journey from the Head to the Gut
In the pharmacy, the woman’s story reflects a powerful journey of healing—one that moves from the intellectual understanding of suffering to a deeper, more embodied peace. She begins by touching her head, the site of her tumor, acknowledging where her suffering began. Then she speaks of the peace she felt in her heart—a peace that came after surgery and recovery. But months later, her description of peace had moved even deeper, down to her gut. This profound shift symbolizes more than just healing from illness—it reflects a deep, embodied understanding of God’s peace, beyond emotion, rooted in lived experience.
This story beautifully parallels the movement of faith from intellectual belief to heartfelt trust and finally to an embodied knowing that transcends mere feeling. The woman’s peace in her gut, as the pastor describes, is akin to the peace that Paul speaks of in Romans 5:1-5, a peace that results from enduring suffering and growing in hope.
Quotes:
“I had this understanding in my life of what it meant to have the good life and kind of this peace. It was right here in my heart. But now I’m discovering this peace that is here, in my gut.” — From the sermon
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” — John 14:27, NIV
This deeper, gut-level peace is not just an emotional state; it is a knowing that transcends intellectual understanding and reaches the core of our being. It is the kind of peace that comes after we have walked through suffering and emerged with a renewed sense of God’s presence.
Reflection Questions:
The woman’s journey from head to heart to gut represents a deepening of her understanding of peace. How does this progression resonate with your own experience of peace?
Have you ever moved from understanding something intellectually to knowing it deep within your being? How did that shift change your outlook or your faith?
What does it mean to you to have peace in your “gut”—a peace that goes beyond mere feelings or thoughts and becomes something you embody in your daily life?
Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that we don’t “set things right” by our actions—God does it for us through grace. In the sermon, you mentioned how “God isn’t waiting for us to get things right. He already took care of that on the cross.”
Question: How does it feel to know that God’s grace comes as a gift and isn’t something we have to earn? Can you think of times when you’ve tried to earn God’s love, only to realize it was already yours?
2. Walking at a Human Pace
You talked about how Jesus walked at a human pace—about 2-3 miles per hour. Not in a rush, but always moving forward in grace. You said, “Discipleship happens one step at a time. We’re walking with Jesus, not running a race.”
Question: Are there moments in your life when you’ve felt the need to slow down and walk more closely with Jesus? How might walking at “God’s pace” change how we approach our faith?
3. Temptation to Climb Higher Ground
In the sermon, you mentioned how easy it is to think we’ve made it to higher ground spiritually. You said, “We think we’re walking with God, but sometimes all we’re doing is climbing up to a pedestal.” This can lead to a sense of superiority or separation from others.
Question: Have you ever found yourself feeling spiritually “above” others, even unintentionally? How can we guard against slipping into self-righteousness in our daily walk with God?
4. Feet on the Ground, Not on a Pedestal
You shared that God wants us to have our feet on the ground—not up on a pedestal, but also not buried in the dirt of shame. “God is always putting us back in our place—not to knock us down, but to walk with us back home.”
Question: What does it mean to have our “feet on the ground” spiritually? How can this help us stay humble while also accepting God’s love and grace?
5. We’re All Walking Each Other Home
You referenced the phrase, “We’re all just walking each other home,” showing how, in the Christian life, we’re not on this journey alone. We’re meant to walk with others in grace.
Question: How can we support each other as we walk this journey of faith together? Can you share an example of a time someone walked with you through a difficult season in life?
6. Justification: God Aligns Us with His Love
You described justification like aligning a Word document—God takes what’s out of place in our lives and brings it back into line with His love. “It’s God saying, ‘We’re good’—not because of what we’ve done, but because of who He is.”
Question: In what areas of your life do you need God to bring you back into alignment with His love? How does knowing that God has already made things right change how you live day to day?
Closing Reflection: In what ways does understanding God’s grace more deeply affect your relationships—with God, with others, and with yourself?
Quotes for Reflection
“Grace is not a thing. It is not a substance that can be measured or counted. It is the personal presence of the living God.”
N.T. Wright This quote emphasizes that grace is the dynamic, personal presence of God in our lives, not something we earn or quantify. How does this reshape your understanding of grace?
“The greatest mystery of the gospel is not our sin, but God’s unrelenting love, which embraces us in our imperfection and calls us beloved.”
Richard Rohr Rohr reminds us that it’s God’s love, not our failures, that defines us. Reflect on how this truth impacts your sense of worth and relationship with the Divine.
“Justification by faith is about God putting the world back to rights, beginning with us. It’s about reordering our lives in alignment with the Creator’s love.”
James Dunn Dunn’s insight invites us to see justification as more than personal salvation—it’s the beginning of a wider restoration. How might this understanding impact how you interact with others and the world?
“The way of Jesus is the way of the cross. It is a call to downward mobility, to humility, to solidarity with those who are least in the eyes of the world.”
Henri Nouwen Nouwen’s words remind us that following Jesus involves walking the path of humility. How does this challenge you in your relationships and lifestyle?
“To believe in justification by grace is to accept that we are constantly being forgiven, renewed, and invited to start again—this is the journey of faith.”
Rowan Williams Williams highlights that grace is an ongoing process of renewal. How does the idea of continual forgiveness and renewal change how you approach your daily spiritual walk?
Join us for “Taste and See: Around the Table”, a monthly intergenerational gathering held in the sanctuary, where we share a meal, build connections, and explore the life Jesus is offering us.
Through fun, purposeful activities like storytelling, drawing, and shared discussions, we’ll experience faith and community in fresh ways.Each month offers something unique, fostering meaningful relationships and laying the groundwork for future discipleship in our church. Whether you come with family, friends, or on your own, “Taste and See” promises an evening of laughter, reflection, and growth. Come ready to share, eat, and be surprised by how God is moving in our lives and in our community.
