In Partnership, By Community – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, currently, through the writings of the apostle Paul, with today’s reading from Philemon, a letter in which Paul addresses a younger colleague.  Also, this is College Sunday, and the liturgists and preacher in both services are college students, most of whom are in the Vandy Wesley group that is hosted by our church.  Preaching today is Amber Lewis, a sophomore at Vanderbilt.  She begins by citing the Hebrew word, “shalom,” which can mean peace and wholeness.  She describes life as a college student as demanding, and thus at times an experience of scarcity rather than shalom.  Most people experience scarcity:  some experience scarcity of time, focus, or even of food, jobs, housing.  But scarcity can be overcome by partnership.  We can be agents of Jesus by partnering with others who experience scarcity.  Paul’s description of partnership includes love at the core. 

(NOTE:  Emphasizing the importance of the Word, the video begins with the scripture reading, but if you want, you can scroll back to the beginning of the service in the video – the entire service is available.)