Good Friday isn't tidy. It's messy. It's heavy. And it asks something radical of us.

In this Good Friday homily from Oceanside Sanctuary, we reflect on Jesus' true test - not in the desert, but in a garden, surrounded by people ready to fight for him. Faced with real power, Jesus made a choice that still shakes the world: the choice of love over control, vulnerability over violence.

Too often, we've been told that Jesus died because we are inherently bad. But what if Good Friday isn't about guilt - it's about revealing the heart of God? What if it's not about our personal failures, but about the way humanity keeps choosing power over compassion?

In this message, we wrestle with the meaning of the "cup" Jesus accepted, why his death matters, and what it truly means to follow him in a world obsessed with domination and fear.

Released a couple of Fridays late - but maybe right on time for all of us still trying to choose love over power.

This teaching was recorded on Friday, April 18th, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.

Welcome to The Collective Table, where we celebrate the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy! This podcast is brought to you by The Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Each week, we bring our listeners a recording of our weekly Sunday teaching at Oceanside Sanctuary, which ties scripture into the larger conversations happening in our community, congregation and podcast. We’re glad you’re here - thanks for listening.

This week, guest preacher Larry Warner brings us a message entitled "Cultivating Awareness" which is based on the scripture found in Psalm 139:23-24.

This teaching was recorded on Sunday, April 27th, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.

Welcome to this bonus re-release episode from The Collective Table Podcast as a part of Season 10, The 50.5%. During this season of the podcast, we have been exploring how women make up more than half of the population - 50.5%, to be exact - and yet, their stories, bodies, and wisdom have too often been silenced, sidelined, or spiritualized out of the frame. For this special re-release, we're honored to return to a soul-stirring conversation with Emmy Award winner Lyvonne Briggs.

Lyvonne is a body- and sex-positive womanist spiritualist - writer, preacher, pastor, and prophet. In this episode, she shares with former hosts Chelsea and Dana the deep truths behind her book Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body. Together, they explore what it means to honor the sacredness of our physical selves, especially in a world that has taught so many of us - especially women and femmes - to distrust or disconnect from our bodies.

This episode speaks directly to the heart of 50.5%: What does it look like to become whole again when the world - and sometimes even our faith traditions - have split our very selves apart? Lyvonne offers a theology rooted in freedom, pleasure, and coming home to yourself.

Content Note: This conversation includes mature language as well as themes of sex and sensuality. Listener discretion is advised, particularly for younger audiences.

Learn more about Lyvonne’s powerful work: https://lyvonnep.com/
Support her on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/lyvonnep

Welcome to The Collective Table, where we celebrate the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy! This podcast is brought to you by The Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Each week, we bring our listeners a recording of our weekly Sunday teaching at Oceanside Sanctuary, which ties scripture into the larger conversations happening in our community, congregation and podcast. We’re glad you’re here - thanks for listening.

This week, Jason's Easter lesson is entitled "Be Not Afraid" and is based on the scripture found in Matthew 28:1-10.

This teaching was recorded on Sunday, April 20th, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.

Welcome to The Collective Table, where we celebrate the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy! This podcast is brought to you by The Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Each week, we bring our listeners a recording of our weekly Sunday teaching at Oceanside Sanctuary, which ties scripture into the larger conversations happening in our community, congregation and podcast. We’re glad you’re here - thanks for listening.

This week, Jenell's lesson is entitled "Praying the Psalms: A Practice for Honest Prayer" and is based on the scripture found in Psalm 118:27-29.

This teaching was recorded on Sunday, April 13th, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.

In this episode of The Collective Table, hosts Jenell & Jason continue our conversation with Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As the first Black woman to lead a Mainline Christian denomination, Rev. Hord Owens brings powerful insight into what it really means to be an anti-racist church in the 21st century.

In today’s episode, Jenell & Jason wrestle with tough questions about who truly owns “the table” in our churches and communities, how historical narratives continue to shape power dynamics today, and why simply inviting people in isn't the same as sharing power. Rev. Hord Owens also challenges us to confront the allure of oppressive power structures, calling Christians to practice real, transformative leadership rooted in justice and humility.

Along the way, we also take a closer look at the history of our own tradition, from early figures like Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, to hidden stories of hope like Sarah Lue Bostick and the continuing legacy of Black Disciples. We also reflect on how true change demands honesty about the past and courageous action in the present.

Questions to Consider:

1. Where are you finding truly “collective tables” or spaces that share power? How is that helping you to grow as a follower of Christ?
   
   
2. How might being honest about your own history help you to reckon with the past and move forward toward a better future, for yourself, your family, or your community?
   
   
3. What ideas, or institutions, or people do you need to be ready to say “Go in grace” to in order to be made whole and remain faithful to your deepest commitments?

Further Reading:

• Rev. Terri Hord Owens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Hord_Owens
  
  
• Barton Stone: https://discipleshistory.org/wiki/stone-barton-warren-1772-1844/
  
  
• Alexander Campbell: https://discipleshistory.org/wiki/alexander-campbell/
  
  
• Preston Taylor: https://discipleshistory.org/wiki/preston-taylor/
  
  
• Sarah Lue Bostick: https://discipleshistory.org/wiki/sarah-lue-bostick/
  
  
• African Americans in the Movement: https://disc...

Welcome to The Collective Table, where we celebrate the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy! This podcast is brought to you by The Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Each week, we bring our listeners a recording of our weekly Sunday teaching at Oceanside Sanctuary, which ties scripture into the larger conversations happening in our community, congregation and podcast. We’re glad you’re here - thanks for listening.

This week, Jason's lesson is entitled "Fasting for Liberation" and is based on the scripture found in Matthew 6:16-18 and Isaiah 58:6-9.

This teaching was recorded on Sunday, April 6th, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.

Welcome to The Collective Table, where we celebrate the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy! This podcast is brought to you by The Oceanside Sanctuary Church. Each week, we bring our listeners a recording of our weekly Sunday teaching at Oceanside Sanctuary, which ties scripture into the larger conversations happening in our community, congregation and podcast. We’re glad you’re here—thanks for listening.

This week, Jason's lesson is entitled "The Year of the Lords Favor" and is based on the scripture found in Luke 4:16-30.

This teaching was recorded on Sunday, March 30, 2025 at The Oceanside Sanctuary Church (OSC) in Oceanside, CA. To learn more about our community or to support the work we do, visit us at https://oceansidesanctuary.org.