16 Aug 2026 | Going Meta: Why We Sing
Every Sunday we sing words that come from different centuries and cultures and theological traditions. We sing the experiences of people beside us and people who died long before us. We […]
Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor
Weekly messages and seasonal series from Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor
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09 Aug 2026 | Going Meta: The Sunday Liturgy
We talk about the form and structure of our Sunday morning service to give us a better framework for why and how we worship the way we do. Learn more […]
26 Jul 2026 | Nothing Can Separate Us
Congregant Bruce Umpstead shares about how he came to a more inclusive faith, and the meaning he’s found in practices like Lectio Divina. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. […]
19 Jul 2026 | Song of Songs: God Is Love
We inhabit a world filled with love and with possibilities for love: opportunities to meet one another with freedom and presence, to take one another’s joys and sufferings seriously, and […]
12 Jul 2026 | Song of Songs: Beauty Will Save the World
As we continue our sermon series on the Song of Songs, we will be considering the importance of beauty, how beauty leads us to wisdom and love, and how it […]
28 Jun 2026 | Song of Songs: Seasons of Love
To love creation is to recognize that the earth isn’t merely the stage on which our lives unfold but it’s a living community to which we belong. In order to […]
21 Jun 2026 | Song of Songs: Flora & Fauna
This week we open a new sermon series where we’re looking at the Song of Songs through an ecological lens to discover what it might have to say to us […]
07 Jun 2026 | Pray & Act: A Gift of Leadership
Leadership is the Spirit-given work of helping a community live into its calling. Pastor Emily weaves in the voices of several people with a leadership gift to highlight some godly […]
31 May 2026 | Pray & Act: A Gift of Faith
The gift of faith is the Spirit-given ability to trust deeply in God’s presence and goodness, especially when circumstances make that trust difficult. We talk about how people with this gift […]
24 May 2026 | Pray & Act: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a central theme in the book of Acts. As followers of Jesus were busy debating who could be baptized into the community of […]
17 May 2026 | Pray & Act: Prophecy and Discernment of Spirits
We talk about what prophecy and discernment look like in practical terms, and how they work together to encourage us and provide wisdom. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You […]
10 May 2026 | The Quirkiest Gift—And the No-Nonsense God it Signifies
Sister Elena Guerra, Pope Leo XIII, Agnes Ozman, William Seymour, and Lucy Fallows: The Story Behind the re-emergence of the Spirit’s quirkiest gift. (And a bonus: what Pope Leo XIV […]
03 May 2026 | Pray & Act: The Ministry of Healing
The Bible is full of stories about healing, especially the Gospels. For this reason, the expectation of divine healing has been a normal part of the church’s life. In this […]
26 Apr 2026 | Pray & Act: Hospitality & Generosity
Looking at the Book of Acts and the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke, we talk about how the gifts of hospitality and generosity can be seen […]
Apr 19 2026 | Pray & Act: Holy Fire
We’re starting a new sermon series this morning on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We talk about how the stories between Easter and Pentecost point to a God whose Spirit […]
12 Apr 2026 | Faith Comes Softly
We talk about the Road to Emmaus, and the invitation is to keep walking on a journey of faith. To stay attentive. To remain open to the possibility that there is more happening […]
05 Apr 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Resurrection Power
On this Easter Sunday, as we remember the story of Jesus’s resurrection together, it might be surprising to consider that Easter doesn’t take place outside of the wilderness. Easter happens right in the […]
29 Mar 20206 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Testing, Testing
Wilderness tales often include tests of character in the Bible; it’s probably clearest in Jesus’s story. In the wilderness God realized he could trust Jesus to use his authority and influence with […]
22 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: What’s Mine to Carry?
We look further at the story of Elijah to help us navigate questions around burnout, rejuvenation, and discerning what’s ours to carry and what’s not ours to carry. Learn more […]
15 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Count the Ravens
Using the story of Elijah and the ravens, we talk about how God provides for us and sustains us in the hardest times of life. Learn more about Blue Ocean […]
08 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: God Was in This Place
The wilderness is a common image in scripture. It signifies the places in life where God feels absent and it seems like we’re alone. The story of Jacob offers us […]
01 Mar 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Survival Wisdom
Using the story of Joseph we talk about hard-won survival wisdom gained in the wilderness. The boy who had big dreams becomes a man who can manage a crisis. Learn […]
22 Feb 2026 | Treasures From the Wilderness: Memory
We open our new sermon series and talk about how remembering God’s faithfulness and other ways we get through hard times builds resilience. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. […]
15 Feb 2026 | The Cost of Discipleship: A Bonhoeffer Redux
In 1937, while leading a seminary declared illegal by the Nazis, the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote one of his most famous books: The Cost of Discipleship. In the book, […]
08 Feb 2026 | Gideon: Trusting God
We look at the ending of the story, focusing on some of the comic elements, and talk about how the story of Gideon is trying to teach us that friendship with God […]
01 Feb 2026 | Gideon: When God Waits On Us
Bishop Tim Wolfe teaches from the story of Gideon to encourage us that God can use us to change the world for the better. He highlights the verse that talks […]
25 Jan 2026 | God Lets Gideon Ask Questions
When it seems like everything is on fire and God has abandoned the world, Gideon’s story reminds us that we are not alone. God is with us, inviting us to […]
18 Jan 2026 | Gideon: Becoming God’s Friend
We open a three-part sermon series on friendship with God using the story of Gideon in Judges 6–7. Who does God say you are? What does it mean to build […]
11 Jan 2026 | Nuance and Compassion: The Story of Ruth
We use the story of Ruth as scaffolding for talking about care and concern for immigrants. Our message also includes a presentation by Amanda Schwartz, a staff attorney at the […]
04 Jan 2026 | Remembering Epiphany
The Christmas season ends on January 6th with the celebration of Epiphany. On this day we remember the story of Herod, an insecure king, who was visited by magi from […]
21 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Shepherd Sentinels
The night Jesus was born, some shepherds were playing a role that would have been familiar to anyone shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures—the role of the watchmen. We talk about […]
14 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Find Joy in the Waiting
From Board Member Lisa Ruby: Pivoting away from quiet anticipation to rejoicing and elation as we light the candle of joy. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]
07 Dec 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Warn the City
In the second week of Advent, as we continue our series on the legacy of the watchmen, we are invited to consider the story of Ezekiel the Prophet. Ezekiel was […]
30 Nov 2025 | Keeping Watch: Watchmen Wait in the Night
It’s the first week of Advent, the season when we wait in the darkness with hope that God’s presence will break through. We talk about how the watchmen of Scripture provide a […]
23 Nov 2025 | Thoughts on Gratitude
Using a story from the Gospel of Luke, we offer a few thoughts on gratitude this Thanksgiving week. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past […]
16 Nov 2025 | Sermon on the Mount: Which Story to Trust?
Today we reach the edge of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus brings everything to a choice. There are different ways to live. Which story will we trust? Which foundation […]
09 Nov 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Judge Not
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to judge one another and not to get caught up worrying about other people’s issues when we have plenty of […]
02 Nov 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Don’t Worry ’Bout a Thing
We continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount and then have a little chat about the church in lieu of our normal membership series. Learn more about […]
26 Oct 2025 | Sermon on the Mount: The Lord’s Prayer
This week we take a closer look at The Lord’s Prayer to help us better understand this prayer we say together each week and how it shapes our hearts. Learn […]
19 Oct 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Spiritual Practices
The part of the SOTM we’re talking about today is about rivalry-reducing practices. These are spiritual practices that can help shape us to have the kind of character that helps us […]
12 Oct 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Love Even Your Enemies
This week we continue our Sermon on the Mount series by considering two of Jesus’ most challenging teachings: nonviolence and enemy-love. We explore the logic behind these teachings and consider […]
05 Oct 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Heart Stuff
We look at how Jesus diagnoses the things that most often trip humans up and keep us from being our best selves, and the practical advice he gives to help […]
28 Sep 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Salt, Light, Deeds
What does it mean for salt to “lose its taste”? We talk about the part of the Sermon on the Mount that encourages us to keep our “flavor,” be light, […]
21 Sep 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: The Beatitudes
Many people see the Beatitudes as high moral ideals we’re supposed to live up to, but that approach makes us focus on our own effort instead of God’s grace. We […]
14 Sep 2025 | Sermon On the Mount: Let Us Begin
Pastor Emily opens up a new series on the Sermon On the Mount by setting the stage for Jesus’s most famous teaching. The Sermon on the Mount begins not with a […]
07 Sep 2025 | The Theological Revolution Will Not Be Televised
In Luke 14, Jesus responds to the crowds in a surprising way: If you want to be my disciple, be prepared to give up everything. What feels like a harsh […]
31 Aug 2025 | The Sacred Practice of Supported Struggle
From Guest Speaker Kim Robinson: Based in developmental science about how learning happens, I make connections between the process of learning and the process of working toward God’s good realm […]
24 Aug 2025 | What Can the Bible and History Teach Us About Money and Debt?
From Guest Speaker Tom Seiple: The Bible has a great deal to say about money and debt, mentioning money, wealth, and debt over 2,300 times. Given that frequency, these are clearly […]
17 Aug 2025 | Psalm 82: A Prayer of Resistance
How do we pray when it seems like the world around us has lost its way? Incorporating insights from indigenous teachers, we explore the world of Psalm 82 and learn what it […]
10 Aug 2025 | Masculinity in Crisis and the Reactionary Assault on Empathy
Best-selling Christian books to the contrary, cognitive and emotional empathy is the ethical heart of the teaching of Jesus and the Law of Moses. Pastor Emeritus Ken Wilson provides guidance […]