We’ll be celebrating God’s gift of music and song – a gift for times of joy, of sorrow, of lament, of uncertainty and even of anger. As we celebrate Chris Rust’s 20 years of serving as our choir director, we’ll bless him as he steps into the next opportunity to share his gift for creating music with the world. Join…
Who Are We? The Sunday after Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ baptism. And while we might think of baptism in lots of ways – cleansing, renewal, rebirth, initiation – it is vital that we remind ourselves of the life-long vows of baptism – to live in faithfulness to Christ and the Way he has opened to us. On Sunday we’ll recall the…
What Do You See? Third Sunday of Advent The Third Sunday of Advent is considered the “Joyful Sunday.” We have a pink candle! But the joy of this week is maybe different than we might expect. It is the joy of a promised revolution – a breaking down of the systems of oppression and a lifting up of the lowly.…
The Table of Grace World Communion Sunday is an invitation to remember the Church that lives in all places. It is an invitation to remember that we are part of a world-wide community that gathers at the same table of grace. The livestream will be available at 10:30 on Sunday, October 5, or any time after. Read Galatians 3:23-29 and Luke…
We Already Know We’ll be hearing from Stephanie Hollingshead, The Father’s Heart Day Center Program Manager, as she shares about the work and vision of The Father’s Heart. And the story of “The Good Samaritan” will frame our reflection on what it means to be a neighbor in Christ-like ways. (And also, have you ever noticed that the phrase “good…
“Lizard Brains and Fiery Ends” We might like to think of Christian Nationalism as something that exists “out there,” but in reality we are also ensnared in it sometimes. Both historically and in our church today, Christian Nationalism is a powerful force. Naming it, repenting of it, and keeping our eyes fixed on God’s Kingdom of love are vital ways…
Graves, Gardeners and What God Will Do It is THE high holy day of the Christian liturgical year. And we’ll celebrate the resurrection of Christ together with joyful music and celebration. Like Mary Magdalene, who is not expecting to meet Jesus in the garden tomb, we’ll be invited to meet Christ in unexpected ways. Before and between the services we’ll…
Double Vision Scripture is filled with images of triumph and joy as well as images of heartache and lament. The world and humanity are portrayed sometimes as beautiful and holy, and other times they are portrayed as awful and nearly hopeless. Which of these ways of seeing is true? Perhaps our faith calls us to a kind of double vision…
Jerusalem, Jerusalem & Us To whom do we belong? What holds our allegiance? Jesus laments over Jerusalem, and yearns for the day when we let go of our fight against love and the prophets of God. We, too, lament the rage and spite that fills our world, and too often fills our own hearts. But there is hope – our…
Turning It Around As we begin this season of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus’ temptation, and in that story we might hear the story of our own temptations. Unlike Jesus, we often are swayed and give in – not to turn stones to bread, or lead the kingdoms of the world, or leap off the Temple spire, but…
For the Common Good You’ve probably heard the passage from 1 Corinthians that highlights the variety of gifts among God’s people. You’ve maybe been part of a class or taken a quiz to discover which spiritual gift(s) you have. Buried in the middle of this passage is an important phrase that we might overlook – and it gives us the…
What Must I Do to Inherit When Jesus asks the rich man to give all of his possessions to the poor and follow him, we probably wonder whether he’s even talking to us. But what happens if we look more closely at the man’s question, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ and reflect on how we might go…