Lent began as a season when new believers prepared for baptism by learning what lies at the heart of Christianity. Our Lenten worship series returns us to what was central in Jesus’ own life and ministry: radical welcome, love of neighbor, care for the vulnerable, feeding the hungry, and nonviolence in the face of injustice. At the core of his teaching is liberation, mercy, grace, and love—truly good news for all—though in our time his words are often softened or distorted. Jesus’ ministry can be described as “radical” which comes from the Latin word “radicalis,” meaning “root” or “ground.” Therefore, the good news should bring us back to our roots. Can we be “good news” people in a world too often burdened by bad news?
This good news is joyful and abundant—like fine wine at a feast, a mustard seed growing, perfume poured out, bread multiplied for the hungry—alive in the world and meant to take root in us. May this Lent ground our hearts in God’s expansive goodness and move us to become people who embody and share that good news in a world longing to see, hear, and taste what is truly good.
Graphic Design by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
The brave ones are not always the names remembered or written down. Nevertheless, they make a big impact. Five different women took risks throughout his life to save him. Had it not been for them, Moses may never have been the remarkable leader that we are familiar with today. We will dive deep into the lives of these five women and discover their stories of courage and compassion.
With the busy “gift-giving season” behind us, let’s take time to reflect on the gifts we can offer others that bring about healing, hope, and beauty in this broken and hurting world. These are not gifts you can buy in a store or order online; these are gifts we must nurture and cultivate within us.
Advent is a season of endings and beginnings. As a calendar year comes to a close, a new church year begins. Christ's birth ushers us into new ways of living and loving; and yet, the world as we know it spins madly on. In many ways, pregnant Mary was surrounded by endings—large and small, personal and political. But Mary proclaimed hope in a God who was and is making all things new.
There is so much that can worry us—we worry about our kids, we worry about our jobs, we worry about finances, we worry about health. We worry about global conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine, we worry about our national politics, we worry about climate change and homelessness and child poverty. In scripture, we hear Jesus’ words to his disciples, “do not worry.” So much easier said than done!
Together we reflect on how our world needs more stories of people serving others, devoting their lives to the wellbeing of others, and taking action to care for people. There are a lot of stories of fear and worry—we can be messengers of hope and compassion in a world that desperately needs to hear it.
Our national parks are jewels of natural beauty and unmatched diversity. They can also speak to our faith as we reflect on God’s creation and marvel with wonder and awe at God’s work. Each week, we’ll look at a different national park and explore the holiness and wisdom that it gives us. From Yellowstone to Voyageurs, each place will offer a glimmer into the goodness and glory of God’s world.
We begin a new series that will feature not only my voice, but the voices of five congregation members. A strong value of our church is empowering one another and hearing each other’s voices. We will live into that in July and August as we experience a worship series that is shaped and molded by five others. I have been blessed to hear their perspectives and reflections on our theme and I know you will too.
We hear the messages out there that we should attend church. Many of us have been baptized, either as children or adults. We take the bread and the juice during Holy Communion. We feel within us a calling towards a certain way of life. Why do these things matter? How does the Holy Spirit work through them? What is the purpose of the sacraments? During the month of June, we'll explore the foundations of our faith and how they continue to shape us and bless us.
For the month of May we enjoy a special music Sunday with the theme of New Beginnings, focus on the themes of gifts and offerings, and how we can give to others in a variety of ways. On Pentecost hear the miraculous and strange story of how people were able to hear and speak in different languages, each understanding one another. We anticipate Pride Month and hear the familiar words from 1 Corinthians, “love is patient, love is kind.”
For the month of April we have several special services planned. We will hear Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall preach on the story commonly referred to as “Doubting Thomas. EUMC's Environmental Justice Team leads us as we celebrate Earth Day with guest speaker Buff Grace. He will discuss the small things we can do to protect our world. Our interactive family worship is April 21 and we continue our Earth Day focus to explore how we can nurture good soil for seeds to sprout and grow. Finally we focus on the sower. What do we learn from a sower who wastes seeds on places unlikely to create growth and life? Is the sower meant to symbolize God, the disciples, us, or all of the above?