From a young age, this story in scripture has been familiar to many of us. Children’s Bibles illustrate it beautifully and the rainbow over the ark makes for sweet décor in a nursery. It’s also a story that brings many questions to us as adults to figure out what it means for us and how we should interpret it.
Do we really want God with us? That is a question that our lifelong yearning for God continuously asks. Intellectually it’s easy to answer: “Yes, of course! It makes sense; why would we want it otherwise?”
What does it mean to be "better together" with our young adults and teens in a post covid world? This week we'll explore how we can share our encounters with Jesus in our times of struggle to draw connections across generations.
We continue talking about our need to live together, work together, and care together. Paul writes to the Galatians to encourage them to carry each others burdens. This might be intuitive when it’s someone we love and get along with. What about when the other person or people irritate us?
We gather with other faith communities in Excelsior to celebrate our unity. We are better when we’re together! Pastor Brooke preaches, Pastor Johnathan (Congregational Church of Excelsior) leads the children’s message, Pastor Kyle (Mount Calvary Lutheran Church) leads communion, along with music from all the churches.
Miriam is a bold woman in the Bible, starting from when she was young and continuing through her adulthood. Early on, she keeps an eye on her baby brother and saves his life, her quick wit making a way for her mother to raise him.
The story of Hagar is both awful and amazing at the same time. Pretty awful things happen to Hagar, and it can be quite difficult to work out what God’s role was in all of it.
This week we will hear the story of Rahab. Not a common household name, but someone who deserves to be! As a prostitute, she was not very esteemed in her day. Yet, two men depend on her for their very lives.
Deborah was one of the early judges for the tribes of Israel and the only woman in that role, at least in our scriptures. She was married to Lappidoth. Lappidoth means "Fierce" or "Ferocity", which means Deborah was "The Wife of Ferocity". Brace yourselves as we take a closer look at this fierce and commanding woman, who could be the inspiration for Judge Judy!
This week kicks off our worship series on Bold Women in the Old Testament. Of course, we’ll be starting with one of my all time favorite Bible characters: Esther. I’ve always had a heart for Esther—for the pageantry of this book, the drama that unfolds, the poetic lines and social commentary it offers us all at the same time.