In worship we bridge between Ascension on Thursday and Pentecost next Sunday. A recurring theme of today was the realities of being people who exist in “the now” and “the not yet”. This past season has been a good example of the conundrum we live in. The Psalmist reminds us that God will run off […]
On the fifth Sunday of Easter our lectionary begins the transition from Easter toward life after Pentecost. The psalmist sings a story of God’s saving presence, restating the words of commendation, “Into your hands I commend my spirit” to help us remember that God is always present to those who trust. The reading from the […]
In worship today we heard stories that are a bit odd this early in Eastertide. In Acts we heard a sermon from Peter that told those who were assembled that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not just a happenstance, they were part of God’s plan – to reinforce the relationship that was founded by […]
In worship today, on the third consecutive day of online-only worship, we continued our journey through Lent and the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that we are connected to God through the saving work of Christ, who brings the reminder of the Holy Spirit who animates us for ministry. […]
Our reading from Exodus spoke almost directly to the situation today. Moses had just been given manna from heaven to feed the Israelites and now they were grumbling about the lack of water. God, in a very simple way, sent Moses ahead to strike the rock to let the water that was already there out […]
As we gathered for worship we considered what we; individually, communally, and as a faith; had to offer to society. We heard Isaiah remind us that we did, in fact know (at our heart) what was good and proper in God’s eyes – caring for the marginalized and fighting injustice in God’s world. Paul reminded […]
In worship, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. For most the celebration was a first, I have no recollection of having the Feast of the Presentation celebrated on Sunday (or at all) before. Our worship and scripture helped us hear the story of redemption from beginning to end. Malachi […]
On the third Sunday after the Epiphany we considered how we are invited to answer God’s call without hesitation and to tell God’s story in our lives to others. While we tell the story, our scripture tells us that relationship is as important as words. The prophet Isaiah sang the first part of our story […]
We began our journey this Sunday with the reminder that God’s desire is that we share the divine life with Jesus, God Incarnate. Matthew avoids the long discussion of the magi by reminding us that Jesus’ family traveled in response to God’s warnings and the threat of destruction. The writer to the Ephesians encourages us […]
Merry Christmas! We celebrated the feast of the Nativity with a cozy service this evening. We were graced with a new voice reading during worship – and it was very good. It is nice to have parishioners test their wings on special evenings like this. It helped make the Christmas story new again. We focused […]