Our worship and scripture was a picture painted by psalmist, Luke, Peter, and John that describes what makes believers special. They all spoke about the trust we have been given about God’s faithfulness through everything and how that impacts our lives right now. We head them all tell about the identity we have in Christ […]
In worship, our scripture continued the discussion about the founding of the church and how our our practice of worship, fellowship, teaching, and communion helps us share the peace and serenity of Jesus. Today the image from the gospel was not the “standard” – we heard about Jesus as the gate: the one who marks […]
Today, the journey in Eastertide continues. We had a passage from 1 Peter laid against/near one of the Psalms the Jews read during Passover. Odd to see a solemn, thought provoking song about the coming change in Israel’s past looking at Peter’s commentary about the ransom paid in Jesus’ death. A question we can ask […]
Easter Sunday is a fabulous time to share with friends and family. After a long Lenten journey we celebrate the truth and promise offered by God in Jesus that there shall be a day that breaks; a day where we embrace the story and our part in God’s story. We will recognize that we will […]
Scripture today points us to God’s plan and God’s interaction with us in that plan. God doesn’t simply act in a vacuum but works humanity into the plan. But it’s not simply a fait accompli but a relationship that allows us to ask for clarification and insights so that we might really understand the complexity […]
May God’s grace be with you on Good Friday. It was a special celebration among friends and neighbors at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church along with Oakland Christian United Church of Christ. The readings and music help set the tone for our reflection on the Passion of Jesus. This evening, we explored our discomfort with […]
The Passion reading from Matthew, almost two full chapters, provides a lot of material to draw our attention and to capture our thoughts as we ponder the Christ. Sometimes we pause with wonder and ask, “Why did Jesus have to die to save us?” The answer is complicated and the relationship cemented by that act […]
There were many threads that could have been pulled today: Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones; the Psalmist waiting for the Lord; Paul reminding us that in Christ we are alive; and Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Yet this morning, we were reminded in the collect that God brings order to our […]
In worship we looked at the changes in our lives and the change we are searching for in Lent. Between the story of the anointing of David in Samuel, to the evolving understanding of God by the psalmist in the 23rd Psalm, to the story of the man born blind having his sight restored by […]
It was a fitting day for us to say goodbye to Barbara Griggs. Much of the day is indicative of her life among us. It was bright and warm with a little breeze blowing. Today was the day we laid Barbara’s remains to rest and celebrated her life with worship and prayer. We remember God […]