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Observing a Holy Lent – This is our Ash Wednesday service of the imposition of ashes, a time of introspection and confession in the forty days leading up to the Easter celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Rev. Shannon Baxter, our Pastor of Congregational Connection, delivers the homily. In a sense, through these forty days we walk with Jesus through the forty days he spent in the wilderness after his baptism. We also look for practices that help us turn the focus from ourselves to God. One of those might be to sacrifice our riches, which seems in some ways to make sense. But Rev. Baxter says that our relationship with God is not transactional. The passage from Micah 6 is central in that the prophet says that God does not want our sacrifices of riches, but to follow God means to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” It is a way of living, exemplified by the way Jesus lived. And in thus living we can build our relationship with God through these forty days of Lent.

We welcome you to listen to our Lenten podcast which will offer guided readings of the Common Prayer liturgies from your pastoral team. We are offering the podcast today, Ash Wednesday, and every day during Holy Week. ...

This is our annual Shrove Tuesday Jazz Mass, a celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Aimee Baxter, our Pastor of Young Adults delivers the Communion Meditation, and she begins by giving a number of examples of someone being up, then down. It is much like we will experience with this Shrove Tuesday of celebration and then tomorrow’s Ash Wednesday. The scripture is the Markan version of the baptism of Jesus wherein we read about Jesus’ baptism by John, then his coming up out of the water to feel the heavens open and hear the voice of God calling him beloved. But in the writer of Mark’s usual fashion of brevity, the Spirit “immediately” sends Jesus into the wilderness for forty days of deprivation. In some ways it is the ultimate beautiful, terrible day. Yet it is clear that Jesus is sustained in the wilderness by the knowledge that he is the beloved of God, and that is a lesson for us, too. That we are beloved of God should sustain us in those difficult times.

Invited to the Thin and Thick Places – This is Transfiguration Sunday, and we read the story from Mark where Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with him to a mountain, and he was transformed before them with Elijah and Moses appearing, too, certifying Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. As she delivers this sermon, Carol gives examples of times when she has been filled with the light of the spirit, calling those the “thin times.” Those kinds of transforming moments are the keys to our return to our daily lives and ministries, and they equip us to navigate the “thick times” of everyday life and also of obstacles. There is hope that Sunday worship, although it can become routine, enlightens us with “thin times” so that as we are sent forth we can be a light to others. Experiencing God can transform us.

We have been reading through the first chapter of Mark, and in today’s reading Jesus and the first four disciples go to the house of Simon and Andrew. There they find Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Jesus heals her. Then that evening, everyone in the town gathers in front of Simon’s house, and Jesus heals many who are ill or afflicted with demons. The next morning Jesus goes out by himself to find a deserted place where he can pray. Thus he makes himself unavailable to the crowds and available to God, to abide in God’s love and support. It is an example for us. Although God is with us at all times, to secure time to be alone with God, to express our love for God and to feel God’s love for us, is critical. Amazingly, after that time of communion with God Jesus did not return to Capernaum to heal people. Instead, he insisted that his mission has been clarified in that one-on-one with God, and his mission is to spread the Good News to other people and towns. As individuals and as a congrega

You’re Invited into Healing Liberation – Today’s passage is from Mark, early in Jesus’ ministry but after he has called the first four disciples. He is in Capernaum, enters the synagogue and begins teaching, and the people are astounded by his authority in that teaching. Then a deranged man cries out, and Jesus exorcises the demon in the man, healing him. Both are demonstrations of the person and mission of Jesus, and this is a learning experience for those new disciples. As we are concerned about authority today, this scene in Capernaum of Jesus healing and liberating demonstrates the unlimited and unhindered authority of Jesus, who uses that authority to liberate rather than to dominate. Jesus later sends out the disciples to do just that: heal and liberate. It is also an example for us: as we are baptized, we, too, are sent out with the authority to heal and liberate, and thus we, like the disciples, are called to help achieve the vision of God’s world as described by the prophets.

Today’s scripture from John 1 is about Jesus meeting Philip and calling him into discipleship, but it is also about Philip, in turn, inviting Nathanael into discipleship, too, with the invitation to “come and see.” The Gospel of John uses that phrase several times, and we are invited to share in the excitement and the invitation. Nathanael’s initial response to the invitation demonstrates some prejudice on his part, but when he actually meets Jesus, all that changes. We are challenged to inspect our own prejudices and wonder whether they are preventing us from meeting and receiving Jesus. Further, when we, like Philip, invite others to “come and see,” as inviting someone to come to our church, what is it that we want them to “come and see”? Philip invited Nathanael to come and see Jesus, and it was that meeting Jesus that opened everything to Nathanael. Our invitation is, then, to come and see Jesus.

Today, using the account in Mark, we read about the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan, and we remember and celebrate our own baptism. A question that often arises with the baptism of Jesus is why would Jesus need to be baptized like the sinners to whom John was preaching, “Repent and be baptized”? Maybe Jesus was baptized and the spirit descended to proclaim he was beloved in order to demonstrate that Jesus was very much one of us and we, too, are beloved. In our own baptism God declares us to be beloved just as Jesus was proclaimed beloved. In our baptism, we are all loved uniquely, and we are thus all of one family, created in the image of God who loves everyone. It is incumbent on each of us to realize that not only are we beloved of God, but everyone is, and we need to reflect that in our relationships. When we are feeling down, we must realize that we are beloved. If we get angry with someone, we must realize that they are also beloved. Remembering our baptism is a way to reconnect to that d

Invited to Another Road – This is Epiphany Sunday, the day we remember the trip of the Magi to see the baby Jesus. Although many legends about the magi have grown through the centuries, the account in Matthew is the only account available, and it does not reveal how many magi were in the group, where they came from (it says only “the East”), or how old Jesus was when they made this trip. What we do know is that it was a journey of faith with the goal of worshipping the baby. When they consulted Herod as to the place the new king had been born, Herod, out of fear, told them to come back to report their finding so he, too, could go pay homage. But Herod was operating out of fear. The Magi had followed the star to the land and then to the house where Jesus was with Mary and Joseph, and when, in a dream, they were told to find a way back to their country without reporting to Herod, they again followed a road of faith rather than one of fear. They kept eyes on the star with their priority to worship this Jes

We have now celebrated the birth of Christ and are at the brink of a new year. The scripture for today is from Joshua, the account of the people crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, and God tells them to set up a pile of 12 stones, one for each tribe, as a memorial. Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye, our Pastor of Mercy and Justice ministries is preaching and says that on New Year’s Eve we often look back on memories while looking ahead to the new year. And that is something that the scriptures frequently prompt both the ancient believers and us to do – to look back and remember what God has done and to move forward under the grace and helping hand of God. We are encouraged to remember the places we forgot God and what happened as a result, and then to move onward with that in our hearts and souls to change our directions and also to educate the generations behind us. Jesus called on the disciples to do just that as they communed at the last supper, to “Do this in remembrance of me,” and we are called

Today, the fourth Sunday of Advent and also Christmas Eve, the scripture is the section of Luke where the young Mary responds to the announcement of her pregnancy with “the Magnificat,” praising God for raising her from her modest place to this place of honor as mother of this holy infant. This comes when Mary famously visits her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, blessed at an old age with a child who will turn out to be John the Baptist. The words of Isaiah, which we have been reading through Advent, may seem to promise something way off in the future, but for these two, the surprise and joy are immediate. At times we can look at the words of The Magnificat and identify with the rich and well-fed, who, as Mary proclaims, are brought down. But we each have our low points, and if we hear God’s word, we are called to work to help others who are not as fortunate as we are, and in so doing, not only will those who receive our help experience surprise and joy, but we may well do so, too.

As we enter the fourth week of Advent, take a few minutes to stop, center yourself and ponder this guided meditation on love, led by Rev. Will McLeane.

– In the season when many people are joyous over the birth of the Christ child, gift giving and receiving, and family gatherings, many among us are experiencing loss, aloneness, grief. This service, held on the longest night of the year, is meant to provide comfort and hold a safe place for those who need quiet reflection. The service incorporates scripture, lighting of candles, prayer, communion, and comforting words. The sermon is delivered by Tammy Lewis Wilborn, our Congregational Care Intern, who describes for us the journey “From Mourning to Morning,” as codified in a brief passage from Lamentations.

Justice and Joy – Through this Advent season we are reading words of Isaiah, and today’s prophecy from chapter 64 comes again to a people in despair but offers a glimmer of hope, and beyond that hope it offers comfort and joy. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, we light the third candle, a pink one representing joy, and in that sense this section of Isaiah fits. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus preaches for the first time in his own hometown and uses these words from Isaiah, but the people are upset because the joy he describes is dependent on justice for people who aren’t the ones hearing him and aren’t themselves experiencing injustice. We can experience joy when God’s vision of justice for everyone is realized, and we have roles in making that happen.

As we enter the third week of Advent, take a few minutes to stop, center yourself and ponder this guided meditation on peace, led by Rev. Aimee Baxter.

Through this Advent season we are reading words of Isaiah, and today’s prophecy of “Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye My People” comes from chapter 40 but is also familiar to us as the first choral movement in G. F. Handel’s Messiah. The message comes to a people whose city, Jerusalem, has been devastated, the temple destroyed, and they have been displaced and are certainly in need of comfort. That message of comfort is followed by a command to make a straight path through the desert, lowering the mountains, raising the valleys, to prepare for the Lord’s coming. We, too, need comfort in the midst of distress, whether personal, health related, or with respect to our world. Isaiah can give us hope, too, and prompt us to work to make the path straight in preparation. And in this season of awaiting the birth of the Christ child, hope and comfort are key ingredients.

As we enter the second week of Advent, take a few minutes to stop, center yourself and ponder this guided meditation on peace, led by Rev. Shannon Baxter.

This is the first Sunday in Advent, and our scripture is from Isaiah’s words to people who had great reason to feel that God had abandoned them. The prophet describes a God who had done awesome deeds in the past, but then God’s abandonment had given rise to the people’s abandonment of God. The prophet speaks of repentance, a turning around of the people, and a cry out to God to return with all of the mighty presence and works God had exhibited in the past. On the people’s side, besides repenting they are to wait in hope, in the deep hope and faith that God stands beside them and will return. This is the waiting in hope represented by Advent. If we as individuals or as groups feel abandoned, it is okay for us to cry out for God to reappear and then to wait with hope for that reappearance.

As we begin the season of Advent, we will be guided by the prophets and by the poetry of E.E. Cummings. Be sure and pick up your Advent guide at church on Sunday or let us know if you need one sent to you. As an added practice each week, we will provide a brief guided meditation through one of Cummings’ poems. Here is the first one to lead us into Sunday.

– In January we began a year-long journey through the Bible with Genesis, and today we end that journey with a reading from the last chapter of Revelation. In this final vision of final days John of Patmos sees a city wherein all things are reconciled. A Tree of Life is the focal point, somehow reminiscent of that tree in the Garden of Eden that broke down relationships between God and humans, between humans, and between humans and nature when humans gave into the temptation to trust themselves rather than trusting God. In God’s pursuit of restoration, at some point God decided to become human in the form of Jesus, who speaks of reconciliation and perfection in relationships, but who is crucified on a tree. In this final vision, then, we see God’s vision of reconciliation and the restoration of relationships. It is not here yet, but we can not only look for it but live into the vision by working to restore relationships with each other and with God.