Exodus 3:1-15 Moses and the burning bush. Matthew 16:21-28 Take up the cross and follow me. God’s calling nearly always astonishes us. First, there is WHO God chooses (hint: it’s not always the leaders we expect). Then the call itself can come as a shock. And finally, there is always
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Romans 12: 1-8 Present yourselves as a living, holy sacrifice to God. Exodus 1:8-2:10 Baby Moses is adopted. Paul in the Romans passage is inviting faithful followers to be a living sacrifice. We are not being asked to pick up our cross and walk towards death, but rather we are
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Psalm 133 How pleasant it is when God’s people are together. Matthew 15:10-28 A Canaanite mother challenges Jesus. Progressive Christianity often talks about widening the circle of inclusion, pushing the boundaries between “us” and “them” until the boundaries disappear, and reaching out with compassion beyond the lines so often drawn
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Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Joseph sold into slavery Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus walks across stormy waters There are many moments on the faith journey where suddenly, because of a significant event, we are given a glimpse or provided insight into the mission and identity of Jesus. We are comfortable with the image
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Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob wrestles with God Matthew 14:13-21 Feeding more than five thousand. There are many stories of struggle in the Bible. These stories share the journey of brokenness transformed to healing through the compassion and love of Jesus given freely and openly to us through God and experienced in
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Psalm 105:1-11, 45b Give thanks and remember Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 The Parable of the Mustard Seed This is a series of parables that Jesus shares with the disciples and ends by asking them if they have understood. How will these parables help us to understand God at work in our
Continue readingGenesis 28:10-19a Jacob’s Dream at Bethel. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Parable of the weeds among wheat. God’s active presence blows through all people and things. In prayer we can center and listen for that energy as it heals and inspires. However, prayer also slows us down to remind us to not
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Psalm 65:1-13 Thanksgiving for Earth’s Beauty. Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23 The Parable of the Sower. The seeds are sown each week, and we have no idea what will take root. The mystery of what will take, and what will grow is not something we can control. The divine mystery will
Continue readingPlease comment on this blog post below to leave a message for Rev. Leigh or e-mail mail@rwuc.org Video text is as follows: Dear friends, I’m speaking to you as Ministry and Personnel Committee chairperson. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what the M&P Committee does, it’s like the
Continue readingGenesis 22:1-14 The command to sacrifice Isaac Matthew 10:40-42 Who do we welcome? The rhythm of practicing Sabbath helps remind us we are part of a wider, longer story started in creation and continuing on from the establishment of the commandments. God’s active engagement in lives of the past can
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