Ephesians 1:3-14 • Adopted through Christ. Mark 6:14-29 • The death of John the Baptist. The gospel this week is unsettling. The gospel reveals that which is often hidden from plain sight. It leads us to wonder under whose sovereignty we live? This story compels the reader to see and
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1 Samuel 15:34-16-13 • David is anointed as King. Mark 4:26-34 • Parable of the mustard seed. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out in the world and care for the people. All the people, the poor, the downtrodden, the outcasts, the sinners! One of
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Psalm 130 • Out of the depths, I cry to God.Mark 5: 21-42 • Hemorrhaging woman healed.“In loving partnership we come, seeking, O God, your will to do. Our prayers and actions now receive; we freely offer them to you.” These words of prayer come from the hymn “In Loving
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1 Samuel 8:4-20 • We Want a King Too! Mark 3:20-35 • By What Authority? By whose authority do we live our life in community? How much of what we do is based in the desire to “do what everyone else is doing”? Does The Church give us authority, or
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Isaiah 6:1-8 • The call of Isaiah. John 3:1-17 • Nicodemus visits Jesus by night. Nicodemus is told to witness, to testify, to share with others what he has seen. Evangelism is a word in the United Church that makes many of us uncomfortable. The idea of telling someone what
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Psalm 1 • Blessed are those who delight in God’s law. John 17: 6-19 • Jesus prays for the disciples. We love to escape as humans which is why COVID has been so difficult. It is hard to escape the realities of the world that we are living in. This
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Psalm 23 • The Lord is my Shepherd. 1 John 3:16-24 • Let us love in truth and action. Is your heart troubled? Is your soul in turmoil? Jesus says that he will abide in those who live by my commandment, and those who follow in his ways abide in
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Psalm 4 • Answer me, when I call, O God. Luke 24:36b-48 • The disciples encounter Jesus. An encounter with Christ is not soon forgotten, or explained, but it is an encounter that heals the wounded soul. When we put our trust in God, and put gladness in our hearts,
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1 John 1:1-2:2 • The word of life. John 20:19-31 • Jesus appears to the disciples. Transformation is not an easy, nor a quick process. Discovering a new normal, a new way of life in the wake of a death or a major loss leaves us with an unsettling feeling.
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Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-39 • God’s love endures forever. Mark 11:1-11 • Jesus enters Jerusalem. The people followed, and the people came to welcome the man who was shifting our understanding, and our way of living. He crossed barriers of race, class, culture and gender identity. He preached and practiced
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