2 Samuel 23:1-7 • David’s last words glorify God. John 18: 33-37 • Jesus before Pilate On the last Sunday of the liturgical year the passages explore the nature of God’s power, and invites readers to reflect on the nature of power and of powerlessness. How do leaders use power?
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1 Samuel 1:4-20 • Samuel is born to Hannah Mark 13:1-8 • Not one stone of the temple will be left standing The prayers of Hannah express sincere anguish and despair. In her prayers she seeks safety, comfort, hope and salvation. Salvation is not an event, but rather a process
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Psalm 32 • Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. Matthew 4:1-11 • Jesus tempted in the desert. The story of Jesus being tempted in the desert is one that inspires us, and challenges us. Can we be as strong as Jesus when faced with a choice that either trusts
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Isaiah 43:1-7 • I will be with you. Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 • Jesus is baptized by John. Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have you ever felt that the world has taken all that you have to give and that there is nothing left? Do you long to feel at peace,
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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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Exodus 32:1-14 The Golden CalfMatthew 22:1-14 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet In the most recent statement of faith of The United Church of Canada, it begins by acknowledging that “God is Holy Mystery, beyond complete knowledge, above perfect description. Yet, in love, the one eternal God seeks relationship.” It
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Isaiah 42:1-9 Jesus, a servant Matthew 3: 13-17 John baptizes Jesus We are called to follow Jesus who came to not only lead others but to follow. After following and listening to John in the desert, Jesus approaches him and asks to receive a baptism. After initial confusion, John says
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Luke 1:68-79 Zechariah’s Prophecy Colossians 1:11-20 The Supremacy of Christ A Song of Faith states: “Scripture is our song for the journey, the living word passed on from generation to generation to guide and inspire, that we might wrestle a holy revelation for our time and place from the human
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