Scripture: John 17:6-19 • “May my joy be made complete in them.” What does it mean to be in right relationship with God? What does it mean to be in right relationship with others? How do we truly come to know one another and learn about how God is at
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Mark 12: 1-17 • Parable of the wicked tenants; paying taxes to Caesar People in power in the secular world tend to live in an either-or dynamic. Powerful leaders are portrayed as people are able to convince others of the truth. They are often great at debate and never back
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1 Kings 12:1-17, 25-29 • Kingdom Divided In a time when there is much violence, and unrest, negativity, and division, as people of faith we are called to serve, and to live our lives in love. What happens when we do not listen to the wise ones in our midst?
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Why do you look for the living among the dead? Why do you weep when what you seek has come? The resurrection story sheds light on our doubt and leads to depth of knowing and believing. A stone, a tomb, a person cannot contain the power of God and the
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According to tradition, Jesus has been a public figure for three years. During this time, he has developed a reputation for being someone who taught with extraordinary authority. His interpretation of the teachings of his Jewish faith endeared him to everyone except the religious authorities. After a number of run-ins
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In the Genesis reading, we hear God speaking to Abram, a childless, Bedouin septuagenarian. God tells Abram that if he and his equally aged wife Sarai leave their current home and everything they know, God will make them into a great nation and a blessing to all families on earth.
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20 • Choose the fullness of life. Matthew 5:21-26 • Teaching on anger. We belong to God. This is God’s promise to us. We belong, we have purpose. Through Jesus we learn about healthy relationships and how to treat one another. Often religious institutions refer to God’s commandments as
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Philippians 2: 1-11• Imitating Christ’s Humility Matthew 9:9-17 • The call of Matthew. Quirky, weird, and wonderful, that is what Christians are. Think of any movie about the underdogs and you get a picture of the people that Jesus gathered to be part of God’s ministry in the world. Over
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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 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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