Tag: Worship

The Final Sunday in Lent

March 29, 2026

As I worked on my sign for the No Kings demonstration yesterday, I felt a new connection to the crowds welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday. [Matt 21:1-11]

In Matthew’s text, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a common donkey with no armed escort — which would have recalled the prophecy, especially for educated Temple leaders, from Zechariah (9.9) “Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  On the other side of the city, Marcus Borg points out that heavily armed Roman troops were also entering the city — to bolster resident troops in case the Jewish Passover celebration aroused rebellion.…

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 22, 2026

Visa problems continue to make it impossible for the young people from Bokamoso to visit us in person as they have done so many times in the past. Today, Jim Cawley the Vice President and Tim Vance, a new member of the Board, spoke to us about their own involvement with the program and their perceptions of how things are going. We also showed several videos of the young people singing, dancing, and speaking to us.…

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The Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 15, 2026

This is now the second Sunday since the US and Israel started bombing Iran, and it seems necessary to at least mention that I am heartsick about it as I bring the Word this morning. As a citizen of both the US and Israel, I feel ashamed and angry that so much evil is happening in my name in both of the countries that I have loved passionately for my entire life. I also believe that God calls us to face evil not with despair, but rather with hope, and with a vision for living with one another in peace, joy, and love, not just someday, but right now..…

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The Second Sunday in Lent

March 1, 2026

On March 1, Ellie prepared a puppet sermon. Here is the script:

Ellie: Did you hear that John just said that God is speaking to us all the time?

All: yes

Ellie: Do you know what God’s voice sounds like?…

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The First Sunday in Lent

February 22, 2026

Just a little while ago, we affirmed these words:

In the midst of an imperfect world,
Jesus is the light of hope.

In this sermon, I want to contrast that language with the language of one of the readings this morning, which talks about sacrifice and justification.  This is going to involve a little theology, so I apologize in advance for two things: First, I am not a trained theologian, so I may get some stuff wrong, and I hope some of you will be listening carefully enough to correct me.  Second, if you don’t enjoy theology, I’m sorry and will try to keep it engaging.…

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