On this 7th Sunday of Easter, we ponder some hope-filled events surrounding Jesus’ ascension (which we celebrated this past Thursday, 40 days following Jesus’ Resurrection). We begin to prepare our hearts for the great celebration of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, only 1 week away. At 10:30 Sunday, we celebrate the Baptism of little Maggie…
On this 6th Sunday of Easter, we hear Jesus’ uplifting message about abiding in his love, so that his joy may be within us, and our joy may be complete! Jesus calls us “friends” and reminds us that he has chosen us! Rejoicing in God’s love, we offer prayers of blessing for our moms, grandmoms…
Here in spring, on this 5th Sunday of Easter, Jesus uses images of creation to bring us hope: Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, with God the Creator as the vinegrower. Pastor Carl has an inspiring message about being branches, with God as our vinedresser. I will share a special Children’s Message,…
This 4th Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, as each spring, we ponder the beautiful image of Jesus as our Loving Shepherd. We are inspired by the words of the 23rd Psalm and reminded of the green pasture/still waters to which our Lord leads us, amid the challenges of life and brokenness…
On this 3rd Sunday of the 50-day Easter Season, we remember how the risen Jesus appeared to his followers in their locked room – to talk with them in confusing times, to eat with them, to give them a peace & hope their world could not provide, and to send them forth with a mission…
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his…
Christ is risen! Jesus is alive, and God has swallowed up death forever. With Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, we may feel astonished and confused, unsure of what to make of the empty tomb. But this is why we gather: to proclaim, witness, praise, and affirm the liberating reality of Christ’s…
The dimly-lighted sanctuary serves as a reminder of the awful consequence of sin and the darkness that feel upon the earth on the Friday when Jesus was crucified. “And it was the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.” Tenebrae is a Latin word meaning shadow or darkness, and the…
This evening our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tonight we remember Christ’s last meal with his disciples, but the central focus is his commandment that we live out the promise embodied in this meal. As Jesus…
