Prayer of the Week

Homecoming Sunday at Union Church was  a wonderful celebration with friends new and old. The parable from Matthew related the story of the bridesmaids waiting for the wedding to begin, 5 of whom had prepared with extra oil, and 5 who had not. When the groom was delayed some ran out to buy more oil,… Read more.

This morning, Union Church will join with First Christian Church in Berea for worship.  We celebrate together on this World Communion Sunday, as we break bread with Christians all over the world.  May God bless all of us as we seek to be conduits of God’s love.  Here is a prayer for today.  — Rev…. Read more.

This week we are all aware of so much suffering in the world. Victims of airliner crashes, families in fear of bombs falling on them in Israel-Palestine, the ongoing wars in Syria, Ukraine, and the shameful prison conditions of nearly 60,000 children caught on southern border. In the gospel passage from Matthew 13 this week… Read more.

Pentecost is a day for “Flipping the Script.” Just when the disciples felt most powerless and unheard, with a mighty rush they are speaking everyone’s language. They proclaim from the bottom, the liberation and hope that comes from above. It is that same wind that blows through us now and empowers transformation both personal and… Read more.

Rev. Rachel preached a sermon illustrated by Bearington Bear and the inside, outside, upside downside ways we can feel about our lives and about our faith. In the gospel for this week’s reading, the disciple Thomas doubts and is still counted among the faithful. In fact he becomes the “stand in” for all of us… Read more.

Thirst! Lack of water can drive us mad. Lack of spiritual upwellings, oases, or streams of grace, can leave us devastated. Whether slowly drying out or suddenly deprived, we all need “living water,” as Jesus tells the woman at the well in last Sunday’s Gospel reading.  For whatever journey you may be on this week,… Read more.

This week’s gospel reminds of the story of a prominent citizen, a member of the establishment, who seeks out Jesus (the radical prophet) for a meeting. The familiar words of Jesus “You must be born from above (or anew)” in this night-time encounter with Nicodemus are often heard as a harsh commandment, and have been used… Read more.

This Sunday’s scripture readings had to do with good choices: the blessings of entering into good covenants before entering the promised land from the Deuteronomy text, and the much harder words from Jesus in Matthew, “upping the ante” on how righteous one must be. At least in Jesus’ case, the challenge seems impossible: who has not gotten… Read more.