NOTE: Much of today's message is brought via video by the beautifully inspiring Robin Wall Kimmerer. You can learn more about Robin and find her books on her website at robinwallkimmerer.com

It means something to "be the church." We can say we are the church, but actually being the church is something else altogether. It means we must do more than claim our position as followers of Christ, it means we must mimic his ways of compassion and embracing humanity. Today, the day after Earth Day, we continue our spring series "Be the Church" focusing on protecting the environment. The psalmist says the earth is the Lord's, which means it is intended to belong to all of creation, which means it is not ours to abuse and consume.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 24: 1-2

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It means something to "be the church." We can say we are the church, but actually being the church is something else altogether. It means we must do more than claim our position as followers of Christ, it means we must mimic his ways of compassion and embracing humanity. As we begin our spring series "Be the Church," today we are focusing on caring for the poor and sharing our earthly and spiritual resources. It was an important part of how Jesus loved, which means it is vital to our claim to be his church.

MESSAGE: "Being the Church" by Pam Lee-Miller

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25: 35-36

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Sometimes it seems like Sunday will never get here - Easter Sunday that is. Jesus' followers really didn't understand or expect even that the Sunday following his execution would be so eventful. From their perspective, there wasn't really a Sunday surprise to look forward to. For us, we look back at that time and those days between Jesus' death and resurrection with anticipation of new life, new opportunities, and new hope. And that's what we need in 2023 - we need hope - resurrection hope.

MESSAGE: "Resurrection in 2023?" by Pam Lee-Miller

SCRIPTURE: John 20: 1-18

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We tend to think of Jesus' entry and ride into Jerusalem on a donkey as the beginning of the end for his earthy work and ministry. The events of that day will lead to his last meal with his followers, his betrayal, his execution, his burial, and his resurrection. But it seems we've forgotten the reason the people were most excited to see this peasant leader. It was because he was supposed to bring change. They believed he was coming to change the way the government and those in power were ruling over them. Today in the U.S., thousands of our children and citizens are dying senselessly because of guns. Just like those first-century citizens needed someone to step up and lead the charge, we need someone to come and make some change.

MESSAGE: "Palms of Change" by Kenny Bishop

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 21: 1-11

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One of the most remarkable stories in the Bible is about a close friend of Jesus who had become ill and died. Jesus receives word of his friend's illness but lingers before going to check on him. When he finally arrives, his friend had been dead for several days. Then, in an act of compassion and community, Jesus commands those close by to remove the barriers that would hold a live man where a dead one should be. With the gravestone removed and the graveclothes loosed, Lazarus was now free to live again. It was an act of liberation and an act of coming together as community.

MESSAGE: "A Communal Unwrapping" by Pam Lee-Miller

SCRIPTURE: John 11: 1-45

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Recently, several state governments across the country, including here in Kentucky, have passed legislation targeting the LGBTQ community. Bills that limit public school teachers to only discussing heterosexual relationships around students, bills that place strict limitations and heavy restrictions on trans individuals, their parents and caretakers, and their doctors, bills that remove multicultural and LGBTQ history from school libraries and curriculums, and bills that make drag performers criminals for appearing in public have all either recently become law, or are in the process. The LGBTQ+ community is feeling the anxiety and the pressure of being attacked by their government. Thankfully, there is one, a Shepherd, who knows and cares and walks with them every step of the way.

Continuing our Lent series, "Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places," today we are looking for the Thirst Quencher - someone who will notice our need, and offer to meet it. As a first-person character growing up in a rural environment, Pam tells the story of a person injured by religion and relationships who one day finds compassion from an unlikely "Thirst Quencher"

Oftentimes we believe that we must “deserve” the love we receive. We work, work, work to get approval and to feel like our life is justified — pulling our own weight, thinking that whatever life we create, and love we get, is only what we ourselves can conjure up. But the scriptures today offer the image of God as our “keeper” — always helping, always present. Nicodemus has followed all the rules and done everything HE can do, and yet he is still looking for love — for tangible connection with God. Jesus says that he must be born “of the Spirit.” It’s not all up to simply “doing the right thing!” It is about allowing the Spirit to help birth love in our lives.

MESSAGE: "The Helper" by Kenny Bishop

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The invitation was couched within an offer to help a group of failed fishermen who'd spent the night pulling empty nets from the water. Their weariness and frustration was growing more and more intense as the night sky began to brighten with the morning sun. That's when Jesus invited them to throw their nets back into the water one more time. After a moment of protest, they obliged and ended up with nets overflowing - all because they heeded the invitation.

MESSAGE: "The Invitation" by Pam Lee-Miller

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The journey toward Lent can be as exciting and renewing as the Lent experience itself. Our experiences along the way can prepare us for the challenges of living our Lent days set apart from our normal routines. And those experiences can sometimes make us more resolved when the temptation to give up and give in is strongest.

MESSAGE: "A Lenten Journey" by Deb Core

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