Special music by Brandon Coz.

Prayers of the People for September 4, 2022 by Terri Strome.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Learning how to live a good life is sometimes difficult to grasp. We learn much of it in school while growing up, sometimes more in the lunchroom and on the playground rather than in the classroom. In these more uncontrolled circumstances, which lent themselves to unscripted scenarios, we had to figure out principles of behavior that would lead us into the kind of relationships we hoped to achieve. But these lessons were often hard, especially when the outcome was the opposite of what we were looking for. I found it much easier to learn these principles from reading short stories or aphorisms that came in the form of the fables of Aesop, the parables of Jesus, and the letters from the early apostles.

This week we will consider a group of lessons from the writer of “The Letter to the Hebrews.” These lessons come in the final chapter of this writing, and they offer insights in several different scenarios. But there is a common theme to all of them that leads the teaching at the beginning of the passage. Join us this Sunday as we reflect on these lessons at the conclusion of Hebrews and how they can guide us to deeper relationships with God and each other.

Special music by Sheryl Clifton.

Prayers of the People for 8/28/22 by Avery West.

Following rules is important, but we all know that common sense is needed as well. If we all suddenly decided to obey traffic lights only part of the time, the streets would be much more dangerous. Or if we decided to only pay some of our utility bills, the power companies wouldn’t be able to pay their employees, and we would probably be without power for much longer the next time there was an outage. But sometimes, in a moment of crisis, blind compliance can be much worse than breaking the rules.

In this week’s passage, Jesus breaks a rule by healing a woman on the Sabbath. He’s criticized, albeit indirectly, by the religious authorities for the infraction, but he retorts by pointing out how they also bend the rules when they need to. Although this subject seems simple, it’s helpful to consider it more thoroughly since rule-bending can be a slippery slope. How easy is it to go from healing a person on the Sabbath to completely ignoring the Sabbath? Join us this Sunday as we reflect on being disciplined while also being mindful of grace and compassion.

Prayers of the People for August 21, 2022 by Brandon Coz.

Special must by the chancel choir.

A common prayer request we have is for peace. We seek peace in our lives and pray for peace in the lives of others, especially those who are enduring the tragedies of war like the Ukrainians. But there is more to the concept of peace than just experiencing serenity. The Ukrainians are suffering the tragedies of war because Russia is trying to forcibly annex them, and they refuse to have their culture and way of life erased. Yes, there may be fewer deaths if they simply acquiesced to the Russian demands, but this is not an acceptable price to pay for more serenity, nor is it a true state of peace in their land.

In this week’s passage, we will reflect on Jesus’s announcement to the crowds that he came not to bring peace to the world but division. This may seem counterintuitive to some who perceive Christians as a docile collection of passive individuals who seek pleasantness at all costs, but it makes sense when we think about the emphasis Christ placed on being transformed by the Spirit rather than conforming to the rest of society. Join us this Sunday as we consider what it means to be at peace and how we can confront injustice in the world without alienating everyone who doesn’t believe exactly as we do.