Christ is Alive! As we begin a new sermon series exploring the resurrection, this Sunday we will think about resurrection in our own relationships. In our readings from the Gospel of John, we are reminded that Jesus came to save our relationship with God, not to condemn us from it. What does it look like for us to touch and hold the resurrection of Jesus, just as Thomas did, and live into forgiveness? Let us explore together how forgiveness is key in living as a resurrected people.

Happy Easter! He is Risen! Join us on Easter morning as we consider how the resurrection of Jesus makes him Lord of all, but how that alone doesn’t transform a life. It’s friendship with God that makes all the difference. We will consider two experiences at the empty tomb, putting John and Peter side by side with Mary, and delight in the ways that Mary becomes not only the world’s first preacher of the resurrection, but Jesus makes her unafraid of what might come. As the Apostle Paul once said, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Let’s be built up together in the powerful love of Christ!

Picture this: it’s the week of Passover. The city of Jerusalem is packed with visitors, and two parades are happening at the same time.

From the west, Pontius Pilate rides in on a warhorse — armor, banners, the full theater of the empire’s power. It’s meant to strike fear into anyone who might get too inspired by this story of liberation from Egypt and try to make a move on Rome. From the east, Jesus crests the Mount of Olives on a borrowed donkey. There isn’t anything showy about this display, but people are throwing their cloaks and palm branches down on the ground and crying out to God to save them.

Same city. Same day. Two completely different answers to the question: what does power look like?

We've spent years watching people perform strength and wit for the cameras, and most of us have gotten pretty good at distrusting anyone who needs the crowd's attention, which makes what Jesus does here so strange and so subversive. What are we supposed to do with Jesus’ protest art? Imitate it? Rent our own donkey?

On Sunday, we will rehearse this strange scene, affirm our allegiance to the God who demonstrates power in humility and service, and let our imaginations be formed by the creativity of Christ. See you then, palm branches in hand!

Friends, we are at the end of our neighboring series and will sum it up with a sermon called “The End of Neighboring,” which isn’t just about the end of the series, but the goal of this project. We’ve explored how central this work is to God’s heart and our mission as God’s people, the hurdles to doing it well or at all, our motives for doing this work, and now we will consider the good and holy goals of neighboring. As it turns out, the ways this work forms us is an end in itself! The closer we get, the more we recognize the image of God stamped on every person, calling us to create a just and upright world for all people. Join us Sunday for worship and for our Day of Action afterwards as we talked about one of the many ways our Faith in Action committee is committed to being good neighbors.

This week we trek onward to explore the motives for neighboring. As Presbyterians, evangelism might be a bit taboo for our tradition; however, what if we saw sharing the good news as just an outpouring of what God is already doing in our lives? Come on Sunday as we look at Luke 6:27-36 and Matthew 5:14-16 to hear about how the power of storytelling can build stronger bonds in the art of neighboring.

We are continuing our “Art of Neighboring” series this week through Lent. As with any art, this practice takes practice. That is, you don’t get to be the Michelangelo of neighboring without practicing your brushstrokes first. You probably won’t be the next Coco Gauff of neighboring without getting out there and working on that backhand. So, this week, we are going to talk about the discipline, the patience, and the hope that is required as we keep our eyes on the prize that is a world transformed by the love of God that works itself out in the mundane and holy acts of loving our neighbors in concrete and actionable ways, step by step. Don’t let this world make you a cynic! Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus this Lent! See you Sunday. 

Last week, we began a Lenten series called “The Art of Neighboring.” We started by establishing that Jesus thinks that loving our neighbors is important, like really, really important. So important it takes precedent over all the other commandments and is on equal footing with loving God. Loving God and neighbor is how we experience life in its fullest form. If God did God’s job on Sunday, then you should be convinced of this much! But here’s the challenge - as soon as we admit that this ought to be a priority, we realize that there are countless hurdles to living out that love. This Sunday, join us as we continue the conversation, name the hurdles, and pray for God to give us wisdom that shapes our priorities. There is good news ahead!

This Lent, I wonder what you plan to give up as a way to discipline your soul. Maybe chocolate? Screentime? Social media? Booze!? Well, I’m going to suggest another route. Our Lenten practice this year will be “neighboring.” Six years ago we tried this project and then the world came to a screeching halt, and if it happens like that again, I promise never to talk to you about being a good neighbor again, but we are going to risk it. Jesus identifies the two greatest commandments as the love of God with all that one has within them and to love your neighbor as yourself. The very simple question is how can we love our neighbor if we do not know them? This Lent, beginning this Sunday, we will explore the call and the art of neighboring, all for the sake of Jesus. See you Sunday.

This Youth Sunday, we will be talking about how God created us to travel in pairs. Throughout the Bible, we see God intentionally calling people to do his work with a partner by their side and we do not think that is a mistake! Come join us as we see the story of Noah and the story of Jesus calling his disciples interpreted through the eyes of our youth. Hear the word delivered by our seniors, Lily Taylor, Tyler Williams, and Bryce Denton, as they share more about God’s promises in their life and the community which has helped them get to this point. You won’t want to miss it!

This Sunday, we are ending our sermon series, “Come and See.” We have prayed throughout the season after epiphany thinking through how God reveals himself to us, and now we wonder where exactly our words go. How are we to respond? We will look to the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of John and think about how we can cultivate spaces of meeting God in community where our words become flesh. Come join us this Sunday and take part in the holy feast of communion and celebrate our scouts from troops 280 and 123 as they help lead worship!