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June 7, 2020Trinity SundayThis Is GoodGenesis 1:1-2:4aIn this, the first creation story in our scriptures, the first words are often translated “in the beginning…” A better translation would be “in a beginning….” From the very first words of our holy book, we receive a reminder that we always have the chance to try again.One of the most enduring and astonishing promises of our faith is that we are made in God’s image. If that is so, we are also creators. And, if the scripture is to be believed, then we have the chance to begin and begin, over and over again.Use this space to be creative. Draw a picture of something you can see right now. Compose the first verse of a new hymn. Write a love letter. Design the most sacred and welcoming worship space you can imagine. Create a new recipe or write an old one for someone in another generation. Pray using shapes, colors, or words.As you create, avoid the temptation to criticize your creation. Allow yourself to appreciate it as God, in whose image you are made, loved the world being made and called it good. June 14, 2020Second Sunday after PentecostSarah LaughedGenesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7)Sarah laughed when she heard the news that, in her advanced age, she would bear a child. She did not expect that she had much life left to give. Too often, our culture reflects Sarah’s belief that there is not much life left in our elders.United Church Homes (UCH) has another vision. According to their website , the UCH vision, where the Spirit creates Abundant Life in Community, reflects their faith-inspired ties with the United Church of Christ, and propels this organization into new ways of thinking and talking about aging. United Church Homes celebrates older adults as they explore evolving healthcare and senior living options to appeal to a new generation of people living longer, more active lives after retirement.*“We help UCH residents define what living abundantly means to them as individuals, providing experiences that lead to more joy, and purpose, in their interactions with others. That is why United Church Homes is:an Open and Affirming provider of healthcare and housing services for older adultsa thought leader in driving conversations around what abundant life meansleading culture change to transform older adult services from institutional-directed care to person-directed care that promotes choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful livingWe’ve expanded quite a bit from our first “home for the aged” built in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1916,” their website proclaims, “Today, United Church Homes owns or manages more than 70 communities in 14 states and two Native American nations. We provide affordable housing, independent living, assisted living, long-term care, rehabilitative care and memory care to thousands of older adults.”As our population ages, so does the need for creativity in finding new ways to not just survive our retirement years, but to thrive in them. For United Church Homes, abundant life at all ages is no laughing matter.Find out more about United Church Homes in your area by checking their website or calling their national offices (866-279-5125).*Accessed January 2020. June 21, 2020Third Sunday after PentecostDaring DiscipleshipMatthew 10:24-39Father’s DayToday’s scripture reminds us that there is nothing so small and insignificant that it fails to fall under God’s watchful care.It’s a great reminder on this, the 63rd anniversary (6/25/2020) of the United Church of Christ. This is just an ordinary, even insignificant year. If you try to look it up, you will find that there is no traditional 63rd anniversary gift. A 63rd might go by unremarked.One of the hallmarks of the United Church of Christ is that we follow Christ in noticing that which goes unnoticed by others. This year don’t let the 63rd anniversary of the United Church of Christ pass without a celebration. What are some of the ways you can celebrate the UCC on this ordinary birthday year?Find out more about the history of the ever-changing denomination and the ecumenical movements that came together to found the UCC. Trying checking out for more information.Give a gift of $63 (or $630 or $6300!) to the UCC’s disaster relief fund. (). UCC Disaster Ministries works with established, local organizations to provide spiritual, physical, financial and psychological support to those living in the aftermath of disaster.Look for and list 63 ways that God is at work in and through your local congregation. Share your list with a friend. What ways are the same and which are different?Make a commitment to pray for your local congregation, conference or association daily for the next 63 days. Notice how your prayers change things.Get a cake, blow up some balloons, invite your congregation to gather and have a party! As followers of Christ, who blessed the smallest and least significant things, we don’t need to wait for a big birthday to celebrate. June 28, 2020Fourth Sunday after PentecostHoly WelcomeMatthew 10:40-42Open and Affirming SundayToday, on Open and Affirming Sunday, we celebrate the United Church of Christ’s “Holy Welcome” to the full diversity of LGBTQ+ people. One of the blessings of this work is that our denomination does not go it alone. Consistent with our motto “That they may all be one,” we join the welcoming movements of many other denominations in working for full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in houses of worship and faith communities across the nation.You and others in your church community are invited to join this ecumenical movement, by hosting or attending a “Building an Inclusive Church” training.According to the Institute for Welcoming Resources (), *“The Building an Inclusive Church trainings help you design and implement a process for your congregation to publicly and intentionally welcome people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Building an Inclusive Church equips you with ways to create dialogue, deepening relationships throughout the congregation rather than sparking debate and division.You will have opportunities to engage through a mix of presentation, hands-on practice, and small group discussion. Many of the tools you will learn come from faith-based relational organizing, such as the one-to-one visit and strategic storytelling. Grounded in scripture and discipleship, this training allows you to explore your own Christian call to hospitality and evangelism.If you are currently in a welcoming process, if you are thinking about starting a welcoming process, or if you fear what would happen if you began openly discussing a welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, this training could be for you! Feel free to invite your clergy and other members of your congregation to attend with you. And because this curriculum is shared across the ecumenical Welcoming Church Movement, feel free to share this with friends from other denominations.”*Accessed January 2020. July 5, 2020Fifth Sunday after PentecostChosen JourneysMatthew 11:16-19, 25-30On this day after Independence Day, we remember that as God’s people, we are called to community and covenant. In short, we are called to INTERdependence over independence. One of our responsibilities and our joys as a covenant people is to face the problems in our world head on.According to the UCC initiative “Our Faith, Our Vote” (), *“The problems in our world often seem too big to confront. We see injustice every day and feel that change can’t or won’t happen. But our faith is infused with hope and built on a foundation of action. By serving the vulnerable, feeding the hungry, and standing in solidarity with the oppressed, we serve as God’s hands.Voting is a natural extension of faithful action. The decisions made by our representatives have a wide-reaching impact. We have enormous potential to make positive change. We must engage our legislators, vote, and encourage everyone in our communities to do the same.Our faithful voice is needed. It is tempting to disengage from the political process. As people dedicated to creating a just world for all, we know we must be involved.Visit to join the Our Faith, Our Vote campaign. Discover how your congregation can participate in the electoral process through faithful, nonpartisan engagement. You can find out more about how your congregation can be legally involved in elections at: . In addition, the United Church of Christ can help with resources on civic engagement, voter registration information, issue education, and voter mobilization.This election season it is essential that people raise their voices and vote.”*Accessed January 2020. 12, 2020Sixth Sunday after PentecostA House DividedMatthew 13:1-9, 18-23The story begins,“Listen! A sower went out to sow…”And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up…There was the time I did not get very far. I had just started on the path, just begun to follow Christ, when I got scared and stalled out. I was eaten up by worry and doubt.Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away...There was a time when I believed if only I studied or thought enough, I would be able to understand Christ’s way. I did not know that Christ’s way had to be grounded in my heart as well as my head. My faith withered away.Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.Another time, I tried to turn toward Christ, but became distracted. It wasn't too long before I was choking on the expectation of our consumerist culture and my own grasping heart.Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.And yet again, I arrived in a community, a congregation like this one. Sometimes there were weeds and rocks. But like rich soil, that community nurtured me, helped me to grow strong in my faith.Let anyone with ears listen!We aren’t, any of us, only one thing. Most of us have had all of these experiences at one time or another. Let this be our prayer: “Whether we get carried away or wither, suffocate or grow strong, help us to remember that you are with us always, Holy God. Amen.”July 19, 2020Seventh Sunday after PentecostWheat and Weeds TogetherMatthew 13:24-30, 36-43Jesus taught an agricultural and fishing people who were close to the source of the food they shared and consumed. Most people are many steps separated from the production of the food we eat each day. But, even if we have less understanding of agriculture than our ancestors did, we still understand that Jesus’ command to feed one another refers to physical as well as spiritual feeding.Whether or not they know where or how their food is grown, many United Church of Christ congregations affirm that food once produced is meant to be shared. Food pantries and meals offered by UCC congregations live out the most basic form of care for one another - giving of food.Windsor Severance Food Pantry at Faith UCC in Colorado gives away the canned goods familiar to many food pantries. But they also offer an evening of fellowship and eating together each Wednesday evening. The pantry truly offers “a place at the table” for anyone in the neighborhood looking for a hot meal. You can find out more about their work at: food pantry in Kirtland, Ohio’s Old South United Church of Christ has seen so much need in recent years that they have expanded into three times their former space. Now Kirtland’s pantry has moved to a more modern model of providing food. Clients to the pantry now shop the shelves, as if they are in a grocery store. You can read more at: Connecticut, the food pantry in Norfolk United Church of Christ pantry recently expanded not space, but hours, making their food pantry more accessible to those in need in their town. More here: you are located, give some thought to your local congregation. How do you follow Christ’s lead in feeding people in body as well as spirit? Prayerfully consider if there is some way that you could expand your feeding programs. July 26, 2020Eighth Sunday after PentecostWeaving the FutureMatthew 13:31-33, 44-52The National Youth Event (NYE), which met earlier this week at Purdue University in Indiana, brought together thousands of young people from across the United Church of Christ for a week of worship, fellowship and engaged service, built on 6 pillars. As you read more about each of these pillars, consider what your youth will find at home. How will the youth continue to build on the foundation that they have begun to build? Will they find these pillars in place in their home church? How do the adults in your community make the youth, and their ongoing faith journey, a priority?FaithNYE grounds youth in the love and power of the Gospel as well as the identity and community of the United Church of Christ through worship and spiritual journey.ReflectionNYE empowers youth through courageous reflection and the critique of systems and power that diminishes the humanity and God-image of every person and community.EncounterNYE calls youth to serve and demonstrate the Gospel’s solidarity and radical pastoral accompaniment, recognizing we are already connected to that which we engage.JusticeNYE lives into the mission of the United Church of Christ, sustained by grace, to build a just world for munity BuildingNYE sustains youth through community building and celebration of life, building strong connections for a lifetime journey.LeadershipNYE cultivates the leadership of our youth, from its planning to realization, calling youth to create and problem solve towards a just world for all.August 2, 2020Ninth Sunday after PentecostFace to FaceMatthew 14:13-21“(Jesus) took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke the loaves apart and gave them to his disciples. Then the disciples gave them to the crowds.” -Matthew 14:19, Common English Bible TranslationJesus blessed the bread before he shared it and the result was abundance for himself, his disciples, and the strangers who flocked around them. How might we expand our vision if we gave thanks every time we ate? Try one of these simple meal blessings or another one of your choosing before your next meal.Prayer for breakfast:Thank you for this breakfast food.Strengthen me/us to do your good.All this day and all the next.Remind me/us that Your love is best.Hallelujah!Prayer over lunch:God, bless this food.Bless this pause in the busy business of the day.Strengthen me/us to work for your justicefor those who don’t have enough to eat or who eat alone today. Amen. Prayer over dinner:Jesus, you met your friends around a table.Meet me/us here and help me/us to hear your promises:I am/We are forgiven and you are with me/us always. Amen.Prayer over a snack:Creator God, you made everything, large and small.You made it all and called it good -every rock and person, plant and animal,and this little snack. Thank you. Amen. August 9, 2020Tenth Sunday after PentecostWhen All Seems LostGenesis 37:1-4, 12-28Human trafficking is a real, terrible and often invisible component of our daily life. The United Church of Christ is working to shine light on this hidden human rights crisis.According to the UCC’s justice webpage, , *“As of 2016, an estimated 24.9 million people were in modern slavery, not including the 15.4 million that were forced into marriage. Traffickers prey on those from vulnerable communities and force them into labor, and/or exploit them into commercial sexual enterprises. The influx of immigrants crossing the border into America are most susceptible to modern slavery, as traffickers use their vulnerability as immigrants as tools to manipulate and coerce.Trafficking in persons is a crime against humanity and ultimately a sin. Human trafficking denies the values of human life, exposes victims to serious health risks, endangers the mental well-being of victims and impedes the ability of victims to reach their full God-given potential. As Christians, we believe that every human being is created in the image and likeness of the divine Creator, of God. The prophets cried out against the exploitation of the poor and of laborers who are not treated fairly and compensated justly (Job 24:1-12, for example).The United Church of Christ has consistently upheld the rights and dignity of workers and of women and children, believing that God calls us into community with each other as sisters and brothers, not as exploiters and exploited. The violence done to the physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of children and women who are forced into prostitution, the pornography industry, sex tourism and other forms of sexploitation are violations of the call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves. The kin-dom of God among us requires us to provide protection for those most vulnerable and to seek conditions which support wholeness and health for everyone.”In today’s reading from Genesis, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and trafficked across national borders. For him, this was the first step on the road to a new life, but he needed a lot of helping hands to get him there. May we, as a denomination, as local congregations, and as individuals be that helping hand for those who need it.*Accessed January 2020. 16, 2020Eleventh Sunday after PentecostBold MovesGenesis 45:1-15Holy God,We know that union with all people is your will for us.Hear our prayer for re-union.We pray for re-union across class and economics.Grant to those who have abundancethe wisdom and courage to sharein order to strengthen those who have less.Grant to those who live in scarcity,the strength to organize and speak.Hear our prayer for re-union.We pray for re-union across national borders.Where we have erected walls,and made political division more importantthan human rights, heal us we pray.Help us to remember that all people,no matter the color of their skinor the language they speakor the opportunities into which they were born,are your beloved children.Hear our prayer for re-union.We pray for re-union among families.Heal us, we pray, so that we notPass the sins of our fathers and mothersForward to the next generation.Send your healing love like a balmon those families separatedby violence or misunderstanding.In your name, we pray, Amen.August 23, 2020Twelfth Sunday after PentecostBe TransformedExodus 1:8-2:10Shiphrah and Puah, midwives to the people in Moses’ time, speak:Shiphrah: A midwife helps women deliver babies. We bring pure, beautiful life into this world so full of corruption and death. Whatever time of the day or night, when we get the call, we go.Puah: I don’t know how the Pharaoh found out about us, because we mostly move in circles with other women. But, sure enough, one day, his soldiers were at our door. They said, “You must come with us immediately.”Shiphrah: Naturally, we assumed we were going to be killed, but there was no time to say goodbye.Puah: When we got to the palace, we were led out of the dust and sun, and into the moist cool inner room. And, there he was, the Pharaoh himself!Shiphrah: He told us that we must no longer be bringers of life. Instead, he instructed us to kill the children before they even arrived. And he did not kill us. He let us go, to be his agents of death.Puah: By the way he commanded it, we realized the Pharaoh didn’t understand very much about how babies are born.Shiphrah: So we nodded and agreed, knowing in our hearts that we would never do as he said.Puah: Instead, we went on helping the women when the birth pangs came. And some mothers died, and some babies too, but most of them lived.Shiphrah: Later, when he asked us about this, we said, Life is too vigorous to be put down so easily. Now our people are stronger than ever.Puah: And because we followed the way of life, not the way of death, so are we.August 30, 2020Thirteenth Sunday after PentecostSpirit-Led LivingRomans 12:9-21Imagine a day living as commanded by Paul in today’s passage from Roman’s 12. What would it be like if his bold and brave commands were as much a part of daily living as your other chores and duties? What would your daily to-do list look like? Maybe something like this:Wake up and brush teeth.Exercise.Hate what is evil.Shower.Hold fast to what is good.Breakfast.Love one another with mutual affection.Do not lag in zeal.Catch the train for work.Rejoice in hope.Morning meeting.Lunch.Extend hospitality to strangers.Afternoon desk work. Bless those who persecute you.Grocery store.Pick up kids.Do not claim to be wiser than you are. Dinner.Do not repay anyone evil for evil.Pay bills.Watch news.Live peaceably with all. It can seem absurd or ridiculous to mix up Paul’s big commands with our everyday life. But maybe it makes you wonder how would it change your day if you took Paul's list of to-dos from Romans as seriously as you take the rest of your list? How will you know unless you try it? ................
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