by Kent French, January 16, 2025
Good News and common cathedral. One of the pivotal moments in Jesus’ ministry happens when he goes back to his hometown of Nazareth to preach in the synagogue (Luke 4:14-30). We call it his “inaugural” sermon. The congregation is bristling with excitement, waiting to see and hear how their favorite son has grown “in wisdom and stature.” Jesus preaches from Isaiah 61. Which is all well and good until he starts interpreting it, basically saying that the Good News is for everyone, not just for those who believe like we do. The crowd is so pissed off that they run… Read More
by Amy Norton-Benfield, January 09, 2025
We’re returning to the Narrative Lectionary for the remainder of the winter and spring, following along with our young people in Church School. We’ll spend the seasons of Epiphany and Lent in the Gospel of Luke, catching glimpses of God as revealed through Jesus, his ministry of healing, and his journey to the cross. My friends, we’ve made it! We’ve heard the angels, followed the star, worshiped the Christ child, and gone home by another way with the Magi. Advent welcomed in the new liturgical year, Christmas welcomed the newborn Prince of Peace, and January ushered in the new calendar… Read More
by Kent M French, January 02, 2025
Throughout Advent and Christmastide, we’ve been following “Words for the Beginning: Advent Reminders for New Seasons” from A Sanctified Art, diving into the themes of blessing, companionship, risky hope, abiding love, holy laughter, crooked roads and a whole lot more! Are you a planner or a just-let-it-unfold-er? Perhaps some of both? Ever had the best-laid plans not turn out at all like you expected, and the result was better than you could have imagined? Or ever just followed your hunch and seen where the wind took you? On Sunday, we’ll once again re-visit the Epiphany story of the Magi, those… Read More
by Amy Norton-Benfield, December 19, 2024
Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year, and this Advent, our aptly-named worship curriculum invites us to explore “Words for the Beginning: Advent Reminders for New Seasons.” From December 1st through January 5th, we’ll dive into the themes of blessing, companionship, risky hope, abiding love, holy laughter, crooked roads and a whole lot more! As we hurtle towards Christmas, we reflect on all that it took to get us to this point, and what I’m coming up with is ‘a whole lot of hope.’ And hope isn’t anything to scoff at, though it’s easy to give hope a bad… Read More
by UPB Editor, December 10, 2024
When: Sunday, January 26 at 6:30pm Where: United Parish Parlor What: An evening of food and fellowship with other parents and their teens. We’ll share a meal, play some conversation games, and make new connections/friendships! Why: Because God loves us, and wants us to have a night off from cooking that doesn’t eat into the household budget (and wants us to deepen our relationships with one another through shared mealtimes). Who: This event is just for teens (anyone who will turn 13 during this school year and up) and their parents/caregivers. We may be able to provide childcare and dinner for younger siblings, with enough advanced notice…. Read More
by UPB Editor, December 05, 2024
The eighth annual Christmas Market will take place Friday, December 6 through Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Make a gift and/or tell your friends and family that you’ve made gifts in their honor to organizations doing good in the world. Perfect for gifts or stocking stuffers. You determine the amount you want to give. Missions Giving will match all donations received. Click here to view the brochure to learn more about the organizations we’re supporting this year. Then, choose which organizations you’d like to support with a financial contribution. There are two ways to do this: 1. Click here to fill… Read More
by UPB Editor, November 22, 2024
Join us for Christmas Eve at United Parish! Tuesday, December 24 6:15pm – Children’s Storytime. Kids are invited to wear their Christmas pajamas and sip hot chocolate in the Parlor with Pastor Amy, while grown-ups listen to the Concert Prelude in the Sanctuary. 6:30pm – Concert Prelude. Special musical offering in the Sanctuary before worship begins. 7pm – A Festival of Lessons and Carols. Traditional candlelight service of music and scripture in the Sanctuary. Watch on YouTube…. Read More
by Kent M French, November 07, 2024
I just came from a prayer meeting of interfaith clergy: rabbis, imams, pastors, black, white, Asian, queer, hetero. Beautiful, thoughtful, engaged people of faith. This group offers one of the things I love best about our country: diversity of experience and background. E pluribus unum. Out of many, one! One of the rabbis grew up in Chile under the dictatorship of General Pinochet, who came to power by killing his predecessor in the presidential palace. Her mother died in an anti-Semitic bombing in Buenos Aires. An imam recalled when he was five years old and his family fled Somalia, walking… Read More
by Anna Jeide-Detweiler, October 31, 2024
REMINDER: Daylight Savings ends this Sunday, set clocks back one hour. This autumn, we drop into various stories of the Bible sequentially, starting at the beginning — following along with our young people in Church School. We’ll spend the next few weeks looking for “God sightings”- learning about and noticing where God lives, how God shows up for us, and how we can listen for God in our lives. Meet Elijah the prophet. Elijah lived after King Solomon — who we met last week. He is known for performing miracles. This Sunday, we hear the story of Elijah and the widow… Read More
by Amy Norton-Benfield, October 23, 2024
This autumn, we drop into various stories of the Bible sequentially, starting at the beginning — following along with our young people in Church School. We’ll spend the next few weeks looking for “God sightings”- learning about and noticing where God lives, how God shows up for us, and how we can listen for God in our lives. Last Sunday, we sat with David as God informed him that he wasn’t the one who would build the temple. This Sunday, we meet King Solomon, David’s son, as he prepares to take on this sacred task. Our scripture reading contains excerpts… Read More
