The Walk to Emmaus

Dear church,

The Walk to Emmaus is one of my favorite Bible stories because it feels so deeply human. Two grieving disciples walk the road weighed down by disappointment, and Jesus comes alongside them before they even know it is him, opening the scriptures, sharing the meal, and turning their sorrow toward hope. It is a beautiful reminder that the risen Christ still meets us on ordinary roads and makes himself known in word, companionship, and the breaking of the bread.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle

Creation Covenant Redemption

Dear church,

During the Easter season, many congregations are accustomed to hearing readings from Acts in place of the Old Testament. But more recent liturgical reflection has encouraged the church not to lose the rich witness of the Hebrew Scriptures during these weeks. Because the theology of resurrection is deeply rooted in God’s work of creation, covenant, and redemption, hearing these readings in Easter helps deepen the church’s proclamation of new life. These Old Testament readings are chosen to stand alongside the Gospel, not as predictions to be “fulfilled,” but as scriptures that can shed light on the risen Christ and the living hope of Easter. Listen in!

See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle

The Heart of God

Dear church,

Holy Week is one of the greatest gifts of the church year. Each service carries its own beauty, and each one reveals something different about the heart of God.

On Palm & Passion Sunday, we participate in both praise and rejection. On Maundy Thursday, we meet the Christ who kneels, serves, feeds, and commands us to love. On Good Friday, we stand at the cross and behold the depth of divine mercy, while lifting up the plight of all the oppressed and suffering. At the Easter Vigil, we keep watch for the first light of resurrection and hear again the great story of God’s saving love [my favorite service of the whole year!] And at Easter, we rejoice that death does not have the final word.

I want to lovingly encourage you to participate as fully as you are able this week, with your whole heart and mind and being. Come to the sacred journey that leads us to Easter. There is grace in each service, and together they draw us more deeply into the mystery at the center of our faith.

Make room for these holy days. Come and pray. Come and sing. Come and listen. Come and be renewed.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle

Meet the Artist

Dear church,

As Lent comes to a close, I want to especially encourage you to take note of a unique and meaningful opportunity in our congregation. Artist Immanuel Karunakaran, whose works are featured in Spangler and will also be part of our Good Friday service, will be sharing with us on Wednesday, March 25th after our final midweek Lenten service. His story is compelling, and his art speaks deeply to the themes of Holy Week.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle

Judgement or Mercy

Dear church,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, the disciples begin with a question about blame. Jesus answers by moving in an altogether different direction. He sees the man before him not as a theological problem, but as a person, worthy of dignity, compassion, and care. What good news for us, too, that Jesus meets us not first with judgment, but with mercy. I hope you will join us for worship this Sunday as we gather around that gracious promise and pray for eyes to see Christ’s presence more clearly in our lives and in one another.

See you there,
Pastor Kyle

Jesus Crosses Boundaries

Dear church,

This Sunday we hear again the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. On an ordinary day, beside an ordinary well, Jesus crosses boundaries and opens a space for a life to be no longer defined by what has been, but by what God is making possible. And we believe that God is still at work in this way!

In a similar way, I have also found our midweek Lenten worship especially meaningful this year. These services have been helping me linger more deeply in living, active, working love. It sounds simple but there is so much competing against this right now. And so this week we will gather around that promise again: Love is greater than tensions. I hope you will come and be part of it.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kyle

Take it to Heart

Dear church,

Some texts don’t just speak to us, they hold us.

Psalm 121 is one of those psalms for me, a prayer that has steadied countless hearts across the centuries.

If you are looking for a simple practice this week, I wonder if you might take these days to commit it to memory, or simply to read it once each day, slowly, letting the promise sink in.

The Great Litany

Dear church,

This Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent, we will begin worship as we did last year with a special prayer called The Litany or the Great Litany.

The Great Litany has been spoken or chanted by the people of God for centuries. It is persistent, urgent, and full of confidence that help will come.

It plumbs the depths of our common humanity and gives voice to our deepest needs. It is unselfish in its intercessions, reaching beyond ourselves to pray for all who suffer, all who struggle, and all who long for mercy.

Epiphany Season

Epiphany is the season of Christ revealed, light for the world, good news that keeps showing up in unexpected places and people. This Sunday we will celebrate that joy together with an all-church (yes, that means you!) Epiphany pageant at 9:30 am in Henderson Hall.

Worship also resumes this Sunday at 8:30 am and 10:45 am. Come for the pageant, come for worship, come for both. However you arrive, may the light of Christ meet you and guide you into the week ahead.

In Christ’s peace,
Pastor Kyle