Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 29

Dear Beloved,

How are your hearts, minds, bodies, and souls as we move towards Holy week - a week that can be filled with many emotions - remembering the way Jesus was welcomed by some into Jerusalem with branches waving and Hosannas singing, how he broke bread and washed feet, how he was betrayed and abandoned by dear friends and crowds of followers, how he suffered, died, and was buried…. In this season more than any other year I have felt held by the great cloud of witnesses in all my emotions of life this winter. As I approach this holy week with openness, I give thanks for the saints of past and present of Salem UCC in Toledo, Ohio, including my mom and dad who will always be my first pastor and teachers, who shaped my early faith formations in a way that made holy week so very sacred and special. Words of gratitude are not enough, but I offer them with prayers of love and thanksgiving, and I invite you to reach out and thank someone who has encouraged you at some point in your lifetime - a teacher, friend, family member, mentor, coach, colleague, classmate, author, artist, counselor, student… May you know you are not alone in whatever emotions you bring to Holy week and/or experience during Holy week. God is with us in it all. We are with each other. May you feel the peace and grace of our Creator, Redeemer, and Guide this Holy week and as we seek to live in the loving ways of Jesus, so that all may know they are beloved children of God.

With gratitude,

   Sarah 

Psalm 100

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 22

Lessons from Loss

Mourning my son’s death has taught me that vulnerability connects us to others. We live in a social media dominated world where we post pictures of the beautiful places we visit, the exciting events we attend, and the interesting people we know. There is nothing wrong with sharing these highlights, as long as we are honest about the lowlights too.

It is easy to give the impression that everything is fun and exciting. We get a lot of followers that way. We are admired and envied. But on every life some rain falls. When I am honest and open about the rain and storms in my life, I find authentic connection with others. In shared pain we discover the compassion to help one another. Honest sharing and active listening are the seedbed for healing and the renewing of our lives and our relationships.

Remember, Jesus said: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). Sharing the fullness of our life experiences, the highs and the lows, is the path to solidarity, comfort, and peace.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 15

Dear Beloved,

How are you a bit more than two weeks into the season of Lent? Have any particular ideas or spiritual practices been emerging for you or nourishing you? I appreciate the theme of the Sunday messages focusing on courage. The stories we are hearing and exploring together inspire me and give me hope. One of the Lenten devotionals that I have been studying suggested trying to connect with creativity in a new way. As a person not gifted in the area of music but greatly appreciative of music and people with musical gifts, I decided to pick a theme song for my journey with God this Lenten season. I thought the hymn was called Grant Us Courage, Grant Us Wisdom, but the actual name is God of Grace and God of Glory  - grateful the emphasis on our Glorious and Gracious God who is the Giver of courage and wisdom. The first verse of this hymn is below (page 464 in the Chalice Hymnal found in the pews in the sanctuary of Friedens’ church building. It led me to offer this prayer.  

God of dust and ashes, thank you for your grace and glory. Thank you for our humanity - for designing us with sacred limits. Thank you for offering us strength for loving you and all you have created through the Spirit’s outpouring of power - for the breath of divinity with which you create us. Thank you for the story of your church from generation to generation. Thank you for the great cloud of witnesses who hold us and encourage us through the indwelling of Jesus. Please help us to live with courage each hour that we may honor you with all we are and do. We love you and want to serve you and love and one another with all we are and in all we do. Amen.

God of grace and God of glory,

On Thy people pour Thy power.

Crown Thine ancient Church’s story,

Bring her bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

For the facing of this hour,

For the facing of this hour.

I appreciate you! May you feel the compassion of our Maker, Savior, and Sojourner filling you through the ordinary and extraordinary moments of each our hour this season and always. 

 With gratitude,

  Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 8

Lessons from Loss

Mourning my son’s death has taught me to turn toward the pain. I want to turn away. I want to get busy and think about other things. I want to go back to the way things were before.

Avoidance does not help. I know because I have tried. The only way to get to a place of acceptance and wellbeing with heartbreaking loss, is to go through the pain, to experience it. This takes help, time, perseverance, and patience. It is too much to do on our own.

How thankful I am to trust the Risen One, to have a loving spouse and family, a few longtime friends who understand, a caring church family, and the advice of health and wellness professionals. I am taking steps forward and sometimes backward on this journey of grief. I will get there, and you will too in your losses. Turn toward the pain and get help to move through it.

Be encouraged along this difficult journey, for we grieve as those who have hope (I Thessalonians 4:13).

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Mar 1

Dear Beloved,

It was a blessing to be with you for the Ash Wednesday worship service and the Lenten lunch and chat.  Thank you to everyone who led, served, volunteered, and participated.  I am always grateful for new seasons in the liturgical calendar.  I am thankful to our ancestors in the faith who created it and the Spirit who inspired it.  I am thankful to our Creator who designs rhythms and seasons.  I am thankful for Jesus who we seek to follow and grow closer to during this current liturgical season of Lent which offers special intentional space for preparing our whole being to remember his crucifixion and death and to celebrate and give thanks for his resurrection.  I pray that each of us can find ways to open ourselves to God’s love and guidance in new and renewed ways during this season.  I am grateful for the sermon theme for this season - Hearts Afire - Living with Courage.  

Where do you find courage?  How or where is God calling you to lean into the courage we can find through and in partnership with the Spirit?  Please feel free to reach out to Pastor Marc or me if you’d ever like to pray together about God’s gifts of courageous compassion.  May you feel encouraged and uplifted by God’s grace and peace in this season.  

With gratitude,

   Sarah

PS - I’ve really appreciated the verse from Mark that Pastor Marc has been inviting us to join in at the beginning our Sunday worship time together.  You might enjoy meditating on the same story from the book of Matthew (Chapter 14, verses 22-36).  May it remind you of the courage and peace Jesus offers us as you reflect on it. 

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Feb. 15

Dear Beloved,

The season of Lent begins in a little less than a week from now. Growing up, I was taught that Lent is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) of preparation for Jesus' death and resurrection which we celebrate on Easter and throughout the season of Eastertide. I was taught that it is a season of reflection and repentance beginning with Ash Wednesday when the symbol of ashes is offered as a connection with our mortality and God's everlasting mercy.

We hope you will join us for the Lenten lunch and chat on Sunday, Feb 15th for a time of connecting over a meal and exploring what Lent means to each of us in 2026 and how we might follow Jesus in this season this year. We also invite you to the Ash Wednesday worship service on Wednesday, Feb 18th at 7:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity to sing, to meditate as the choir and worship team lead us, to join in communion, and to receive ashes in the sign of a cross on your hand or forehead if you would like. 

You may also be interested in using this free devotional from Bread for the World. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.

May you know you are a cherished and treasured child of God today, throughout the upcoming season of Lent and always.

With gratitude and hope,

 Sarah

Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. (Psalm 40:11)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Feb 8

Some thoughts on the Bible…

In our tradition there is not one universally accepted interpretation of the Bible. God has given each of us a mind for thinking, opportunities for learning, and experiences for testing what we have learned. Just as we are responsible for our own actions, so we are responsible for our own thinking.

I do my best to share my studied interpretations of the weekly scripture lessons. My interpretation is meant to  provide some reliable guidance as you form your own interpretation. I have found that my interpretations are constantly growing and changing as I learn and experience more as a disciple. I would imagine the same will be true for you.

Remember, “the proof is in the pudding.” The outcome of scripture is to equip the people of God for good work (2 Timothy 3:17). The application of your interpretation should result in the good work of Jesus—kindness, justice, and humble acts of service to God and others. Good interpretations will result in good actions.

I am always pleased to hear your interpretations or to take questions about mine. Let’s learn together.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Feb. 1

Greetings Beloved,

How are you as we near the end of the first month of 2026?  When I began writing this note to you, I was preparing for Epiphany and thinking about the Epiphany story that I grew up with about the magi from Matthew 2.  This story leads me to feel a mix of emotions that resonate with how my heart and soul feel - deep sorrow and deep awe, much sadness and much gratitude, a multitude of concerns and the steadying peace of Jesus that surpasses all human understanding…Now as I continue this note to you just a few weeks away from the beginning of the season of Lent, I feel a similar mix of emotions, and I continue to give thanks to God that Jesus understands them all.  The children and I often talk about the ways we can experience all the emotions together (or as some have said of me, “Your emotions have emotions.”).  God cares for us in and through them all.  God holds us and journeys with us no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey, no matter what our emotions may be.  God does not leave us or forsake us, and God offers us support through the gifts of community, through the comforting word of scripture, through the still small voice of calm made known in the seen and unseen love and mercy of God.  What spiritual practices or circles of support help you feel connected to God and God’s love as we journey through this life filled with many emotions?  I hope and pray that you can start each day with the reminder that you are a loved child of God.  Maybe like me, you’ll find comfort, peace, and hope in the words Pastor Marc has been guiding us in as we begin worship together on Sunday mornings from Mark 6 - “Take heart.  It is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Perhaps there is someone you can share these words of peace and encouragement with this week.  If there are specific ways we can be praying with or for you, please always feel free to reach out and share them with us.  We give thanks for you.

With hope and gratitude,

Sarah

“I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy”   (Philippians 1:3-4)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Jan4

Dear Beloved,

As we begin a new year together, I want to thank you for the past year of worshipping and serving God together. It is truly a joy to worship with you on Sunday mornings. It is a blessing to serve with you. Thank you for all the ways you give generously to the general fund, to food ministries, and to special requests from the community. Thank you for all the ways you share your time, energy, hearts, souls, patience, kindness, talents, ideas, and compassion. Thank you for all the ways you reflect the love, grace, and faith of Jesus. Thank you for all the ways you welcome and include each other and new people. Thank you for inviting people to join you for worship and serving. Thank you for being willing to grow and learn together. Thank you for being open and attentive to what God's Spirit is doing and wants to do among and through us. Thank you for your prayers for each other, the community, and the world God so dearly cherishes. Praises be to God for who God is and God's love that forms us and guides us. May you feel this love as this new year begins and all the way through 2026. New Year's Blessings!

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:3-6)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Dec 28

Some thoughts on the Bible…

I find it helpful to think of the Bible not as a book but as a library of books. Just like our local library, we find in the Bible many different authors and genres of literature written over a long period of time.

Some of the books tell the origin story of the people of God, like Exodus. Some are a collection of commands, like Leviticus. Some are letters, like Romans. Some are messages of good tidings to form disciples, like the Gospels. Some are songs and poems, like the Psalms. Some are parables, like Jonah. Some probe the mystery of the Divine, like Genesis. Some ask the most vexing questions, like Job. All of them in varying ways reveal something of God and what it means to be in relationship with our Creator, Provider, Sustainer, and Savior.

I invite you to join me in exploring the rich library of the Bible in scripture readings and sermons during worship.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Dec 21

Dear Beloved,

Grace and peace to you in this third week of the Advent season when we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus anew! What has caught your attention so far this season? How are you preparing to welcome Jesus into your life for the first time or again or in new or different ways? 

The word hope continues to resonate with me. When I asked the Treasure Seeker children what hope means to them on the first Sunday of Advent, one said hope is ideas. One said it is family and friends. I have been giving thanks for their insights. I am grateful for God’s gifts of hope made known in ideas - hopeful and helpful ideas that come to me directly and ideas that people share with me. How can we respond when hopeful ideas seem to escape us, when despair comes fast and furious trying to dash away hope? How can we be friends, family, members, and neighbors who reflect God’s hope even when we feel hopeless?

 Here are some practices that help me. Maybe one or more of them would be helpful to you.

Be gentle with yourself. It is okay when we feel hopeless. All our emotions are okay. What we do with them matters. If we feel a hopelessness that is depression, we can reach out to a trusted person in our lives and/or professionals. 

Rest. When I become fatigued, hopelessness comes more quickly. God offers us the gift of night for rest (or if you are a night worker - thank you - we pray you get rest during your sleep time). God offers us the gift of Sabbath.

Pray, read the Bible or a devotional book or site, or worship with others or individually with God.

Spend time in God’s creation or in the arts (sing, dance, draw, paint, sculpt) or in movement (play, breathe, stretch, walk)

Take five minutes to do something that brings you joy.

Thank God for whatever is good.

Remember people and organizations working for healing, wholeness, and positive changes. 

May you feel and share God’s hope this season. May you always know you are a loved and loving child of God.

Sarah

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 15:13)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Dec 14

Some thoughts on the Bible…

In our tradition we often say, “we take the Bible seriously but not literally.” Since we believe what the Bible says about itself in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we understand the Bible to be inspired by God, not written by God. Since the Bible is the result of people who were inspired by God, I do not take each word in the Bible to be the literal and infallible word of God. Remember, the Bible teaches that the “word” of God is actually Jesus the Christ, our Risen Savior (John 1:1-16). The Bible is a way to connect with Jesus.

As I have studied the Bible carefully, I have learned about the various authors, their historical contexts, and their unique perspectives and purposes that shape the way they tell the stories of the Bible. For example, we do not have one story of Jesus in the Bible, but we have four stories. Each story is different reflecting the unique backgrounds and experiences of each author. These differences connect with different people in different ways that lead each one to the commitment of discipleship. This diversity is enriching, filling in a fuller picture of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him.

I invite you to join me in a serious study of the Bible. It is a tried-and-true path to discipleship.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Dec 7

Dear Beloved,

Grace and peace to you in this first week of the Advent season when we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus anew!  This past Sunday we lit the candle of hope.  In another recent note to you, I was reflecting upon hope.  I am continuing to ponder hope as Pastor Marc shared with us visions from the prophets.  

How do you understand hope?  Where does it come from?  What do you do with it?  Please feel free to share any of your reflections on hope, your favorite verses or stories, or your favorite songs of hope.

For me, hope is first a gift from God!  I am deeply thankful for the gift of hope - hope helps me and guides me through each day - through my little daily tasks and the deep concerns that I have close in my heart that stretch way beyond.  I can imagine that hope might be something that I meditate on with the Spirit through 2026 and maybe also with you.  In addition to a gift from God, the words and feelings that come to me in the present moment are - Hope is praise, petition, art, advocacy, vision, and mission.  As I praise God for the gift of hope, I pray that we may grow in hope and share hope with all this season.  May you know you are a loved child of God. 

With gratitude and hope, 

Sarah

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  (Psalm 25:5)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Nov 30

Some Thoughts on the Bible…

I claim for the Bible what the Bible claims for itself. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we find this wisdom: All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

The Bible does not claim to be written by God but is inspired by God. That is, people of faith, like you and me, had encounters with God that changed their lives. These experiences were so profound that they told their stories to others to help them grow in faith. Over time these inspirational stories were written, edited, and collected into the Bible as a resource of faith for all people, times, and places.

We study the Bible to learn God’s will and way, to get back on track when we are headed in the wrong direction, and to know and do what is right in God’s eyes. The result of studying the Bible is good work—we become people who are faithful to God, kind and just with others, and humble in our words and actions. In sum, the Bible helps us to be more like Jesus. Let us renew our study of the Bible so that we might know this promised outcome.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Nov 23

Dear Beloved,

How is it with your being (mind-body, heart, and spirit) as we enter the last part of the 2025 calendar year and as we near the end of the church/liturgical calendar? I have always enjoyed having a church/liturgical year as well as a calendar year because in it I find an extra built-in offering for pause and reflection. If the idea of a church/liturgical year is new to you and you’d like to chat more about it, I’d be glad to. The church year ends right before the beginning of Advent which starts the new church/liturgical year. For me Advent is a season of reflection and repentance set aside to help us prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world as a newborn and his coming anew into our lives and world again and again. Here are some questions that I have been reflecting on. Maybe one would be helpful to you. As we come to the end of 2025 in both calendars, what are our hopes and hurts? Are there helpful changes that we can make? What are our dreams and uncertainties? How is God calling to us and reaching out to us? Are there spiritual practices that might support us in journeying with Jesus? What are we experiencing when you are still with ourselves and God? How are the communities around us inviting our talents and gifts to be used for good? Where are we finding rest and renewal? I hope one or more of these questions allows you space for pondering. If Pastor Marc and I can ever be a helpful conversation partner as you live as a loved and loving child of God, please feel free to reach out. If you would like to chat with a small group on the first Sunday of Advent, you are welcome to meet in the Kendall Children and Family Center on the first Sunday of Advent, November 30th for snacks between 9:45 and 10:15 or between 11:45 and 12:15. We appreciate you!

With gratitude and hope,   

 Sarah

Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. (Psalm 111:1-3)

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Nov 16

The sanctuary at Friedens Church is a special place, filled with symbols that open our hearts to the Divine Presence. God is present everywhere, but we tend to be more mindful of that presence in the sanctuary.

So, what is the right attitude and posture for worship in the sanctuary? The most important thing we bring into the sanctuary is our authentic selves. Sincere people of any age, ability, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, background, or any other difference are welcome and enriching to our community. There is no reason to put on airs or pretend we are something we are not. God knows our hearts and loves us completely. None of us are worthy of God’s grace, it is a free gift. So, when you enter the sanctuary be yourself because that is how God knows and loves you. As a result, be humble and grateful for God’s graceful presence. Also be respectful. God is far beyond our human ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). God is greater and more powerful than we can imagine, closer than the air we breathe, and more loving than we deserve.

As the psalmist sings, the sacrifice acceptable to God is a humble and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

Bring your authentic self and let us worship.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Nov 9

Dear Beloved,

Last night I was in a meeting where a question came up - “Is hope a strategy?” That question caused me to pause, and I was pondering it during my prayer time this morning and still am. It made me wonder if other things that are essential to my being are strategies? Are compassion, gratitude, grace, and creativity strategies? I should probably stop to look up the definition of strategies, but at the moment I really only want to give thanks to God for these gifts that come from God the Maker of the heavens and the earth, that are embodied by Jesus our Leader, and that radiate from the Spirit. 

I rejoice in these gifts of God and so many more that flow from God, and to me, are parts of God and also ways of living and being in the world. Yes, for me, they are also probably survival strategies. I imagine that I’ll be pondering this for a while because as I reflect I feel overwhelmed (in the good kind of way), by God’s kindness, generosity, wisdom, power, faithfulness, and love. I pray that as the daylight and time spent outside decreases (which is challenging for some of us) we can find encouragement in these gifts of God and so many, many innumerable blessings from God. And if you rejoice that the weather here (if you are here in the midwest) is getting colder and this season excites you, I pray you can also find encouragement in the extravagant ways in which God shows us care. 

May we all take time to be still with God that we may continue to reflect the hope of made known in Jesus our Deliverer and our Shalom. May you always know you are cherished by the Creator of the most distant star and as near as your unique soul.  

With gratitude and hope,

   Sarah 

But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.  Psalm 71:14

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Nov 2

The area in the Friedens’ sanctuary where the worship leaders serve is called the chancel. It is considered a holy place separated from the nave by a modesty rail, and it is also elevated to suggest the Presence of the Most High God. Our focus in worship is on the chancel because it contains three important symbols of our faith.

The first and most important symbol is the cross. It is elevated above everything else in the sanctuary. The cross is the preeminent symbol of Christ, with a special emphasis on the way Jesus demonstrated the depth and breadth of Divine grace through self-giving love. The cross in our sanctuary is empty, that is, it does not show the dying form of Christ. Our tradition emphasizes both the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

The next prominent symbol in the chancel is the communion table, also called the Lord’s table or the altar table. It is a reminder of the sacrament of Holy Communion where Christ is the host, welcoming everyone who wishes to know Christ and receive Divine grace with an open and humble heart. The table also receives our offerings, given with glad and generous hearts for the saving love of Jesus our Savior. Worship leaders serve from the altar table as earthen vessels who carry a precious treasure ( 2 Corinthians 4:7). The baptismal font at the base of the chancel steps represents the Sacrament of Baptism, the symbol of new life and inclusion by grace into the community of disciples.

The third important symbol in our chancel is the pulpit. This is the place for proclamation of the gospel, the good news of God’s saving love in the faith of Christ. Our sacred texts inform, instruct, inspire, and prepare us to be ambassadors for Christ in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). In the United Church of Christ pastors are to have a call from God for service to Christ’s church, and they are expected to have seminary training, bringing commitment and education to the pastoral and preaching role.

Christ, Sacrament, and Word are central to worship and beautifully symbolized in our chancel.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Oct 26

Dear Beloved,

How are you as autumn feels more fully underway? What are your favorite autumn celebrations or activities? World Communion Sunday and All Saints’ Day are my favorites. I enjoy how these celebrations remind me of the ways God’s Spirit connects us with people and creatures all around the world and with and through the earth herself and all the ways God’s Spirit connects us with ancestors - the great cloud of witnesses - saints past and present and yet to come. 

This past World Communion Sunday was special to me for two new reasons. First, we had the opportunity to join in community with the congregations that share the building- St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church and the Sudanese Church. Second, the evening before, a long-time friend and Global Ministries staff member who has visited and spoken with Friedens before came for dinner - Elena Huegel. Elena shared ways God’s Spirit is at work through our partners in Mexico. I am grateful that Friedens is a Global Ministries congregation, and we covenant to be in prayer with and for our Global Ministries staff and partners. You can read more about our work with Global Ministries at www.globalministries.org. You can read more about Elena’s work at https://www.globalministries.org/people/elena-huegel/.

Thank you for your prayers for the world God so dearly loves. I appreciate you and give thanks for you. May you always remember that you are a cherished child of God.

With gratitude and hope,

    Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – Sunday, Oct. 19

Our worship at Friedens Church is sometimes described as “traditional”. I prefer to think of it as ancient and tried and true. Our order of worship finds its origin several hundred years before the time of Jesus. In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet recalls a vision while worshiping in the Temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah suggests the greatness and majesty of the Divine by imagining that just the hem of God’s robe fills the Temple. Angelic creatures called seraphs serve God in heaven, ever singing Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of God’s glory. And so, we too begin our worship with humble praise for a majestic and awesome God.

The Divine presence is further revealed in the shaking of the foundation of the Temple and the mingling of light and smoke. The prophet cries out in fear before God, saying: Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a mortal of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. This confession is met with purification, symbolized by a seraph touching the mouth of the prophet with a live coal and the announcement that your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out. So too our worship includes confession, an assurance of pardon, a song and prayer of thanksgiving, an announcement of the peace that emanates from the gift of forgiveness, and a grateful and generous offering to God and for God’s work in the world.

Isaiah’s vision concludes with a message from God and an invitation to go and live the message. Isaiah responds, saying, Here I am, send me! Our order of worship follows this same pattern. We conclude our time together in the sanctuary by receiving a reading from Scripture and a sermonic reflection on the passage, before a final song of praise and a commissioning and benediction that moves us into the world as Christ’s disciples.

Yes, our way of worship is an ancient as well as tried and true means of encountering the Divine presence. Make it part of your sabbath rest and renewal and invite others to join you.

Yours in Christ,

Marc