Easter Sunday — April 20, 2025
On Easter, we celebrate freedom in Christ. But who gets the mic? Teri McDowell Ott reflects.
More Stories from this Author
The transformative power of Easter joy
A barista’s joy transforms Teri McDowell Ott's routine Starbucks visit into a lesson on contagious, life-changing joy — shared, uncontained, and deeply felt.
Our Instagram is back — but we’re still leaving. Here’s why.
Meta reinstated Presbyterian Outlook's Instagram, but we're still leaving. Here's why we're prioritizing ethical engagement over corporate algorithms.
Jesus’ call to curiosity: Detaching from what we think we know
Being curious takes vulnerability and courage, writes Teri McDowell Ott, but this is the soft, fertile soil from which spring flowers bloom.
Presbyterian Outlook banned by Instagram: What happened and where to find us now
Presbyterian Outlook’s Instagram was suspended by Meta without explanation. Learn what happened and where to find us now.
Second Sunday in Lent — March 16, 2025
Psalm 27 invites us to explore faith, fear, and the ways we hide — only to be called out into courage, writes Teri McDowell Ott. How do we move from hiding to trusting God?
Order of worship — March 16, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Liz Theoharis: Organizing and building power
Teri McDowell Ott speaks with Presbyterian Pastor Liz Theoharis on uniting and organizing poor and low-income people into a powerful force.
We’re all invited to the freedom party
Silence sustains oppression, writes Teri McDowell Ott. What will we contribute to freedom’s call?
Order of worship — February 16, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany — February 16, 2025
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on poetry, self-help and Psalm 1.
Inauguration Day prayer
January 20, 2025, marks the inauguration of America's new president as well as the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. Teri McDowell Ott pens a prayer to help us hold all this together.
Order of worship — January 19, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Second Sunday after the Epiphany — January 19, 2025
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on John 2:1-11 and the joyful feast of communion.
We are all public theologians
"Your life, your words, your actions speak of your beliefs and profess your faith. Your medium is whatever blank canvas God unfurls for you to share the good news," writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Baptism of the Lord — January 12, 2025
On Baptism of the Lord Sunday, Teri McDowell Ott reflects on God’s call to listen, pray, and remember: “You are mine.”
Order of worship — January 12, 2025
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Order of worship — December 24, 2024
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Christmas Eve — December 24, 2024
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on the spirit of beloved community. Christ's birth is a symbol of peace and inclusivity, she writes, welcoming even those we might exclude.
Fourth Sunday of Advent — December 22, 2024
Teri McDowell Ott explores how the lectionary passages for the fourth Sunday of Advent invite us to embody hope.
Order of worship — December 22, 2024
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Practicing Christ’s patterns
Christ not only illuminates our common bonds as humans but shows what we can accomplish when we work together toward the good, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Order of worship — December 1, 2024
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
First Sunday of Advent — December 1, 2024
The goal of Advent is clear, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Order of worship — November 17, 2024
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.