I love the questions that kids ask. They’re often uncensored and profound and they make me reconsider things I thought I knew and understood well. They reflect pure curiosity and a desire to make sense of the world around us. Each year as we look at the story of “doubting Thomas” I think of the children I work with. Like them, Thomas questions. He wants to hear more and see Jesus’ wounds before he believes he is, in fact, the risen Lord. Rather than dismiss Thomas’ questions as those of an unbeliever, Jesus meets Thomas where he’s at. Using this story as a guide, your children will ask God their most burning questions and recognize that God invites our curiosity. Begin the time with your children by telling them they can ask you any questions they would like to know the answers to. As they share each question, answer to the best of your ability. If you don’t know the answer or it is too complex to explain, be honest. The goal of this time is to open them up to asking any and … [Read more...]
Horizons 9: The end of lament
“Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament” Lesson 9: The end of lament Isaiah 25:6-10; Revelation 21:1-8 Revelation 21:1-8 has long been a favorite Scripture of mine. The promise of a time when there would be no more tears, pain, mourning or crying strikes a longing that we carry deep within us. The words rise up with hope like a flag unfurled, caught and borne up by the wind. Hope is desire and expectation of something new. Hope can be made of dreams, love, forgiveness and friendships. South African bishop Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness.” There has been lots of darkness, heaviness and a shroud of anxiety over the world this past year. It has been difficult to see the light in the face of tremendous loss: personal loss when we are long absent from friends and family; job losses; anguish when loved ones have died during the pandemic; and national unease as our lives have been upended. We have felt adrift and … [Read more...]
Change is coming (May 9, 2021)
Uniform Lesson for May 9, 2021 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Isaiah 29:13-24 Oh, how we love the prophet Isaiah! We stand in awe at the scene of his calling: “Here am I; send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). We thrill to the opening lines of his exilic version: “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God” (40:1). But most of us are less familiar with the words and actions of the pre-exilic career of this prophet as he confronted kings and courts regarding issues of war and wages of widows. Here, Jerusalem is threatened with destruction, and the king and his court are going about business as usual: plotting secret schemes, attending perfunctory services and living their Monday through Saturday lives as if no God exists. This is the setting within which the prophet Isaiah thunders his courageous words demanding change — of hearts, of habits and of hierarchies. A change of hearts Isaiah leads off with a call for a cardiogram. Yes, on the surface, everything looks fine in the kingdom. The … [Read more...]
True vs. false prophets (May 2, 2021)
Uniform Lesson for May 2, 2021 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 1 Kings 22:15-23, 26-28 Too often, we read the words of the prophets as disembodied texts, divorced from any real-life context. However, the call to “speak truth to power” sounds simple until the person in power is your boss or benefactor or bishop. Now the time for real testing comes. There is always an easy way forward. Tell those in charge what they want to hear. Make them happy. Secure your own future. But there is often a hard way as well. It may cost you some friends. It may reduce your benefits. It may require your life. This week we meet a lone “true” prophet in the midst of a crowd of “false” ones. When the king comes calling, what will he say? An audience with the king Most of us have had daydreams about being in “the room where it happens.” Wouldn’t it be grand to be called before Congress, or asked to speak at the General Assembly? We can imagine a hush in the room as we walk forward and the moderator … [Read more...]
Communal lament (April 25, 2021)
Uniform Lesson for April 25, 2021 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Lamentations 5 Last week’s theme of disgrace now bleeds into a full-throated lament of utter devastation: “women are raped in Zion, virgins in the town of Judah.” It is not surprising that the most familiar verses of Lamentations are not these, but rather the most hopeful stanzas in the entire book: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (3:22-23). We Reformed Christians are adept at praise, and will break into the chorus of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” at the slightest provocation. But we are not as practiced in the chords of lamentation, nor are we as familiar with prophetic words of protest directed toward God. How might the words of a communal lament lead God’s people toward restoration, yesterday and today? A traumatic tune The book of Lamentations is often paired with the book of Jeremiah. Both books create a … [Read more...]
Order of worship — April 11, 2021
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation. It is free for worship use. Please credit Roger Gench of the Presbyterian Outlook. Download the PDF of the full order worship: Liturgy 04-04-11 … [Read more...]
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