Laughter and Resistance—1 John 1: 1-8a 2nd Sunday after Easter Sunday School Activities Amid so much seriousness these days, you may wonder if there’s a place for joking around and laughing—a pandemic lockdown and all the stress that goes with it, racism in our lives, the news and social media feeds, economic anxiety and inequality and a great deal of unpredictability and…
Sunday School Activities Well friends here we are, celebrating Easter, the pinnacle of the church year. But given the ongoing pandemic and more lockdowns, we still aren’t able to celebrate in the traditional ways we cherish. More significantly, when we exclaim our hallelujahs and proclaim that Christ is risen, we do so in the shadow of the 2.8 million people we’ve lost…
Sunday School Activities Mark 11: 1-11 If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that I’m heartbroken and angry about the state of the world right now. But, let me begin with one year ago. Last year for Palm Sunday, at the beginning of the pandemic I compared the inner struggle and courage of essential workers to the inner struggle and courage…
John 11:1-7, 17-45 – Lent 5 Sunday School Activities This morning’s gospel lesson is a puzzling text. Many scholars have told us that the story of the death and raising of Lazarus is the gospel writer’s rehearsal for the death and resurrection of Jesus. Others remind us that this is a story of hope: Jesus can restore life when all hope, when…
Sunday School Activities Fourth Sunday in Lent Mark Twain once said “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” In matters of faith, I have been arrogant,…
Sunday School Activities John 2:13-22 Last Monday, The Record posted an article entitled “That last ‘normal’ thing you did before the world fell apart” and recalled stories and memories of a time pre-Covid. Do you remember some of the last things that you did before our world changed? (If you do, feel free to type it into our Zoom chat or in…
Sunday School Activities Genesis 17: 1-8, 15-16 2nd Lent Here’s the thing about this scripture and others like it that speak of the covenant between God, the patriarchs of Israel and the promise of a land for the Hebrew people that was already inhabited. I can’t read these scriptures without thinking about what’s going on in that part of the world today. …
Sunday School Activities Mark 1:9-15 It’s almost fitting that Mark is our lectionary gospel ushering us into the season of Lent this year. How perfect on a Sunday when we have our Annual Meeting afterwards that Mark keeps it short and sweet and gives us the overview of Jesus’ baptism, temptation and launch into ministry. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark offers no…