Acts 9 tells the dramatic story of Saul’s conversion, but tucked inside it is a second, quieter transformation—one just as essential for an Open and Affirming church. Saul’s conversion is obvious. He is stopped in his tracks, confronted by the Christ he has been persecuting, and led into a new way of seeing. His blindness …
Tag: First Congregational Church
Mar 31
Go as People of the Morning
Easter Newsletter Reflection Easter always begins in the dark. John tells us that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb “while it was still early, while it was still dark.” She carried grief, confusion, and the heavy weight of everything that felt unfinished. Most of us know that kind of darkness—moments when hope feels thin and …
Mar 26
Palm Sunday: From Triumph to Surrender
John 12:12–27 and Psalm 118:19–29 Palm Sunday invites us into one of the most dramatic turns in the Gospel story. Crowds gather with palm branches, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. It is a moment filled with …
Mar 12
Making a Good Confession
Lent 4 Newsletter Reflection In this week’s scriptures, we overhear two very different “confessions.”In John 18, Jesus stands before Pilate and speaks a quiet, steady truth: “For this I was born… to testify to the truth.” His confession is not a list of wrongs but a revelation of who he is—one whose kingdom is shaped …
