Recent Crisis at the Border: Haitians Seeking Asylum

Today we'll hear the story of Stephen in the Book of Acts. He's known as the first martyr for the Gospel. The root of the word 'martyr' comes from the word 'witness'. Maybe we can't all be (or don't want to be) martyrs, but what does it mean to take our witness seriously?

Today begins a month of stories from the early, post-Easter church from the Book of Acts. In today's story, Peter and John heal a man outside the Temple. The man was begging for money. Peter offers him something else, if only he'll fix his attention to see it.

Mark's account of the resurrection doesn't include an appearance by Jesus. The gospel originally ended with a preposition, surely causing his 8th grade English teacher to weep. Mark's gospel ends with the women fleeing the tomb in terror. But that's not the end of the story. How often are our lives like that? When have you had a chance to write a different ending to a part of your story?

As we think about peace, it is important that we don’t only see peacefulness and quiet as the goal. Peace often requires a stand. Sometimes conflict is required to break through injustice so you can get to peace. If we want to be blessed as peacemakers, we will need to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, to stand in opposition to the violence and injustice of the world, and to know that peace can only come from deep love, the kind of love you have to summon for those you don’t know, don’t understand, or don’t like.

The events of Palm Sunday flew in the face of all that seemed civil and polite for an occupied state of the Roman Empire. How dare this Jesus and his common followers mock the imperial parade celebrating the power and plunders of war? Who was this Jesus that compelled the people to wave palms and throw their cloaks on the ground in welcome? Join us on Sunday as wave our palms, sing our hosanna, and meet this Jesus who comes riding on a colt.

As we think about peace, it is important that we don’t only see peacefulness and quiet as the goal. Peace often requires a stand. Sometimes conflict is required to break through injustice so you can get to peace. If we want to be blessed as peacemakers, we will need to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, to stand in opposition to the violence and injustice of the world, and to know that peace can only come from deep love, the kind of love you have to summon for those you don’t know, don’t understand, or don’t like.

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The storms of life don't cease. At any given moment, every human being alive is either 1) sailing into a storm, 2) navigating through a storm, or 3) coming out of a storm. Those are our only choices. Storms happen. This Sunday, we explore how to anchor ourselves to peace.

We will look at how true peace requires radical kindness (not just being nice), being able to see humanity and dignity in even our deepest of enemies. We acknowledge these relationships' deaths and believe that new life can be experienced. In conflicted times today, it is even more difficult to choose this path, but these are the times when we may need to most . . . and if we can't trust that the church can express new life, what are we doing?