by Rev. Ellen Jennings (presented by the Worship Committee)

Dan:

Pastor Ellen sends her greetings. She began work on this week’s service when events erupted in Baltimore last weekend and is disappointed not to be here and share it with you. But she had minor surgery earlier this week, and (doctor’s orders!) is on bed rest for the weekend.

In lieu of a regular sermon this morning, Ellen suggested that we, the worship committee, read sections from some of the

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by Rev. Dit Talley

Three simple words: “Jesus is Lord.” These words have been used, to summarize, our faith and to communicate its essence to non-believers and believers of other religions in the evangelistic campaigns of the last century. E. Stanley Jones used these words combined with the raising of his first three fingers to symbolize the message of Christianity. His mission work took him to northeast India in the foothills of the Himyalias and throughout the large emerging nation.

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by Rev. Ellen Jennings

~ Isaiah 43:18-21, 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 ~

New Life! That’s what the Season of Easter is all about. This winter’s Lenten theme, Everything’s New, focused on change, preparing us for transformation, and now that spring is here our Easter Alleluias both culminate this Lenten journey and celebrate the resurrecting power of God’s great mercy and love.

In the grateful and exuberant words of poet e.e. cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for

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by Rev. Ellen Jennings

~ John 20:19-31, 1 John 1:1-4, 2:3-5 ~

Remember the film, “Dead Man Walking?” Well, the Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean, who was made famous by this movie’s adaptation of her life, once wrote: “I pay attention to what I do so I know what I believe.”

I pay attention to what I do so I know what I believe.

Think about it. Because this sentence actually turns on its head what many of us have

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by Rev. Ellen Jennings

~1 Corinthians 15:1-11 , Mark 16:1-8~

“… and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Thus ends Mark’s gospel. Or, translated literally: “To no one anything they said: afraid they were for…” Yes, the original Greek manuscripts really do lurch to just such an awkward grammatical stop. It’s almost as if Mark had been abruptly dragged from his writing desk before he could properly finish the gospel!

And, over the centuries, there have been

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