by Kent M French, March 26, 2026
This Lent (February 18-April 4), we are following A Sanctified Art‘s “Tell Me Something Good,” in our worship and Church School. We’re looking at what was central to Jesus’ life and ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbors, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, nonviolence in the face of injustice. We usually enter Palm Sunday enthusiastically waving our palms, remembering that enigmatic moment when Jesus re-entered Jerusalem. In some years, we’ve even circled the block around our church to re-enact the enthusiastic procession. We don’t know how many people were at that first Palm Sunday (Mark 11:1-11). But we know they yelled… Read More
by Kent M French, March 16, 2026
This Lent (February 18-April 4), we are following A Sanctified Art‘s “Tell Me Something Good,” in our worship and Church School. We’re looking at what was central to Jesus’ life and ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbors, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, nonviolence in the face of injustice. On this fifth Sunday in Lent, we remember how Jesus valued mercy over legality. Being compassionate and forgiving over being punitive. It’s a famous story about the religious leaders about to stone a woman caught in an act of adultery (John 8:2-11). We don’t know anything about how this happened. Was she… Read More
by Amy Norton-Benfield, March 10, 2026
This Lent (February 18-April 4), we are following A Sanctified Art‘s “Tell Me Something Good,” in our worship and Church School. We’re looking at what was central to Jesus’ life and ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbors, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, nonviolence in the face of injustice. On Sunday, we’ll hear a familiar story that, while not often preached on, is the introduction to every baptism we’ve had at United Parish since at least 2017: Jesus welcoming and affirming children. To practice what I preach, we’ll be hearing our scripture passage as it’s written in The Book of Belonging,… Read More
by Kent M French, March 05, 2026
*Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 8. Set clocks forward one hour.* This Lent (February 18-April 4), we are following A Sanctified Art‘s “Tell Me Something Good,” in our worship and Church School. We’re looking at what was central to Jesus’ life and ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbors, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, nonviolence in the face of injustice. On Sunday, we will visit Mark’s account of the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44) and remember the words of Paul to the churches at Ephesus about God’s capability expanding beyond our imaginations (Ephesians 3:14-21). Here’s what artist Lauren… Read More
