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
by Matisse Peppet, February 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. Before divinity school, I lived for three years in an intentional Christian community. We bought groceries together and ran a community garden together and we distributed rent not equally, but according to what we each could manage. Sharing resources in community was joyful, but it also sometimes unsettled me. There’s a… Read More
by Kent M French, February 19, 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. One of our colleagues in the United Church of Christ denomination is a foodie who describes himself as a “gastro-evangelist,” sharing his ministry through food and entertaining. He sees this as clearly following Jesus, who spent a lot of his ministry sharing food with people. Jesus also talked quite… Read More
by Amy Norton-Benfield, February 12, 2026
This Epiphany Season (January 6-February 17), we are following the ministry of Jesus as told in the Gospel of John, alongside our Church School curriculum. As I studied this week’s scripture passage, in which Jesus miraculously gives physical sight to a man who was born blind, I’m struck by how fixated the other people in the story (the disciples, the Pharisees, the man’s neighbors, etc.) are on why he was blind in the first place, how the miracle was performed, and who performed it. Jesus offers some firm redirection from that first question at the top of the story, “You’re… Read More
by UPB Editor, February 05, 2026
“Fat Sunday” Mardi Gras-themed Pancake Coffee Hour Sunday, February 15 12pm in the Parlor Ash Wednesday Wednesday, February 18 7pm Worship in the Sanctuary and on YouTube Learn more Lenten Dinner Church Music and worship over a shared sacred meal. Thursdays, February 26, March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26 6:00-6:45pm in the Parlor Learn more Palm Sunday Sunday, March 29 11am Worship in the Sanctuary and on YouTube Chancel Choir presents Requiem by John Rutter Learn more. 12pm Hot Cross Buns at Coffee Hour Maundy Thursday Thursday, April 2 7pm Holy Communion Worship in the Sanctuary and on YouTube… Read More
by Kent M French, February 05, 2026
This Epiphany Season (January 6-February 17) we are following the ministry of Jesus as told in the Gospel of John, alongside our Church School curriculum. Last week I noted in the 10am Bible study that in John’s Gospel, Jesus always seems to walk six feet or more off the ground. John makes sure to emphasize Jesus’ specialness and his miraculous powers. It’s a powerful and enduring testimony about the healing power of God working through him. And, sometimes it comes across as a little too fantastical for our modern ears. How can we relate? What does it mean for me… Read More
by UPB Editor, January 30, 2026
All are welcome to Dinner Church: a contemplative, candlelit service over a shared meal on Thursdays during Lent (February 26, March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26) from 6:00-6:45pm in the Parlor. Doors open at 5:45pm. We’ll enjoy soup, salad, bread, music, prayer, and fellowship. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers to help with setting up, providing soup, salad and bread, sharing a story, reading scripture, and cleaning up. Click here to sign up. For more information, contact Matisse Peppet at seminarian@upbrookline.org…. Read More
