Looking into the lectionary - I am not ready for Lent to be over...

April 13, 2025 Passion Sunday  Luke 22:14 – 23:41 I am not ready for Lent to be over. Every year, Lent gives us an opportunity to connect our individual and collective griefs to a larger grief in the narrative of Scripture. This Lent in particular, we have watched as unprecedented events have unfolded in our nation and world. Even more than in years past, I have found great comfort in gathering each week with other people of faith to lament and cry to God. In 2025, prayers like, “How long, O Lord?” and “Lord, have mercy upon us,” transcend their liturgical significance. It seems I’m not alone in this sentiment; our Ash Wednesday service this year set an attendance record. It’s natural to seek companionship as we walk through the darkness. The problem is, I’m not ready for it to end. Easter’s hallelujahs feel hollow this year. This Sunday’s cries of Hosanna – “Save us!” – feel more honest and appropriate to the circumstances. On this last Sunday of Lent, worship leaders must choose between the Liturgy of the Palms, the Liturgy of the Passion, or some combination of the two. Considering our state of national turmoil, my gut says this a year for the passion. In a recent conversation about Holy Week and our collective despair, a friend reminded me of Miguel de la Torre’s “theology of hopelessness.” De la Torre takes issue with modern society’s relentless optimism, the belief that we are ever-improving as a species, or, as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so famously put it, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” He argues that from the underside of history, from the perspective of the marginalized and oppressed, this sentiment is naïve at best, intentionally pacifying and subjugating at worst. “The oppressed of the world,” de la Torre writes, “occupy the space of Holy Saturday … This is a space where some faint anticipation of Sunday’s Good News is easily drowned out by the reality and consequences of Friday’s violence and brutality. It is a space where hopelessness becomes the companion of used and abused people.” ... Thank you to this week's guest writer Ginna Bairby. Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Order of worship — April 13, 2025, by Ginna Bairby These PC(USA) churches offer shelter and sanctuary to vulnerable migrants. Here’s why by Patrick Davis, Anna King, Sarah Ventre Thanks for looking out (April 13, 2025) by Chris Burton Practicing joy when the world is falling apart by Tom Are Jr. Presbyterian camp and conference centers recover and ready for summer by Colleen Earp Palm Sunday as a call to non-violence by Aaron Neff Want the worship resources for April 6, 2025? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Disciples of White Jesus Angela Denker explores the radicalization of young White men in America and the role of right-wing Christianity, while also highlighting those who promote a more compassionate path. — Amy Pagliarella White House unfreezes $19 million in USAID funding for Samaritan’s Purse Graham defended the Trump administration's review of USAID funding as an important step in reining in federal waste and fraud. — Tony Mator DEI: Gospel imperative or radical leftwing agenda? What does the Bible really say about diversity, equity and inclusion? While political leaders label DEI a "radical leftist agenda," Jesus' ministry tells a different story. So why do some Christians reject it, asks Emery J. Cummins? The transformative power of Easter joy A barista’s joy transforms Teri McDowell Ott's routine Starbucks visit into a lesson on contagious, life-changing joy — shared, uncontained, and deeply felt. Unification Commission approves a job description for the Stated Clerk/Executive Director Commissioners also receive an update on the transformation of World Mission. — Mike Ferguson Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand Journalist and pastor Jeff Chu reflects on the lessons he learned at Princeton Seminary's Farminary.

WCC NEWS: WCC publishes Faith and Order paper encouraging churches to work for common celebration of Easter

The World Council of Churches has published a Faith and Order paper, "Towards a Common Date for Easter "as an encouragement to churches and Christians to work with one another in their own contexts for a common celebration of Easter. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 03 April 2025 Fresh impetus to explore the hope of a common date for Easter comes in 2025, when all Christians will celebrate Easter on a common day. The year 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which addressed the need for a common celebration of the resurrection. Eastern and Western churches have used different calendars to calculate the date of Easter since the 16th century, and only rarely do they coincide. The publication contains four contributions from different church traditions on the search for a way to celebrate Easter on a common date every year that were presented at a webinar organized by the Commission on Faith and Order on "Easter 2025: Celebrating Together to Strengthen Unity." The organizers hope that these contributions may help animate the churches of the world and Christians in their contexts to work with one another towards a common celebration of Easter. “We hope these offerings—which include historical depth, rich reflection, and exciting practical suggestions—may help animate the churches of the world and Christians in their own contexts to work with one another toward a common celebration of Easter,” writes the publication’s coeditor, Rev. Prof. em Dr  Sandra Beardsall, in the introduction. “For we could then give visible witness to that mystery of faith that truly unites us, that refuses to give the last word to despair, and that invigorates us anew to pursue life for all in the world God so loves.” Coeditor Rev. Prof. Dr Martin Illert said: “We hope that the anniversary of Nicaea this year will help create a momentum so that in the future all Christians can celebrate Easter together.” The newly published paper also contains the document “Towards a Common Date for Easter” produced at a consultation jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches in Aleppo, Syria, in 1997, offering observations and specific recommendations for the churches. Link to the full publication: Towards a Common Date for Easter Recording of the webinar: Easter 2025: Celebrating together to strengthen unity Interview: WCC general secretary reflects on common date for celebration of Easter See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, April 7 and Sunday, April 13, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, April 7, 2025 - That we listen to those who have experiences different from our own.
• Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - That our judges and Supreme Court justices would adjudicate with godly wisdom.
• Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - That college students feel God's love and support
• Thursday, April 10, 2025 - That teachers and administrators would be open to God's Word and God's will.
• Friday, April 11, 2025 - That those in the entertainment industry recognize any negative influences within their media creations.
• Saturday, April 12, 2025 - That World Vision be able to address real human need around the world.
• Sunday, April 13, 2025 - That those in the media and government would report facts accurately and without any bias.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, March 30, 2025

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: As we approach Easter, Christians all over the world focus their attention on the cross and tomb. And because of this, the usual challenge t...

Sunday's Message - Beside(s) Jesus: The High Priests Caiaphas and Annas

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - Beside(s) Jesus: The High Pries...: As we approach Easter, Christians all over the world focus their attention on the cross and tomb. And because of this, the usual challenge t...

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, March 31 and Sunday, April 6, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, March 31, 2025 - That doctors and nurses claim and use the skills given to them by God.
• Tuesday, April 1, 2025 - That God would protect our service men and women both home and abroad.
• Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - That we celebrate the values on which our nation was founded.
• Thursday, April 3, 2025 - That international tensions decrease and all nations learn to live in peace with one another.
• Friday, April 4, 2025 - That we put aside our self-interest for the sake of our neighbors.
• Saturday, April 5, 2025 - That our church leaders have the strength and faith to stand up for the truth.
• Sunday, April 6, 2025 - That our community, state and national leaders would be presented with the Gospel and a loving Christian witness.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, March 23, 2025

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: As we approach Easter, Christians all over the world focus their attention on the cross and tomb. And because of this, the usual challenge t...