Mission Yearbook: New hymn celebrates blessing children in Jesus’ name

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Mission Yearbook: New hymn celebrates blessing chi...: Image The Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette enjoys time with her granddaughter. (Contributed photo) Presbyterian pastor and hymn writer the  Rev...

Looking into the lectionary - Transfiguration Sunday

Exodus 24:12-18; Matthew 17:1-9; 1 Peter 1:16-21 Transfiguration Sunday February 15, 2026 Who among us hasn’t wanted to linger on a mountaintop just a little longer? It’s no accident that mountains serve as a metaphor for faith. The climb requires preparation and perseverance. It can be strenuous or even treacherous, and it is rarely meant to be undertaken alone. Along the way, we are changed. And when we reach the summit, the view is almost always worth it. The Christian year is shaped by these same rhythms of ascent and descent. Transfiguration Sunday marks a threshold moment — the bright culmination of Advent’s hope, Christmas’s joy and Epiphany’s guiding light — and the turning point where Jesus’ journey, and ours, begins to bend unmistakably toward the cross. We stand at the close of one season and orient ourselves toward the Lenten wilderness ahead. It is here that Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) meets the story of Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12-18) and Peter’s eyewitness testimony (2 Peter 1:16-21), inviting us to glimpse divine glory just before the descent begins. The Transfiguration appears in all three synoptic gospels, but Matthew’s account opens with a curious detail: “six days later.” Later than what? Six days after the disciples first named Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-20) — and six days after Jesus predicted his suffering, death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23). The sequence is deliberate. The Transfiguration can’t happen without the teaching that comes just before. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Thank you to this week's writer, Anna Owens. Want the worship resources for February 8, 2026? You can find them here. Order of worship — February 15, 2026 by Anna Owens 2026: A year for the rural church by Phillip Blackburn A murmuration of clergy: Presbyterians and partners gather in Minneapolis by Harriet Riley Why the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions is too long — and how to fix it by Charles Aden Wiley, III IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Meeting Jesus on the Road: A Lenten Study With weekly walking prompts, reflection questions and a pastoral tone, "Meeting Jesus on the Road" encourages us to meet Jesus in our neighborhoods, writes Amy Pagliarella. We Can Be Brave In "We Can Be Brave," Bryan Bliss adapts Mariann Budde’s call to courage for young readers — weaving faith, fear and hope through stories both sacred and familiar. Amy Pagliarella offers a review of the book. Rapsody: The holy work of formation In this episode, Chris Burton explores how Rapsody pairs uncompromising lyricism with a lived commitment to community, mentoring young artists, and investing in others as an act of faithful formation. Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity In "Against the Machine," Paul Kingsnorth offers a prophetic, if alarmist, diagnosis of Western civilization’s collapse, ultimately calling the church to become a sanctuary, writes Blaine Crawford. Unification Commission approves the majority of a proposed Organization for Mission The remainder will be addressed during an online UC meeting Feb. 12. — Mike Ferguson Inside the effort to organize clergy nationwide to resist ICE Hundreds of clergy from around the country gathered in Minneapolis to learn from Minnesota faith leaders how to protest against ICE enforcement. Then they took to the streets and helped block the city's airport. — Jack Jenkins Faith leaders call for action after violence in Minneapolis More than 8,000 clergy and faith organizers gathered online, urging senators to oppose renewed DHS funding and to “pray with their feet.” — Harriet Riley A daily Lenten devotional Explore how to live faithfully amid division and uncertainty through Matthew’s Gospel.

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, February 2 and Sunday, February 8, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, February 2, 2026 - That doctors and nurses communicate compassion and concern to their patients. 
• Tuesday, February 3, 2026 - That we respect and honor their parents and raise their children with compassion.
• Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - That we all recognize that our actions impact others.
• Thursday, February 5, 2026 - That the world unites in care for those affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
• Friday, February 6, 2026 - That workers be paid a living wage.
• Saturday, February 7, 2026 - That youth value honesty and respect in all their relationships.
• Sunday, February 8, 2026 - That those who have power address that humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, January 25, 2026

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: During the season of Advent, we talked about how we might unwrap some of the gifts given to us by God through Jesus Christ. Well, now that C...

Sunday's Message - Offering Our Gift of Treasures

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - Offering Our Gift of Treasures: During the season of Advent, we talked about how we might unwrap some of the gifts given to us by God through Jesus Christ. Well, now that C...

World Evangelical Alliance - 🙏Final Reminder to Join us in Prayer Tomorrow as We Seek God’s Will Together

 

Dear Friend, Greetings from the World Evangelical Alliance. In a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty, conflict, and ongoing crises, we pause to turn our hearts toward God. This is an opportunity to step away from the noise and join in prayer for our world seeking God’s wisdom, peace and direction, trusting His will to be at work even in challenging times. ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’ Matthew 24:35 We warmly invite you to join us for an online time of prayer and reflection. As we begin the year 2026, this gathering will be an opportunity to seek God together, give thanks for His faithfulness, and commit the year ahead to Him as we look forward to deeper engagement, collaboration, and shared mission in the months to come. Date: Tomorrow, Friday, 30 January, 2026 Time: 9AM CST, 3PM GMT, 4PM CET, 5PM IST (Israel), 11PM SGT To participate and receive the meeting details, kindly register in advance using this link. Thank you for your faithful commitment to the global evangelical movement. We look forward to continuing this journey with you together, we seek to glorify Christ and make Him known among all nations. With warm regards and prayers, Over two billion Christians in the world today are represented by three world church bodies. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is one of those, serving more than 650 million evangelicals belonging to churches that are part of 163 national Evangelical Alliances in 9 regions. Launched in London in 1846, the WEA unites evangelicals across denominations for prayer, evangelism, mission, theological education, religious freedom, human rights advocacy, relief, and engagement in a wide range of social issues. It speaks with one voice to United Nations, governments, and media in public or through behind-the-scenes diplomacy on issues of common concern to the Church. For more information, visit worldea.org WEA has been a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 1980. WEA is audited annually by an independent public accounting firm. WEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In the United States, your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

© Copyright 2026 World Evangelical Alliance

Looking into the lectionary - Clergy organize nationwide to resist ICE

Isaiah 58:1-12 Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 8, 2026 What is the fast we choose? While serving a church in Indianapolis, I spent an afternoon working in the food pantry, assisting clients as they shopped for groceries. An older man, clearly past retirement age, came in for the first time and provided his information for our database. Over the course of our conversation, I learned that he juggled three jobs to support his family, including overnight warehouse work near the airport that required lifting heavy boxes. Despite his extraordinary work ethic and commitment to providing for his loved ones, something felt fundamentally wrong about a man his age standing before me, exhausted, needing our pantry’s assistance to feed his family. The prophet Isaiah minces no words in Isaiah 58:1–12. God’s judgment toward Judah (and God’s people more broadly) is unsparing: “Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.” Injustice is rampant, and God will not tolerate it. The passage focuses especially on religious hypocrisy. Public displays of piety, such as fasting and prayer, are abundant, yet the very same people who practice them are perpetrating harm against society’s most vulnerable people. Isaiah 58 is categorized as part of “Trito-Isaiah,” or “Third Isaiah.” In terms of authorship, scholars suggest that these chapters were written by a collective of authors who sought to speak with the spirit of the original prophet. It is also highly likely that they were written well after the return from the Babylonian Exile and, as such, were meant to interpret the causes and effects of that calamitous experience. Very clearly, the author(s) of Isaiah 58 viewed the injustices and hypocrisies of the people as one of – if not the – most important causes of Judah’s exile, believing that God’s judgment for such unfaithful living could be the only explanation for such a tragedy. But there is also a remedy. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Thank you to this week's writer, Owen J. Gray. Want the worship resources for February 1, 2026? You can find them here. Order of worship — February 8, 2026 by Owen J. Gray Why do some people stay in their religion and others leave? by Bob Smietana Horizons — Finding Our Joy in Christ, Philippians 4 by Rosalind Banbury 2026: A year for the rural church by Phillip Blackburn Inside the effort to organize clergy nationwide to resist ICE by Jack Jenkins Presbyterians oppose detention of lawfully resettled refugees by the Office of Public Witness  IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities     In "Holy Disruption," pastors Amy Butler and Dawn Darwin Weaks tell bold, hopeful stories of congregations that looked outward, listened to their neighbors, and invested their resources for justice. — Amy Pagliarella If Jesus is with us, then where is he? What do we do when Jesus feels absent — and the work feels impossible? Kate Murphy offers a reflection and some hope. Sustenance On a winter morning, seeds are scattered, tea is poured, and patience becomes prayer. Barbara Chaapel offers a poem about the quiet truth that giving sustenance sustains us. Discovering sustainability as a church Tim Hart-Andersen argues that church vitality is not about relentless growth but about long-term sustainability and Spirit-filled adaptation. A church at the center of crisis speaks: “We refuse to submit to chaos and terror” At the center of recent violence in Minneapolis, Westminster Presbyterian Church's session calls for courageous love. A daily Lenten devotional Explore how to live faithfully amid division and uncertainty through Matthew’s Gospel.