Looking into the lectionary - Rethinking ministry

May 26, 2024 Trinity Sunday John 3:1-17 This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, and our gospel text is very fitting from John 3. I’d ask that we preachers resist the temptation to run to familiar verse 16 treating the whole passage as a theological explication on that verse. Instead, enter the whole story yourself. Allow Jesus and Nicodemus into your study or coffee shop or outdoor sanctuary where you do your best sermonizing. Do you resonate with Nicodemus as he is perplexed over and over by Jesus and his metaphor? Or are you sensing the Spirit of which Jesus speaks flowing into your hard questions of life and filling in the gaps, almost buoying you to meet the challenges ahead? Even after all this time of sitting with this passage through the years, I perhaps remain as perplexed as Nicodemus. Adults being born from their mothers seems a legitimate takeaway from Jesus’ lesson here. Yet, Jesus seems to call me to dig deeper than my intellect and wider than my assumptions and allow room for the Spirit to work. He seemingly asks me to make space for the improbable … like being born more than once from my mother’s womb! The Gospel of John is full of these moments of misunderstanding that can only be remedied by the Spirit herself. And this is what makes this passage ideal to bridge into Trinity Sunday. As a campus minister at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, I was invited for a season into a weekly conversation with a group of Turkish Muslim students. Our conversations revolved mostly about peace and how we of different faiths share similar narratives of love for God and our neighbor. I learned so much about my Christian faith by engaging in these conversations. A different member of the group would be asked each week to share on a mutually agreed topic for the group. My topic? … the Trinity. No problem, I thought. I mean I had answered questions about the Trinity from my seminary professors, and I served on my presbytery’s Committee on Preparation for Ministry where I had the opportunity to ask candidates for ministry their understanding of the Trinity for six years! I was ready for this, right? The next week I explained perichoreses, the divine dance, how God can be three in one, and the seismic meeting of the Council at Nicaea. The result? These Turkish students with great kindness said they would love it if I would come back the next week and try again! Ouch, ego shattered. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thank you to this week's writer Kyle Walker.  Order of worship for May 26, 2024. These liturgies are free to use. Olympia overture: yea or nay? Read our curated list of perspectives on the controversial overture On a misunderstood Mr. Rogers quote (May 26, 2024) by Brendan McLean The Lord’s mighty creation — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale Want the worship resources for May 19, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... What if ministry isn’t about what we think it’s about? When the congregation at Arlington Presbyterian Church decided to be the church, Sharon Core reflects, profound shifts followed. Embracing belligerent hospitality: Moving beyond welcome to community building When there is so much division and strife in our day-to-day, we need something more than radical hospitality to bind us. We need what I call belligerent hospitality, writes Maggie Alsup. Beyond Justification: Liberating Paul’s Gospel "While we were announcing a conditional gospel, God loved us unconditionally. The repair of the gospel is to simply lay hold of what has been the good news from the beginning." — Alan Koeneke ‘We’re taking it down to the level of the studs’ Unification Commission co-moderators describe efforts halfway through the combining PMA and OGA. — John Bolt 2025-26 unifying budget proposal clears its last hurdle on the way to the 226th General Assembly Unification Commission gives the proposal its unanimous blessing. The commission will present the unifying budget to the GA next month. The Mother Artist: Portraits of Ambition, Limitation, and Creativity "The Mother Artist" by Catherine Ricketts is a compelling exploration of motherhood’s ability to both limit and stimulate art. — Amy Pagliarella Creating connection through innovative worship 8 unique ministries offer insights into the future of the ever-evolving church. — Eric Nolin Join Faith and Money Network on a Trip of Perspective to Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. On the Deep South Investors Tour, we will deepen our understanding of racial inequity and learn how we can participate in solutions that build wealth for Black Americans. #Ad A Prayer for Memorial Day "Lord God, until there is war no more and you wipe every tear from every eye, we will remember." — Jill Duffield