Looking into the lectionary - Hope in a time of crisis

March 16, 2025 Second Sunday in Lent Psalm 27 Do you remember playing hide-and-seek as a kid? Was it fun? 10…9…8… I remember bolting off to hide, fretfully searching for the perfect spot while the seeker counted down. In the bathtub behind the shower curtain? The corner of the musty closet? Or the narrow, dust-bunnied space under the bed? My heart beat wildly while I tried to control my nervous breathing so as not to make a sound. (Maybe this wasn’t the best game for a claustrophobic child with a yet-to-be-diagnosed anxiety disorder.) And then the anticipation of waiting for the seeker to find and root me out felt like I was in that uncomfortable location forever. (Side note: If you’re playing the game with your older sibling, check to make sure he’s not just sitting on the couch, eating chips, watching TV, and enjoying the trick he’s played on you.) Why is this fun? It’s no wonder youth groups prefer to play sardines, the opposite of hide-n-seek, where one person hides, everyone seeks, and when someone finds you in the organ loft, they join you, until that loft is packed with the giggling, wriggling silliness of friends-packed-like-sardines together. Psalm 27 has been called a “Triumphant Song of Confidence,” but its references to hiding might make us doubt this title. In the first six verses, the speaker professes trust and confidence in the God who is his “light” and “salvation.” But the psalmist himself is not confident. He needs God to hide him (v. 5) from evildoers and enemies and the trouble in which he finds himself. In verse 7, the psalm shifts: the speaker has lost confidence in God, believing God has gone missing from his life as he fearfully cries, “Do not hide your face from me” (v. 9). ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Order of worship — March 16, 2025, by Teri McDowell Ott Horizons — Economic climate change by Rosalind Banbury Set apart (March 16, 2025) by Eric Nolin Rev. John Buchanan, former pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church, dies at 87 by John Buchanan Breaking my silence: A pastor’s journey with HIV by Andries Coetzee The power of the pilgrim: A journey of faith and witness by Keatan King and Omar Rouchon Want the worship resources for March 9, 2025? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... A free Ash Wednesday liturgy Written by Anne Apple. Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum make a compelling case that America’s “ungoverning” may lead to a national government so weak that no party or leader can govern. Paul B. Dornan reviews their new book. South Pittsburgh pastor takes the long view of service to the community Neighborhood connections have fueled ministry and relationships over three decades. — Gregg Brekke Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis Norman Wirzba offers a theology of hope in “a time of crisis.” Amy Pagliarella reviews Wirzba's latest book. Dear Aunt Osibe and Uncle Ernest: A letter to my ancestors Gail Henderson-Belsito remembers two people who embodied all that is civil and right. Bridging generations for racial justice Colleen Bell explores how intergenerational collaboration strengthens the fight against racism, drawing lessons from past movements. Faith groups claim legal victories on refugees, ICE raids at houses of worship ‘The courts are still working in this country,’ said Mark Hetfield, head of HIAS, a Jewish organization that works with refugees. ‘Thank God.’ Grief touches every corner of our lives — not just in moments of death but in quiet farewells, conflict, and lost health. Presbyterian Outlook's latest devotion invites you to embrace the wilderness of loss and rediscover the horizon of hope offered by Christ’s resurrection.

WCC News: WCC prayers focus on Ash Wednesday, Seven Weeks for Water

During a prayer held at the St Hippolyte Roman Catholic Church in Geneva, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and its ecumenical partners focused on the beginning of Lent for many western Christian traditions, as well as the Lenten campaign Seven Weeks for Water, led by the WCC Ecumenical Water Network. Rev. Dr Katrin Hildenbrand, pastor at the German Lutheran Congregation in Geneva. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 06 March 2025 Rev. Dr Katrin Hildenbrand, pastor at the German Lutheran Congregation in Geneva, reflected on the tradition of fasting in connection with Lent, and how, these days, many people have rediscovered the old tradition of fasting, which exists not only in the Christian world but has roots in most religious and spiritual traditions.  “From what I witness, though, fasting is mostly related to self-search and questions of individual consistency, rather than being connected to my relationship with God,” she said, adding that perhaps the purpose of fasting instead should be to create space in order to do good for others—which does at the same time time always mean to create space for God.  “A world has been changed for the better due to people’s behavior,” she pointed out. “Maybe it does make a difference if I create space.” She noted that she might not meet many people in the Geneva area that she can feed and clothe. “Maybe I can create space by working productively with my colleagues for the better instead of finger-pointing at their mistakes,” she reflected. “Maybe I can creates space by letting go of something or someone I have been doing wrong for a long time. If we create space for real relationships between us and our fellow human  beings, God will touch us.” Photo gallery of the Ash Wednesday prayer At the Ash Wednesday prayer held at the St Hippolyte Roman Catholic Church in Geneva, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and its ecumenical partners marked the beginning of Lent.  Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 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, March 10 and Sunday, March 16, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, March 10, 2025 - That we work together to protect the natural environment that's been entrusted to our care.
• Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - That we be thankful for the opportunities and responsibilities we've been given.
• Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - That those in business, government and media would cherish honesty, integrity and humility.
• Thursday, March 13, 2025 - That we remove social barriers that are preventing people from thriving as Jesus intended.
• Friday, March 14, 2025 - That we resist those forces that seek to divide us.
• Saturday, March 15, 2025 - That those in business, government and media would resist exploiting human fear or greed to shape public opinion. 
• Sunday, March 16, 2025 - That churches fulfill their purpose as lighthouses for Christ.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, March 2, 2025

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: Depending on your experience, you may wonder if healthy relationships are even possible. There’s a lot of brokenness in the world; therefore...

Sunday's Message - Keys to Healthy Relationships: Forgiveness

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - Keys to Healthy Relationships: ...: Depending on your experience, you may wonder if healthy relationships are even possible. There’s a lot of brokenness in the world; therefore...

40-Day Lenten Prayer & Fasting Guide

Skinner Leadership Institute, Sojourners, Center on Faith + Justice, and NCC have collaborated to create a 40-Day Lenten Prayer & Fasting Guide with the talents of Zina C. Pierre, author, and Leonitha Francis, designer. This comprehensive resource can be downloaded via NCC’s website, using this link. Download 40-Day Lenten Fast & Prayer Guide

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WCC News: Prayers for peace ring worldwide on the third anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a call for prayers raised a chorus of global voices calling for peace and justice. Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 28 February 2025 On 21 February, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations called upon representatives of various religious traditions in Ukraine and beyond to unite in prayer for a just peace for Ukraine. “Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine has brought immense suffering, grief, and loss to the Ukrainian people,” said the call to prayer. “We call upon representatives of various religious traditions in Ukraine and beyond to turn to the Almighty on this day, each according to their faith, and to unite in prayer for a just peace for Ukraine.” On the National Day of Prayer—24 February—church leaders and representatives of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations attended the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, where together with members of parliament, members of the government, European commissioners, and parliamentarians of European countries, they opened the session with a moment of silence and by singing the spiritual anthem of Ukraine, "God the Great, the One.” The call to prayer by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations expanded into the services of many denominations.  The Orthodox Church of Ukraine held a prayer service, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany of Kyiv and All Ukraine in the St Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral of the capital.  The Ukrainian Orthodox Church held prayer services in many of its churches and monasteries. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church bishops held a rally in Toronto, Canada. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, emphasized Ukraine’s struggle for freedom. Members of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine poured out their hearts before God. “For three terrible years, we have been receiving terrible news of the deaths of our compatriots, hearing the sounds of explosions and sirens,” they prayed. “O Lord, every day the number of orphans and widows multiplies.” Other global church leaders—including Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew—also joined in calls for peace.  The Ecumenical Patriarch mourned the countless lives that have been lost, homes destroyed, and entire communities displaced—and reiterated that no force can extinguish the spirit of a people who refuse to be broken.  The Conference of European Churches called for prayer and action as well. “In these difficult times, we remain committed to the path of justice and reconciliation,” said H.E. Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, president of the council. “Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace.” World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, in a message on 21 February, called for prayers for the end of the war and for just peace.  On third anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine, WCC reiterates call for ceasefire (WCC news release, 21 February 2025) Appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) on the Eve of the Third Anniversary of the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine Statement of the the Conference of European Churches: A call for prayers and action for peace in Ukraine Address of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the Third Anniversary of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine 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