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.