Looking into the lectionary - A prayer after Iran's strike on Israel

April 28, 2024 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26-40 I came to faith as an adult. I had grown up going to my grandparents’ church when we visited with them, so I had some familiarity with the Bible, but not much. Through personal growth and searching, I came to believe in Jesus Christ. I found a church and joined as an adult. And I began to read the Bible by myself. I started at Genesis and read each day. Within a month, I found myself thinking, “If I have to read about one more animal sacrifice, I’m gonna lose it!” I did not understand much of what I read, and the love of Christ I had experienced in my life was hard to find in the words I read. The Bible can be very hard to read and understand, especially on one’s own. In the lectionary passage from Acts 8:26-40, we find someone who had trouble reading the Word of God, too. The story begins, as all of the stories in the book of Acts do, with the Holy Spirit. The story of Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit in the world, guiding and creating the new church. Philip, led by the Holy Spirit, has been in Samaria — offering grace and salvation to that community amid persecution. And again, through the leading of “an angel of the Lord,” Philip is now led south to Gaza. It is a deserted wilderness road, hardly where one would expect to encounter God’s purposes. But it is there that Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch is a man of high status in his community and the treasurer for Candace, Ethiopia’s queen. However, in terms of the people of God, the Ethiopian eunuch would have been considered marginalized. Isaiah 11:11 declares that the people of Ethiopia will be recovered one day; until then, they exist as outsiders. In addition, the man’s status as a eunuch would have meant he was partly, but not fully welcome. Deuteronomic Law barred eunuchs from entry into the Temple. The Ethiopian eunuch had been able to worship in Jerusalem, but likely couldn’t gain entrance into the Temple’s inner courts. Yet, even if the Ethiopian eunuch is an outsider, he is faithful still. Can we take a moment to marvel at that — at the faithful response of a man who was excluded? What experience of God must this man have had to be faithful under those conditions? Maybe that alone makes this a miracle story. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thank you to this week's writer Tara Bulger.  Order of worship for April 28, 2024. These liturgies are free to use. A prayer after Iran’s strike on Israel by Teri McDowell Ott The Canaanite woman’s faith (April 28, 2024) by Sheldon Sorge Meeting in wild spaces  — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale Want the worship resources for April 21, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Beyond the offering plate: Diversifying your church’s fundraising strategy Laura Strauss offers three tips for churches who need help making ends meet. Embracing mysticism, near-death experiences and spiritual encounters at church People are having intense, life-transforming spiritual experiences, writes Graham Standish, but they don't feel the church is the right place to talk about them. Somehow: Thoughts on Love In "Somehow," Anne Lamott gives us reason to trust in the God whose love is the greatest of all. Breaking down barriers A lesson about Acts 8 and expanding the boundaries of community. — Sheldon Sorge Join Faith and Money Network for a free 90-minute webinar with Miguel Escobar, author of The Unjust Steward: Wealth, Poverty and the Church Today. On Wednesday, April 24, from 7:00-8:30 pm Eastern, Escobar will discuss what early Church thinkers have to say about money and generosity. Are American churches destined to become more socially conservative? With an influx of Christian immigrants from the global South coming to America, some writers forecast a more conservative American Christianity. Katherine Pater looks at statistics and Acts 8 to argue that an inclusive future is possible. Lazy sabbath: A journey through parenthood and rest "To fully live into sabbath, maybe we need to admit to being lazy in the best kind of way," writes Katrina Pekich-Bundy. TOMORROW Join us for a webinar to continue the conversation our “Small is beautiful” issue started. Tomorrow Outlook Editor/Publisher Teri McDowell Ott will convene a panel of voices from our January issue including Catherine Neelly Burton, Warren Lesane, Shavon Starling-Louis, and Philip Blackburn. This is a pay-what-you-can webinar.

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, April 22 and Sunday, April 28, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, April 22, 2024 - That police officers show strength and compassion when enforcing the law.
• Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - That we offer God thanks for all his blessings.
• Wednesday, April 24, 2024 - That we approach our differences with both faith and commonsense.
• Thursday, April 25, 2024 - That our leaders work for unity and cooperation.
• Friday, April 26, 2024 - That families read their Bible and attend worship services together.
• Saturday, April 27, 2024 - That our judges would value the principles reflected in the Old and New Testaments.
• Sunday, April 28, 2024 - That doctors and nurses communicate compassion and concern to their patients. 

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, April 7, 2024

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: Although we all know that Easter is about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we may not be quite as clear about the  meaning and signi...

Sunday's Sermon - Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Important? (The Resurrection Provides Validation)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Sermon - Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus...: Although we all know that Easter is about Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we may not be quite as clear about the  meaning and signi...

WCC News: During prayer for Ukraine, reflection asks: “Has the promised Kingdom not come yet?”

During a World Council of Churches morning prayer—focusing on the churches and people of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine – a reflection by Prof. Dr Dmytro Tsolin focused on both the pain of the war in Ukraine as well as how we hang onto hope. Russian military equipment destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine is displayed at the Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 2022. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 15 April 2024 Tsolin, pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine and professor at the Department of Biblical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, asked the question: “Has the promised Kingdom not come yet?” He noted that we live in a world that still follows the laws of sin. “Often, we feel our depressing helplessness from the fact that we cannot fundamentally change anything,” he said. “The kingdom of Christ, which lives through faith in Christ in our hearts, only increases this pain, because we feel the contrast between sin and holiness more acutely than the rest of people.” He further noted that we acutely feel this pain now, during the war in Ukraine. “We feel pain from the daily deaths of our compatriots, from the unceasing artillery and rocket shelling of our cities and villages by the Russian army,” he said. “We cannot stop it.” He added: “We feel pain because of the brutal and reasonless aggression against our country from the side of Russia. We pray but we cannot change the cruel reality of this world.” But the Lord is acting now, said Tsolin. “He hears our prayers and answers them, although sometimes it seems to us that He is silent,” he said. “What should we do now? We invoke the name of Jesus Christ in our lives and experience the presence of His Kingdom right now, in us, among us and around us.” We see that God is still working, he concluded. “His name and His power are with us now, and we believe that the Day will come when the Kingdom of God will be revealed in all its glory.” Reflection on Acts 4:5-12 by Prof. Dr Dmytro Tsolin, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Gaffney, South Carolina, hosts a Black History Month concert

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - Bethesda Presbyter...: Featured were hymns interpreted by musicians with a flair for contemporary gospel and jazz April 15, 2024 From left, the Rev. Rafus Camp, pa...

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, April 15 and Sunday, April 21, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, April 15, 2024 - That teachers and administrators would be open to God's Word and God's will.
• Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - That those in the entertainment industry recognize any negative influences within their media creations.
• Wednesday, April 17, 2024 - That World Vision be able to address real human need around the world.
• Thursday, April 18, 2024 - That those in the media and government would report facts accurately and without any bias.
• Friday, April 19, 2024 - That young people are able to grow into their potential.
• Saturday, April 20, 2024 - That the people of Ukraine be protected.
• Sunday, April 21, 2024 - That all racial divisions be healed.