Faith, Power, & Justice
Faith, Power, & Justice Mardi Gras February 11, 2018 Shelly Wilson Football was a spiritual experience for me once, but not here, I’m sorry to say, at least not yet. It was in New Orleans, after
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Two Miles to Freedom
Two Miles to Freedom February 4, 2018 Andy Bachmann “And if someone forces you to go with them one mile, go with them two.” If you’ve ever sat next to
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Call & Response
It is a powerful thing to be a stranger and to be welcomed into a new place – a place that is not your own. It happened from the moment we drove up to First Congregational Church of Atlanta in …
Continue readingWorking it Out
Shiprah and Puah, the splendidly bright midwives of the Scripture story were prophets, in their way. Prophets work from within the context of exclusion and injustice, name realities, and then show the justice ways. And as Prophets call out in …
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Showing Forth
It seems odd to be talking about the magi at this late date, doesn’t it? The Christmas decorations have been put away. The tree gasped its last dying breath weeks ago; and when we removed it from the house on …
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Collecting Crèches
AB: We’ve made no secret of how we often jokingly refer to the 4:30 Family Service as, “The Running of the Children.” It begins innocently enough; with the sanctuary decked out in its Christmas finest. And the families file in …
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Spirit of Christmas
This is my favorite Sunday in Advent: Joy Sunday! I love this moment in cyclical time, with the anticipation of Christmas Eve just around the corner and all of the decorations up and festive sweaters in full rotation. It follows …
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Getting to Gratitude via the Path of Healing
There is a story in Scripture of this time when Jesus saw a group of ten lepers –those most down and out, sick in body, rejected by the majority culture, alone and hopeless in their segregated community. In the story, …
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Come to the Feast
An extravagant party is the setting for the parable today. Jesus often uses food, banquets, and eating together to symbolize the arrival of heaven on earth, God’s reign of love made true. But, even in Biblical storytelling, parties rarely seem …
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All Saints at the Welcome Table
It was two years ago this week on All Hallows Eve that a handful of friends and I finally walked into Cathedral Square in Santiago de Compostella, Spain. These were the final steps of the 500-mile journey we had embarked …
Continue readingPride Sunday Reflections
Several UCG members reflect on what Pride means to them. Mary Fukuyama Good Morning Everyone, My name is Mary Fukuyama and I have been asked to provide some background history about how UCG become an ONA church. Just the other …
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“Cultivating the Garden Within”
BPM Service with Live Oak Sangha and Swamp Sangha October 15, 2017 “Cultivating the Garden Within” Kevin Conlin I am a gardener in the conventional world. And I love this metaphor of “cultivating the garden within” for my spiritual practice. …
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