News

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Some of you heard me say that I do not pray enough. I heard myself. And it took me back to seminary days when, with the pressure of our studies and other life commitments, Roberta Bondi urged us practice prayer daily at all costs. She also taught us about prayer in the life of faith and even proposed we practice praying the Psalms. Which I did for years and years. And then I didn’t. Mea culpa.

Our reading for Sunday is Luke 18:9-14, which may be familiar to you as “the pharisee and the tax collector.” This parable follows the parable of “the unjust judge” from last week (Luke 18:1-8). Both are about prayer and are unique to Luke’s Gospel. (I may have known this once but probably not recently.) The first is about “the need to pray always and not to lose heart” (18:1), probably the disciples and others. The second is for “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” (18:9), apparently the Pharisees. I was not expecting to identify with both groups!

I easily recognized myself in the group that need to take heart. But I worried that, in all our concern for Christian Nationalists, I might not feel a bit “holier than thou” way down deep, buried in my heart. Do you ever worry about that?

All that to say this, I’m back to prayer. And happily revisiting my teachers over the years, including Roberta Bondi, Timothy Johnson, Howard Thurman, Mary Oliver, Luther Smith, the Taizé community—the list is long. And you can expect to hear about my discoveries in the months and weeks to come. (My copy of Bondi’s book, “To Pray and to Love: Conversations of Prayer with the Early Church,” came apart in my hands; I can hardly read it for all the highlights and notes.)

Please allow me to share two especially good nuggets from my sermon prep for this week: 

 For the desert fathers and mothers of the early church [third and fourth century BCE], the right answers to those questions depend upon the needs and personality of the person asking the question. Consider these very different images of prayer.

 Abba Macarius was asked, “How should one pray?” The old man said, “There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one’s hands and say, “Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.” And if the conflict grows fierce, say “Lord, help!” [God] knows very well what we need and [God] shews us [God’s] mercy.

(Bondi, To Pray, p.7)

———-

The parables together do more than remind us that prayer is a theme in Luke-Acts; they show us why prayer is a theme. For Luke, prayer is faith in action. Prayer is not an exercise in piety, carried out to demonstrate one’s relationship with God. It is that relationship with God. The way one prays therefore reveals that relationship. If the disciples do not cry out…to the Lord, then they do not have faith, for that is what faith does. Similarly, if prayer is self-assertion before God, then it cannot be answered by God’s gift of righteousness; possession and gift cancel each other.

(Johnson, Sacra Pagina: Luke, p. 274; author’s italics)

 This is where some young people we know would say, “Busted!” I will keep at it. I will not lose heart. My mother cried, “Lord, help!” all the time. I know I can do that.

Come be with us in worship on Sunday where we can do our best together and encourage one another. You always encourage me whether Streamers or Gatherers, and you can tell how much I need that. In the meantime, I’ll be working on my prayers.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Our gospel reading for the coming week is Luke 18:1-8, a parable about prayer, persistent prayer. Joyce Myers-Brown introduced News This Week in Prayer and often shares the Friday submissions with others, as is her way. They have become my way to keep up with world events and to pray for the world without the overwhelm of news. I always need help and last Friday’s offering was especially helpful for me. It also seemed appropriate for today, the eve of No Kings II.

Come to worship on Sunday when our focus will continue on persistent prayer. Join us as Streamers or as Gatherers but do plan to be with us. Together in worship, we cultivate the courage and encouragement to pray and to pray without ceasing. At least, I think that’s right. Anyway, together is always better, I am sure of that. 

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

And now, here is a prayer for the week:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
–St. Teresa of Avila (16th Century)

One would think that nearly 25 years after founding World in Prayer, and hundreds of people trained during that time to encounter international news and respond with prayer, taking my turn at writing these prayers would always come easily to me. Oh, I’m a good enough wordsmith to be able to compile something resembling coherent prayers each time. But the prayers God prays in me are often wordless. The prayers of the clenched jaw, or knotted gut, the gentling hand or longing heart. Prayers of the helping checkbook, or the feet that want to run away. Prayers that speak in food prepared and offered, prayers that celebrate in awe-filled photography. Prayers embodied.

For the entire prayer, visit this page! 

Dear Siblings, 

This Sunday will be Pride Sunday in the city of Atlanta. Our usual decor will be hung in the Sanctuary, with thanks to Julie McBride’s creation of these pieces over several years.. There will also be the start of a new communal Pride banner in the Commons. This piece was inspired by Marion Clein’s vision for a “queer collage” and my vision of a physical representation of the “God of rainbow, fiery pillar.” I’m thrilled that nearly 20 Central folks will be part of the Pride Parade. A celebration that this year gathers under the theme “rooted in resistance.” But, of course, our service will not just be about Pride.

Indeed, worship is the glad response to God’s saving acts through history… a Pentecostal celebration in response to the Good News. Over and over and over again, our sacred texts and stories reveal a God who loves without end. Again and again, we encounter saving acts that make more real the promise of the Kingdom of God. Yes, on Sunday, we will dance and delight in that kind of good news. 

On Sunday, the heavens will be singing the glories of God. And our service will be starting promptly at 11AM. Yes, really 🙂 

After this Sunday, I won’t see you all again until November. Most of my time away has been for continuing education or the Next Gen Leadership Initiative. These next two weeks will be an actual vacation for me! I’ll be traveling through parts of Europe. 

If I see you Sunday, I’ll say farewell then. If I don’t see you Sunday, know that I wish you grace and peace in the weeks ahead. 

Be well,

Thomas

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

In our next worship service, we join with Christians across the globe for World Communion Sunday. Somehow, it feels especially important to remind ourselves of the unity we share in Jesus Christ. Probably because unity among Christians seems so distant right now.

As we approach the Communion Table on Sunday, we will enact what we dream of and what Jesus prayed for in John 17:21-23, the words we recognize as the motto of the United Church of Christ: “that they may all be one.”

You are invited to place a small item on the Communion Table that recalls to you of the far-flung communion of believers in this time and beyond time around the world. It could be a family treasure, souvenir, a photograph, a candle—whatever brings those distant siblings near in memory.

Additionally, there is a collection of bread recipes from around the world here.

A recent article in the UCC News by Donna Jackson (September 23, 2025) is very helpful to provide fuller information about the origins of this observance and its theological grounding in our faith traditions. Here is an excerpt:

 United Church of Christ congregations are heading into the Oct. 5 celebration of World Communion Sunday, with a sense of urgency. After all, if ever there was a time to reaffirm the oneness in Christ with its siblings near and far, it is now.

 “World Communion Sunday powerfully reminds us of what is always true when we participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion: at Christ’s table we are all one. In a nation and world afflicted with so much conflict, hatred and division, we need this blessed reminder,” said Rev. Shari Prestemon, Associate General Minister for the United Church of Christ and Co-Executive of Global Ministries, a shared witness between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the UCC. “We are also compelled to demonstrate a commitment to building unity and peace in our lives every day,” she added.

 One Lord, one faith, one baptism

World Communion Sunday, held the first Sunday in October, was the idea of Rev. Dr. Hugh Thompson Kerr. In 1933, the Presbyterian minister wanted to lift the biblical reality that through baptism, congregations worldwide were connected to one another. Kerr often cited Ephesians’ “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” In 1940, against the backdrop of World War II, when division and discourse were ripping apart the seam of unity, the Department of Evangelism of the Federal Council of Churches — the predecessor of today’s National Council of Churches — embraced World Communion Sunday. It was soon adopted by many denominations, including the UCC.

 Today, though, unity is once again being pulled at the seams as political dissension grows, and U.S. government funding cuts threaten global aid programs. “In a time when more boundaries are set up — physical and psychological — World Communion Sunday is a time to celebrate the ways the Church is enabling the breaking down of the dividing walls,” said Dr. Peter E. Makari, Global Relations Minister, Middle East and Europe for Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ.

 Scripture on unity anchors resources

From liturgy to music to children’s sermon illustrations, Global Ministries has created a plethora of World Communion resources for 2025 highlighting the many ways in which the UCC and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are strengthening the tie that binds God’s children together. As Makari points out, “we are all connected in many ways.” The resources are anchored in the following Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, where Paul talks about the Church as one body with many parts; Psalm 133:1, celebrating the goodness of God’s children living in harmony; and John 17:21-23, where Jesus prays that all believers may be one.

                                                                                                              © United Church of Christ 2025

 Come join us at the Table of World Communion on Sunday, either gathered at the table in the sanctuary or among the online Streamers (don’t forget to ready your bread and “wine”). If you are as much in need of refreshment as I am, we’ll see you there.

 Love and hugs,

 Rev. Liz

Dear Siblings, 

This Sunday we’ll celebrate the ministry of Plymouth Harbor! When I was in Charlotte this past week for a continuing ed program, one of the questions asked was “what would be missed in your community if your church/org no longer existed.” My immediate answer was Plymouth Harbor. For more than 30 years, this church has invested in offering respite care for adults in the early stages of alzheimers and dementia. And it’s offered support groups for their caregivers. 

As a matter of timing, when I was called to Central, Plymouth Harbor wasn’t running! COVID + retirements paused the program. People kept talking about the program, but I had no conception of what it was nor what it could be. Berthe Megie was hired to lead the program a few months after I started. Then came Jana and Angie too. Together, with the help of many volunteers from Central, they have unpaused and expanded this incredible ministry. 

So, it is right and good that we celebrate Plymouth Harbor again. On Sunday, we’ll be joined by clients and caregivers of the program who will reflect on the impact of our ministry, and we’ll have a BBQ lunch after worship. 

See you Sunday, 

Thomas

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

If you read the UCC Daily Devotional (and you will be glad you did, even if you check in only now and then), you will have seen Lillian Daniel’s offering, “Sometimes, It Takes a Book.” Oh, what a balm that was for my sagging soul. I thank God and do a little happy dance when some courageous soul finds just the words for what I have been struggling with and shares them. Link: https://www.ucc.org/daily-devotional/sometimes-it-takes-a-book-2/

In an age of algorithmic indignation and digital squawking, I’m tired of darting from one screenshot to another in a state of online outrage…I thirst for the Peace of Christ that passes all human ranting and writing.…As a result, I stop reading the news…There, I have confessed it. (italics are mine)

You already know that I am afraid of the news and that, when something sneaks in, I run and hide under the bed for a renewed, even longer period of abstinence. All the while crying, “Lord, have mercy on us!” And looking up the Canadian Consulate’s phone number to ask how many US citizens they will allow to emigrate this year. I am not proud of it, and it seems I am not alone. Not alone now and never have been.

Someone said the Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because he felt so deeply for the Exile community. Foreign armies had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and then forced the Israelites to live elsewhere. Remember “by the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered [Mount] Zion.” Some of us think we are in exile right now.

My dear friend, Reid, sent an email today that spoke directly to me. (Another gift in words that help me make sense of me, and a happy dance.) Her rector at the Cathedral of Saint Philip, The Rev. George Maxwell, writes fictional letters and this one was especially uplifting to me, as in “nailed it!”

Dear Anna,

In your last note you asked what I mean when I speak of “Anglican consciousness.” Urban T. Holmes, in his little book What Is Anglicanism? says it is not a system of doctrines so much as a way of inhabiting tensions. Anglicans are marked, he says, by a dialectical imagination, able to hold opposites together until grace shows its face.

Think of how we read Scripture: we prize study and scholarship, yet we also chant psalms and linger over poetry. Or how we approach the sacraments: we trust that bread and wine truly bear Christ’s presence, but we do not insist on explaining how. We live with paradox, and that is our strength. Holmes even calls it a “poetic” sensibility—truth discovered by resonance more than by argument.

This instinct goes back to the early monks who entered the desert in the third and fourth centuries to live more truthfully. They discovered that solitude needed community, silence needed speech, prayer needed service. They taught that tensions are not problems to be solved but invitations to wisdom.

So when I speak of Anglican consciousness, I mean a way of life that holds mystery and reason, solitude and companionship, earthiness and transcendence, in creative tension. It is less about solving and more about staying—remaining with the questions, the prayers, the people—until God’s grace becomes apparent to us.

Your affectionate uncle,

Ames

© The Cathedral of St. Philip. All rights reserved.

Ah, there it is. The Peace of Christ and the struggles of a living with our neighbors together, not mutually exclusive options, in creative—that is, life-giving, future-making—tension. (Oh boy, is this tension creative.) Our own Luther Smith’s testimony is that “hope is here because God is here” and in our practices that maintain That Presence, alive—solitude and community, silence and speech, prayer and service, and more.

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 is our text for Sunday, and I am looking for a good word for this journey, one I can proclaim without reservation and unspeakable joy. But it is Yahweh who is crying, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” What?!?

So, what if “the voice of Jeremiah’s judgment brings with it a powerful voice of hope? The suffering of exile is for the Old Testament the martrix in which the hope of God is most powerfully and characteristically at work. The Exile is the place where God’s faithful promises work a profound newness.” (WB) We’re in that matrix.

It’s a mess out here, true. But Israel’s fundamental conviction—OUR fundamental conviction–is that Yahweh (compassionate) is sovereign over the present situation and can work good out of it. (WB) That must be what our enslaved ancestors knew for sure. I’m just holding to God’s unchanging hand.

Annual meeting will follow the 11:00 am worship and I will try to be brief. Streamers and Gatherers, I hope to see you there or to be seen in your company. It’s all better together.

Love and hugs,

RL

In the gospel lection for this coming Sunday, Jesus describes what it takes to follow in his way. That is, he speaks to the large crowds that were gathered around him that day, and he speaks to us who listen across the millennia. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:26)

Now, this is troublesome. I’m supposed to be proclaiming the Good News, struggling mightily and daily with my emotions and fears about those in power who (in my mind) are wrecking the world and gleefully stomping on small people like me and even smaller than me, reciting a new mantra, “You must not hate. We’re not allowed to hate,” and here comes Jesus giving me permission to hate—no, commanding, for goodness’ sake—but not the people that make my teeth itch and give nightmares, but the people I love most! I’m not liking this verse.

So, I go looking for help to understand what’s going on here before everything I think I know about this Christian way of life gets put in the recycling bin. First, I go to Luke Timothy Johnson my favorite New Testament professor. He turns up so often in my sermons my that love and appreciation for this man should be well known by now. (Joanne Stone and I met in his office.❤️) In my house, he is known as “Luke Skywalker” which is perfectly apt. He gets his evangel-writing namesake, and I count on him to help me get down from climbing the walls when I read stuff like this.

The terms denote attitude and modes of action, not emotions. The point is not how one feels toward parents and family but one’s effective attitude when it comes to a choice for the kingdom.” (Sacra Pagina, p. 229)

Those are my italics. What does that mean? Saved by AI!

Effective attitude refers to one’s actions and behaviors concerning a particular situation, rather than internal feelings. It emphasizes the tangible outcome or impact of your approach, focusing on what you do rather than what you simply feel. This distinction is particularly important when evaluating a person’s priorities or commitment. An effective attitude is one that produces real, measurable results…. (Google AI Mode)

So, love and compassion and the Way of Jesus are a matter of intended behavior. What we do will reveal our choices, our commitments. I used to tell my Confirmands, if Martians landed in the parking lot on a Sunday afternoon knowing nothing about us or our language, by Wednesday they would know exactly who we are and what intend. They would know our true effective attitude. Remember “tangibilitate”?

So, my strong, angry feelings about certain people and movements are legitimate. But I do not get to act without compassion. I must choose loving and compassionate action—I must intend a good for my neighbor—like Jesus. That is the highest priority. And there could be a price to pay. We may be surprised who we are required to love. Sigh.

In an important editorial about Christian Nationalism by Nancy Wetzel that appeared in the May issue of The Monthly, she writes:

Besides using our votes, I’m not sure what the answers are as to how to counteract this pseudo-Christian movement and the damage it has already inflicted on our country and our citizens. Maybe we can begin by praying for inspiration and direction that can be put into action.

Yes, we must pray for inspiration and direction that we can put into action. That is what God calls us to. “Yes, AND,” as they say in improv, we must take time to be very clear about what we intend—our effective attitude. That iterative work of reflection and discernment over a lifetime for each of us and this congregation of God’s people takes first in our priorities. After that, we figure it out together like every disciple (improv) group has.

See you Sunday, God willing and all lanes on I-285 are open. It will be good to be together again.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

Does anyone remember “humility”? Before this week’s gospel reading in Luke 14:1, 7-14, I hadn’t put that old word together with the unrest I have experienced lately but there it is. (The way these lectionary texts appear just as they’re needed is spooky, or maybe I should just acknowledge, “it’s a God thing.”) Is meanness the opposite of humility? There’s a bull market in that.

This is from Frederick Buechner:

      Humility is often confused with saying you’re not much of a bridge player when you know perfectly well you are. Conscious or otherwise, this kind of humility is a form of gamesmanship.

      If you really aren’t much of a bridge player, you’re apt to be rather proud of yourself for admitting it so humbly. This kind of humility is a form of low comedy.

     True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else. It is the capacity for being no more and no less pleased when you play your own hand well than when your opponents do.

       (~originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words; frederickbuechner.com)

Frankly, that sounds a little too distant from the way we play in this culture. But then, so does Jesus’ lesson in this passage about humility and hospitality. When was anyone ever rewarded for not thinking more highly of themselves than others? How can you win if you don’t imagine yourself better than your foe? Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike competition?

Once upon a time, when I used to gather with a Bible study group on Wednesdays at lunchtime, my dearest deacon friend checked in telling us about his grandson whose T-ball team had lost their game and how grandad had scolded him. Silly me, I asked: “Is winning that important?” To which he replied, “Winning is everything.” But, by your measure, I thought to myself, Jesus lost…

 Recently, it seemed I might be ready to sneak a peek at the news more than once a week. Alas, I’m not quite there yet. A little more time with cultivating my internal capacity for grace and mercy and love is needed. Especially if I am to have a word of Good News by Sunday morning.

 Streamers and Gatherers, come join us for worship on Sunday. I look forward to praise, prayer and singing together with you, and to renewing in our fellowship the courage and love to continue to attempt the Christian life. Gotta refuel. 

Love and hugs,

 Rev. Liz

Dear Siblings, 

What a joy it was to celebrate Julia’s baptism this past Sunday! I’m also thankful that so many of you shared your reflections with me after this service about its meaning for you and your faith journey.

For me, aside from the baptism, the highlight of our service was how readily you all jumped up to join our movement prayer at the end of the Story for All Ages! Reaching your hands up high and drawing them back to your chest, as you claimed God’s love for you. Let’s keep doing that, yes?

This Sunday, we’ll sit with the story of Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal a woman. Again, we’ll ask “what do we intend?” I don’t think I believe that “rules are meant to be broken,” but rather that rules should be considered in the context of their origin and the present-moment. By asking “what do we intend,” perhaps we’ll find a way to guide ourselves and our decision-making. 

Be well, 

Thomas

Dear Siblings, 

Our hymn sing last Sunday was a wonderful time to connect with our faith through song! If you missed it, you can check it out online. In fact, you can find all of our recent services and sermons online by Monday afternoon. 

This Sunday, our first OWL class for grade 7-9 will meet. We’re excited to support five teenagers in this important aspect of their lives. And, we’re already building a list of folks who will participate in the other grades offered in the spring. It has been a long road, but OWL is taking flight!

On Sunday, we will also celebrate the Baptism of Julia Henning! Baptism is an outward and visible sign of the Grace of God. Of course, this occasion is important for Julia and her family, but it is also important for our church community. Indeed, in the church today, baptism includes commitments and covenants between the baptized and the community that they formally join.

If my math is correct, this is Central’s first baptism in several years. So, I hope to see many of you in the pews and online as witnesses to this sacramental celebration.

Part of our liturgy on Sunday will include this observation from Rachel Held Evans:

“In the ritual of baptism, our ancestors acted out the bizarre truth of the Christian identity: We are people who stand totally exposed before evil and death and declare them powerless against love.”

Yes, bizarre indeed! And yet, we practice this ritual all the same. 

Rev. Liz and Josh are both away this weekend, but they are with us in spirit and celebration! 

See you Sunday,

Thomas