News

We are excited to present to you “The Monthly” for December 2025.

Check out this month’s newsletter for:

• A Note from Rev. Thomas.
• A Story from Central’s History: Lenten Witness: “There are times when saying ‘yes’ to God means saying ‘no’ to Caesar.“.
• Our Advent and Christmas Season.
• Ways of honoring and remembering friends or family.
• A new Faith Formation Opportunity that starts in January.
• The “Recipe of the Month”: ”Sweet Potato Angel Biscuits”.

Click here to download “The Monthly”! There are also paper copies in The Commons, in The Sanctuary and in the Church office. Be sure to add events and gatherings that you‘re interested in to your calendar.

Enjoy “The Monthly” and all the events and gatherings you are going to attend!

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All Y’all,

On the Friday before Thanksgiving Sunday and Thanksgiving Day, I find I do not have enough words to express all the things I am thankful for. So, how about this Friday Morning (while Elena is waiting for me to produce) What I am Thankful For Short List:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Life, even as it has begun that slow movement to slower movement and all sorts of other challenges
            2. My husband and family, the BIG one, that includes you
            3. Bonus blessings like serving God and the church in your midst
            4. Music, especially this: https://youtu.be/7yRC1VJsCk8?si=8rch5wySOZcBp4eZ
            5. Thomas is back and doing his thing
            6. Rev. Kim Wood, Southeast Conference Minister, is preaching this week
            7. Sunday worship; I’m surprised at how much I look forward to it. 
            8. Christmas music
            9. The children who have found their way to us

OK, I said short list. It goes on, I have not enough words, and you do not have time. Suffice it to say, as Paul suggests in Thesselonians 5:18, “In all things, give thanks.” And, I would add, early and often. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God” Colossians 3:17. So may it be. 

Hope we will see you at church on Sunday, at which time–drumroll, please–we will  have very fresh wishes for your Thanksgiving activities. Stream or gather, either is a blessing. Until then,

Love and hugs, and grace upon grace.

Rev. Liz

The Meal and Mapping experience we were hoping for today has been postponed to give us time to design an experience that will include as many as possible in the room and online. Look for more early next year. 

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Every now and then, I am paralyzed by choices and by the consequences of the choices I have made. So, when the Revised Common Lectionary gives me choices, I am not helped but slowed. For the Twenty-third Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 28, we have choices in the Hebrew Bible readings. Too many choices for focus. And, then, there it was. In the texts I neglected to read closely enough. Sigh.

“It’s JOY, silly. Of course it’s joy.” Before the Third Sunday of Advent is OK. Well, always AND the Third Sunday of Advent. It’s in all of these texts. It’s the core of the promises we rehearse in Advent, the prophetic voices we will focus soon. And all this week’s lections anticipate those prophetic promises and the fulfillment of the promises at Christmas. (No matter that we have been celebrating that season since Back to School in August.) Joy. How could I forget?

I’d love to find a way to get these texts in front of our collective eyes at least once a week. Got any suggestions? I always find them here and you can, too. https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu Here is this week: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12/Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19. By now you know that the Bible is the library of narratives through which I find my way in this life of faith. They are deeply embedded in my family story, my story. Way-finding. Orienteering. That’s why I am a lectionary preacher.

With my feet tangled in the options this week, I found two pieces that helped me move from paralysis to movement. The first is an excerpt from Scripture & Discernment: Decision Making in the Church by Luke Timothy Johnson, my New Testament professor at Candler. This speaks to the choices I am committed to in ministry that often seem disruptive to congregations and just as often make me anxious. Anxiety is a kill-joy.

We must let go of any fantasy concerning the church as a stable, predictable, well-regulated organization. If the church is truly the place in the world where the existence of God is brought to the level of narrative discernment, the church will always be disorderly….We must let go of the desire for theology to be a finished product of complete conceptual symmetry. If theology is in fact the attempt to understand living faith, then it must always be an unfinished process, for the data continues to come in, as the Living God persists in working through the lives of people and being revealed in their stories.

He goes on a bit more and you can read that by following the link.

The second piece, a poem by Lindy Thompson, reminded me where I find much joy in this life of faith, “I Go to Sing.” To make a joyful noise. That’s no surprise to you but it wandered away from my view for a minute. It’s kinda long so get comfy, or skip to the bottom where I hope you will join us for worship, Streamers and Gatherers.

I come to sing. Also, I come for the “we-ness.” You come, too. Come to worship on Sunday, 11:00 am, in our beautiful sanctuary. We will make joyful noises, with Ben Pierre as guest musician. Expect us to pray and “break forth into joyful song and sing praises” for the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, everything else notwithstanding. In case we forget.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz

During my vacation, I spent several days in Zurich, Switzerland. Although the vacation was really for fun, I spent some time at one of the oldest evangelical and Reformed churches, Grossmünster. A little more than 500 years ago, that church became the seat of the Swiss Reformation. You can trace its impact in the UCC, as there are more than a dozen congregations named “Zwingli United Church of Christ,” so named after Ulrich Zwingli, who once led Grossmuenster.

For some time now, I’ve wondered, “What would a reformation look like today?” I’m not entirely sure, but I do think that one is necessary. We can spend hours talking about why mainline protestant American churches look the way they do. We can blame family structures, the advent of the digital age, school extracurriculars, and more. But, I think there’s something else that we’re afraid to talk about. The church, at large, has been irresponsible. We’ve stopped asking “what does the Lord require?” We’ve allowed our signs and symbols to be used as cover for actions and ideas that run counter to the Good News of the Gospel. And we have focused our energies and attention on “growth,” almost always meaning the number of people in the pews, singing in the choir, or offering financial support. We built great campuses to honor and glorify God, and now those campuses are being sold off and turned into luxury condos and senior living communities. If you follow the trends, they almost all point toward some form of death. I’m okay with that, because I believe in resurrection.

And I see resurrection all around. I saw resurrection in Athens this week.

I spent Tuesday with our siblings at The Table, the inclusive campus ministry at UGA. They’ve been moving through a worship series on the names of God and I offered a sermon on the idea of God and Christ as “king.” It’s hard to believe that a football school in the SEC hosts a decidedly inclusive, ecumenical Christian ministry. It’s even harder to believe that 30+ college kids show up every Tuesday night for dinner and worship from 7-9pm. Where are the young people? They’re gathering at The Table!

On Sunday, we’ll sit with the story of Jesus and the Sadducees, consider what that story offers us in understanding the nature of resurrection and maybe reformation too. For fans of Richard Niebuhr, one of the most notable theologians of the last century, we’ll wrestle with his notions of responsibility.

We’ll also honor our veterans during worship, as they will receive quilts made by our friends in the Phoenix Sewing Bee. Stick around after worship for Coffee Hour, Pizza on the Playground, and our Council meeting.

Be well,

Rev. Thomas

We are excited to present to you “The Monthly” for November 2025.

Check out this month‘s newsletter for:

• A Note from Rev. Liz.
• A Story from Central’s History: The poem “Plymouth Harbor” by Mary Ellen Myers.
• An invitation to consider ”Taking Action Against Racism” with Mari Ann Banks.
• Faith Formation Opportunities.
• Advocacy and Action Opportunities.
• The “Recipe of the Month”: ”Green Bean Asparagus Casserole”.

Click here to download “The Monthly”! There are also paper copies in The Commons, in The Sanctuary and in the Church office. Be sure to add events and gatherings that you‘re interested in to your calendar.

Enjoy “The Monthly” and all the events and gatherings you are going to attend!

Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

In our reading for Sunday in Luke 19:1-10, Jesus invites himself to lunch at the home of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. If this were happening today, as a government employee who has not been paid for some weeks, can Zacchaeus be sure there will be enough food to share with a guest? If his family has ever needed SNAP benefits, can he hope there will be enough for everyone next week or after? Trick or Treat, indeed.

This is the scariest thought I can think of this Halloween. No, I take that back. It’s even scarier that we can’t really see an end to the horror of food scarcity or any number of other frightening realities in our present world. There’s really no need for holiday decorations. I am sufficiently terrorized daily by the news. This is why I must pray more. One moment, please:

Please, God, have mercy! You have created us from love, for love. Help us to create spaces for love to grow, especially when pantries are empty. Stir our imaginations to find ways, invent new ways, take risks, innovate wildly, and experiment fearlessly. Remind us to hold to your unchanging hand, and to always hope beyond hope. Amen.

OK, I’m back with a quick word about Sunday. 

If you have to sing the Zacchaeus Song like Ron Joyner and I do whenever we hear this story, you won’t need the YouTube link below. As he and I confirmed last week, although we learned slightly different versions of the song, the story of the day Zacchaeus meets Jesus is embedded in our bodies. Thanks be to God for the Sunday School class, lo, these many years ago, where we learned it. Now, it will not go away. 

On Sunday, in the story part of the WORD FOR ALL AGES, we have to teach our children this story and this song. 

When I taught a Bible as Literature course to ninth and tenth graders, we made Zacchaeus an “All-Star.” This is a character everyone should know because he can show up anywhere, not just Sunday School and church. My son came home one day in high school, furious that he did not know a certain biblical all-star that came up in his Lit class and he blamed me for it!

There’s a YouTube video below so you can practice before Sunday, if you need to. And we should have words and music by worship time, in case we need that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIjQObYF1cU 

What would I do without you, our Central congregation and community, where I am welcomed to learn more about how the kin-dom of God comes near to us, and to struggle with how that might become part of my own living? 

Not waiting for Thanksgiving, I thank God for you now. And I hope to see you or be seen by you in worship, 11:00 am on Sunday, November 2 (already!), streaming together or gathering together. Together, all the same. Be there or be square. (Groan. That’s as old as the Zacchaeus Song. Sorry.) I’d better go now.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz 

PS When you read the passage, see if you can tell if the short one is Zacchaeus or Jesus. Personally, I like thinking about the latter. Can you think why? 

We continue our tradition of remembering and celebrating a loved one who has died by pinning a bell on our church banners for All Saints Day. 

You will find the banners on display at the church entrance. Take a moment and hang a bell in memory of your loved ones on our banners of remembrance.

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! 

Starting next week, the Creative Connection group will meet on Thursdays instead of Mondays.

Their next meeting will be on Thursday, October 16th, 7 pm. Join them for unstructured arts & crafts time!. Any level and any medium is welcome—bring your own collaging, sewing, whittling, or any other project, or just doodle with the provided art supplies. 

For more info, please contact Autumn S.