First United Church of Oak Park

As an open and affirming church, First United Church of Oak Park located in Oak Park, Illinois. We are an open community united in love and justice.

Evotionals

Each week, a pastor or occasionally a lay member shares thoughts for reflection and prayer. These topics might be seasonal, they might reflect current events, or they might just reveal the writer’s inner thoughts. We hope these Evotionals spur your own spiritual journey. Feel free to contact any member of the pastoral staff for further discussion. If you’re interested in writing an Evotional, contact the church office.

An Ounce of Practice

By  Lydia Mulkey

This Sunday is our final week of the “Practice” sermon series. We have explored the spiritual practices of thinking, praying, doing justice, fasting, and on Sunday we will conclude with the practice of giving as we kick off our stewardship campaign.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” I supposed it’s good we stop preaching about these things and get to practicing. If you’re anything like me, you really wish practice actually did make perfect as the old saying goes, but of course it doesn’t.

Incarnation

By  Phil Price

Incarnation. A rather obtuse theological word that bounces around Divinity School discussions but probably isn’t heard much in Starbucks conversations.
When was the last time “incarnation” was a discussion topic at your dinner table?

Beautiful Things

By  Lydia Mulkey

In some traditions, Ash Wednesday is a day to think about how absolutely wretched you are, but that’s not us, is it? We think God is actually pretty fond of humans. Sure, we’re made of dust, but that’s not so bad.

Beloved Child of God

By  Ally Vertigan

A few years ago, I worked on a project with a friend… and I was struggling. I told her about my sense of failure, judging myself for each mistake, apologizing for small errors. (Speaking harshly about ourselves is something several of us have learned over our lifetimes.) After a few exchanges, my friend stopped me and said, “Hey – please don’t talk about my friend Ally that way.”

Good News, Indeed

By  Dirk Labuschagne

As we move beyond Christmas celebrations and the dawn of a new year, I’m struck by the nuance of the term ‘gospel.’ I’ve become so used to the word that I sometimes forget its alternate meaning – ‘good news.’ Our familiarity with the term ‘gospel’ might have inadvertently dulled its significance. Evoking a parallel from history, the same Greek word translated as ‘good news’ once indicated the herald of an army’s victorious return to a jubilant kingdom.

We Trust Our Belovedness: a Commentary

By  Rev. Cecilia D. Armstrong

My mother was a jewel. Every morning she would wake me by singing a question to me. In her best singing voice, she’d ask, “Hey good lookin’. Wha’chu got cookin’? How’s ‘bout cookin’ somethin’ up with me?” Now, Momma was not Hank Williams in any way but her affirmation of me every morning was the start of a wonderful day. Even today, I am fueled by her affirmation even though she is no longer with me.

Revelation: Artist Commentary

By  Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity

I wonder what Mary and Joseph expect when they enter the temple to dedicate their newborn son. This customary ritual quickly unravels into an astonishing scene. A stranger named Simeon pronounces Jesus to be a “light” and “revelation,” and his dying wish is fulfilled. A prophet named Anna also draws near to the child, praising God for the redemption he will bring.

We Make Room: A Commentary

By  Rev. Cecilia D. Armstrong

There is a famously-told Christmas story about a little boy who wanted to be Joseph in the Nativity play. He did not get the part of Joseph but did land the part of the innkeeper. He was disappointed. The night of the performance, he decided to change the story. The story, as told, caused Joseph to inquire about a place for him and Mary. The crowd anticipated that the innkeeper would say, “There is no room in the inn.” However, the little boy changed the story that night. He said, “Sure, I’ve got the best room in the inn. You may have mine.”

Know Thyself in Advent Light

By  Dirk Labuschagne

‘Know thyself’ was written on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Legend tells that the seven sages of ancient Greece—philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers who laid the foundation for Western culture—gathered in Delphi to inscribe ‘know thyself’ at the entry to its sacred oracle.

A Picture Paints 1000 Words

By  Artists of A Sanctified Art, LLC

Our Advent series by A Sanctified Art, LLC includes an entire package of purposefully crafted imagery anchored by a logo of embrace with ethereal backgrounds and colors. The artists share with us how they arrived at this imagery for the series and what they hope the visuals evoke for us.

Belly of the Whale

By  Ally Vertigan

Advent is a container – sort of like the belly of the whale. It provides some structure, a few weeks while we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus… while we prepare for new Light to burst forth over the cosmos. We are in it, inescapably; Advent is upon us!

Anchored in Gratitude

By  Lydia Mulkey

I remember going to my Grandpa and Grandma Anne’s house for Thanksgiving most of my childhood. There were routines to this visit. Grandma Anne would set up a bed for me in the den and Grandpa would turn off the grandfather clock so it didn’t wake me every 15 minutes. Grandma Anne made her yellow layer cake with chocolate frosting and I had a piece after every meal. I wandered the cotton field behind their south Georgia house, picked up pecans with Grandpa, and played games with various cousins.

A Different Kind of Calm

By  Dirk Labuschagne

We continue to be in a time of transition and turmoil. Nationally there is political tension and discord, and internationally we see heartbreaking conflicts in many areas of the world. When stress and worries take center stage, Paul’s words echo with a practical wisdom that resonates deeply: let us take our many reasons for anxiety to God, and do so with gratitude. It’s a simple roadmap, one our minds may reject as too simple.
Read the entire Evotional

Gratitude: the Antidote to Anxiety

By  Alicia Reese

Anxiety is one of those emotions that has the ability to evolve–and not in a good way. It can start out as a simple worry, source of tension or stress and then, all of sudden, become incessant negative self-talk. It can manifest in the body, and even lead to concerning physical and/or mental health conditions. It can become debilitating. I know this from personal experience.

Striving Together

By  Ally Vertigan

Every once in a while, I think about throwing my cell phone in the Chicago River. Or dropping it on the ground in Thatcher Woods. Or leaving it in the seatback pocket on an airplane.

May All the Children

By  Tara Dull, Faith in Action CoChair

May all the children of Israel and Palestine wake to birdsong, not bulletfire.
May all the children of Israel and Palestine watch the sun rise over a horizon free from concrete walls and barbed wire.
May all the children of Israel and Palestine have the same access to clean drinking water, food, electricity, hospitals, schools, roads, airports, libraries, and playgrounds.

Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong

By  Dirk Labuschagne

Some of you may know that as thousands of runners made their way along the 26.2-mile-long route through 29 of the city’s neighborhoods, I was one of those runners who completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. There are many reasons for running a marathon and many lessons to learn along the way. I signed up for an 18-week training program that encouraged us to join one of the groups meeting at various locations across Chicagoland. I completed my Saturday morning long runs on the Lakefront with a group of initial strangers who have since become allies. Although I’ve enjoyed the solitary aspect of running, these long runs were better done together.

The Kingdom of Heaven

By  Alicia Reese

An oft explored question in Christianity and in the Bible, itself is, “what is the kingdom of God (or heaven) like?” Jesus uses many parables and metaphors to illustrate it for us: a treasure hidden in a field, a mustard seed, a seed sowed in good soil, a king giving a wedding feast for his son, a generous landowner, etc.

Notice the Shift

By  Ally Vertigan

When you pray, what do you notice in your spirit?
Maybe you perceive God’s love seeping into your bones like rain in a parched desert. Or you feel complete, like finding the last piece of a puzzle’s border. Perhaps you feel your spirit move like the wind tickling a windchime … delighting in small joys.

Why We Worship

By  Lydia Mulkey

As I sit down to write this evotional, my attention is divided in a thousand directions. I am thinking about my dearest friend from high school who lost her wife yesterday. I am thinking about what I need to get done coming back from the time off I took to get married. I am thinking about the joy of this weekend. I am watching the emails and texts come in. I am wondering what I will eat for lunch! I am feeling stretched and pulled and anything but focused. I write this so honestly because I doubt there is a person reading this who cannot relate! We are so often asked to divide our attention.

Breath of New Life

By  Alicia Reese

It is Tuesday, September 5, which means there are only five days until Gathering Day!  Personally, I am a whirlwind of chaos. My ADD brain is struggling to finish one task before beginning another. I keep jumping from emails to worship planning to preparing for one program and then another, all while trying to wrap my mind around everything that is coming up and what needs to be done first.

All the Feels

By  Lydia Mulkey

Back when I was a layperson, I joined a small church in Los Angeles while they had an interim pastor. That’s a dangerous thing to do, because you will be asked to join the search committee (ha!). I remember one of the members getting up and talking about transition as the time between the trapeze artist releasing one bar and grabbing onto the next. There is fear, excitement, a sense of danger, and also of great hope. That image has always stayed with me. I have shared that image with some of you before. I am now on my fourth lead pastor transition since that one, not to mention all of the other life transitions I’ve experienced.

The Realm of God Is Like a Carnivorous Plant

By John Edgerton

I have upsetting fig tree news for you. Many fruits (such as apples) are happily pollinated just by being brushed against by the fuzzy little bodies of bees. But the fig tree is different. Turns out that fig trees are sort of, kind of, just a little bit, carnivorous. A wasp lands on a fig tree flower and gets trapped in the sticky nectar. The flower then sort of folds itself inside out and proceeds to…digest the wasp. Every juicy and delicious fig begins its life as one unfortunate wasp.

Grace

By  Alicia Reese

Whenever you return from being away for an extended period of time, especially for vacation, there is an adjustment period to reenter your typical daily life, get back “into the swing of things,” and get back to tackling your work responsibilities and running your household. Under the best of circumstances this can take a few days and may be somewhat daunting.

You Can’t Solve Today

By  Lydia Mulkey

Today I was reading a book that Alicia has often quoted called The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, and a line jumped out at me. “Blessed are we who see the impossibility of solving today. It can’t be done. God, there are lists on lists and errands on errands and a taste, like tin in my mouth, of the unfinishedness of my life.”

Bittersweet

By Alicia Reese

By now you have likely heard that Pastor John Edgerton will be leaving First United to accept a new call. I imagine this was shocking news to receive. I know I was surprised when he told Pastor Lydia and me.

Anybody Need a Pie?

By John Edgerton

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but it is very nearly pick-your-own blueberry season. Ripe juicy berries crying out for picking. After an hour of effort you’ll be rewarded with armloads of berries. It’s not that you can’t get them in other seasons, it’s just that conditions are so blazingly perfect for blueberries that the only sensible response is to cancel whatever weekend plans you had and go pick as many as you carry. You can worry later about what to do with eleven pints of blueberries.

Do the Work

By Alicia Reese

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly now. Love mercy now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. ~ The Talmud
Often the grief of the world is enormously daunting, not to mention, heart breaking. But this helps to keep the distractions at bay, it grounds me in my faith and my call as a disciple, as a Christian, to the work of justice, work that moves all of us toward liberation. Every decision I make is an opportunity to do this work, to move in the direction of dismantling injustice.

Forgetting Something?

By John Edgerton

The Psalmist paints a beautiful picture of 40 years in the wilderness. God is the beneficent provider, freely giving the people what they need. Bread, meat, water, light in the nighttime and shade in the day. It comes off as a sort of all-inclusive backpacking trip across the Arabian Peninsula.

Lessons from a Magnolia Tree

By Lydia Mulkey

There is a magnolia tree in my front yard. This being my second spring living in this home, I was so excited for it to bloom. As the temperatures fluctuated wildly and we would freeze and thaw and freeze and thaw, I worried about the tree. Would this be the year it simply couldn’t bloom? Then it happened! Beautiful white and pink blooms in a canopy over my head. It was magical. But, as quickly as they had come, every last one fell to the ground. It was a moment of beauty, gone in an instant.

As Lucy Goes, So Goes the Flock

By John Edgerton

My wife used to work as a shepherd. And I don’t mean that in a metaphorical or religious sense. I mean she was a literal herder of 300 actual sheep.
As a dyed-in-the-wool city slicker, I had no idea just how eventful working on a farm could be. There were hailstorms, veterinarian visits, lambing issues, neighbor disputes. A lot would happen! But the stories I remember most all centered around one particular sheep: Lucy.

Joy Is Not Made to Be a Crumb

By Alicia Reese

Joy is meant to be a large loaf of bread. There is love and joy in the kneading, the baking, and the sharing of it with others, in the breaking of the bread, in the large chunks ripped off and savored together. This calls to mind, for me, celebrating the sacrament of communion. It is a hopeful and joyful meal. It is a meal of abundance, of grace, meant to be shared widely.

Spring Song

By Lucille Clifton

This week, First United Member Tara Dull shares a beautiful poem for our evotional.

Energizing Easter

By Lydia Mulkey

This week I have talked with a family planning a memorial service, checked in on a family who just bought a new house, listened to folks who have been in conflict, heard about church members showing up for one another in a crisis, witnessed you giving each other rides when car trouble strikes, and praying for one another. There are certainly times when being in community feels challenging and it seems it would be easier to go it alone, but then there are times like this week when I am reminded of why we do this.

A Letter to Holy Week

By Alicia Reese

This past Sunday, we celebrated your beginning with a boisterous and beautiful Palm Sunday! The processional was joyous. Your children, young and old, waved palms. We welcomed new members into our church family. We heard your Word and were reaffirmed of our need to always be reforming. Even the sun shone through the windows, creating dancing colorful light in our midst, serving as a reminder of your Spirit, present and at work among and within us.

For Palm Sunday

By Alicia Reese

Alicia share’s a blessing for Palm Sunday from Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie’s book “The Live We Actually Live: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days.”

Provoked to Good Deeds

By Lydia Mulkey

This week I have talked with a family planning a memorial service, checked in on a family who just bought a new house, listened to folks who have been in conflict, heard about church members showing up for one another in a crisis, witnessed you giving each other rides when car trouble strikes, and praying for one another. There are certainly times when being in community feels challenging and it seems it would be easier to go it alone, but then there are times like this week when I am reminded of why we do this.

It’s Not Just a Good Idea; It’s the Law

By John Edgerton

Self-care is sweeping the nation. And no, I don’t mean the actual practice of self-care. I mean that the idea of self-care is sweeping the nation. Whether it’s taking naps, eating a good breakfast, or going on mental-health walks, self-care is something I’m supposed to be doing more of.

Lady Lent

By Alicia Reese

I am always appreciative of the opportunity to learn about rituals and traditions of fellow Christians from different cultures around the world. It reminds me that I am just a small part of one branch of a global, cross-cultural religion. Our Christian family tree has deep roots, many branches, traditions, and denominations. We may differ in our theologies and practices, but we have all come to know the same God.

We Would Be Building

By John Edgerton

One of my favorite hymns is “We Would Be Building.” In particular, I love the line “ribbed with fine steel, both time and change to mock.” It’s a stirring and wonderful hymn about dreaming of a future God envisions for us, all viewed through the metaphor of a church building. For someone who spends a great deal of time inside the church building, it’s right up my alley! It makes me dream big every time I hear it.

Dust

By Lydia Mulkey

“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
As I hear these words now I see my vacuum cleaner in the corner absolutely full of dust. A small percentage of which is probably bits of me! Dead skin and hair and what not.

The Best Kind of Book

By Alicia Reese

What kind of books do you like to read? Or listen to? Books and reading have always been a big part of my life, but I will admit, there are certain books that appeal to me more than others. I yearn for those books that I don’t want to put down. Ones that I stay up much later than I should to read, telling myself, “just one more chapter…”

Every Day I Pray

By Alicia Reese

Somehow we are already on the threshold of the second month of this new year. How has the beginning of 2023 been for you so far?
In my family, already we have had a loved one in the ICU, two who have gotten engaged, one in the midst of a divorce, one who is expecting their first child, but is a high-risk pregnancy, and a myriad of other joys and concerns. Every year of life is a bittersweet mixture of celebrations and sorrows, beginnings and endings, but this year, it seems that bittersweetness was determined to be there from the start.

Tell Me What You Want. What You Really, Really Want.

By  John Edgerton

In my prayers, I often err on the side of praying for things that I could do myself. God’s likely pretty tired of hearing me ask: “Help me do my part to solve [insert societal woe]”. I like to hide behind theology to justify this—prayer isn’t magic, God isn’t a genie, etc. And that’s all true.

Is It Too Late to File for a Change of Venue?

By  John Edgerton

Sometimes I imagine God as a judge robed in authority, tasked with rendering justice. While human judges may be cruel, God will balance mercy with stricture. God is a judge who is ever more ready to forgive than I am to even ask for forgiveness. A defendant’s dream!

Far Astray

By  John Edgerton

I love coffee hour, all my people are there. I know who they are, they know who I am. There’s coffee, sometimes there are little cookies or grapes. It’s great!
But then there are those moments that gum up the works. Newcomer moments.

Moving In Closer

By  Tara Meyer Dull

Amidst the glow of candles, we arranged the traditional plate of frosted cookies and searched for The Charlie Brown Christmas CD. Our three young sons eagerly unpacked bins of decorations, squealing at the discovery of beloved ornaments, toy nutcrackers, and their crimson felt stockings. 5-year-old Jordan’s eyes lit up when he unearthed the Fontanini crèche. He ran to set it up on the dining room hutch.

Scammy Email Season

By  John Edgerton

Christmas time has well and truly begun because the scams have started. Scam emails, scam phone calls, scam texts. Just today, a bunch of church members received a scam email supposedly from me.

Mary and Elizabeth

By  Lauren Wright Pittman

This graced our bulletin cover this past Sunday and will do so again this coming Sunday. The work is a painting by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman, founding creative partner of Sanctified Art. As our evotional this week, we share the artist’s reflection on the inspiration for this beautiful piece.

Popcorn and Toast

By  John Edgerton

We’ve officially entered “Charlie Brown” season in my house. This season starts at Halloween with the Great Pumpkin, and ends at Christmas with Linus’ famous Lukan soliloquy. And in the middle, of course, is Thanksgiving. My favorite part of the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the impromptu Thanksgiving meal that Snoopy and Woodstock whip up to feed the hungry kids in need of a place at the table.

Gratiam

By  Alicia Reese

This year, I want to take a new approach. I want to slow down a little prior to Advent. I will say, this is due in large part to my ordination happening the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but I am feeling particularly grateful. So, I would like to add an unofficial liturgical season to my worship calendar, the liturgical season of Gratiam (Latin for “gratitude”). Beginning today, November 1, and ending on Sunday, November 27 (when Advent begins).

Good Things Travel by Word of Mouth

By John Edgerton

When buying something online I always read the reviews first. For example, if I’m buying a new cookbook, I want to hear about the recipes from people who actually have experience using the book and took the time to share what they know. Heck, my wife wrote a review on Amazon for Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” that is still that book’s number one negative review after ten years (sorry, Mr. Bittman).

Yeah, I’m Already Aware

By John Edgerton

When I pray, I sometimes wind up feeling like a newscaster listing off serious events going on in the world. “God, there is catastrophic climate change all around!”, I might call out to the divine.  When I catch myself doing this, it always breaks me out of my prayerful mode.

Halloween Is For Grownups

By John Edgerton

I live on a very Halloween-y block. You know the kind of block I’m talking about, where every house has decorations up and a candy-bowl that never runs dry. Where there’s always that one pair of dads locked in a spooky-season arms race with increasingly elaborate set ups. The kind of street that the whisper network said might have full sized candy bars. The kind of block that has locked in Oct 31 as one of our block party days and will never, ever let that go.

Insomnia Blessing

By  Alicia Reese

A couple of weeks ago I preached a sermon about grief. It always amazes me how the Holy Spirit can be at work in a sermon. More often than not, I stand in front of our congregation, having prepared a sermon to share, without feeling super confident in the message I am about to give. It is difficult to know or imagine how your own thoughts, wonderings, wrestling, will land with those who are listening.

The Realm of God Is Like a Renaissance Fair

By  John Edgerton

People have really upped their costume game at the Renaissance Fair since I was a kid. Gone are the days of repurposed bathrobes and quarterstaffs that were clearly just hiking sticks. In one day at the Renn Fair I saw exceptional satyr’s, Peter Jackson-esque elves, and one individual dressed very convincingly as a centaur riding a unicycle. It made more sense that it sounds like, I promise.

Attitude of Gratitude

By  Michael Surratt

I want to use this evotional to talk about gratitude. There’s an old gospel song called “Count Your Blessings” and that’s what I feel like doing today.

Read the entire Evotional.

I <3 Organized Religion

By  John Edgerton

Organized religion has a problem. Well, we have a lot of problems, but I’m talking about the term itself. Organized religion is synonymous with dead formalism, sexism, and a host of other dangerous “–isms.”

Created to Create

By  Lydia Mulkey

Our theme for this year is Created to Create. We will remember that we are made in the image of God, the creator. Like our creator, we are hard-wired to make new connections, bring order and beauty to chaos, and to evolve.

Read the entire Evotional.

An Experience of the Divine

By  Alicia Reese

My heart and my soul are filled to the brim when I have the opportunity to be somewhere new, immersing myself in a culture and context different from my own. It is humbling, awakening, and always fills me with gratitude for the divine and the infinite beauty of creation.

Read the entire Evotional.

Sandwich-y-ness

By  John Edgerton

This is what scholars would call a “chiasm.” That’s pronounced with a hard “k” sound at the beginning, BTW, and a chiasm means a sentence shaped like an X. So it goes: rich, poor, poor, rich. The outsides match, and the insides match. And that’s what an X is shaped like. Sort of. If I were in charge of biblical scholarship, I would call this a “sandwich” instead of a chiasm. But that’s neither here nor there.

Read the entire Evotional.

#SeaMonsters4God

By  John Edgerton

And like a hype-artist getting the crowd ready for the headliner, the psalmist engages in the ancient art of the shoutout.  Is there anybody here from Judea tonight, let me hear you! (thundering applause). Now how about the ladies? Are there any ladies in the house? (shouts of jubilation). And now let’s hear it from the sea monsters! (exuberant…uh…splashing?)

Read the entire Evotional.

And One More Thing . . .

By  Alicia Reese

But there was a part of the scripture that I didn’t have much time to dive into, and for purposes of length, shortened this section in the reading, chapter 2 verses 4 through 9…When I read this section of scripture, I can’t help up say, “Duh! Of course, you think life is vanity!”

Read the entire Evotional.

In Need of Comfort and Peace

By  Alicia Reese

I am writing this on Monday, July 25 and looking for some inspiration, so, I type “bible verse of the day” into my search bar and Google’s first answer says today’s verse is Romans 8:38-39…

Read the entire Evotional.

Just a Speck Floating on a Small Rock

By Lydia Mulkey

I have been working on ways to reduce anxiety in my life. I have breathing techniques and stretches and eye movement exercises. They can be effective. It’s nice to have some tried and true tools that can help when things become overwhelming.

Read the entire Evotional.

Not Today, Vampires

By John Edgerton

There is no way to outwit death, nor overpower it, nor bribe it, nor dazzle it with fame, nor pray it into abeyance. I will surely die.  As is perhaps appropriate, the best way to summarize this rather gloomy sentiment is through country music. Specifically, the chorus of a song by Jason Isbell:

Read the entire Evotional.

Prayer for America

By Alicia Reese sharing work by Lisa Sharon Harper

Holy Holy Holy God,
We call her America for short.
When we speak her whole name, it fills the earth and edges you out.
Her name is United.

A Pastoral Message on Overturning Roe v. Wade

By John Edgerton

As I’ve spoken about before, reproductive healthcare matters to me very personally. My grandfather, now of powerful memory, spent his career as an OB/GYN in Davenport, Iowa. He saw that there was a vast disparity in healthcare among those women with financial means who came to his private practice and the many more poor women who gave birth at the hospital where he also served.

Read the entire Evotional.

Pray Without Ceasing

By Lydia Mulkey

So often we think of prayer as something we must stop to do. There’s nothing wrong with stopping to pray, but there is nothing wrong with walking to pray, either! Prayer is an orientation more than a particular action.

Read the entire Evotional.

 

Part of a Balanced Breakfast

By John Edgerton

During the pandemic, I learned to be better about self-care and work/life balance. In other times of my life, I would blow past a healthy work schedule and push myself near exhaustion. I would do this particularly when I was working on important social justice cause. “It’s just for a little while,” I would tell myself, “I’ll catch up on sleep later.”

Read the entire Evotional.

Bedside Table Identity

By Alicia Reese

You can tell a lot about a person by their bedside table… Although I actually cannot say if this is true for everyone, I like to believe there is a lot of truth to this. It is certainly true of me. On my bedside table you will always find my glasses, an easily reachable phone charger, one or two lip balms, face and hand lotion, a cup of pens, and a stack of books.

Read the entire Evotional.

The Big Windburn

By Lydia Mulkey

This Sunday is Pentecost. The story of Pentecost is a bit confusing. One year on Pentecost, I asked a four-year-old to tell me about the story they heard that morning in Sunday School. This is the conversation we had . . .  Read the entire Evotional.

Be Still and Know

By Alicia Reese

This past Sunday was the end of our program year. Usually, that means that there is some downtime, a break to come up for air. But this image is both literal and figurative for me at the moment. I just counted and I have 16 tabs open, 13 documents open (3 of which are still unnamed), and 4 open, mid-draft emails, not to mention a paper blanket of lists and post-its currently littering my desk, keeping it warm. Be still and know that I am God. Read the entire Evotional.

Water Is Thicker Than Blood

By John Edgerton

The bonds among Christians ought to be deep, as deep as the waters of baptism. As a mentor of mine would say often at baptisms, “for Christians water is thicker than blood.” And so my heart breaks as our nation grieves two murderous sprees in just a handful of days. First, in Buffalo, New York an avowed racist and white-supremacist traveled hundreds of miles simply to kill Black people because they are Black. Then, within days, Geneva Presbyterian Church in California was attacked. The murderer drove hundreds of miles to kill Taiwanese people because they are Taiwanese. This was a stretch of days when those who believe blood is the most important thing in the world made their presence known. Read the entire Evotional.

The Right Words Don’t Exist

By John Edgerton

I grew up in Chicago, so I know the difference between stuffed pizza and deep dish. I know that when attending a game where the Cubs play the Sox, the safest sartorial choice is a Bears jersey (54, natch).  I know that when ordering a hot dog, the only acceptable reason to request ketchup is a concomitant purchase of fries. And I also know that calling Chicago “The Windy City” is not a comment on our weather. It’s a dig against our politicians, a roundabout way of calling them windbags. Read the entire Evotional.

Disparate Impact . . . Again

By Alicia Reese
The pouring ran I awoke to and the completely overcast, grey sky outside my window, reflect the deary, heaviness I am feeling as a result of knowing it is only a matter of time until Roe v. Wade is officially overturned. I am a muddled mix of anger, sadness, frustration, and hopelessness.

The implications and consequences of this decision will be huge, but, unfortunately, they will be unseen and unfelt by many, many who are a lot like me: educated, employed, middle to upper-class, and white. Read the entire Evotional.

A Week’s Reflection

By Lydia Mulkey

As I reflect on the past week, so many meaningful moments come to mind… Members sat on the steps of the church on Palm Sunday watching the service together on a phone as a public witness even in the face of threats. The hospitality and generosity of the staff at Oak Park Temple as we toured the space early in the week saying, “Don’t bring anything we have here! You can use anything we’ve got!” Read the entire Evotional.

Lent: A Season of Preparation . . . So Are You Ready?

By Alicia Reese

It has been a true wilderness experience, of struggle and wrestling. Never have I been more ready for Holy Week, to walk through Jesus’s last days, to remember, to mourn, and then to wake up to that empty tomb, filled with the mystery of faith, and transformational hope. The story is not over. God is still speaking. Read the entire Evotional.

Kindness and Privilege

By Bruce Reyes-Chow

I once had a conversation with someone during a protest and the taking over of a roadway in the San Francisco Bay Area. The protest occurred during the early stages of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The social atmosphere in the United States was charged, to say the least. The conversation about this life-or-death reality boiled down to this response from a bystander: “If they didn’t inconvenience people so much, I would be much more supportive of their cause.” Read the entire Evotional.

Tulip Selfies

By John Edgerton

The church, for all its beauty, for all its grandeur, for all its dignity and witness and wonder, could not compete with a bed full of flowers. We shouldn’t feel too bad, though, not even Solomon could compete with the flowers! Read the entire Evotional.

Reading Together

By Lydia Mulkey

We read scripture for so many reasons, but today, I read to connect to our ancestors in the faith. I read to know that whatever I am feeling, I am not alone. I read to remember that this life is a shared journey. Read the entire Evotional.

More Alike Than Not

By John Edgerton

If you want to know who really needs worship, just look at who shows up to church on a rainy, miserable, November Sunday. Alternately, see who shows up on a beautiful, sunny, July Sunday that falls on the last day of the county fair that has a petting zoo and plenty of parking. Read the entire Evotional.

A Community of Care

By Alicia Reese

What does it mean to be a community of care?” to which my response is usually something like, “When a community cares for itself. (and, also, “Let me connect you with Mark Smylie!”). This is an oversimplified answer that arguably does not adequately speak to all of the nuances and facets of what it truly means and looks like to be a community of care, but the point I’m trying to get across is that members of a community should organically, authentically, and truly care for one another, in tangible and non-tangible ways. Read the entire Evotional.

Revealed By Contrast

By John Edgerton

The Psalms often reveal trouble by way of contrast. War-torn times are revealed by prayers for peace. Deepest danger is revealed by prayers for deliverance. In Psalm 20, “May the Lord answer you in distress” reveals long periods when prayer seemed ignored. “May God make all your plans succeed” reveals failure upon failure even after careful preparation. Read the entire Evotional.

Why So Serious?

By Lydia Mulkey

As Christians, we have a reputation for taking ourselves too seriously. It’s gotten us into trouble and made us the butt of a few jokes. We focus on suffering Jesus and believe our faith calls us to engage in flagellation whether physical or spiritual. I have the sense in my study of the Bible, that that book is actually full of knee slappers. We just don’t understand them. Read the entire Evotional.

Lest We Burst

By John Edgerton

Since the pandemic began, I’ve led worship maybe a hundred times. And those one hundred times have been in at least four or five formats that were new to me: live on zoom, pre-recorded on YouTube, livestreamed in the Sanctuary, outdoors on the lawn, a hybrid of all of the above. I’m back to wobbly and nervous and I don’t like it. Read the entire Evotional.

Unsettled

By Alicia Reese

Living in a never ending, or at least undetermined amount of “in-between” time is difficult. For the last two years, days, dates, and time have been somewhat arbitrary, yet life has somehow persisted in this strange “in-between” time. Even though part of me wonders, “Where have these last two years gone?” I know that the last two years have been filled to the brim. Maybe not with all the fun, wonderful, and exciting things we planned or hoped for, but filled, nevertheless. Read the entire Evotional.

In Between

By John Edgerton

Perhaps God places reminders like this in so many places because She knows how hard it can be for us to rest, how tempting it is to define ourselves by what we do. But if all that wasn’t enough, God also gives us Jesus as a teacher. And if the world-changing, life-saving work of Christ could afford to have some downtime built in, surely we can give ourselves that space, too. Read the entire Evotional.

A Deeper Joy

By Lydia Mulkey

Sometimes we talk with the children about how sad seriousness and happiness come together in the story of Jesus to create joy. Joy is something deeper than fleeting happiness. Joy comes from a deep place of knowing the full story — the good, the bad, and the ugly — and knowing that the awful parts weren’t the end! Read the entire Evotional.

An Intentional Advent

By Alicia Reese

I still want to pull out all the decorations and put them up, but now I also want to make the joy, warmth, and excitement last. I want to savor it. And I have learned that that is exactly what Advent is for, the preparation, the anticipation of the season is truly an invitation to slow down, to really enjoy what this time of year has to offer. But how to I do that? Read the entire Evotional.

In All Circumstances

By John Edgerton

Fear not! The Bible has got your back. Because if you find yourself this week in need of a last-minute Thanksgiving toast, prayer, or word of wisdom, First Thessalonians 5 will cover all the bases. If you’re in a decidedly non-praying kind of company, feel free to end the quotation after “do good to one another and to all.” The Apostle Paul would understand. Read the entire Evotional.

I Need It To Be True

By John Edgerton

We speak our most beautiful and sturdy words only from the very worst depths. Isaiah’s words are the same. They are words of calm assurance spoken at a moment of profound national crisis, when the collapse of all that was good is just around the corner. Jesus’ words are the same. The last are first and the lost are found and the way that leads to life runs through the heart of death’s dread valley. Read the entire Evotional.

Stuckness

By Alicia Reese

These chapters of “stuckness” are often unavoidable, difficult to see coming, and once in one, almost impossible to see beyond. We need help, we need resources, lifelines. Prayer never hurts, God will always be ready to listen, but I am a strong believer in if you can combine action with prayer, you are more likely to get a result. Read the entire Evotional.

New Magnificat Just Dropped

By John Edgerton

We in the church should be “remixers” too. As we serve the gospel, we should remember the past. We should remember all our tradition’s “firsts” — the first integrated anti-slavery society, the first woman ordained since the women apostles, the first openly gay man to be ordained. We should remember these. We should keep the tempo and the key but must improvise freely to make a new song of justice. Read the entire Evotional.

In the Image of God

By Lydia Mulkey

When children point out, “that person is short,” “that person has wild hair,” “that boy likes dresses,” “that person has dark skin,” “that person has a very quiet voice,” “that person uses a wheelchair,” and on and on, that is wonderful! If everyone is made in the image of God, that must mean that God is a little bit like that, too. How wonderful of God to show us so much of who God is by making each of us a unique reflection of something divine. Read the entire Evotional.

A Real Pickle

By John Edgerton

Understanding God’s will for us today is more than a question of “what does it say in the Bible?” because the Bible is not a monologue, fixed and eternal. The Bible is an unfolding dialogue. Prophets interpret law, gospels interpret prophets, letters interpret gospels. And we must wrestle with it all. Read the entire Evotional.

The Need for Community

By Beth Dickerson

The idea of community comes from the sense of responsibility we have for each other. In the Bible, God encourages us to take care of our brothers and sisters — whether we are friends or enemies! We are reminded over and over again about the importance of maintaining the connection with each other and focusing on building a community of love in word and actions. Read the entire Evotional.

Should I Say Something?

By John Edgerton

The Psalm advises not to bottle up anger, but neither should anger be immediately unleashed upon another. Instead, pour out that hot rage in prayer before God, holding nothing back. The one who is encircled by seraphim flame can surely withstand human anger. Pray about it, and only after praying, seek to discern whether to speak or stay silent. Read the entire Evotional.

Love Yourself

By Lydia Mulkey

I heard a therapist on television yesterday talking about what she’s noticing in her practice. She talked about how so many of us are very tender right now. That makes it difficult to go very deep or process the last 18 months in any meaningful way. Maybe you’re feeling some of that. Maybe you’re just taking the days as they come; just trying to get through. Read the entire Evotional.

It’s Not Just a Good Idea, It’s the Law

By John Edgerton

The command to rest is serious business. It is right there in the decalogue (AKA the Ten Commandments) next to such notable items as “do not murder.” … Don’t take my word for it, though. Take it from the Ten Commandments. Working all the time without a rest is impossible. Not even God could achieve that. And in God’s wisdom, God did not even try. Read the entire Evotional.

Project Plans

By Alicia Reese

Make plans. Whatever plans will feed you, bring you hope or joy. Don’t let them overwhelm or consume you, know that God will be in each step with you. If they get derailed, don’t beat yourself up. There are other routes, creative possibilities; in those moments of disappointment or frustration, ask, “Where is God in this? Where might the Spirit be at work?” Read the entire Evotional.

You Are Not a Commodity

By Lydia Mulkey

The Sabbath is perhaps the most frequently broken of the Ten Commandments. How many of us truly take enough time for rest? It requires that we live in a way that is so strongly countercultural, it feels nearly impossible. It is not easy, but it is life-giving. I can’t say that I’ve figured out how to keep the Sabbath well, but I’m working on it. I hope you will, too. Read the entire Evotional.

Reading the Map

By Lydia Mulkey

It reminded me of telling the story of Abraham and Sarah to children, marking each place on a map made in a sandbox where they stopped along their journey from Ur to Haran to Hebron. At each stopping point, the children are reminded, “God was in that place, too.” … I hope the next time you read a map, you will be reminded that there is nowhere you can go that God will not be in that place, too. Read the entire Evotional.

It’s Not Too Late

By Alicia Reese

I hope and pray that your summer has been memorable, full of fun with friends and family, good food, sunny days spent outside, and experiences of things you haven’t been able to do in a long time. And that you haven’t let future things detract from these precious moments. But if you haven’t, it’s only the first week of August! Summer isn’t over yet. Read the entire Evotional.

All Glory to God

By John Edgerton

The life of faith is just that, a life built upon faith in God. From my will to do what is right, to the hard work of building the realm of God, the glory of any achievements I might reach goes exclusively to God. Read the entire Evotional.

A Gathering Without Going

By Lydia Mulkey

(From the Call to Worship of the closing service of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ):
How can we gather?
Our fellowship has let illness spread.
For survival, we moved apart.
Out of love, we have isolated,
Distance between friends
Is there a gathering without going?
Read the entire Evotional.

Biblical Mixtape

By John Edgerton

As faith communities across the country continue the reinvention of worship from the past year and a half, raise a prayer of thanksgiving for all the music directors and church musicians out there. Every week they are putting together a mixtape of biblical proportions. Pairing music with a message can convey an unmatched depth of emotion. Read the entire Evotional.

’21 July America

By Alicia Reese

We believe that all people were created in the image and likeness of God. We believe that every person is a beloved child of God. Therefore, we believe that all persons have inherent worth, that all persons are equal. But what do we do, how do we navigate a life, a society, a world where these beliefs are at odds with the status quo? Read the entire Evotional.

A Modern-Day Parable on Gender-Based Violence

By Lydia Mulkey

[Jesus] didn’t say, “If you are worried you may sin against a woman, tell her to change into a turtleneck and slacks, or else whatever happens is her fault.” In Matthew 5:29, Jesus said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” This is far more wholesome than purity culture. This is teaching people to take responsibility for their actions and not to bear the shame of the actions of those who sin against them. Read the entire Evotional.

How Do You Know You’re Hearing from God?

By Alicia Reese

I recently purchased and began reading the book “Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal.” It is edited by Sarah Bessey and includes writings from an extraordinary cohort of women, all put together during the pandemic. I have found every piece to be moving, comforting, beautiful and/or thought-provoking. The following are excerpts from one of the pieces that particularly struck a chord for me. Read the entire Evotional.

Transformation

By Lydia Mulkey

This is a time of transformation. Whatever that looks like, feel the freedom to embody your transformation and remember to allow others’ their own transformation. Where the Spirit of our God is, there is freedom. And lean in close, because I have a secret to tell you … the Spirit of our God lives within you! Read the entire Evotional.

Anybody Have a Good Recipe for Pie?

By John Edgerton

Blueberry season is something like what Jesus means when He says “the time is fulfilled, and the Realm of God is at hand.” It’s not that you can’t find ways to serve God in any season, it’s just that there are some seasons in history that are so blazingly perfect that the only sensible response is to drop whatever you’re doing and gather up the fruits of the Realm of God. Read the entire Evotional.

More Than Mere Belief

By John Edgerton

Aaron had finished up performing miracles for the people, signs convincing enough to make them believe that God was very real and very powerful. But mere belief was not enough. After all, the people believed that lions were very real and very powerful. The people believed that Pharaoh’s army was very real and very powerful. That’s not what God was after. Read the entire Evotional.

Better Than a DeLorean

By John Edgerton

On the last day God will raise you up from the dust, and call you by name, and you will see that your name is written in the book of life. Indeed God has inscribed you on the very palms of Her hands. Eternal life is the end of your story.

“No one should know too much about their own destiny”? Sorry, Doc Brown, I’m glad to know that Jesus has written my destiny already. Read the entire Evotional.

Purpose

By Lydia Mulkey

Without a sense of purpose, we humans don’t do well. “Why am I here?” seems to demand an answer. Without an answer, we cannot discern what is important and what is not. With only 24 hours in the day and endless ways to fill those hours, a purpose offer focus and keeps us form getting overwhelmed. Read the entire Evotional.

Our Purpose

By John Edgerton

What is the purpose of the church?

In a way, the answer is easy. The purpose of the church is laid out by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. The purpose of the church is to be “Christ’s body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Perhaps the Christians in Ephesus knew just what Paul was getting at right away. But for the rest of us mere mortals, that is going to take some unpacking. Read the entire Evotional.

May the Force Be With You … and With Your Spirit

By Alicia Reese

So on days when you feel weary, you lack motivation, or it feels like you are trudging through molasses in winter, look in a mirror and say out loud, “The force is strong with me!” and if there is someone in your life who you think is struggling, with newfound meaning, you can say to them, “May the force be with you!” Hopefully they will respond, “And also with you.” Read the entire Evotional.

Hey Siri — Set a Reminder to Talk About God

By John Edgerton

As life opens up again and circles of contact are drawn wider, we can turn to God’s counsel to the faithful. We should talk about where we have found God in this time. You know, with other people. Strange, right? Read the entire Evotional.

We Have All the Time We Need Here

By Lydia Mulkey

Oh, the lessons I keep failing to learn from children and youth. As we step back into public life a little bit at a time, I pray we can learn from our youth who took time in this pandemic to feed their spirits with sleep, family, and hobbies, and I pray we learn from that child not to rush. This is church. We have all the time we need here. Read the entire Evotional.

How to Pray for Black Men

By Lydia Mulkey

I share this poem, “How to Pray for Black Men” by Marvin K. White because I am desperately looking for a way to pray. Maybe you are too. Read the entire Evotional.

Vitality

By Ally Vertigan

New life is unfolding all around us! We are witnessing it and anticipating it. The season of Easter buoys us as we persist toward God’s promise of new life and justice for all people. Christ’s resurrection was, is, and is yet to come! What piece of this good news do you carry today? How do you nurture this gospel? Read the entire Evotional.

100% of Nothing

By John Edgerton

When it feels you can’t keep going for even one more day, turn to God who has seen eons rise and fall. When it’s all unraveling and falling apart and something has to give, turn to God who fashions new life from death.

You are to love God with all your strength, not with all the strength of some other perfect person whose life seems picture-perfect. You are to love God right now, not when everything makes sense. However much strength you have today — even if it is none at all — it is enough to satisfy God who is most generous. Read the entire Evotional.

A Retelling of Luke 15:1-6

By Lydia Mulkey

I think Jesus was using this parable to appeal to his listeners’ better angels. “I know you would leave your 99 sheep to go after the one that was lost! God is like that too! You are like God, see!? Now leave me to minister to the people who actually need me.” Read the entire Evotional.

An Evotional Letter: One Year Ago

By John Edgerton

A first anniversary is a tender thing. Just ask anyone who has recently lost a parent, a spouse, or a child. That date on the calendar can seem so far away. Then all of a sudden there is an ache in your chest, or a sleepless night out of nowhere, or a shadow that passes across your eyes and won’t lift. The heart is usually the first to know about an anniversary. The heart speaks volumes before the mind can catch up. Read the entire Evotional.

A Lent that Begins and Ends with Death

By Alicia Reese

I cannot help but think about all those who have had a loved one died in the last year due to COVID and for any other reason. For so many, the pandemic has prevented families from memorializing, celebrating, and mourning their loved one how they would like to or according to their traditions. It’s heartbreaking that so many have been unable to receive the closure and peace of mind they need, that they deserve. Read the entire Evotional.

What Not to Say

By John Edgerton

Bad things do, in fact, happen to good people. There is no simple moral arithmetic that explains why some people get all the breaks and others have nothing but heartbreak. Living a moral life is not a divine insurance policy to fend off disaster. That’s not how fate and fortune work, I’m sorry to say. Don’t take my word for it, though. That is the whole argument of the book of Job. Read the entire Evotional.

‘Tis Winter Now; the Fallen Snow

By Lydia Mulkey

While I take issue with parts of the [hymn’s] philosophy, there is one thing I would cling to in these trying times, which is its optimism. It holds up the inherent goodness of people, of nature, and of God. Now, as we are buried under snow in a time of already being in our homes nearly 24/7, what a welcome message. I hope you will enjoy this hymn’s hope as much as I did and allow it to warm your soul on this cold winter’s day.

O God, you give the winter’s cold,
as well as summer’s joyous rays,
you warmly in your love enfold,
and keep us through life’s wintry days.

Read the entire Evotional.

Starstruck

By John Edgerton

When we come face to face with people we admire, it’s only natural to be at a loss for words. We project on our icons all the best qualities of humanity and forget that they are human beings too. Elijah and Moses were both human beings, subject to fear and self-doubt. They cried out to God for help and lamented at how inadequate they were to their calling. And yet even so, they stand surrounded in the glorious light of Christ. Read the entire Evotional.

Time Accordion

By Alicia Reese

This week, Pastoral Associate Alicia Reese shares a poem. The time accordion is at it again/Confusion/How long has it been? Read the entire poem.

Snow Day

By John Edgerton

Snow leaves me a bit verklempt. Before snow turns into a gray, goopy, salty menace there is one beautiful, magical day when the world is utterly transformed. The landscape is left unrecognizable with trees crusted in branching shaggy icicles and tree stumps transformed into near-perfect trip hazards. Snow is wonderful, and it is God’s own voice that invites Job into wonderment by asking him to imagine the vast storehouses of snow in heaven. Read the entire Evotional.

Same As Ever

By John Edgerton

You might not know it, but Pharaoh is still alive. Pharaoh is still rigging the game against working people. Pharaoh is still hoarding resources so that a few might live in obscene opulence while many must go without the basics. Pharaoh is still creating and maintaining intolerable conditions for ordinary people, then calling them lazy when pain goads them into action. Read the entire Evotional.

Good Boundaries

By John Edgerton

There are certainly groups of people with whom I would not publicly align myself. I am not going to co-sponsor a winter coat drive with the Proud Boys. For what does the gospel first preached by dark-skinned Middle Eastern people have in common with white supremacy? I am not going to plan a teen mental health campaign alongside a group that teaches LGBTQ teens that they can pray themselves straight. For what does the God who created the human body and called it good have in common with bigotry? Read the entire Evotional.

Bittersweet

By Alicia Reese

I wonder, what will you take with you from this holiday season? Maybe you will bring with you the importance of creating more moments of peace in your life. Maybe you will forever be changed by the grief you experienced. Maybe this year will set in motion a new way to celebrate the holidays or it will serve as a reminder to truly appreciate the celebrations you missed and can eventually return to. Maybe all of the above. Bittersweet. Read the entire Evotional.

Baby Love

From All I Really Want by Quinn G. Caldwell

It’s like our kid is a little prism that refracts my love for him out to all babies everywhere; or maybe it’s that he gathers in all the babyness in the world and focuses it on my hard heart to crack it open. Babies in general couldn’t do it; it took being responsible for one baby in particular to make me crazy for all of them.

Don’t you think God’s like that? Don’t you think God loved babies in a new way after that night in Bethlehem? That when God bathed God’s own son that day at the Jordan, God learned to bathe the rest of us, too? Read the entire Evotional.

Irreplaceable

By John Edgerton

The whole town pleaded with Jesus to leave? Isn’t that supposed to say, “they praised his works and word spread far and wide and there was much rejoicing”? Jesus saves the lives of two vulnerable people and the town tells Jesus to take a hike. Makes sense.

Sure, two people’s lives were saved. But did Jesus stop to think of the economic impact of the loss of a large herd of pigs? Think of the swineherds, and the farmers who would sell them slop, and the merchants who would sell the meat at market. Don’t their livelihoods matter more than two people living on the outskirts of town? The Gedarene townspeople sure thought so.

Some things never change. Read the entire Evotional.

The Whole World is a Holy Place

By Lydia Mulkey

We are not going to gather in the sanctuary, but Christmas will be no less holy. That is what the Christ Child teaches us. Our Christmas will not involve “beautiful churches” and “fancy inns” this year… it will err on the “cozy homes” and “humble stables” side of things. Perhaps that will make this Christmas particularly holy; a Christmas we will never forget. Maybe this will be the Christmas when we truly realize that the Christ Child lives not among the stained-glass windows, or the magnificent arches, or only where beautiful white vestments cover holy communion tables, but instead, in our hearts. Read the entire Evotional.

Maranatha

By John Edgerton

Jesus was supposed to come back. He was supposed to be riding on a cloud, setting right all wrongs. He was supposed to come bringing God’s Reign: milk and honey and lions and lambs and ploughshares and pruning hooks and all that. As the stones of the temple came tumbling down, everything that seemed stable and secure in life came tumbling down with them. …

The gospel speaks the same challenging words of comfort to you as it did those early Christians: keep awake, be ready, live like you know that a new world could be born any minute. Keep awake, keep awake, keep awake. Read the entire Evotional.

A Letter from Pastoral Associate Alicia Reese

By Alicia Reese

I and a few of my family members contracted COVID in mid November and have been recovering at home. This is a truly debilitating and exhausting virus, even a relatively mild case. Between the nausea, loss of appetite and sense of taste and smell, body aches, coughing fits, and extreme fatigue, it is difficult to do much of anything. …

The beautiful reality is, I have received more messages and notes of support, prayers, well wishes, and offers to help from more folks than I can count! I am beyond grateful and feel truly blessed. … You are a loving, compassionate, and caring community! Read the entire Evotional.

Walking Around in the Dark

By John Edgerton

One part of having a young child at home is that I often need to go rub her back when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Or give her a sip of water. Or cover her with a blanket. Or give her a favorite stuffed animal. And since I’m doing those things in service of helping her sleep, all of it has to be done without turning on the light.

Psalm 119 reminds me that when I am (metaphorically) walking around in the dark, I should turn on the lights. That is, I should turn to God. I should open my Bible and read, I should get on my knees and pray, I should quiet my talkative mind and just listen. Read the entire Evotional.

Friends and Kinsfolk

By Lydia Mulkey

I had some trinkets as a child that said “A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17.” Who knew there was a second half to that verse — “and kinsfolk are born to share adversity”? What a valuable verse during a pandemic. …

During this time, I have noticed First United Church of Oak Park being the kind of friends and kinsfolk mentioned here. … There are too many examples of your friendship and kinship on display during these adverse times for me to name, but know that I see you. We are so blessed to have the community of First United Church of Oak Park. Read the entire Evotional.

Lolling About

By John Edgerton

The bible makes clear that God’s most zealous blessings are reserved not for the comfortable, but for the poor. And God’s most zealous anger is reserved for the comfortable. …

The bible makes clear that a day of reckoning is coming, a day when God will get what God wants. For the poor, what God wants is an upheaval of society so that the poor at last have enough. And for the well-to-do, what God wants is an upheaval of society so that no one will have too much. I’m a Christian, meaning I know better than to think the Lord will neither do good nor harm. The day of the Lord is coming. And in a society filled with desperation and destitution, God has picked Her side. Read the entire Evotional.

A Prayer for Election Day #2

By John Edgerton

As we awoke today, our election was still undecided. … And so today will be an exercise in patience, in tolerating a distressing present and contemplating an uncertain future. This is, I think, a spiritual posture we have all grown accustomed to. And it is wearisome. And it is hard. And it is frightening.

Pray frequently. Whenever anxiety rises to clutch at you and take your breath from you, lift a prayer to God in deep honesty. … Today will be a hard, long, challenging day of patience. Take care of yourselves, beloved. Read the entire Evotional.

A Prayer for Election Day

By Alicia Reese

O God, I come before you today in prayer for our government and our nation, but even more so for the individuals who have been silenced, oppressed, harmed, othered and killed by that same government, its systems and its institutions. For the part I have played in these systems, whether knowingly, unconsciously, through silence, action or inaction, I acknowledge the harm I have done. Even if that was not my intent, that does not change the impact for others.

Today I hear in my mind on repeat the messages of your Gospel, my call as a disciple: love, compassion, forgiveness, grace, reconciliation. These will be my mantra today and my mandate for all time, whatever the outcome of this election. Read the entire Evotional.

Same Old Pharoah

By John Edgerton

You might not know it, but Pharaoh is still alive. Pharaoh is still rigging the game against poor people. Pharaoh is still hoarding resources so that a few might live in obscene opulence while millions go without the basics. Pharaoh is still creating and maintaining intolerable conditions for ordinary people, then calling them lazy when they demand their fair share. …

Pharaoh is still alive and well; that’s the bad news. The good news is that Pharaoh has the same old tired playbook as ever. And Pharaoh cannot prevail against God. God reminds people to whom they truly belong. When we give ourselves to God, we remember that we belong to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. We are truly free. Chains of debt, systemic sexism, and institutional racism cannot long hold us. Read the entire Evotional.

Fear

By Lydia Mulkey

I was thinking about some terrifying things in the Bible. There are monsters. There is mysterious writing that shows up on a wall. A woman is turned into a pillar of salt. There are plagues, famines, and bear attacks, but nothing sounds scarier to me than angels. …

Too many wings! Shaking! Smoke! Live coal! This sounds terrifying. Angels in the Bible usually say, “Be not afraid” when they appear, and no wonder, they sound quite scary. I feel like if you can look at an angel and calm yourself, you can face anything. Isaiah manages to muster the inner calm to say, “Here am I; send me!” … I hope that we will be a people who look into the face of the terrifying call ahead of us and say, “Here am I; send me!” even if our voices shake. Read the entire Evotional.

What’s In a Name?

By John Edgerton

Diotrephes worked to keep some people out of the church. But everyone spoke well of Demetrius including, it seems, those who Diotrephes excluded. … I’ve been in the church long enough to know that hospitality is hard.

I have banned people from church property for what I think are good reasons. But Diotrephes had his reasons, too. Yes, a church should welcome all people, but a church cannot welcome all behaviors. This stuff is hard. It’s “yes, but.” There are no easy answers or hard and fast rules. Hospitality requires willingness to be uncomfortable but not unsafe. It requires placing the last first and the first last.

We must work hard to get it right. It matters that we get it right. Just ask Diotrephes. Read the entire Evotional.

Myriad of Emotions

By Alicia Reese

Whatever emotions you are experiencing, however you are feeling about the current pandemic, environmental crisis, political climate, and more, know that you must not and need not bottle up your emotions nor apologize for them! There are numerous references in scripture to “weeping bitterly.” There is no shame in expressing your emotions. And let me let you in on a little secret … expressing your emotions, saying them out loud helps. It can decrease their power over you. It can make you feel better. Read the entire Evotional.

Called to Be Disciples: But Why?

By Lydia Mulkey

I wonder how many of us in the church have stopped to wonder, “What is the point?” “Why are we doing this?” I have been in some conversations about church growth lately and it has stirred in me all kinds of emotions. Some resistance. Some excitement. Some confusion. … Because what is the point of this growth?

Jesus never called anyone to join a church. Jesus never called anyone to sign up to volunteer. Jesus never called anyone to hand out pamphlets. Jesus called people to be his disciples. He called people to live their lives the way he was living his life. Why? Because, “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.” Read the entire Evotional.

Sleepless Nights

By John Edgerton

Lamenting to God over the state of the world is a part of the Christian faith. Crying out and feeling God has abandoned the world is a part of the Christian faith. Sleepless nights spent shouting at God to get off of God’s shekina and help us out down here is a part of the Christian faith.

These are hard days we are living in. You don’t need to put on a brave face. Not with God, anyway. Tonight, be as honest as you need to be with God in your prayers. God has heard worse. Read the entire Evotional.

Mosaic

By Lydia Mulkey

How did Moses … know the people should love God, love each other, and remember that God loves them (the three overarching themes of the Ten Commandments)? Well, he knew what it looked like when people forgot to love God, to love each other, and that God loves them. … He saw the commandments “chiseled in his mind by the persistent wind of the desert, by wind in the bulrushes.”

The word for wind in Hebrew is ruach, the same word used for spirit. That wind is God at work on Moses’ heart, preparing him for each and every moment. What is the spirit chiseling on our hearts through the winds of change in our world right now? May we be as attentive as Moses there on Mount Sinai. Read the entire Evotional.

What Would (Paul) Do?

By John Edgerton

Paul’s point was simple. If I distress other people because of how I’m living, then I’m making the wrong choices. What I’m free to do and what I ought to do aren’t always the same. Being Christian means willingly giving up some freedoms in order to better care for my neighbor.

Paul would not need a primer on microbiology before deciding whether to wear a mask. Paul would wear a mask because if he refused to wear a mask he would cause people distress. Paul would wear a mask because it’s the Christian thing to do.  Read the entire Evotional.

Do Less

By Alicia Reese

Tips from “Do Less: A Short Guide,” by Leo Babauta

Many of us work in an endless stream of tasks … rushing from one thing to another, never pausing and never ending. Then the day is over, and we are exhausted, and we often have very little to show for it … Is it really worth it? Is this the best way? Are we losing our lives to busy-ness and distraction? …

We are living in and navigating a strange and stressful time. Maybe our mental health and overall well-being need us to do a little less.  Read the entire Evotional.

Pastoral Letter on Kenosha

By John Edgerton

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks…” — Isaiah 2

Police killings of unarmed black people happen with alarming frequency. … It can feel like an endless chain of hashtags, a vicious and deadly cycle that cries out to be broken. There needs to be fundamental, real, deep change in the way that policing works in this country. Otherwise, it seems things will only continue to get worse in this country with black people suffering the worst of the impacts. Read the entire Evotional.

How Can I Keep from Singing?

By John Edgerton

I want to really thunder out “no storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging. Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?”. But before I even get to “my inmost calm,” I’m in full-on frog mode with that lovely run of descending thirds eyeing me reproachfully.

Normally, the choir and congregation covers up for this and my poor, lumpy croaking goes unnoticed. But now that I’m singing all by myself as I worship on my couch, there’s not much to cover it up. The Psalms do, indeed, tell me that I have to sing. But they never say anything about having to sing well. As long as this strange season of remote worship lasts, the choir of frogs will be in full effect.

And I’ll bet that as far as God is concerned, I’ve never sounded better. Read the entire Evotional.

Jesus Has Left the Building

By Lydia Mulkey

Being of service together looks different right now, but it sure does help to remember that the church is not the building, it is us! I have been making plans for our virtual Gathering Day and thinking so much about what it means to “gather” as the church right now. …

Jesus really has left the building and we have had to go with him. Some are taking food to Beyond Hunger, some are protesting, some are caring for children, and some are writing emails and letters to support just causes. All of that is a form of worship, a way to pray; all of that is what it means to be the church.

Thank you for being First United Church of Oak Park! Read the entire Evotional.

Practicing Grace

By Alicia Reese

We are beginning the last month of Summer and approaching a new program year with still many unknowns, much uncertainty, and painfully aware that it will not be quite the same as in years past. Rather than the usual excitement and energy we are each filled with at the start of a new year, many are feeling the emotional, mental, and physical toll these last several months have taken on them. If you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed, know you are not alone. …

Our God is a God of grace, granting us grace not because of anything we have done and I think we should try to be as gracious to ourselves as God would be. Now is the time to practice grace more than ever. Give yourself a break, cut yourself some slack. You are worthy, you are loved for who you are, exactly the way you are. Read the entire Evotional.

Small but Spicy

By John Edgerton

I see church after church that are like mustard seeds, looking to all the world like something too small to matter but with room enough for so many in their shade. I see churches with great big buildings, far bigger than are needed for use only by the church’s own members. And almost to a one, I see that those churches are space-sharing with immigrant congregations, or they are running food pantries that keep hundreds of families fed, or they are holding 12-step groups by the dozen, or they are serving as Sanctuary Churches to stand up against heartless laws.

What would the generations who built these great edifices think of all this? … I think they would say, “My God, if we knew the building was going to be used for all this, we would have built it twice as big.” Read the entire Evotional.

All Things Work Together

By Lydia Mulkey

Just because God is able to work through the worst of circumstances for our good, that does not mean that God wants us to suffer. It does not mean that we should not let ourselves grieve and experience the pain of loss. It does not mean that people of faith are supposed to be happy all the time. It means that as we suffer, grieve, and experience the pain that is mysteriously woven into the human experience, we don’t have to lose hope.

Even when it seems entirely impossible, like, say, in the midst of a pandemic and in the midst of the all evils we are fighting in our society right now, God will fight like you-know-what to figure out a way to work in and through us. God does not want us to hurt, but when we do, God won’t give up on us. Read the entire Evotional.

The Whole Armor of God

By Alicia Reese

In baptism, we promise, or others make promises for us, to resist the devil and stand against evil. Words like “devil” and “evil” seem to be shied away from in modern or progressive church vernacular. … However, I see these baptismal promises as making a commitment to resist and stand against racism and therefore believe it is every Christian’s divine calling to fight for racial justice, work to dismantle systemic racism, and create anti-racist institutions. …

Call it guilt, shame, whatever, but get over it and seek out ways to engage about what you have learned, the questions you have, the processing and reflection you have done. Practice vulnerability and have a conversation with someone, be open to learning from your mistakes — it will not be easy. But then again, our calling, our vocation, our divine calling isn’t usually easy, but it is inescapable. Read the entire Evotional.

Taking Our Temperature

By Ally Vertigan

Getting my temperature taken when I show up to work has become normal. The hospitals where I’m a chaplain have had thermal scanners for a couple months now. …

On one particular day, as the staff-person and I approached each other for this ritual, I closed my eyes while she took my temperature. It was a reflex. It just sort of happened. I felt for a moment like I was receiving a blessing from a Deacon in the chapel after worship. My spirit was transported to a Baptismal remembrance. I could have been closing my eyes as if someone had just served me Communion.

Reflecting on this exchange, I gave thanks to God for the cleverness of the Holy Spirit and how she ushers in new moments of blessing even in the most fraught times. As temperature-taking becomes more prevalent in our public sphere, or as you manage your own symptoms at home, consider this blessing: May God draw each of us toward sacramental love and connection. Read the entire Evotional.

Both Sides?

By John Edgerton

American Christians are divided. On LGBTQ rights, Christians are divided. On the rights of immigrants, Christians are divided. And — remarkably — both sides quote the words of Jesus. Both sides believe that Jesus stands with them. But both sides cannot be correct. …

Whose side is Christ on? How can we know? Jesus’ words are interpreted all sorts of ways. It’s enough to make a disciple want to take Jesus aside and ask: “What’s with all the parables? Why not give it to us straight?”

Jesus’ teachings are riddles and his miracles are mysteries. But he gave us a guide for understanding. Christ teaches us that those whose hearts are calloused have missed the mark. Those whose hearts are tender have a better chance of finding Jesus on their side. Remember that you are a servant of Christ. Let your heart be tender, let your heart break with the brokenhearted and let yourself dream alongside the visionaries. And with your heart wide open, when you take your stand you have some hope that Jesus will be beside you. Read the entire Evotional.

Not Knowing is No Excuse

By Lydia Mulkey

Where do you go when there’s no clear way forward? How dangerous is it to go to a backyard barbecue with the family right now? Will we get sick? What is the right approach to end police brutality? Should I support a particular group and their plan? What is my meaningful contribution to this moment in history? How do I talk to my friends and neighbors when we disagree?

I don’t know how to answer most of these questions for you, let alone for me. I started to feel bad about that, but then I remembered I’m not alone in my indecision, insecurity, and self-doubt. People much smarter than me have struggled to know God’s will.

God is asking us to do the best we can and trust that we will be met with a measure of grace. Read the entire Evotional.

The Great Divide

By Dennis Cobb

You may remember that my husband, Dale Jackson, is the pastor at Riverside Presbyterian Church. Like First United, RPC has had online worship for the last three months. Dale started a sermon series on the prophet Jeremiah last Sunday. Jeremiah (as all prophets) was called to be God’s mouthpiece in the world, typically to the political powers in charge. Jeremiah’s time as prophet spanned the reigns of five different kings. Dale challenged us to be God’s mouthpiece in today’s world, especially as it relates to the work that needs to be done around the issues of police overreach and the sin of systemic racism.

Dale ended his sermon with a video that I’d like to share with you as today’s evotional. I hope you find that it speaks to you as powerfully as it did to me, available at this link. Read the entire Evotional.

Does Anyone Have a Match?

By Alicia Reese

What is happening is more complicated and runs deeper than justified outrage over the death of an innocent black man. George Floyd is the most recent victim of hundreds of years of oppression, violence, racism, and white supremacy so deeply ingrained in the system that is our country, it’s what it was built on. The trauma our siblings of color have known their entire lives is a deep, evil, generational suffering that is the result of the history we wrote and continue to repeat. …

So what if we chose not to play our role? White folks, what if instead of being complicit, we upset the status quo? Educated ourselves? Asked hard questions and faced even more difficult truths? …

We look around and see chaos. We can work with that. God can work with that. Chaos is an agent of change and change must come. Read the entire Evotional.

Grieving Together and Apart

By John Edgerton

Grief can seem a backwards thing. It makes Abraham insist on paying handsomely for what would have been freely given. When the Hittites offer to share in some of Abraham’s grief his response is, “No, this is mine.” Abraham was right to insist on grieving his own way. And the Hittites were right to allow him to do so. They offered what help they could imagine, then they had the grace to take “no” for an answer.

If you are in the grips of grief today, remember the example of Abraham. You can grieve your own way, even if it doesn’t make sense to others, even if it is costly.

And as you encounter other people, know that they are all of them in grief. Our whole nation is swimming in grief. And remember the example of the Hittites. Offer what help you can imagine, then have the grace to take “no” for an answer. Read the entire Evotional.

Reframing

By Lydia Mulkey

How do we reframe what it means to be people of faith? I find myself thinking about how we can’t gather in one place and hear a sea of voices singing the hymns we love. We can’t show up multiple times a week to learn, plan, and work for justice. We can’t lay hands on one another for prayer and anointing.

So what if … What if it’s not the end of gathering, but the beginning of new forms of connection across time and space? What if it’s not a boring lack of programming and classes at church, but an invitation to the foundational values of our faith like contemplation and simplicity? What if it’s not the loss of holy ritual, but an invitation to see all of life as holy ritual?

The changes and losses are hard, but maybe they can also be opportunities. Read the entire Evotional.

In the Midst

By Jane Barker

We are surrounded by things that are familiar. Comforting. Spring has arrived with warm air and beautiful blossoms. Those of us who are fortunate to be in this time with loved ones, locked in the same home, still have the comfort of touch. Those who aren’t have perhaps rebuilt old friendships on Zoom. Our animals still romp and frolic, oblivious to the crisis we live in. The robins still build nests and lay gorgeous blue eggs that will bring us the next season of robins.

I think we have a living metaphor for this unprecedented time in our beloved sanctuary, First United Church. On the outside, we have planted beautiful flowers. The trees are greening and the food pantry has been drawn outside to provide sanctuary and sustenance to folks in need. Easter banners adorn our front entrance. Inside? It is still Lent. The purple ribbon cross remains, hanging silently. Powerfully. Heavy. Locking us into the reality of the suffering and dying. Which is our new C-19 reality. Read the entire Evotional.

The Third Quarter of Isolation

By Alicia Reese

So how are we supposed to cope? It is important to create a structure for your day, to connect with people through the myriad of platforms and technology we have at our fingertips, to grant yourself grace, and to reach out if you do need help or support. …

As difficult as this time has been, in the future I know I will seek out times of solitude. I am thankful for the ways this strange time has forced us to connect in new ways and given the earth a needed break from human damage.

I am excited for the day when I am able to see and hug my loved ones without fear, when we can gather in our places of worship and greet one another with God’s peace, but until then I will look for the gifts of love and hope all around, I will remember that the Spirit unites us no matter where we are, and I will hold you in my prayers. Read the entire Evotional.

A Reflection on Psalm 24

By Sallie Smylie

Verses 7-10 also form the basis of “Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates,” a favorite hymn written for Advent by Georg Weissel in 1641 (another beautiful hymn composed during the devastating 30 Years’ War, like Martin Rinkart’s “Now Thank We All Our God”). That Psalm 24 is invoked for two liturgical seasons speaks to its versatile message. As Advent text, it symbolizes the coming of Christ, the Savior, who brings hope, grace and love to all who open their hearts and let Christ enter in. As reflected in stanza 3 of Weissel’s hymn:

Redeemer, come! I open wide my heart to you;
             Here, Christ abide!
Let me your inner presence feel;

             your grace and love in me reveal.

And as Lenten text, it symbolizes the good news to come of Christ’s triumph over death in the resurrection. Whenever invoked – whether during Easter or Advent or during ordinary time – Psalm 24 brings a message of good news. Selah. Read the entire Evotional.

Stitch a New Garment

By Lydia Mulkey

We are going to make a garment that fits all of humanity and nature. Let’s leave some room around the sides for fresh air, bird songs, and naps in the sun. Let’s make sure to leave the hem long enough for the arts to stream from balconies and newsfeeds, adding meaning and beauty.

Can we leave room for a living wage for all essential workers? And let’s stitch their health care right into this garment, too. Let’s sew a little give into the waist so that there’s enough room for all of our neighbors to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We also don’t want to cut it too small for forgiveness to cover yesterday and faith for tomorrow. We should even leave room for a few random acts of kindness written in sidewalk chalk.

Finally, let’s stitch the whole thing together with lots and lots of love, which will bind the whole thing together in perfect harmony. Read the entire Evotional.

Much More

By John Edgerton

After the Boston Marathon bombing, would the traditions of the marathon survive? Would the celebratory spirit of the race continue? The following year, 2014, we had our answer. The race was never the same. It was much more wonderful.

The largest field of runners ever applied. World-class runners (always the toast of the town) shared the spotlight with ordinary people like Carlos Arredondo who had heroically saved people’s lives by rushing into danger. The traditions that were dearest became dearer still.

That is the resurrection power of God — life triumphing over death is glorious beyond compare. Read the entire Evotional.

On Finding Purpose and Meaning

By Alicia Reese

Finding a purpose or searching for meaning will not eliminate the ways in which we are suffering or struggling, but it can help us endure, it can give us hope. We are in the midst of Holy Week, when we remember and we tell the story of the suffering and death of Jesus. The meaning of that suffering is revealed to us on Easter. Easter is a day of celebration, of Good News, and great hope. Are you ready for that? How are you responding to the current situation? Are you in a place where you can search for meaning? Do you see hope? Read the entire Evotional.

God-Breathed

By John Edgerton

Here’s my homework assignment, which you are free to join me in. Read through 20 different Psalms this week. You can either pick 20 at random, or start on one particular Psalm and read 20 in a row. Let the breadth and depth of life experience that is there wash over you. Look for more light to break forth from the word, light that you might not have been able to see before. Read the entire Evotional.

A Love Letter

By Lydia Mulkey

I know you’re stressed. I am, too. So, in lieu of a true “evotional,” I’m writing you a sort of love letter from God and me. We love you. We care about you. We want you to know you’re not alone. … You are so loved, dear ones. Please let us know what you need.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Read the entire Evotional.

What I’ve Noticed

By John Edgerton

I have noticed people reaching out wanting to help others; that, at just the moment when it might seem like wisdom to fragment and scatter to the winds. I have noticed that there is something deep inside that desires so much to help one another and to stick together through thick and thin. In short, I have noticed God peeking through the ordinary. What have you noticed? Read the entire Evotional.

The Power of Art

By Tara Dull

My eyes immediately filled with tears. My whole body felt a new connection to that sacred night, the night when Jesus broke bread with friends, asking to be remembered. When Jesus washed feet, showing how to serve. When Jesus gave the most important commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.” I saw all of Jesus’ beloved followers — men, women, and children — in the room where it happened. Read the entire Evotional.

A 14-year-old’s statement of faith

By Alicia Reese

If you are like me, and your faith journey has been one of twists and turns, questions and doubts, that is OK! Faith is a both/and kind of thing, and God loves us through it all. This is why we are called into community, to a church family, to explore our doubts and questions together, to grow in faith together. You are not alone because church means never having to walk the journey of faith alone. Read the entire Evotional.

Remembering the Stories

By John Edgerton

As we look to the beginning of our spiritual journey through Lent, it’s important to remember this story. Whether for the early church, or the people in bondage in Egypt, being the people of God does not mean that times will be easy. Following God is not a guarantee of smooth sailing. But when things get hard, and times are trying, we can always remember the old stories. Where God is calling us, if we follow, it leads to a better world even though the path is hard. Read the entire Evotional.

Why is There a Hole in My Shoe?

By Lydia Mulkey

Many Christian explanations of our relationship to creation say, “God created all of this for us.” On first read, that sounds lovely, but what if that is why we see ourselves as the recipients of this world rather than participants in it? What if this makes us consumers of the Earth rather than its stewards? What if believing God created this for us is why I have cheap shoes with an expensive hole in them? … Lent is about spiritual growth, and I hope that together we can grow in our relationship with God by growing in our relationship with the Earth. Read the entire Evotional.

Walking in the Dark

By John Edgerton

This Psalm reminds me that when I am (metaphorically) walking around in the dark, I should turn on the lights. That is, I should turn to God. I should open my bible and read, I should get on my knees and pray, I should quiet my talkative mind and just listen. Read the entire Evotional.

Coping with Anxiety

By Alicia Reese

Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with a mental health condition, everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. It’s a natural biological response, healthy even in some regards. But have you ever just felt like it was a little too much? Overwhelming? Exhausting? Finding yourself looking for a finish line that seems to move farther away as you try to approach it? Read the entire Evotional.

Bruised, Broken, Smoldering, Snuffed Out

By John Edgerton

Senator ripped apart for health care vote…Mark Zuckerberg gets destroyed by Senator Durbin…Pelosi blasted… Trump torn to shreds… We’re seeing this so much because it sells. People follow these links and follow where this kind of language leads, deeper into realms of division and violence against the vulnerable. We as Christians follow someone very different. We follow Christ who healed without cost, who resisted renown, who taught in riddles so that those who heard him could work out for themselves the right way to go. Read the entire Evotional.

Kindness – An Overlooked Virtue

By Art Spooner

We are raising a society where our children are less likely to feel concern for people less fortunate than themselves, where our children are less likely to be bothered by seeing unfairness, where our children feel less personal responsibility to take action themselves. The article states, “If our society is fractured today, some of the blame lies with the values parents have elevated.” Read the entire Evotional.

Can I Change My Citizenship?

By Lydia Mulkey

Being a citizen of heaven might sound good on a day when politics has you down, but living as a citizen of heaven here and now takes hard work, prayerful discernment, and perseverance. It means staying engaged enough with your worldly citizenship to inch things toward looking more like heaven. It means praying “thy kingdom come on earth” and living like we mean it. As hard as all of this is, we also rest in knowing that God is the one at work in us and that we never work alone. Read the entire Evotional.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

By Alicia Reese

We acknowledge that historically, faith communities have done serious harm to individuals and sent negative messages regarding sexuality, gender identity, sexual orientation, and our bodies, and we want to help rewrite that narrative. We want to lift up that we are sacred beings, created in the image and likeness of God, our bodies and our sexuality are not something to be ashamed of, and we do more harm to remain silent about these topics than to educate our communities about them. Read the entire Evotional.

Productivity is to accomplish;
busy-ness is to idle

By Alicia Reese

If like me your Sabbath cannot be on a Sunday, pick another day, find other times to cobble together Sabbath, but keep it, make it holy, sacred time for you. Do a little less so you can accomplish more. Don’t be busy, be productive. You will thank yourself later. Read the entire Evotional.

Aside from that …

By John Edgerton

Christians are supposed to study the Bible deeply in order to gain a deeper relationship with the Word of God. The Word of God, of course, meaning Jesus. If the Bible becomes an object of worship, then we replace the living Christ with dead letters. And without the living Christ, it is possible to wind up with a faith that denigrates the poor, the unorthodox, the outsider, women, sexual minorities, and hungry children. You know, all the people Jesus loved to be around. Read the entire Evotional.

Today on the Church’s Court …

By John Edgerton

Although I read Jesus’ words in the Bible, where I learned to live them was in the church. When I was in conflict with another member, I would have to see them every week. I would pray the Lord’s Prayer with my voice in unison with theirs or else I would have to stand among God’s people silent and alone. I would eat from the same bread of life as they did or else I would have to go hungry for grace. … Right relationship is restored when two imperfect people speak honestly with one another and strive to be their best selves. It probably wouldn’t make for good daytime TV, but it absolutely does make for a good life. Read the entire Evotional.

Spiritual Warfare with Skittles

By Lydia Mulkey

The rules of hospitality in ancient Hebrew culture required that if a stranger appeared at your door, you fed them. Our culture does not have those kinds of rules for hospitality, except on Halloween. It is the ONE AND ONLY day a year when we as a culture mutually agree to practice hospitality. This day is perhaps the most holy holiday we have if by holy we mean demonstrating the character of God. So friends, there is a spiritual war happening and it’s time to choose sides. Read the entire Evotional.

World Communion Sunday

By Alicia Reese

As we prepare to celebrate communion with all our siblings around the world, in churches far and near, similar and different to us, of different time zones and cultures and denominations, we remember that we are all one in the body of Christ: disciples who have all had a call placed on our lives and in this we are the same. Let us hold one another in prayer, hold our hurting world in prayer, remembering that Jesus invites all to the table and calls us to love our neighbors. Read the entire Evotional.

We Remember

By Alicia Reese

Every year on September 11, I relive my memories of that day in 2001 as I’m sure many others do. I pray for the families and friends who lost someone they love and care about. I pray that God continues to comfort them, that they are able to find some peace. I ask God for guidance, courage, strength, and love for our nation and our world. It is a reminder that the most destructive and dividing forces between human beings are hate, intolerance, and fear. Read the entire Evotional.

Better Than a DeLorean

By John Edgerton

God is God and we are not. The end is already written. But far from making our choices meaningless, knowing the end of our story allows us to live knowing that our lives are truly precious. On the last day God will raise you up from the dust, and call you by name, and you will see that not only is your name written in the book of life, but that God has inscribed you on the very palms of Her hands. That is how your story will end. Read the entire Evotional.

Yes, and …

By Deborah Kapp

Jesus was a “yes, and” kind of guy, and he calls us to be the same. He calls us to open ourselves to the inbreaking of the Kingdom of Heaven, however it comes and whatever it looks like. He invites us to welcome that and to give ourselves to it. He says, “Yes, and” to the ministry we offer him. May we respond in kind. Read the entire Evotional.

Blessings for Ordinary Moments

By Lydia Mulkey

It takes intention to make our everyday lives feel holy. It takes practice to put our values at the center of each and every email, grocery store checkout encounter, and traffic jam. Soon we will practice this together. On Sunday we will bless backpacks. The next week, we will bless pets. Together, we will make our lives a little bit holier. Read the entire Evotional.

New Beginnings in the Fall

By Deborah Kapp

The biggest spurt of new life for which I’m readying myself is our new beginning as a congregation. John Edgerton and his family are on their way to Oak Park, and he’ll begin his work at First United on September 3. I’m very excited for him and for the congregation, and I can hardly wait to see the fruit that this church’s ministry will bear as he works in our midst. Read the entire Evotional.

Holding Prayers in Tension

By Alicia Reees

Change is a funny thing depending on your perspective. It can be exciting, like the fact that we will be welcoming a new lead pastor, or that we will be trying new things in the different youth ministry programs. But change can also be difficult to accept or, even worse, disheartening to feel we do not have the power to affect it, like the injustices of the world we live in. Read the entire Evotional.

The People of Central Africa

By Deborah Kapp

Church leaders in these countries ask that we pray for an end to systems and realities that oppress many in their midst, including poverty, hunger, economic exploitation, corruption, political instability and inadequate health care. They invite us to pray for those who work for healing, reconciliation, and human flourishing. Read the entire Evotional.

I Wanted There to be One More

By Lydia Mulkey

Transitioning from fun vacation days back to work, from sacred years in a beloved home to a new one, from a good season of life with a beloved pastor to a new pastor can all leave us saying, “I wanted there to be one more.” In those moments, may we offer ourselves some really good parenting, and remember to be grateful for the fun we’ve had. Read the entire Evotional.

It’s a Team Effort

By Deborah Kapp

I assume that the building will be clean and uncluttered when a program is scheduled. I take it for granted that the bulletin will be printed and available when worship begins. I depend upon a working computer and a well-functioning sound system. … The work I do would be impossible to accomplish without the hard work of others who lay the foundation for all that I do and all that we enjoy as a church. Read the entire Evotional.

Let My People Go!

By Alicia Reese

This week we are to celebrate 243 years of this nation, but how can we do that while there are camps that have been created and designed to strip people of their rights and freedoms, rob them of their dignity, and tear families apart? These, these are our neighbors, immigrants, whom we are called to love as our own. They are our family, they are our people. We must let them go! Read the entire Evotional.

Hidden Treasure

By Deborah Kapp

What if Jesus is not the treasure, but, rather, the one looking for it? What if you and I, and our divine redemption, are the treasure that he seeks? What if this is a reminder that the real beauty of our relationship with God is not that we have to work so hard to find divine treasure and purchase it, but rather that we are the ones sought out, found, and purchased by God in Christ? Read the entire Evotional.

Lulu’s Question

By Deborah Kapp

God would not have given us brains if she didn’t want us to use them. God wouldn’t have given us imaginations if he preferred us simply to adopt somebody else’s ideas. God wouldn’t have given us the capacity to change our minds if she wanted us to find one intellectual or spiritual position and then hold onto it for dear life, come what may. Read the entire Evotional.

Take Care of Your Heart

By Lydia Mulkey

In order to live as God’s people, we must prepare our hearts before we get out into the world. This is a place where we would do well to learn from our more conservative kindred in Christ who begin their days with individual prayer and Bible study. While I cannot recommend their particular prayers or their interpretations of scripture, I can recommend setting an intention for how you want to live in the world. Prayer and scripture done in love are great ways to begin. Read the entire Evotional.

Communication

By Dennis Cobb (on the right, with his husband, Dale Jackson)

In this technological age of instant communication, crafting a thoughtful and intentional message has never been more important. What message do you send with the words you choose, the way you live your life, the stories you tell? Is it God’s message of love and acceptance, of care and support? Read the entire Evotional.

Prepare a Table

By Lydia Mulkey

Oppression can be overt or covert. Overt forms can look like genocide, segregation, or other obvious violence. It’s easy to name an enemy when you can see their weapons. But there are folks who are not comfortable calling anything oppression until it is overt. That is an easy way to minimize or deny the actual harm done. Read the entire Evotional.

Be Still

By Lydia Mulkey

So wherever you are, no matter how much of a human doing you’ve been so far today, no matter how busy you are, no matter how important … just stop. Stop for a moment and rest, stop and play, stop and be. Read the entire Evotional.

Our Theological Heritage

By Deborah Kapp

Our theological heritage is not all bad, but nonetheless people have sometimes used our traditions to justify cruelty and violence. Anti-Semitism and other “isms” in our world are clever at latching onto Christian themes and symbols in ways that further the evil and hatred these “isms” represent. They are skilled in hiding under a veneer of righteousness that masks the vitriol that simmers underneath. Read the entire Evotional.

Feed My Sheep

By Alicia Reese

This past Sunday was youth Sunday. The scripture was John 21:1-19 in which Jesus has been resurrected, appears to the disciples on the beach, helps them catch a bunch of fish, feeds them breakfast, and confronts Peter about denying him three times before Jesus was crucified. I can hardly call the interaction between Jesus and Peter a confrontation. There is no hint of anger, resentment, or even disappointment on Jesus’s part. Read the entire Evotional.

An Apology

By Deborah Kapp

On Palm Sunday I led the prayers of the people, and as I was reading the joys, I came across one that was illegible – in the moment. It was a child’s writing, and I inferred from the writing that the child is someone quite young and is still mastering the art of printing. Read the entire Evotional.

Holy Hell Week

By Alicia Reese

We have spent the last six weeks on a Lenten journey, preparing or, dare I say, conditioning ourselves for Easter. However, when this week arrives, we tend to want to rush too quickly to the empty tomb on Sunday morning. We are so ready to roll that stone away and sing “Alleluia” again that we forget to dwell on or grieve the death of Jesus. … Don’t lose focus. Stay vigilant. And I’ll see you at the empty tomb. Read the entire Evotional.

Three-Minute Retreats

By Deborah Kapp

I am a person who loves the intensity of work and daily life. I relish being busy. I like to be challenged. I enjoy working on a problem or a task. Sometimes I fill my days or weeks with a bit too much, and I find myself rushing from one thing to another, with little time to spare. … I likely need more than three minutes, but it’s a place to start. Read the entire Evotional.

A Generous Spirit

By Steve Pederson

One of the most startling images in the story, even more surprising than her use of expensive perfume, is that Mary dries Jesus’ feet with her hair. This is a shocking gesture, especially in a culture where women do not fully expose their hair in front of any man except their husbands. And it is also a very vulnerable act, an intimate act. Read the entire Evotional.

Ego and Vulnerability

By Alicia Reese

On the first Sunday of Lent, I gave a short sermon that ended up being more about vulnerability than temptation and I came across this saying, “It’s either love and vulnerability OR expectations and ego. When someone chooses vulnerability and lets go of ego, it can literally change the world.” As it happens, this Lenten journey for me has been through a wilderness of vulnerability; I have had to leave my ego behind and it has been changing my world. Read the entire Evotional.

Expectations

By Laurie Jolicoeur (pictured with her friend, Barbara Ballinger)

When there was a gap between my expectations and what actually happened, I suffered. I learned how my expectations could even become a barrier in a relationship. Suffering, I sought a way of being in my mind that would serve me better. Read the entire Evotional.

The Lord’s Prayer

By Deborah Kapp

[When I think about] the words [to The Lord’s Prayer]: wow. The Kingdom. God’s will. Daily bread. Forgiveness. Temptation. Deliverance from evil. There’s a lot there. Every time we utter this prayer, we ask God for some amazing things. Sometimes I am amazed at the radical demands I make as I pray these words. Read the entire Evotional.

Take Nothing With You

By Charlie Morris

I ask myself – why is it so important to forgive? The answer is simple. We forgive not to free the person who sinned against us, but to free ourselves. Forgiveness that’s withheld often turns into anger which does diminish our own spirituality. … Our Lenten theme – Take Nothing with You – is one way we can all engage ourselves more fully in the faith journey. Read the entire Evotional.

A Prayer for Chicago

By Deborah Kapp

Chicago is a rich and complicated city. Look one direction and we see signs of global capitalism and a thriving financial community. Look another direction and we see communities marred with de-industrialization, population flight, disrepair, and violence. Look yet another direction and we see vibrant immigrant communities filled with hope and possibility. Read the entire Evotional.

Living Peacefully

By Deborah Kapp

Peaceful people strive to live honorably, says the psalmist. As the Common English Bible puts it, they “farm faithfulness.” Like a garden that thrives when it is tenderly watered, weeded, fertilized, pruned, and rearranged, so our integrity thrives as we dependably nurture whatever life God has given into our care. Honorable living is a habit that leads to peace. Read the entire Evotional.

Diversity in Spirituality

By Lydia Mulkey

In the diversity of all of Christianity, and in the diversity of this beautiful place we call First United, we are bound to express our spirituality in different ways, and that is great. It truly does take all kinds to make up the kin-dom of God. But, I wonder… have you tried your neighbor’s favorite way to know God lately? If you are a person of action, what would happen in you tried to meet God in poetry on occasion? If you are a person who knows God through word, what if you allowed yourself to have an emotional experience of God…? Read the entire Evotional.

The Beloved Community

By Alicia Reese

First United is a church with lots of values, wonderful values and commitments. We are striving to achieve The Beloved Community and that can feel daunting, overwhelming, and messy at times. But just remember, we share the same values and we need people to be committed to different things. This is where our different gifts come into play and where we can each be a part of making a difference to making The Beloved Community a reality. Read the entire Evotional.

By God’s Grace

By Deborah Kapp, from a sermon by Rowan Williams when he was installed as the Archbishop of Canterbury in early 2003:

“We need to be confident that we are created: that we exist because God has freely called us into life so that God’s joy may be shared. In this confidence, we know that our human task is to answer that call in every moment, shaping our lives as a response to God’s voice.” Read the entire Evotional.

Mental Illness: You are Not Alone

By Alicia Reese

We talked about the different categories of mental health disorders, looked at some of the startling statistics, discussed the language we use to talk about these disorders, learned some of the brain chemistry involved, and used children’s books as a jumping off point to have discussions about the stigmatization around mental health disorders. But more than anything, what I hope the youth took away from our time on the retreat was that each one of them is wonderful, unique, and loved no matter what … Read the entire Evotional.

Mental Illness: A Personal Perspective

By Kelly Pollock

What I learned instead was that my mental illness is a key part of my personality. That while it makes me anxious and self-critical, it also makes me conscientious and organized. That while it causes me to be hyper-focused on my failures, it is also one of the keys to my success. That realization has led me to advocate for the destigmatization of mental illness. Read the entire Evotional.

A Hymn of Thanks Giving

By Sallie Smylie

One of my favorite hymns is Now Thank We All Our God . I love the simple melody and the beautiful harmony. And I love the words. We thank our “bounteous” God who “wondrous things” has done. And we pray with “ever joyful hearts” that God will be near us our whole life long. Read the entire Evotional.

A New Melody

By Deborah Kapp

From a reflection by theologian Howard Thurman:

“Teach me, my Father, that I might learn with the abandonment and enthusiasm of Jesus, the fresh new accent, the untried melody, to meet the need of the untried tomorrow. Thus, may I rejoice with each new day and delight my spirit in each fresh unfolding. I will sing, this day, a new song unto Thee, O God.” Read the entire Evotional.

Go, Tell it on the Mountain!

By Deborah Kapp

Empathy, compassion, trustworthiness, integrity, love, and the actions that embody them carry our faith into the world. As disciples who share Christ’s love in a multitude of ways, we often preach the gospel without words. I believe it gladdens God’s heart when we do. Read the entire Evotional.

Joy to the World

By Lydia Mulkey

Adding our voices to the congregation is not something we do only for our own good. It is a gift we offer to God and to the community. Whether we are singing out of tune or with trained voices, we are doing our part to create something greater. Read the entire Evotional.

Silent Night, Holy Night

By Deborah Kapp

The lyrics of this carol are simple. With brief but vivid images the words draw our attention to the child, the light of the star and the song of the angels, and the mystery of God’s presence made flesh in the baby Jesus. Apart from the opening words evoking a silent night, however, there is little in the lyrics that indicates silence. The quietness of this carol comes instead, I think, from its gentle melody and peaceful tempo. Read the entire Evotional.

Hope and “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

By Alicia Reese

When I was in the Holy Land, the hope that I felt was not at the religious sites I visited, but rather it was in the people I interacted with. It was in witnessing and experiencing how the religious and historical significance of that place informed the lives of the people who live there; how even in the face of violence and hatred and oppression they remained strong in their resolve, they remained hopeful. Read the entire Evotional.

Living Our Faith

By Deborah Kapp

People recently have asked for information about how they can be involved in sharing their faith and resources with folks who need our help. Here are two ministries with online links to how our denominations offer opportunities to give aid to others. Read the entire Evotional.

First United’s Constitution: A Congregational Covenant

By Don and Priscilla Sibley

We choose every year to declare our commitment to the work of this church by making a pledge. Every year, we make a prayerful decision to contribute what we can; most years we are able to increase our pledge. Usually it is a stretch, but it is one that we make willingly because we believe that is how God is leading us. Read the entire Evotional.

Why Do I Support First United?

By Bob Larson

I have more questions than answers about faith as it pertains to my life. However, I admire the causes the First United community is involved in and supports. Over the years, I have gotten involved in a few of the ministries. I still have a lot of questions, but I do know for a fact that this church does a lot of good in the community and I want to be part of that and help contribute to those causes. That is why I am a member of First United and support its ministries; they deserve it. Read the entire Evotional.

Vote!

By Deborah Kapp

One of the things I love most about the theological tradition of which our congregation is a part is its recognition that all of life is an arena in which we can and do practice our faith. We are Christians not just when we’re at church, but also at home, at work, in our leisure time, and in other activities of life. Being engaged in local, regional, and national politics is one of those arenas. Read the entire Evotional.

Praying for Peace

By Deborah Kapp, from a prayer by Elizabeth Tapia

Divine Spirit, empower us with your wisdom and love
so we may learn to choose the path of righteousness and harmlessness,
and climb the mountain of truth and the ridge of forgiveness.
To turn instruments of war and hatred
into instruments of peace and reconciliation,
to bless all creatures with a smile and loving kindness,
to dance the dance of life boldly through the night,
from the depths of my heart, Gracious Spirit,
I dance for you!
So be it.

Read the entire Evotional.

A Commitment to First United’s Mission and Ministry

By Nell and John Lurain

“We have always felt comfortable worshipping, contributing to the Church’s mission, and serving the Oak Park community at First United. Through four senior pastor changes, four interim pastors, innumerable associate pastors, as well as other changes, we have remained committed to First United’s ministry and mission.” Read the entire Evotional.

A Place Where All Are Included

By Steve Pederson

“I have no time for any form of exclusion in the church. I believe anyone is welcome to the Communion table and any person who claims faith in Christ should be welcomed into the full life and ministry of the church. And that is us. That is First United.” Read the entire Evotional.

Slowing Down

By Deborah Kapp

“Slowing down, pondering the meaning of what people are saying or doing, and taking pauses are processes that make space in my life for something other than my own agenda.” Read the entire Evotional.

Overwhelmed? You Are Beloved

By Alicia Reese

“If, like me, you have been feeling overwhelmed, please know that you are not alone. Whether it is the change of the seasons, the transitions in your life, or the state of our world, you are beloved. You never have to walk this journey alone.” Read the entire Evotional.

An Anniversary Hymn

By Deborah Kapp

“This congregation knows, better than most other churches, that the heart of a church is not its building. The heart of a church is the work it does, the faithfulness it exhibits, and the gospel it proclaims. Nonetheless, space matters and we have the privilege of doing much of our ministry in a splendid building that has a rich history of worship, song, and service.” Read the entire Evotional.

Reading Together

By Lydia Mulkey

“When I pray the words of the Psalmist, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,” I am praying with the Psalmist and I am praying with every person who has ever prayed those words.” Read the entire Evotional.

Song of Hope (Canto de Esperanza)

By Claudette Zobel

“Every time we sing one of those hymns … I fantasize that the Hulk got hold of the tape and somewhere there’s a chapter of Hell’s Angels that gathers in their clubhouse after a day’s ride to enjoy a few cold beers and sing along to ‘May the God of justice speed us on our way, bringing light and hope to every land and race.’ For me, that hymn is memorable and a reminder that my stereotypes need careful examination.” Read the entire Evotional.

Amazing Grace

By Kevin Crowell

“The power of belief, the Grace of God, the surety of God’s goodness, and the promise of eternity all wrapped up neatly in a single song, with three chords, and five notes! That’s one amazing hymn.” Read the entire Evotional.

Be Thou My Vision

By Kathleen Pederson

“For over 1,800 years, brothers and sisters have cherished and sung [‘Be Thou My Vision’] that so beautifully describes humankind’s universal desire and need to be grounded, to be centered on God’s vision of how she wants us to think, and love, and challenge, and debate, and give, and work, and share, and defend, and live.” Read the entire Evotional.

We Gather Together

By Al Pickard

“A hymn which has become memorable for me is ‘We Gather Together,’ undoubtedly known to many people as a Thanksgiving hymn, maybe the Thanksgiving hymn. What’s probably less known, although the language of the hymn implies it, is that, like others, it’s music born of armed conflict.” Read the entire Evotional.

Under Construction: Delays and Surprises

By Sarah Lineberry

“This is actually the second time I’ve given a reflection at church about how much I hate waiting. Unfortunately, life doesn’t really seem to care about how much I enjoy having a plan. While I certainly don’t enjoy uncertainty, I like to think I’ve grown some in my ability to trust the journey.” Read the entire Evotional.

Under Construction: Tools

By Walter Miller

“Taking stock of our First United tool box, I notice that we use our tools to bind ourselves together in fellowship with each other; to create small and large moments that connect us with each other and connect us with the almighty.” Read the entire Evotional.

Beyond Knowledge

By Lydia Mulkey

“The dictionary defines awe as ‘a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.’ To grasp that which is beyond knowledge as our scripture describes, is to experience awe.” Read the entire Evotional.

A Blueprint – a plan, model, or template

By Joanne Despotes

“I really believe that when I allow myself to be open to God, God finds a way to tell me what to do. No burning bush, voices, or special dreams! When I have been most in need of direction, I believe that God has helped me to find my way through the people in my life.” Read the entire Evotional.

The Old Rugged Cross

By Kenneth Honderich

“If our Presbyterian hymnal contained one more page, it would include this hymn, as it was the last to be excluded by the editors of the 1990 revision. It was my mother’s favorite and I played it for her nearly every time I went home. I played it at her funeral.” Read the entire Evotional.

Be Still

By Deborah Kapp

“With this evotional, I invite you to silence and reflection. … And may the peace of God surround you.” Read the entire Evotional.

Upstream & Downstream Solutions – Update from the Youth Mission Trip

By Alicia Reese

“We need to continue our downstream efforts: tutoring, food pantries, PADS, building and rebuilding things, and more. … But what is important is that we remember to continually ask why are these efforts necessary? ” Read the entire Evotional.

Estamos Partidos En Dos | “We are Broken in Two”

by Lydia Mulkey

“I will never forget the day I spent with border patrol agents. I listened with my stomach churning as a border patrol officer told me about a child crossing the border and how they had “seized it.” It. Dehumanization of Latinx people is and has been a core piece of the training for these officers.” Read the entire Evotional.

On Being a Church School Teacher

by John Borrero

“These beautiful early conversations are seeds. Before your adult faith was a tree, it was a sapling that grew from a gentle stem and emerged from the ground out of one of those seeds. Today, this is where those seeds are watered and nurtured. As such, our classroom is a garden, a play space, and a holy place, all in one.” Read the entire Evotional.

On Prayer and Being Anxious

by Alicia Reese

“…I love how we do joys and concerns within our prayers of the people every Sunday. Even if there is a day I am struggling to name what I have to be thankful for, someone in the congregation always reminds me of something.” Read the entire Evotional.

A Memorial Day Prayer

by Deborah Kapp

“Let us … remember loved ones and strangers who have served in the armed forces …, or who are active military personnel. May God bless them with peace.” Read the entire Evotional.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

by Deborah Kapp

“Blessed are the peacemakers,” said Jesus, and “blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Read the entire Evotional.

More Than Meets the Eye

By Lydia Mulkey

“Pentecost reminds us that there is more to God than meets the eye, and that God is often hiding in plain sight among us.” Read the entire Evotional.

On a Lifetime Quest

By Alicia Reese

“We do not give an exam to measure how much knowledge each student attained by being in Quest, so what was the point? Is our goal simply to expand our membership numbers? … Our goal in Quest is not to ensure that each student has the ‘right answers.’ We leaders don’t even have all the answers!” Read the entire Evotional.

Faith and Social Media

By Deborah Kapp

“We are challenged to examine our social media practices in light of our faith values. Are we befriending others on social media in the way Christ befriended us? How might our social media engagements be an opportunity to share with others the love that God showers on us?” Read the entire Evotional.

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It, and I Feel Fine” (R.E.M.)

By Lydia Mulkey

“Lately, it seems the newspaper has read a little bit like a dystopian novel and the 6 o’clock news has looked like an apocalyptic movie. Through it all, I am trying to cling to this: the book of Revelation, and all the apocalyptic literature in our Bible, is intended to offer us hope! Evil does not get the final word… love does. Wherever there is apocalypse, there is hope.” Read the entire Evotional.

Prayers for Those Who Need to be Remembered

By Deborah Kapp

“Those who need to forget the God they do not believe in and meet the God who believes in them … Those whose pain or potential we should not forget to share with God today … Lord, we believe that you hear our prayer and will be faithful to your promise to answer us.” Read the entire Evotional.

Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.

By Alicia Reese

“Not all of us have the depth of faith that Dr. King did, and that is OK. But if he and the resurrection have taught us anything, it is the importance of hope. Having doubts is natural and disappointment is a reality, but we can never lose hope that the tomb will remain empty and that love has the power to end hate.” Read the entire Evotional.

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