Last Sunday, all four gospels gave us four stories of the anointing unnamed woman, four variations on a theme. This Sunday, we have five variations of Jesus’ last meal with the disciples, the Last Supper. The Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke have the same emphasis as does Paul: Jesus gives thanks, breaks the bread, distributes it, and tells his followers that the bread is his body. Then he takes the cup and proclaims it the covenant in his blood. In John’s Last Supper story, Jesus does not speak of the bread and the wine as his blood and body as he had already done that in John chapter 6 but he washes the feet of his disciples.
Jesus risks misunderstanding, for his disciples cannot accept the fact that Jesus must die, despite his several predictions of his Passion. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper today, do we understand Jesus’ sacrificial language as we eat his body and drink the cup of the blood? Judas is at the table. The disciples are arguing over who would be the greatest among them. Jesus speaks the language of giving up his life for them and he wants that to be remembered. Do they understand this shocking language? Jesus is taking a risk, the risk of loss of friends. We are getting closer to the Holy Week. Come join us. Let’s listen to Jesus’ story at the Last Supper.
During the Lenten season, we are creating sacred space and time to be still before God in worship. Online community, please create your own altar or a prayer station at home. No words needed at the prayer stations. Come and be still. Quiet, still, be, let our God love you.
Please send your prayers and gratitude to Pastor Sunae via email by Saturday morning and she will lift up your prayer and gratitude as we pray together as a church.
Come as you are! Come and let us worship God together.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, log onto your Facebook account and search for the ‘Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’page or click here.
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March 19, 2023
In our Lenten journey, we’ve been following the footsteps of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem. Jesus continues to risk: he risks his reputation, he risks the results of righteous anger, and he risks teaching in the temple and faces challenges to his proclamation. But Jesus is not alone in this risky business. His disciples knew the risks: they have associated themselves with a man who has made enemies of the high priests; they are friends with a man whom Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, sees as a threat. They are followers of a man who will be crucified as an enemy of the Roman State, and as a “king.” This Sunday we see an unnamed woman anointing Jesus and taking risks – not only of public criticism for her act of love and generosity. She risks even whether Jesus will accept her gift of generosity. Comes friends, let us hear the story of this unnamed woman and her extravagant love for Jesus.
During the Lenten season, we are creating sacred space and time to be still before God in worship. Online community, please create your own altar or a prayer station at home. No words needed at the prayer stations. Come and be still. Quiet, still, be, let our God love you.
Please send your prayers and gratitude to pastor Sunae via email by Saturday morning and she will lift up your prayer and gratitude as we pray together as a church.
Come as you are! Come and let us worship God together.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, log onto your Facebook account and search for the ‘Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’page or click here.
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March 12, 2023
We continue our Lenten journey as we follow the footsteps of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem. Jesus continues to risks, he risks arrest when he enters Jerusalem to public acclaim and so brings himself to the attention of those who see his kingship as a challenge to their own political authority. He turns over tables at the Temple and thus risks the results of righteous anger. This Sunday we continue to see Jesus at the temple teaching and risking challenges to his proclamation. Join us.
During the Lenten season, we are creating sacred space and time to be still before God in worship. Online community, please create your own altar or a prayer station at home. No words needed at the prayer stations. Come and be still. Quiet, still, be, let our God love you.
Please send your prayers and gratitude to pastor Sunae via email by Saturday morning and she will lift up your prayer and gratitude as we pray together as a church.
Come as you are! Come and let us worship God together.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, log onto your Facebook account and search for the ‘Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’page or click here.
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March 5, 2023
This Lenten journey, we journey through Jesus’ last days from the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to his prayerful agony in Mt. Gethsemane. These are stories of risk. Jesus risks arrest when he enters Jerusalem to public acclaim and so brings himself to the attention to those who see his kingship as a challenge to their own political authority. This Sunday we reflect on Jesus entering the temple courts and driving out people who were buying and selling and overturning the tables of the money changers and thus risks the results of righteous anger. (The Passion of Jesus, p. 15). Join us.
During the Lenten season, we are creating sacred space and time to be still before God in worship. We have created four prayer stations, three prayer stations with candles and a prayer station at the cross. No words needed at the prayer stations. Quiet, still, be, let our God love you.
For the communal sharing of your prayers and gratitudes, would you email your prayer and gratitudes to Pastor Sunae by Saturday morning? She will lift up your intercessory prayer and gratitude as we pray together as a church.
Come as you are! Come and let us worship God together.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, log onto your Facebook account and search for the ‘Lake Merritt United Methodist Church’page or click here.
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February 26, 2023
We begin our Lenten journey this Sunday. Our Lenten worship series is based on a study “Entering the Passion of Jesus” written by Amy Jill Levine. This year we will spend all of Lent journeying through Holy Week exploring all that Jesus risked in that last week of his earth life. During this Lent, we are invited to think about our life alongside the life of Jesus, inviting inward transformation and then outward action.
During the Lenten season, we are creating sacred space and time to be still before God in worship. We have created four prayer stations; three prayer stations with candles and a prayer station at the cross. No words are needed at the prayer stations. Quiet, still, be, let our God love you. And God was always there, even if we may not feel God.
For the communal sharing of your prayers and gratitudes, would you email your prayer and gratitudes to Pastor Sunae by Saturday morning? She will lift up our intercessory prayer and gratitude as we pray together.
Come as you are! Come and let us worship God together.
According to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus initially commanded his disciples to restrict their mission to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:5-6)
And in the end of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20
Why did Jesus not originally see Gentiles as part of his mission and then, what changed his mind to widen his focus to include all?
Join us as we wrestle with these difficult words of Jesus this Sunday!
This year’s Lenten theme is “Entering the Passion of Jesus”. We invite you to prepare your heart for this year’s Lenten journey by walking with Jesus in his final days and hours on the way to the cross. We begin our journey together on Ash Wednesday.
