In Short Stories by Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine examines the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son (Luke 15:4–32) through a historical and Jewish lens. She challenges traditional Christian interpretations that frame these as simple stories of repentance and divine mercy.
The first two parables in Luke 15, one of one hundred and then one of ten is lost. Yet in the third parable there are only two sons and the father is convinced that the younger, the prodigal is the one who is lost and in many respects he is correct. However, he finds at the end of the parable that the son who is in fact “lost” is the elder. The father, with only two sons, was unable to count correctly.
The first two parables, fasting and rejoicing end the story. In the third parable, the fasting and rejoicing are left behind as the desperate father tries to make his family whole. Levine highlights in her book that perhaps the lesson we learn is our need to take count of those in our families, and in our communities of those who are missing. Who is missing? Who needs to be found? Join us.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
The Short Stories of Jesus
February 16, 2025
Lost Sheep, Los Coin, Lost Son
Luke 15:4-32
February 23, 2025
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
March 9, 2025
The Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45-46
Sabbath as Rhythm
From the very beginning, God designed Sabbath as a rhythm of rest and renewal (Genesis 2:2-3). Just as God rested on the seventh day, we are invited to embrace a sacred pause to deeply ground our lives in God’s grace and love. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “there is a time for everything,” emphasizing the importance of balance between work and rest. Sabbath is not merely a day off but a rhythm of trust, worship, and renewal—a reminder that our identity is found in God, not just in what we do. Join us. Rev. Jeff Kunkel is preaching this Sunday.
The Short Stories by Jesus
Beginning in February and a part of April and May, we will embark on a study of the parables of Jesus as told in the Gospels. Each week will bring a parable that we might study, and especially examine in context. We will be guided in this series by the book Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy-Jill Levine. Dr. Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN and is the editor of The Jewish Annotated New Testament. Parables are stories that are not true, but convey truth. Parables do not have a single meaning. Amy Jill Levine invites us to listen to the parables anew by hearing them through the lens of Jesus’ earliest audience. Join us.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
Sabbath as Resistance
February 9, 2025
Sabbath as Rhythm
Genesis 2:2-3, Ecclesiastes 3:1
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The Short Stories of Jesus
February 16, 2025
Lost Sheep, Los Coin, Lost Son
Luke 15:4-32
February 23, 2025
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
February 9, 2025
The Pearl of Great Price
Matthew 13:45-46
Resistance to Multi-Tasking
This Sunday, we reflect on Sabbath as resistance to multitasking. Drawing from Walter Brueggemann’s critique of ancient Israel’s distorted Sabbath practices, we examine how multitasking—a drive to do more, control more, and extend power—can compromise effectiveness and productivity.
The Sabbath command is an urgent summons to break the pattern of the divided heart… before it is too late. No wonder Jesus says, “Do not be anxious” Join us in exploring the importance of honoring and keeping the Sabbath practices.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
Sabbath as Resistance
February 2, 2025
Resistance to Multi-Tasking
Amos 8:4-8
February 9, 2025
Sabbath as Rhythm
Genesis 2:2-3, Ecclesiastes 3:1
Resistance to Coercion
Brueggemann writes “Sabbath is not simply a pause. It is an occasion for reimagining all social life away from coercion and competition to compassionate solidarity. Such solidarity is imaginable and capable of performance only when the drivenness of acquisitiveness is broken. Sabbath is not simply the pause that refreshes. It is the pause that transforms.” (Sabbath as resistance, Saying No to the Culture of Now, p. 45). This Sunday, we are invited to reflect on “Sabbath as Resistance to Coercion”. Guest preacher, Chris Logan, is preaching this Sunday. Join us.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
Sabbath as Resistance
January 26, 2025
Resistance to Coercion
Deuteronomy 5:12-14
February 2, 2025
Resistance to Multi-Tasking
Amos 8:4-8
February 9, 2025
Sabbath as Rhythm
Genesis 2:2-3, Ecclesiastes 3:1
Resistance to Anxiety
In Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now, Walter Brueggemann presents a thought-provoking exploration of the Sabbath as a profound act of defiance against the anxiety-driven demands of contemporary culture.
Drawing on the Exodus and the Ten Commandments, Brueggemann argues that observing the Sabbath offers a countercultural stance against the relentless pressures of consumerism, productivity, and ceaseless striving. He invites readers to embrace Sabbath as a spiritual and practical discipline that fosters rest, renewal, and trust in God’s provision. By resisting the idolization of work and the anxiety of scarcity, the Sabbath becomes a revolutionary practice of freedom, abundance, and liberation. Come and join us. Rev. Mary Elyn Bahlert is preaching.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
To join Sunday Worship via Facebook, click here and look for the live video at the top of the page.
To watch the livestream of our service on YouTube, click here.
Upcoming Sundays
Sabbath as Resistance
*
January 19, 2025
Resistance to Anxiety
Exodus 20:12-17
*
January 26, 2025
Resistance to Coercion
Deuteronomy 5:12-14
*
February 2, 2025
Resistance to Multi-Tasking
Amos 8:4-8
*
February 9, 2025
Sabbath as Rhythm
Genesis 2:2-3, Ecclesiastes 3:1
*
Remember the Sabbath
In today’s world, with its relentless emphasis on success and productivity, we have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between work and rest. Constantly striving, we feel exhausted and deprived in the midst of great abundance. Keeping the Sabbath practice allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, I, other people and all life as God intended it to be.
We begin the new year with a sermon series on “Sabbath”. This worship series will explore concepts from Walter Brueggemann’s Sabbath as Resistance and Wayne Muller’s Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our busy lives. Join us.
Sunday worship begins at 10:15AM.
Join us in person in our sanctuary or watch online via Zoom, Facebook or YouTube Live.
