Living Stones – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, today, with a passage from 1 Peter in which the writer tells the believers that they are living stones. The writer goes on to see them as cornerstones upon which structures are built. The images of rock in this letter of 1 Peter are reflections of many such images in the Hebrew scriptures. The audience for this letter is people who live in the domination of the Roman empire when structures were built to show the strength of the empire, so the cornerstone that was Jesus was rejected in that context. Carol tells of her childhood experience with a large rock through which she felt close to God. God’s love is perfect, complete, and unshakeable, so West End UMC’s first bedrock belief that God loves everyone unconditionally is a cornerstone for us upon which we build. We are called to be open to be living stones as part of God’s build on earth.
11 Oct 2026
Prayers of the People
Prayers of the People – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, today, with a passage in the letter from James in which the letter writer encourages the people in the congregation to whom he is writing to pray for each other. In her sermon, Carol addresses the concept of prayer, asking us to consider what happens when we pray. She says we often ask God to do something, to heal someone, assuming our prayer will alert God’s attention and response. But God is always aware and attentive, and we do not have to convince God to love us. Prayer does not draw a direct response from God, but in our common prayer among our congregation prayer often draws us together to care for each other. We all need to share our struggles, happiness, illnesses, and to share those with each other is fundamental to our being a congregation. In our worship services we have a section called “Prayers of the People” in which one of our clergy shares some of those with everyone: births, deaths, illnesses of members of the congregation and their families. And also that prayer includes concerns for others outside our congregation. When we pray to God we know we belong to God.
4 Oct 2026
A Whole Life
A Whole Life – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, today, with a passage from Hebrews, which we began last week. Today is also World Communion Sunday, and there is much in our services today that focuses on our relationships with others. In her Communion Meditation Carol reminds us that Hebrews is more a sermon to a congregation than a letter, and we don’t know who wrote it. She says that chapter 13, from which we read today, is much like announcements to the congregation, of which there are four. The first is to love one another and also the stranger. The second is to remember those in prison as if we are one of them. The third is to honor marriage and the marriage bed. The fourth is to avoid the love of money and thus to be content with what we have. These particular announcements are a map to a wholeness of life, not only for those to whom they were originally addressed, but for us today.
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