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Good morning!
We're so happy you chose to join us today!
When we meet together in person, we share our joys and concerns before we focus on our Sunday school lesson. Think about your needs and concerns right now, and if you like, you can share them in the comments.
Today’s lesson continues our study from the Old Testament book of Ezra. It is about a difficult time in the history of God’s people. God had restored them to their homeland after many years in captivity in Babylon, but now they were given the task to rebuild what had been destroyed, especially the temple. However, with the assistance of the Persian kings, the work was finally completed, and the temple was dedicated with a joyous celebration. The lesson for today is also about the necessity of maintaining hope and joy, even when times are hard. The following prayer is from Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s Revised Common Lectionary Prayers: Unlike earthly kings, you, O Lord, are ever steadfast and faithful. You sent us your Son, Jesus the Christ, to rule over us, not as a tyrant, but as a gentle shepherd. Keep us united and strong in faith, that we may always know your presence in our lives, and, when you call us home, may we enter your heavenly kingdom where you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
This week's lesson is on Ezra 6:13-22. This picks up where last week's lesson left off.
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Good morning!
We're so happy you decided to join us today!
When we meet in person, we share our joys and concerns together. Take some time to consider the past week, and the worries or celebrations you may have. If there are any you would like to share, you can add a comment below. When you are ready, use the prayer below from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to get started.
Living God, our refuge and strength, even the wind and sea obey your voice.
Put the wind back in its place, and say to the sea: Peace! Be still! Fill us with great faith, and save us from the surging water, so that we may tell the good news of your saving love; through Jesus Christ, our hope in the storm. Amen.
Today's lesson is on Ezra 6:1-12.
Good morning! We're so glad you decided to join us on this first Sunday of Lent. When we meet in person, we share together our joys and concerns. If you have anything you would like to share, feel free to include a comment on this post. Last week, we spent some time talking about events in Ukraine, and how it has affected so many people. This week, please continue to pray. When you are ready, use Pope Francis' prayer for peace below to get started. Lord God of peace, hear our prayer! We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: "Never again war!"; "With war everything is lost". Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words "division", "hatred" and "war" be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother", and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen. Today's lesson is on Ezra 1:1-8, 11; 2:64-70.
Good morning! We're so glad you chose to join us today! Last week, many of us were not able to meet together because of the winter storm and power outages. This week, consider what you have to be thankful for. If you have prayer requests, joys or concerns, you can share them as a comment to this post. When you are ready, you can get started with this prayer of thanksgiving from Xavier University. For the expanding grandeur of creation, worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations: We give thanks this day. For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons: We give thanks this day. For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements: We give thanks this day. For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression: We give thanks this day. For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared: We give thanks this day. For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom: We give thanks this day. For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose: We give thanks this day. We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds. We give thanks this day. Amen. Today's lesson is on Ezra 7:1-10, 23-26.
Good morning!
We're so glad that you've joined us today!
When we meet in person, we usually share our joys and concerns together. Think over the past week, and what has brought you joy, or made you worry. If you have anything to share, you can add it as a comment to today's lesson. When you are ready, you can use the prayer below (from the Presbyterian Mission Agency).
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