Covenant Presbyterian Church Augusta

This Sunday is World Communion Sunday when we celebrate our connection through Christ with Christians around the world. One of my favorite liturgical artists and poets Jan Richardson has written a beautiful blessing* for this day that opens with the words, "And the table will be wide. And the welcome will be wide." Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us this week that as people of faith, we believe that Christ's table is wide, and Christ's welcome is wide too. This Sunday, we'll find that there's room enough for all of us at Christ's table as we celebrate the sacrament of communion together and also at our potluck lunch in the Fellowship Hall after worship. It's a wonderful thing to be welcomed, loved, and fed as members of Christ's worldwide church.

This Sunday, we will look at a creed that is even older than the Apostles' Creed. As pastor Andy Cooke explains, It is the creed of Philippians 2, which many scholars say is the oldest creedal statement in Christian faith. If we really want to understand who Jesus is and what it means for us to follow him, then this is probably one of the best places to look. This passage has captivated generations of Christians who have tried to emulate Christ in their daily lives. 

This Sunday, we'll hear a parable from Jesus about some laborers who, in a sense, were called together to work in a vineyard one day. As pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us, "This parable is one of Jesus' most well-known (and perhaps most offensive?) stories in which the workers who arrived last are paid the same amount as the workers who arrived first. It's a challenging word from Jesus, but it might just be exactly what we need to hear."

This week, Pastor Andy Cooke asks us to consider what it means to be called together, we will hear the teachings of Jesus in Matthew's gospel, where he elevates the level of grace that we should show each other after receiving God's grace. We will also look at Paul's letter to the Romans, where he helps us figure out how to deal with differences of opinion within our Christian communities.Being called together in community is never easy or simple, and it probably takes a lifetime of practice to figure it out. I'm grateful that we can work on this with each other, and I'll look forward to exploring it with you.

Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us this week people are often surprised when they hear about conflicts happening within a church. There's this sort of default expectation that churches should be immune to conflict and that Christians should get along all the time. We know that this is not the reality, and Jesus knew it too. This week's Gospel reading assures us that Jesus will not be surprised when there are conflicts among us, and, thankfully, it also includes Jesus' instructions for how we can work toward reconciliation.

Pastor Andy Cooke says, "Sometimes, I feel that we put too great a burden on ourselves to have Christian faith figured out. We overestimate the role of our own understanding and then we become paralyzed when we cannot measure up to our self-imposed standards. Our readings this Sunday show the relative lack of understanding of some of the most well-known Biblical characters, and the ways that God contributes to that obfuscation."
"These will be interesting stories to look at on a Sunday when we receive new members. As these new members begin their journeys with us, we know that their knowledge of God is incomplete. But church membership does not begin with a mastery of Christian faith. Instead, it is an acknowledgement of the ways that we seek and follow even though we lack answers to many of our most basic questions."

Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us Sabbath and sabbaticals are practices that disrupt our usual ways of doing things. They force a change to our rhythms and routines. The story we'll hear in worship on Sunday is another story of disruption. It's the story of Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives, who are given orders by the king of Egypt. These women are two of my favorite people in Scripture, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them and with you in worship on Sunday as we explore what they have to teach us about being people of faith.

From Pastor Andy Cooke:  "We're back! We've spent twelve weeks away from you, and I can't wait to put on that stole that has been hanging out on the edge of the pulpit all summer long and preach this Sunday. We'll hear the story of Joseph reuniting with his brothers in Egypt after long journeys and a long time apart. God was at work in them in their journey just as God has been at work in us."

Our focus this Sunday encourages us to listen for God in all our experiences. Our guest minister this week, Reverend Cece Armstrong, tells us God speaks through the good times, the bad times, the sad times, and the most odd times.  However, when times seem to be a challenge, it is hard to hear even though God is still speaking.  Considering the storms of life, can we still hear God speak? I declare yes and hope to unpack our ability to listen to God with you as we read and hear Elijah’s experience in 1 Kings 19.

This week, Reverand Karla Conditt Daniels tells us that Psalm 124 outlines how our fears can get away from us, as we imagine worst case scenarios; being swallowed up, overwhelmed, swept away, ground up, or caught in a snare. But David, believed to be the Psalm’s composer, reminds the community they were spared such fates, “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side.” And it’s good news that the Lord is still mindful of us. We too can have confidence in the continuing help of the Lord, whose power for good is forever unmatched by the fearsome and destructive powers of the world.