Covenant Presbyterian Church Augusta

This Sunday, we'll hear the story of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus meets at a well one day. As pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke explains, It is public knowledge that she has been married five times, which is scandalous to her community. Jesus doesn't respond with the same disdain and judgment that the woman is used to experiencing. Instead, he offers her living water and grace.
What does it look like to live with radical humanity? That's our question for this third week in Lent, and we'll have two good guides in Jesus and the Samaritan woman. I hope you'll join us on Sunday as consider what it means to be human together.

Our Radical Faith sermon series continues on this second Sunday of Lent. Pastor Andy Cooke will share some well-known words from John's gospel and some lesser-known words from Paul's letter to the Romans as we consider belief, faith, and trust. As we return to the roots of our faith, I'll invite you to reconsider what it means for you to believe in God. We'll also celebrate the Lord's Supper together.

Our Lenten theme at Covenant this year is Radical Faith.  As pastor Andy Cooke tells us, this Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent, and we will focus on sin and--strangely enough--the ways that sin connects us to each other and to God.

Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke says, "Let's be honest: the Transfiguration is a bizarre story in Scripture." It's odd that Jesus' face and his clothing become blindly bright in this moment. It's strange that two dead men - Moses and Elijah - appear at Jesus' side. And then there's the detail of the voice that speaks from a cloud, saying, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well-pleased; listen to him!" Also not normal.
As weird as this story is, it is in Scripture. If we're honest, most of us also have some weird experiences that also feel...holy? On this last Sunday before Lent, we'll remember together the ways that God cracks the door between the sacred and the mundane for us and the beauty of the Light that comes our way. 

During worship, Pastor Andy Cooke will share the words of the Apostle Paul in First Corinthians when he describes the qualities of Christian leadership, which often looks much different than the conventional definition of leadership in our world.

It's Youth Sunday, so middle and high school youth  lead the service at Covenant Presbyterian Church on this first Sunday in February.  The theme for this year's youth Sunday is, Do Justice.  Love Kindness.  Walk Humbly.

It's true that curiosity can be dangerous, but, as pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us this week, curiosity also inspires new discoveries, friendships, and possibilities. In the Gospel of John, the first words out of Jesus' mouth are words of curiosity: "What are you looking for?" He asks this question of the two men who have just begun following him, and it marks the beginning of their journey as disciples. 

As we exit the Christmas season, pastor Andy Cooke tells us this Sunday will commemorate an important milestone in the life of Jesus: his baptism. It is another incarnational event where Jesus enters into our story and does something that we would not expect. It is a great day to remember your own baptism, and to consider what baptism means for us.

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke has been thinking about this quote from Simone Weil this week alongside the story of the magi who follow a star to find the Christ child. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the magi "observed his star at its rising," which means, of course, that they were paying attention. They had to pay attention to observe such a thing, and when they saw the star, they knew what they had to do next.On this Epiphany Sunday, we'll hear this familiar story again, and we'll consider our own attention - where we give it and what it motivates us to do.

Pastor Andy Cooke has shared the story the story of the time that Katelyn and I went on our first date. She told me that she wanted to see a play in Charlotte called "The Birth." It was based on the writings of a Presbyterian minister named Frederick Buechner. Needless to say, it was a great first date. But we do laugh now about how two Presbyterian ministers went on a date to see a dramatic reenactment of the writings of another Presbyterian minister. It all seems a little nerdy in retrospect, but I guess it was the kind of nerdiness that worked for us.Ever since that moment, I've appreciated Buechner's retelling of the story from the perspective of the Inn Keeper, the Wiseman, and the Shepherd. Back in 2021, I shared it with you on Christmas Eve at 9:00 p.m. Enough time has passed that I'd like to share it again, and I will do so on Sunday morning during worship.