Covenant Presbyterian Church Augusta

10/5/2025

This weekend, we will celebrate World Communion Sunday, which is a time for us to recognize the unity that we share with other Christians around the world. As Pastor Andy Cook tells us, it is a reminder that we are part of a global community, and that our allegiances are greater than we might sometimes think.This year, we are adding a new element to our celebration. Following a discussion between the Worship Ministry Team, Mission Ministry Team, and Matthew 25 Task Force, we have decided to invite some elected officials to join us for worship. We have been interested in finding ways to develop relationships with our elected officials and to thank them for the important work that they do, and we believe that this is a good first step. In my letter of invitation to forty or so local, state, and national elected officials, I invited them to come and worship with the promise that we were not attempting to lobby them or ask them for anything. All that we ask is for the opportunity to thank them, to pray for them, and to join us for lunch. Even if they cannot attend, we will still pray for them.

9/28/2025 Getting Closer

As Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us this week, transitions are often moments when we pause to consider where we've been and where we're going, and our Scripture readings this Sunday invite us into that reflective space as well. In all of our transitions, we give thanks that God is steadfast and faithful. 

9/21/2025 Cross Carrying

This week pastor Andy Cooke is back in the pulpit reading Jesus' words from Luke 14: "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children...cannot be my disciple." It is...interesting...to read and preach those words when your father, mother, wife, and child sit a few feet away. Some might want to skip over these words of Jesus, but I really appreciate them. And I'll preach it the same way whether or not my parents are in the pew. I hope that you'll come with an open mind on Sunday and hear what Jesus has to say to us.

9/14/2025 The Small Things

In this week's sermon, Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke says we celebrate the big events and happenings in the life of our church and in our community, and, at the same time, Jesus invites us to remember the importance and significance of small things. In this week's reading from Luke, we'll hear Jesus' parable of the (very tiny) mustard seed. In world that is often drawn to things that are big and flashy, it can be refreshing to hear what God can do even with something very small.

9/7/2025 Rooted and Reaching

Pastor Andy Cooke tells us this week that scripture is filled with tree metaphors. We will hear some of them this Sunday as we kick off a new program year together. Psalm 1 compares God's people to trees and Revelation 22 shows the tree of life as a symbol for God's redemption of Creation. There are many other examples, and it is worth asking what is the quality of trees that is so apt for describing faith in God throughout Scripture.

8/31/2025 The Folly of it All

This week's message is from Pastor Karla Conditt Daniels.  I will admit that it had been a long time since I had read the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, the lengthy collection of oracles prophesying the impending downfall of the Kingdom of Judah. After God’s faithful guidance of the people of Israel out of slavery, through the wilderness, and into a land of plenty, they have “forgotten” God. Some have even turned to the cult of Baal. With language reminiscent of a courtroom, God indicts the people for breach of covenant.  
It can be difficult to imagine life in a small Mediterranean land of tribal units over two and a half millennia ago. The ancient religious structure and practices can seem too remote to offer guidance today. It might be easy to believe that “the word of the LORD” uttered by Jeremiah wouldn’t have much relevance to the fast-paced, digitally and globally informed lives we lead. But friends, the ways we "forget" God are not so different from how ancient people denied God. In fact, it is likely that our “advanced” culture provides more idols to distract and capture our devotion.
God’s stinging indictment to our ancient forbears, “But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.” (Jeremiah 2:11b), should still sting us today.
John Calvin once said that the human heart is a perpetual idol factory. What idols might you have manufactured recently?  

8/24/2025 Who Says?

As pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us this week, there's a verse in Isaiah where God says to the prophet, "Come now, let us argue it out." I read that verse for the first time when I was in seminary, and I was struck by the idea that God would welcome us to argue with God. Given the number of people in Scripture who disagree with God, perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised.This Sunday, we'll hear two different stories of people who want to argue with God - the story of God's call to the prophet Jeremiah (and Jeremiah's resistance) and the story of the religious leaders who are upset with Jesus for healing someone on the sabbath. I'm grateful that Scripture includes these stories because I also know what it's like to want to argue with God (perhaps you do too). I hope you'll join us on Sunday as we explore together what it looks like to argue with God and what happens when we do. It might just surprise you.

8/17/2025 The Race Before Us

Our readings this Sunday all focus on the challenges of being people of Christian faith. And as Pastor Andy Cooke tells us, sometimes, we get the impression that is it supposed to be easy and fun to follow Christ. If you look at the passages from Jeremiah and Hebrews, that myth is quickly dispelled (same with Luke 12:49-56, which is the gospel reading for this Sunday). Hebrews 11 and 12 focuses on the travails of God's people, and the writer compares Christian faith to running a race. I'm looking forward to exploring this with you.

8/10/2025 Promises & New Beginnings

Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke said, "To say this Sunday is going to be a big day at Covenant feels like an understatement." It's Preschool Sunday, which means we are inviting preschool families and staff to join us for worship. We'll commission the preschool staff and have a blessing of the backpacks for students (of all ages!) during the service.We also have the Blessing of the Playground this Sunday after worship. Hurricane Helene's destruction of Covenant's playground was a great loss to our church, preschool, and community, and we are so excited to be able to bless the new playground and to celebrate this special space with Covenant members, friends, and neighbors.God is faithful.

7/3/2025 Bigger Barns

Our Scripture passages this Sunday are like medicine: as Pastor Andy Cooke says, they may not taste great, but they are good for us. Our call to worship comes from Psalm 49, and our readings are from Ecclesiastes and Luke (see links above). All of these readings have to do with money, wealth, and our labor. In our society, it can sound a little depressing to hear a spiritual critique of wealth. After all, isn't wealth the goal? Everywhere I look, it seems to be. But the messages that we get from culture need to be tempered by the words of Jesus and other teachings in Scripture. Come with an open mind as we explore these texts together.