Whether we are gathered or scattered, we are one in the Spirit. We are one body of Christ. These days, our whole church is scattered each of us in our own homes. It is really good that we’re doing this. By staying apart and staying home, we’re helping to protect those...

Acts 3:1-10 It could have happened like this: In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, when darkness covered the deep, the LORD our God cleared her throat. Then the Holy Spirit —the breath of God— began to sing over the water. Then all creation...

Worship on this first Sunday after Easter is led by Rev. Kathy Lawes, our Associate Conference Minister serving the Western and Prairie Associations of the Illinois Conference United Church of Christ. Kathy has prepared worship from her home in DeKalb. You can watch...

Mark 16:1-8 The story of Easter does not begin on a Sunday morning. A few days earlier, Jesus was executed. He was tortured by Roman soldiers, shouted to death by the lynch mob. He was betrayed by his closest friends. See Jesus had been preaching the promise of the...

Mark 12:1-12 Here at Church of Peace, we’ve named Twenty Twenty the Year of Caring and Service. On Sundays and Wednesdays during Lent, we’re following Jesus on a tour of caring and serving through the Gospel of Mark. So far, we’ve considered how Jesus notices people...

Mark 10:32-52 Philip from Bethsaida He said, “Sell everything you own and give the money to the poor.” He said, “Leave everything behind and follow me because there’s no way to do this half-way.” Being a disciple of Jesus is not a part-time job; it’s not a...

Mark 10:17-31 You’ve got to wonder how long he had been waiting for Jesus to come by. Here he was carrying a question that was burning inside his soul, so you know he didn’t happen to bump into Jesus, he must’ve been waiting. Now here’s his chance. Now he hears his...

Mark 8:27-9:8 Last year on Ash Wednesday, the brilliant Christian writer, Rachel Held Evans, posted a word of encouragement on her blog. She wrote this: “Whether you are a Christian, or an atheist, or an agnostic, or a so-called ‘none,’ you know this truth deep in...

Mark 7:1-23 You might have a story like this… One evening when I was thirteen, I found myself sitting across the table from one of the youth leaders at my church. I was excited to share with her that I had come to a decision about what I believed. At the time, my...

Mark 5:1-20 Imagine what it is like to be welcomed into somebody’s home. Imagine if they opened the door smiling then took your coat. Come in and sit down, it’s cold outside! You smell some kind of cheesy goodness wafting in from the kitchen, and here let me get you...