Yes! We're Open: Living Faith with Needham UCC

Since at least the time of the ancient psalmists, God has been described as a king... and kings described as gods... and the rest of humanity (and, let's be real: men) as "a little lower than God," and called by God to exercise dominion--power over--creation by "divine right." But with the Spirit's help and Jesus' example, we can imagine a "more excellent way." The key is there in the root of the word "dominion" itself: God and human beings not as tyrants but domestic partners, sharing power with creation and building a commonwealth for all and not a kingdom for some. (Psalm 8)Join us for worship Sundays @ 10am EDT, on-site & online via Zoom. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org—-The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, LGBTQ+ affirming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. www.NeedhamUCC.orgChurch is the practice.Love is the point.

This Earth Sunday, we celebrate not God's gift of the earth to us, but God's gift to us of our interconnected relationship with the earth, God's wider, deeper, higher, and altogether “very good” creation of which we are a part. Our guest preacher will be The Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, one of the executive ministers of our Southern New England Conference of our United Church of Christ denominational family… and an avid beekeeper! She will share with us spiritual lessons for our current moment she's gleaned from caring for bees and the way bees care for each other.About our guest preacher:  The Rev. Dr. Chris Davies is a Celtic spiritualist, Christ-follower, organizer, queer femme, visionary, beekeeper, and liturgist.  An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, she loves faith deeply, and is committed to finding ways to continue to bring the gospel into the world, past this generation and into those to follow.  Chris attended Smith College for her undergrad work and Andover Newton for both a Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry, focusing on queering proclamation.  She is passionate about justice and Jesus, works as the Executive Minister of Programs and Initiatives in the Southern New England Conference of the UCC.  Chris serves on the foundation board of Preterm, an independent abortion Clinic in Cleveland, OH.Join us for worship Sundays @ 10am EDT, on-site & online via Zoom. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org—-The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, LGBTQ+ affirming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. www.NeedhamUCC.orgChurch is the practice.Love is the point.

At last we arrive at Easter Sunday. But oddly enough, Matthew's version of the story of the resurrection begins on Good Friday, with what sounds at first like a ghost story about tombs being opened and the dead walking. But it's a reminder that Easter doesn't belong just to the church and resurrection doesn't belong only to Jesus. Resurrection is for everyone, for the whole wide world, all the dry bones, all the walking dead, all the helpless and hopeless, even for us. (Matthew 27:45, 50-54) Join us for worship Sundays @ 10am EDT, on-site & online via Zoom. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org—-The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, LGBTQ+ affirming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. www.NeedhamUCC.orgChurch is the practice.Love is the point.

Our purpose in this Lenten series has been to slow down and spend significant time reflecting on each step of the story of Jesus' last days during what we call Holy Week. But he dies on Good Friday. So what happens, if anything, on Holy Saturday? What even can happen? Or should we just jump ahead to the Easter we know, 2000 years later, is coming on Sunday? Our special guest preacher, The Rev. Dr. Mary Luti, will help us sit with those questions and those feelings.This service is part of our "Step by Step: A Slow Walk Through Holy Week" series for Lent where we're spending an entire Sunday with each of the days of Holy Week, listening not just for the "what" happens to Jesus by the "whys" that take him there. This Sunday represents "Holy Saturday."Join us for worship Sundays @ 10am EDT, on-site & online via Zoom. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org—-The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, LGBTQ+ affirming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. www.NeedhamUCC.orgChurch is the practice.Love is the point.

A guided meditation:  Did you know that before there was a Last Supper, there was a First Supper, when Jesus was prepared to endure the terrible events of the rest of Holy Week by the love of his friends. In particular, one woman anointed him with costly perfume, tears and laughter, intimacy and grief mingling together as it ran down, and the house was filled with the odor of holiness, of love. It's good to remember as we face our own hard choices, our struggle for justice is fueled best not just by righteousness but by love. Who do you love so much? (Mark 14:3-9)This service is part of our "Step by Step: A Slow Walk Through Holy Week" series for Lent where we're spending an entire Sunday with each of the days of Holy Week, listening not just for the "what" happens to Jesus by the "whys" that take him there. This Sunday represents "Holy Wednesday."Join us for worship Sundays @ 10am EDT, on-site & online via Zoom. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org—-The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, LGBTQ+ affirming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. www.NeedhamUCC.orgChurch is the practice.Love is the point.

Jesus continues to wear out his welcome in Jerusalem. The various power blocs within the religious leadership of the day pepper him with questions, often trick questions, hoping to discredit him and his disciples in the eyes of the faithful without drawing the attention of the occupying Romans. But Jesus is never one to shy away from controversy for the sake of a larger and more loving Gospel, which angers those powers enough they begin to look for a way to shuffle him off the public stage, permanently. (Mark 11:27-12:40)This sermon for "Holy Tuesday" is part of our "Step by Step: A Slow Walk Through Holy Week" worship series for Lent, where each Sunday in Lent we focus on one of the days of Holy Week, Jesus' last week on earth... before Easter. Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

In the wake of this election's seismic shift, we're spending time grounding ourselves once more in the core message of 1 Corinthians 13:13—“Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three”—in ways that speak to our current situation, beginning with faith. This week it's hope. We talk about having hope, which sounds lovely... until you lose it. Then what are we supposed to do? But as peoples who've lived through the end of their own worlds--and still are--remind us, hope is something we do, something we make. What's revealed in apocalyptic moments (apocalypse means "revealing") is that the hope we forge, the vision we cast, together, into the future is what gives the present meaning and purpose beyond our present troubles. In a very real way, hope has us, not the other way around. (Mark 2:1-12). Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

*With apologies for the poorer than usual audio quality. A subtitled video is available at https://youtu.be/QOpgyCGCVf8In Mark 10:17-31, an insider--the rich young ruler--and an outsider--Simon Peter--both ask Jesus essentially the same question: "What must we do to be saved?" Jesus' answer disappoints them both. He's not interested in what will set either man apart in God's eyes but what will bring them together here on earth. While the would wants to divide and subtract, the Gospel is all about addition and multiplication. God's will is to take all our pieces and stitches us up together in one "seamless garment of destiny" (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)Originally preached October 13, 2024Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

“God's love and kindness will shine upon us like the sun that rises in the sky” (Luke 1:78-9, CEV). A celebration more than a decade in the making! Come join us for a special worship service dedicating the new solar panel array on our sanctuary roof. This giant leap forward was made that much more possible through donations given in loving memory of Deb Baldwin, a founding member of our Environmental Ministries Team and a prophetic voice for climate action, following her death in the spring of 2023. Rev. Maddie Foster, preacher. (Matthew 5:13-16)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

The gospels are full of miraculous stories of  Jesus healing people, but they're never told from the point of view of the people he heals. The (temporarily) able-bodied Church today is only beginning to understand how problematic that really is, whether we take these stories literally or metaphorically. Because nobody's body is just a metaphor, and, as disability justice advocates like author Amy Kenny remind us, nobody's body is just a prayer request. Our disabled God loves all our bodies just as they are.  (Mark 10:46-52)Originally preached 10-27-2024Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

In the wake of this election week's seismic shift, we're going to spend the next three Sundays looking to ground ourselves once more in 1 Corinthians 13:13—“Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three”—in ways that speak to our current situation.Faith isn't a laundry list of six impossible things we have to believe before breakfast. Faith is trust (literally, in the New Testament Greek), and the basis of trust is truth. The Church has to be willing to embrace the truth of our and our neighbors' pain, fear, anger, and grief in this moment, our why should anyone trust us or the God we preach? Saccharine may be sweet, but it's artificial. (1 Corinthians 13:13)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Shalom Auslander's book, Beware of God, is full of cautionary tales about faith, including the short story “Waiting for Joe,” in which two hamsters from very different theological viewpoints try to cope with the absence of their owner. It may seem farcical on the surface, it's a powerful call to interrogate our own faith (or lack thereof) and our image of God and remember that the God somebody hands you is never the only option.Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

To combat the current epidemic of isolation, loneliness, disaffiliation, and division destroying our physical, mental, and political health, experts prescribe a dose of social connection. Joining, sharing, learning to trust... and to be trustworthy... helps repair our social fabric, and our souls. Because, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, human beings are made for community. So, given how we've failed in the past, how can we make joining church good news for people again? (Romans 12:4-5) Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

“Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.” Every creature, all of creation, has a home in the heart of our Creator. Why is it often so hard for us to feel we do, too? (Psalm 84)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

In mathematics, a fractal is “a visual expression of a repeating pattern or formula that starts out simple and gets progressively more complex.” We see fractals in nature, in the patterns of pinecones and the spirals of sea shells, where, when we look closely, we see the signature of those basic building blocks repeating themselves throughout the whole. For us, God is that basic building block. If we look closely, in faith, at the “breadth and length and height and depth” of all creation, we can see the fingerprints of God on everything, from single-cell organisms to entire ecosystems to our neighbors to our enemies. Now if only we would. (Ephesians 3:14-21)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Even since the time of King David, church buildings have been a mixed blessing–well, not exactly, but you get the idea. Religious communities, churches, need places to gather for worship, but all too often, we can end up worshiping the building, when really it's just a tool, a gathering place and a base of operations for the broader ministries to our neighbors to which God calls us. So how do churches like ours who possess buildings keep them from possessing us? How do we use this tool well for the glory of God in the support of our community? (2 Samuel 7:1-11)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

The Church of Jesus Christ started out as a counter-cultural movement, a vision of how things ought to be to challenge the way things were, particularly for the people the powers of this world consider “the least of these.” But thanks to its adoption by the Roman Emperor Constantine, the church became one of those powers, kicking off the “captivity of the church,” the subjugation of the Gospel of liberation to the very domination system it was created to critique. So under whose sign does the Church gather today? The cross of Christ? Or the flag of the United States? (Matthew 5:13-16; 13:33)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Part of our Lay Preaching Series, members of our Open and Affirming team share reflections on the "whys" of their ministry with our congregation. Offered by Stephanie, Cheryl, and Barbra. Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Marina was born in 5th Century Lebanon and assigned female at birth. When, after their mother died, their dad decided to enter a monastery, Marina went with him—as a man, Brother Marinos. But one day, he was unjustly accused of a crime he could not have committed and expelled from the community. It was only upon his death that the world learned the truth about Marinos: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual, queer, transgender and non-binary folk have always been here and always will, part of God's marvelously diverse design for life. Now wouldn't it be amazing if we recognized their inherent worth before they die?Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

As part of our Lay Preaching Series members of our Prayer & Care team reflect on their "whys" of their ministry with and to our community. Dibby, John, and Sue preaching.

This sermon, "Why Are You Doing This?" is a reflection on Mark 11:1-11 and was offered by Rev. Maddie Foster on Palm Sunday (March 24, 2024) at Congregational Church of Needham, UCC. 

This sermon was offered on Sunday, March 17 at Congregational Church of Needham, UCC. It is a reflection offered by members of our Environmental Ministries Team on a selection of readings including scripture and poetry.

As part of our Lay Preaching Series, the Christian Education Committee (along with some special guests!) offers reflections on "Why" this ministry matters. This sermon was offered on Sunday, March 10, 2024. 

A list of rules or something more? In this second part of Rev. Maddie's Lenten sermon series on covenant we explore our relationship with God and with one another, and how the ten commandments can be a frame for and invitation into right relationship.

After the flood comes the rainbow, but who is that rainbow for exactly? In the first part of this Lenten sermon series we explore the covenant God makes with humanity -- is the rainbow a reminder for us or for God? (Genesis 9:8-17)

The story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law is brief but it occurs in three of the four Gospels. It's also pretty problematic to our modern sensibilities, with overtones of sexism and ableism. Fair enough. So what if we read it not as a one-size-fits-all prescription but the description of one person's life-giving interaction with Jesus. When have you received a helping hand from Jesus, God, the Spirit, the Universe in your life? And have you said thank you? (Mark 1:29-39)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

When Jesus shows up in the synagogue at Capernaum, the crowds notice something different about him, that he teaches "as one having authority, not like the scribes," the professional religious class. So what about Jesus' kind of authority--his connection to the Author, not just an institution--makes it so different and so powerful that it can cast out demons... and where can we get some? Because inhuman (if not supernatural) demonic forces are very much alive and unwell in our world today. (Mark 1:21-28)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Ever heard of the LDB (Little Drummer Boy) Challenge? Participants try to avoid the song for as long as possible during the holiday season. As soon as you hear it, you're out. But why? Why so much ill-will for a song about a character who's not actually in the Biblical Christmas story? Sure, he's loud, he's annoying, and he just doesn't fit, but maybe that's the point: He did what he could, even when others didn't think much of it, and that's enough. It's enough for us, too. Part III of our "Non-Canonical Christmas" series exploring Christmas characters who aren't in the official nativity script but maybe should be, and why. (Mark 10:13-16)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

There is no donkey in the official story of Jesus' birth. But just try setting up a creche or nativity scene without one. We all know Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem, even when she didn't. But how can this imagined donkey help us re-imagine our own role in the story of divine love? Because we do have one. You have one! Part of our "Non-Canonical Christmas" sermon series for Advent, examining Christmas characters who aren't in the Bible... but maybe should be. (Micah 6:6-8)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

This Advent season, we're taking a look at famous Christmas characters who aren't actually in the Bible ("non-canonical"), but maybe should be. Centuries of Christian imagination have created the character of the Innkeeper, often depicted as grouchy or greedy or just plain mean. Who else would turn away Mary and Joseph in their state? Who would make them sleep in a stable? But perhaps we've been unfair, or uninformed. The story of the Innkeeper may strike closer to home than we'd care to imagine. (Revelation 3:20)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

​“Idolatry” seems such an old-fashioned word–Old Testament, even. But even though we don't see many Golden Calves these days, idolatry—mistakenly believing God is created in our image and not the other way around—is sadly alive and well, and not the sole province of any one church or political party.  And it's just as dangerous as ever., because what we worship, we become. (Psalm 50:14-23)This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-...)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

On the surface, these verses from 1 Samuel tell the story of the political maneuvering between King Saul and soon-to-be King David.  But between the lines, it's the story of the women relegated to the background, whose bodies, lives, are treated like commodities like cattle or crops to be exploited by the men in power.  But that was long ago, and we've embraced the full equality of women, right? RIGHT?  (1 Samuel 14:49-41, 18:17-21, 29)This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-...)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Spoiler: The Bible says “the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” What? A loving same-sex couple in scripture? “But no,” we're told, “that can't be true.” Why not? History and Biblical criticism can be complicated, but love is love, complicated in its own way, but also so, so easy and so, so real. (1 Samuel 17:55-18:9)This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-...)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connect at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

This Sunday, as we celebrate Earth Day, we welcome a special guest preacher, The Rev. Noah Brewer-Wallin (he/they), the Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for our Southern New England Conference of our United Church of Christ denominational family. Rev. Brewer-Wallin's portfolio at the Conference includes both environmental and economic justice, and he'll be helping us celebrate God's good gift of creation and address ourselves to caring for our our human and non-human neighbors in this climate crisis. (Psalm 144:3-4, 12-15) Many thanks to the members of our Environmental Ministries Team for all they've done to organize this Earth Day observance!This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-...)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

For the beginning of Lent, we're taking it all the way back to The Beginning, when God made the entire variety of human beings from one flesh. Yet ever since, it seems, we have been dividing and categorizing and ranking people because they are different. And from the beginning, women have borne the brunt of that division. But God loves our differences and God doesn't divide. So can we get a do-over? Can we begin again, better?  (Genesis 2:7-9, 15-25) Rev. John MacIver Gage, preaching.This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

God is still speaking, to be sure, but God speaks to each of us differently. As we prepare to embark on our Lenten journeys next Sunday, we are invited to listen to the ways that God might be stirring our spirits for the journey forward and to consider the different paths we are on, leading us all toward one end: the Love of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-13) Rev. Maddie Foster, preaching.This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in scripture with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

In this country we've long been told by so-called experts that the best way to help Main Street and the folks struggling to live there is to support Wall Street and the fat cat corporations that do very well there, that they economic blessings bestowed on them will trickle down to those below. But those below are still waiting. Good thing God doesn't wait and helps them first. (Luke 4:16-27; 1 Kings 17:8-16) Rev. John MacIver Gage, preaching.This sermon is part of our Year W project, spending a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in the Bible with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically-inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Like kids waiting for Christmas, in Advent the church is waiting for… what, exactly? If we focus just on Jesus' miraculous birth, what's the good news for those struggling to conceive or waiting to adopt? How can this story be Gospel for us even when our waiting doesn't bring us the gift we hoped for? (Judges 13:2-7; Psalm 115:9-15) Preacher: The Rev. Maddie FosterThis sermon is part of our yearlong Year W journey, a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in scripture with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Sadly, we don't talk much about blessings these days, aside from the holidays, perhaps, when we are reminded to “count our blessings.” Which is fine as far as it goes, but if we stop there, we miss the point that we are called to multiply and share our blessings, even--espeically--with those we deem 'least likely." Because that's what God does. That's who God is.  (Genesis 17:15-22; Luke 1:39-45) Preacher: The Rev. John MacIver GageThis sermon is part of our yearlong Year W journey, a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in scripture with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

If you've been around the church at all, especially around Christmas time, you're likely familiar with the story of the Annunciation, when God announces to Mary that has been chosen to bear a special blessing. But the Biblical witness is that God chooses lots of people, many even less well-off and far less well remembered than Mary, including Hagar. (Luke 1:26-38; Genesis 16:7-13)  Preacher: The Rev. John MacIver GageThis sermon is part of our yearlong Year W journey, a year listening for the voices of women, girls, and the divine feminine in scripture with the guidance (and translations) of Prof. Wil Gafney and her "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W" (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-women-s-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-wilda-c-gafney/17214332?ean=9781640654747)Join us Sundays for worship, LIVE! on-site and online via Zoom @ 10am ET. Connection info at www.NeedhamUCC.org.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a justice-seeking, peace-making, love-affirming, LGBTQ-welcoming, radically inclusive congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

The Good Samaritan is probably the most well known of all Jesus' parables. But that very familiarity can get in the way of our hearing the hard truth behind our Hallmark card interpretations: If we want to be neighborly like Jesus, we're going to have to go out of our way, leave behind our usual haunts and habits, and cross over to unfamiliar territory. (Luke 10:25-37)  Rev. John Gage, preaching---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am ET. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

There are a lot of powerful people in 2 Kings 5: Naaman, the Syrian general and his wife; the King of Syria and the King of Israel; and the Prophet Elisha, too. But this story of healing and grace hinges on a cast of nobodies who've been told to stand at the back. But like the waters of the river Jordan, the Spirit flows through them and lifts them up for us to see and celebrate. (2 Kings 5:1-14)  Rev. John Gage, preaching.For more about artist Titus Kaphar, check out https://www.kapharstudio.com/---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am ET. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

Idolatry is such an old-fashioned word. But what else can we call it when we value some thing, some possession, profit, or principle more than the lives of actual people? In our United States, guns are one of our peculiar idols, and the sacrifices just keep piling up. (Luke 3:1-6) Rev. John MacIver Gage, preaching.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am ET. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

In our faith tradition, God calls us to be stewards of creation, to “take care of it and look after it” (Genesis 2:15). But as Buddhist teacher, activist, and poet Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us in his book Love Letters to the Earth, that “it” is us. We are the earth and the earth is us. And we care for the earth not out of external obligation but from an intimate place of love. Now, when creation is suffering so, it's a good time to remember that… and to say it, out loud, maybe even write it down to remember. Rev. John MacIver Gage, preaching.---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am ET. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

1am. 2am 3am. Technically, these are early morning hours, but as anyone who's woken up then knows, it is still quite dark. Sometimes only the clock tells you it's the morning and not midnight. The Gospel According to John is clear that, just as a new day is born in the dark, whatever resurrection is, it's something that begins while it is still dark. And doubt is one of the Easter dark's greatest gifts. (John 20:1-18) The Rev. John MacIver Gage, preaching---The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am ET. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.Church is the practice.Love is the point.

As his coming conflict with the authorities looms large, a woman spends the time and the money to anoint Jesus with precious oil in an act of pure devotion. Yet one of the disciples—let's call him J.I.—objects on the grounds that her money should have been spent on something more productive. But sometimes the very best we can do is stop and smell the holiness. (John 12:1-8)  Rev. John MacIver Gage, preacher.The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Even if you've never read it, you likely know it, this story about a father and his two sons, one dutiful, one wild, one grateful, one resentful. But which is which? The all-too familiar dynamics of this dysfunctional family drama mean we may have to listen extra hard to hear what it has to say to us today. (Luke 15:1-3 11b-32) The Rev. Maddie Foster, preacher.The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org. 

It's said that charity is pulling drowning people out of the river, while justice is walking upstream to stop whoever's throwing them in. The trick, of course, is to do both, to help individuals and change systems; to do just one or the other leaves too many people open to harm. But how, Jesus, how? (Luke 13:31=5) The Rev. John MacIver Gage, preacher.The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.

Our Lenten journey begins when we follow Jesus into the wilderness. And as long as his days alone there were, it's sure the nights were longer. The wild, and especially the wild dark, is a place where all bets are off. It's where the rubber meets the road, and we meet the demonic, the divine, and ultimately ourselves. So let's head into the wild dark, into Lent, and into life with curiosity. (Luke 4:1-13)The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.

With the deepest gratitude to the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, who said it all best back in 2014. Telling people they are dust and to dust they shall return isn't a threat or a put-down, it's a promise: You don't have to do it all. You can't. Do your best, sure, but at the end of the day, just let God be God, and God will.The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.

On Transfiguration Sunday, we usually read the story of how Jesus' glory was revealed in a flash of insight and a dazzling light on a mountaintop. But we learn what that glory really means, what it's actually for, only when Jesus comes down off the mountain and walks into the shadowy valley below. The question then isn't "Why aren't we up on the mountain?" but "What are we doing in the valley?"  (Luke 9:28-43a)The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Join us for hybrid worship on-site and online LIVE! via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT. Connection info and more at www.NeedhamUCC.org.