Nicodemus is not a figure of the past. He lives in the heart of every believer who is tempted to settle down in the secure religious wisdom of the establishment and thus resist the challenge of ongoing revelation. So, what is Jesus’ lesson to Nicodemus and to us?

Jesus can be confusing and mysterious even to the most faithful, the most scholarly, lifelong Bible Study attenders. But Jesus really does want us to know him and to know him well. How does the story of the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus help us understand that even with the mystery and the confusion, Jesus really wants us to know him?

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What gets to Jesus and why? We lean to the images of the baby in the manger, the good shepherd, the healer. But how do we respond to the angry Jesus?

Those who have heard the stories of Jesus often have a mindful image of a shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders surrounded by children. But scripture teaches that there were circumstances which made Jesus quite angry. Yikes! How do we respond to an angry Jesus?

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God is at work in often unassuming, unnoticed ways to bring transformational change to our world and to our lives.

As a person of faith, what do you mean when you say you believe that God is at work in this world? How do you know, and how would you explain it to someone who does not believe? Where do you see God’s work in the normal, routine, every day? Our concept of God is big, but maybe God’s most impactful work is done in small, unassuming, sometimes even unnoticeable ways.

Welcome, Rev. Dottie LaPenta! Rev. LaPenta will be covering for Pastor Jessie during her maternity leave. Read more about Rev. LaPenta here.

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This is the first Sunday of the new year, and also the Sunday where we observe Epiphany, remembering all the ways that God’s Light breaks into our lives and helps us see new ways forward. This Sunday, we explore the ways that Jesus’ disciples were inspired to follow Him in the Gospel of John.

We also partake in our annual tradition of receiving our Star Words–one that we share with many other churches where we pray over this stack of random words; words and ideas like “freedom”, “joy”, “wisdom” and “creativity” that we pray for and then pick at random to have with us for 2022. They give each of us something to hang onto and return to all throughout whatever may come this year. These are words that can anchor our prayer life and guide us like the star guided those wise men on that very first Christmas. This year there is only one copy of each of these many words, so we pray that God will allow you to pick exactly what you need in the year to come!

NOTE: This is also Pastor Jessie’s last Sunday with COA before beginning maternity leave. 

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This first Sunday of Christmas (remember Christmas is a season of 12 days until Epiphany!), we continue to dive into the Gospel of John. We will be lingering on this Gospel as a way to get to know Jesus better all the way through Easter. Today, we come upon the call of John the Baptist to repent and to make the path straight for Jesus to come. What does this mean in real life? Is this just a jarring, negative message interrupting our holiday fun? Or is there opportunity here, especially with a new year right around the corner? Let’s think together about what John’s words might mean for us in this important transition time.

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