First Congregational Church of San Francisco, United Church of Christ

According to Mark, on the first day of the week, the women rise with the sun and buy spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They are shocked to find the tomb empty, and leave in fear and terror. Mark’s resurrection story is less triumphant than the other Gospel testimonies (as scholars believe the remainder of Mark’s gospel was a later addition). In Mark’s version, we are reminded that Easter comes to us, again and again, even if we don’t know what to make of God’s resurrection ways. Again and again, the sun rises. And some days, that is enough.

It is childbirth, But it is also resurrection. A body broken. Breath fractured. A long night.... A sunrise. Breath returned. New life, And a love that won’t let go. Excerpt from Light by Rev. Sarah Are Image: The Promise by Lisle Gwynn Garrity | @sanctifiedart See more

Consider those first few days after you've lost someone and the liminality between their death and funeral. There’s no closure yet, and mornings are reminders that the nightmare is real. It’s hard to imagine how you’ll face the day. Again and again, the sun rises on a new day, often without embrace or acknowledgment. The same is true of resurrection. Whether or not we discern what’s happening, God is literally and figuratively turning the world around! Commentary by Re...v. T. Denise Anderson on Mark 16:1-8 Image: Status Quo by Hannah Garrity | @sanctifiedart See more

'A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY' These words were stitched onto a flag that flew outside the Manhattan headquarters of the NAACP between 1920 and 1938. When a Black person was lynched, the flag was raised the following day You should understand that what happened to Jesus was a lynching.... Do not look away and do not rush to redeem this violence. A MAN WAS LYNCHED TODAY. Again and again we find ourselves... here, where even Jesus is groping for God. Rev. T. Denise Anderson Commentary on John 19:1-30 for @sanctifiedart Image from the Library of Congress

Footwashing is a practice of radical vulnerability, of being seen and known. Jesus loved the disciples to the end. In this act, we remember that God holds all of our pain, vulnerability, doubts, and sufferings. As we venture toward the cross, we can lean into God’s everlasting arms, knowing we are held.

As crucifixion nears, Jesus gives his remaining disciples a commandment related to the time they've spent together. They're to love one another as Jesus has loved them How did Jesus love them? They’ll have to draw from their encounters. The acts of love and healing, the teaching, the signs and wondersall of it needs to be recalled... They could keep each other close by emulating the one who kept them close. Commentary by Rev. T. Denise Anderson on John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Image: You, Too, Must by Lisle Gwynn Garrity | @sanctifiedart

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn(Sunday 11.1.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

One More Opportunity For Prayer - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

How About Some Good News?! FCCSF Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/692935f4/what-cant-wait-joy-love-8167930

Today! Is It Really That Simple? (Sunday 10.25.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

Is It Really That Simple? (Sunday 10.25.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

When Empire Feels Bigger Than God, Oct. 18,2020

When Empire Feels Bigger Than God (Sunday 10.18.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

Today!When God Changes Their Mind (Sunday 10.11.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

When God Changes Their Mind (Sunday 10.11.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

Today!When A Community Fails To Love (Sunday 10.4.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

When A Community Fails To Love (Sunday 10.4.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

When Everything Falls Apart (Sunday 9.27.20) - https://mailchi.mp//oops-correction-to-midweek-check-in-81

http://adriennemareebrown.net//we-are-no-longer-surprised/ This is Holy Fire