Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Eighth Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are 1 Samuel 9:1-3, 15-18, 10:1; Psalm 22:23-31; 1 Corinthians 4:8-13; and Luke 19:11-27.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Seventh Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are Genesis 16:10-13; Psalm 68:4-11; Romans 16:1-16; and John 20:1-2, 11-18.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Fifth Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are 1 Samuel 4:2, 5-11, 19-22; Psalm 77:1-12, 19-20; Romans 5:1-5; and John 14:25-31.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Fourth Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25; Psalm 49:1-2, 5-9, 16-17; 1 Timothy 6:6-16; and Luke 16:10-13.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Third Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are 1 Samuel 2:18-21, 26; Psalm 144:3-4, 12-15; 1 Peter 2:4-10; and Mark 7:10-13.

In addition to sharing the usual Scripture readings, we also want to pass along messages of happy Juneteenth and happy Father's Day! Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Second Sunday After Pentecost, and the Scripture passages are 1 Samuel 1:19-28; Psalm 69:10-20, 30-33; Acts 2:43-47; and Matthew 15:29-39.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Trinity Sunday, and the Scripture passages are Hosea 11:1-4; Psalm 130:5-8; Psalm 131; 2 Peter 1:16-18; and Matthew 28:16-20.

Happy birthday to the Church! Pentecost is a key day in the Christian story. Tune in to learn more about why, as well as how the Spirit shows up in both testaments.  Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Pentecost Sunday, and the Scripture passages are Acts 2:1-17; Isaiah 44:1-8; Psalm 104:1-4, 10-15, 27-30; Romans 8:14-17, 22-27; and John 14:8-17.

Using “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W” by Reverend Wil Gafney, PhD, this series invites you to listen to the Bible lectionary passages for the week. We hope that this time offers a new opportunity for you to notice what themes you see the Divine illuminating throughout the arc of the Old and New Testaments. What do these ancient words bring up for you? What could they build within you? This week is Seventh Sunday of Easter, but we're focusing on the Feast Day that happens in between the sixth and seventh weeks: the Ascension, the day that Jesus is taken up into heaven after spending 40 days with his disciples post-resurrection. The Scripture passages are Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 24; Revelation 3:20-22; and Luke 24:46-53.

Content notes: suicide, sexual assault, miscarriage, infant death, and eugenics  Pastor Lana Hurst, co-host Emmie Arnold, hospital chaplain Virginia Goss, and city government employee Brendan Birth share what they were taught about reproductive rights growing up; how the Church shaped that; what they believe now; and how they want faith institutions and people of faith to participate right now as rights are being stripped away. TL;DR: We support reproductive justice not despite our religious values, but because of them.  You can watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ALfaNWhHksM or with automated captions: https://tinyurl.com/2wy2vj4k. To help:  Call or send letters to your elected representatives. Amnesty International has useful statistics and other talking points. Utilize faith-based reproductive rights organizations: Religious Coalition for Reproductive Concern and Just Texas, interfaith organizations that train ministers and congregations, and The Empathy Project, which shares scriptural understandings of abortion. Go to protests. And don't forget to share stories at the dinner table about why abortion is an essential right. Donate to abortion funds through the National Network of Abortion Funds and other reproductive justice organizations, especially those run by women of color, like SisterSong. Vote like your rights depend on it - they do. For context: Many folks are feeling strong emotions about the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade, a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that made access to safe and legal abortion a constitutional right. Some are experiencing grief and anger, especially for those who would be most affected in up to 26 states that would limit or ban abortion entirely: BIPOC folks with few financial means. Others are experiencing gratitude because they believe that abortion numbers will be reduced by up to 13% in the United States and that abortion has been a stain on the country's moral standing. This stance, what's classically been called a "pro-life" viewpoint, is especially common among Christians who frequently attend church, pray, and read Scripture, according to a Pew Research poll about different religions' adherents' views on abortion. Some are experiencing feelings in between relief and anger, perhaps confusion. No matter where you are on the spectrum of "pro-choice" to "pro-life," statistically speaking, you have people in your life who have gotten abortions. One in four cisgender women in America will have an abortion by the age of 45. Perhaps you are one of them, and perhaps you were made to feel shame for it, even if you are among the 95% of people who do not regret having an abortion. Whatever your story is, you are welcome here.