All Past Reflections

Palm Sunday "The Sacrament of Baptism"- Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Philippians 2:5-11/NRSVUE)Gospel Reading (Mark 11:1-11/NRSVUE) When I made the leap from middle school to high school, I was looking for an extracurricular activity in which to participate (it...

Fifth Sunday in Lent “For Your Sake”– Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Jeremiah 31:31-34, CEB)Gospel Reading (John 12:20-33, NRSVUE) I went to my first major league baseball game in June of 1976 with my father, right about the time I turned eight. It was the Yankees...

Fourth Sunday in Lent "Snakes Everywhere"- Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Numbers 21:4-9, CEB)Gospel Reading (John 3:14-21, NRSVUE) In today’s first reading, from the book of Numbers, the Israelites are understandably pretty fed up with wandering around aimlessly...

Third Sunday in Lent "Flipping Tables"- Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Exodus 20:1-17, NRSVUE)Gospel Reading (John 2:13-22, NRSVUE) When he was in college, my friend Brian scored a summer internship with a minor league baseball team. Since Brian is at least as big...

Second Sunday in Lent "Taking Up The Cross"- Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, NRSVUE)Gospel Reading (Mark 8:27-38, NRSVUE) “If any want to become my followers, let them take up their cross and follow me,” Jesus says to the crowd with his...

First Sunday in Lent"Moving Along" Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Malachi 4:1-6, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading (Mark 1:9-15, NRSVUE) Working with the Gospels during this time of this church year can be challenging and disorienting. I say this because we’ve already read...

Transfirguration Sunday "The One Constant" First Reading (2 Kings 2:1-12, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading (Mark 9:2-9, NRSVUE) If you thought that our readings from Mark’s Gospel over the last few weeks, with their tales of Jesus performing miraculous healings and exorcisms,...

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany "Miracles" — Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Isaiah 40:21-31, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading (Mark 1:29-39, NRSVUE) In 1820, near the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson finished a book project that he’d been working on for about a year — one...

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany"Prophets All" — Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Deuteronomy 18:15-20, NRSVUE)Gospel Reading     (Mark 1:21-28, NRSVUE) It looks like it’s time to reconvene the search committee folks. Oh, I don’t mean here at HUCC — I have no...

Third Sunday after the Epiphany"Fisher's of People"—Rev. Brent Gundlah Jonah 3:1-5, NRSVUE and Mark 1:14-20, NRSVUE. Is there anyone who would actually want to be judged purely on the basis of how they behaved on their worst days? I know I wouldn’t. We all...