All Past Reflections

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...

Baptism of Jesus "The Face of the Waters" — Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Genesis 1:1-5, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading   (Mark 1:4-11, NRSVUE) Many years ago, Val and I lived in the small city of Weehawken, New Jersey. For those of you who don’t happen to know much about...

The Epiphany"Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come" — Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Isaiah 60: 1-6, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading (Matthew 2:1-12, NRSVUE)  So, the Christmas season officially ends today. Well, it actually ended yesterday since January 6th is the...

Third Sunday in Advent Joy — Rev. Brent Gundlah First Reading (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, NRSVUE) Gospel Reading (John 1:6-8, 19-28, NRSVUE) For my birthday a couple of years ago my family bought me one of those DNA test kits that’s supposed to tell you where you come from....