A Word with Pastor: St Paul Congregational United Church of Christ

When the World Turns Cruel, We Turn to Jesus

6/18/2025

In times like these—when cruelty seems to be the strategy of choice in Washington and the Iowa statehouse—we don’t look away. We don’t numb out. We don’t give in to despair.

We double down on Jesus.

Now I’m not talking about the Jesus twisted into a symbol of exclusion or White nationalism. And I’m not talking about the Jesus who gets used as a weapon to silence dissent or shame the vulnerable. We double down on the real Jesus—the one who crossed borders, ate with outcasts, and preached good news that flipped the tables of power.

Right now, immigrant families are being torn apart by inhumane policies at the southern border. LGBTQ+ kids are waking up to headlines that tell them their existence is a political battleground. Laws are being written to erase, exclude, and dehumanize. And while much of this is being done in the name of Christianity, it is a far cry from anything Jesus ever taught.

So what do we do?

We return to the gospel.

We return to the beatitudes that bless the poor and the peacemakers. We return to the parables that unsettle the status quo and center the stranger. We return to the liberating, justice-centered, upside-down way of love that Jesus lived and died for.

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis puts it like this:

“Love is fierce. It is not neutral. It takes sides. Love stands against evil. Love says no to hatred. Love resists injustice.”
(Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World)

That kind of love isn't soft or sentimental. It’s hard-won and world-changing. It’s what we’re called to embody as progressive Christians.

So when politicians try to strip rights away, we build longer tables. When fear-based faith gets louder, we sing louder still—songs of liberation and truth. When despair whispers that nothing will ever change, we answer with hope that knows resurrection is real.

This isn’t the time to shrink back. It’s the time to rise up. Not in spite of our faith, but because of it.

Now more than ever, we need to follow Jesus—not the domesticated version we were handed, but the revolutionary one who walks beside the oppressed, who breaks unjust laws, who dares to love in public.

Because when the world turns cruel, we turn to Jesus. And that changes everything (or at least it should).

Turning & re-turning to Jesus with you,
Pr. Melissa

Why We Celebrate Pride

6/11/2025

Every June, rainbow flags go up—and so does the volume on voices declaring that “pride is a sin.” You’ve probably heard it before: “The Bible says pride is wrong.” “Christians shouldn’t celebrate Pride.” “You can’t be proud and faithful.”

And for those of us who are LGBTQ+, those messages can hit especially hard. Not just because they’re theologically shallow, but because they’ve been weaponized against us for far too long. So let’s talk about it.

When Scripture names pride as sinful, it’s talking about arrogance that exalts itself at the expense of others—a self-centeredness that refuses to listen, refuses to learn, and refuses to love. That’s not the kind of pride we celebrate in June.

The Pride we celebrate is the kind that says: I will no longer be ashamed of who I am. I will not shrink to make others comfortable. I will live out loud because I was made in the image of God.

Colby Martin says, “When someone who has been repeatedly told they are broken finally embraces the truth that they are beautiful, that is not sinful pride. That is sacred healing.” In other words, this Pride is not about elevating ourselves above others. It’s about reclaiming our God-given dignity in a world—and too often a Church—that has tried to erase it. It’s about truth-telling, embodiment, and freedom.

During Pride month we remember that Pride began as a riot, a sacred protest led by trans women of color who said: No more. And during this month, many of us begin to experience–perhaps for the very first time–what it looks like and feels like to live into the full truth of who we are, as human beings not simply designed to be tolerated, but celebrated.

Rev. Caleb Lines reminds us, “We celebrate Pride not because we are ignoring Scripture, but because we are living into its call to justice, to liberation, to abundant life.” So yes, we celebrate Pride. Not in spite of our faith—but because of it.

And whether we are allies or are in the LGBTQ+ community ourselves, we celebrate Pride because we follow a Christ who stood with the outcast, who broke down walls, who healed what others tried to hide. We live in the Spirit who still moves through queer bodies and voices. We are claimed by a God who calls us beloved and means it. To be clear: We don’t need to earn our place at the table. We already belong. Not because we’ve proven ourselves, but because God has already called us good. Already called us beloved.

So whether you are LGBTQ+ or someone who stands with us—whether you’ve known your identity for decades or are still sorting it out—know this: your presence matters. Your story matters. Your love matters.

So wear your colors. Tell your truth. Make room at the table. Stand with the ones the world pushes aside. And if anyone asks you why, you can say: Because we know who we are. And we know Whose we are.

Celebrating Pride as a faithful Christian with you,
Pr. Melissa

“Why Eating Together Matters” – A Pentecost Reflection

6/4/2025

This Sunday is Pentecost—the day the Church was born. Tongues of fire, a rushing wind, people speaking in every language under heaven. It’s one of the most dramatic, mysterious, Spirit-drenched stories in all of Scripture.

And we’re marking it with a potluck.

Some might find that underwhelming. Shouldn’t we do something a little more grand to honor the birth of the Church and celebrate the ministries of St. Paul?

But here’s the thing: The early Church didn’t build cathedrals or organize conferences. They gathered around tables. They broke bread. They ate together with glad and generous hearts (Acts 2:46).

And that wasn’t just a nice add-on. It was central to what it meant to be the Body of Christ.

Theologian Norman Wirzba says that to eat is to admit our dependence—on the earth, on each other, and ultimately on God. In his book Food and Faith, he writes, “To eat is to embrace the vulnerability and grace of life lived with others.” That means a potluck is not just about casseroles and cupcakes—it’s a spiritual practice. A theological act. A declaration that we belong to each other.

In a world that keeps telling us to be self-sufficient, to hustle, to isolate, to curate our lives and our meals—church potlucks are a quiet rebellion. They remind us that grace often comes disguised as Tupperware. That holiness can taste like deviled eggs and banana pudding. That the Spirit is still binding us together, not in grand gestures, but in simple acts of sharing.

At Pentecost, the Spirit enabled people to speak each other’s languages. And I think one of the deepest human languages is food. When we eat together, we’re saying: You belong. You matter. I need you. We need each other.

So yes, come to the potluck. Not because your casserole is gourmet (though it might be). Not because you have to. But because Pentecost isn’t just about fire from heaven. It’s about the slow, sustaining, often-overlooked work of being the Church. And that work happens at tables.

I’ll save you a seat,
Pr. Melissa