So often when people think of this very familiar parable, people focus on the Good Samaritan.  Of course he stopped to help, we tell ourselves, and so would I.  However, this parable is not a nice little story about helping someone who has been hurt.  In fact, this parable is full of lessons, many of […]

I am what people call a “UCC nerd.”  By that I mean, I have a deep and abiding love for the United Church of Christ and follow along with the inner workings, public statements, and gossip of our national body.  I worked on the national staff prior to coming to Winona to serve as your […]

His name is John.  He is in his mid-seventies.  His hair is long and looks unkempt.  He wears a very odd mix of clothing, all clearly well-worn with frayed edges.  He sometimes says odd things and has several unusual daily habits.  He does not engage in conversation with strangers very well and sometimes stares a […]

While attending the Festival of Homiletics last month, I participated in a workshop about the Holy Spirit.  It was presented by Rev. William Lamar IV, who is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC.  Rev. Lamar, the next night, also led the Gospel worship service.  He preached a fiery sermon, one that […]

When people ask me to describe the United Church of Christ, here is what I almost always say, “The great thing about the UCC is we provide no definitive answers to the big questions of life, simply a safe community in which to ask those questions, talk about them, and worship God in varied ways.  […]

Rev. Danielle K. Bartz                                                                                                Acts 9:36-43 “Miracles” When Peter first arrives, it’s an average pastoral care call. The scene, despite being ancient and in a far away place, feels very familiar to me and likely to many of you as well.  As a chaplain and then a congregational pastor, I have been in similar […]

Rev. Danielle K. Bartz                                                                                                  “Here I Am” Acts 9:1-20 The conversion of Paul, the road to Damascus story we have just heard, is a staple in Eastertide.  Paul, once called Saul, was a great persecutor of those who believed Jesus to be the messiah.  He took great delight in seeking out Jesus’ followers and […]

John 20:1-8                                                                                  Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Alleluia. Praise the Lord. Praise God for the mighty things that God did on Easter. Praise God with harps and lyres. Praise God with drums and dancing. Praise God with cornets and trumpets. Praise God with singing choirs and shouting voices.  For Jesus Christ has been raised […]

Rev. Danielle K Bartz                                                                   April 14, 2019 Luke 19:28-40                                                                   “Through the Gates”           There is something important that I believe we should not lose sight of: the timeline of Jesus’s life and ministry that we follow every year and celebrate, is knit together from all four gospels.  Christmas for instance only appears in […]

In recent weeks we’ve been considering the Lord’s Prayer in order that we may pray it with intention and use it to help us make sense of our lives in God’s world. This week we will conclude with this portion of the prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This is an incredibly important part of the prayer, though I have heard from several of you, as you have been reflecting with me these last several weeks, that this is the part of the prayer that makes many the most uncomfortable.