Second Avenue Church

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 ~ Read Exodus 14:19-21
It can be tempting to breeze through the parting of the Red Sea. We might miss the essence behind this fantastically familiar Sunday school story. The treasure lies in the “why” behind the extraordinary show of power. This is a story of belonging that informs whose we are. It is also a profoundly human story.
Feeling alone, cornered at the end of all possibility—that’s the plight of Israel in this text. They literally have no place for safety. They are on the run, at the mercy of an army chasing them. With the sea ahead and soldiers approaching from behind, where can they go? How is this going to work?
Despite the millennia that separates us from this story, it elicits emotions on a visceral level for me. While I’ve never been chased by an army, I have felt hunted by fear and anxiety over circumstances beyond my ability. I have felt swallowed whole. Hardships push against our limits, leaving us needy and broken. We see no path to move through and no protection from what feels like imminent pain.
The pillar of cloud and fire, we are told, is the very manifestation of God. The angel of the Lord moved from the front to the back of them, to guide them and then to guard them. “One did not come near the other all night.” Standing between the people and Pharaoh’s army, God then caused the sea to divide, making a path of dry ground walled by the waters of the Red Sea, which obeyed the Lord’s command through Moses.
While this is a rescue operation of literally biblical proportions, it is also a statement of ownership. These people belong to the Great I AM. That belonging determines God’s personal involvement and presence. God guides, shields, and takes them as God’s own.
God, teach me to live like I belong to you, the Lord Almighty, my guide and shield. Amen.

09/07/2026

The church office is closed today. We will reopen tomorrow at 8 AM.

09/06/2026

Today, Pastor Steve anointed and prayed over Pastor Robert, who came to worship with us before he begins preaching at 2nd Ave next Sunday.
We have been so blessed to have Pastor Steve be our interim pastor these last 4 months!

09/06/2026

9/6 10:15 Worship

09/06/2026

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 ~ Read Matthew 18:20
Our passage from Matthew concerning sin and forgiveness concludes with the promise of Christ’s presence among us. The wonder of Christ’s presence is that it is not metaphorical, not an “as if” presence. Christ is present in our very midst.
Notice that his presence has no conditions. It’s not dependent on whether we feel or even acknowledge Christ’s presence, because we do not “make” Christ present. It’s not the pastor, the prayers, the lectionary, the choir; it’s not the confession of faith; it’s not the offering. Christ is present because he said he would be. It’s as simple and as amazing as that.
And Christ’s presence with us is not limited to the worship service. Indeed, Christ is present with us all the time, at any place where two or more are gathered in his name. That means Jesus is with us when we go to dinner with friends, when we go to a concert, or when we celebrate a birthday. Jesus is present with us in every aspect of our life. And, I would argue, Christ is present with us even when we are not gathered with others, as even then Christ seeks to encourage and support us.
Christ is present whether we’re aware of it or not, but this doesn’t mean we should ignore Christ’s presence. We can acknowledge Christ’s presence in every ordinary moment. One of the times in our worship service when we might be a bit more aware of Christ’s presence is in the passing of the peace. We turn to look at our neighbor, to give our hand and a smile—so ordinary—so “extraordinarily” ordinary. Perhaps when we next participate in an “ordinary” service where two, three, or more gather together in Christ’s name, we can seek to acknowledge Christ’s presence with us and be empowered in our collaborative work for the kingdom.
Jesus, may I notice your presence with me wherever I go. Amen.

09/05/2026

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 ~ Read Matthew 18:15-20
The clear message Jesus gives and Paul reiterates, to love your neighbor as yourself, is apparently not enough. Still we sin against one another, enough that Jesus and Paul must speak out about how we interact with one another. Even in the community of believers called into being through love, that which opposes love—sin—rears its ugly head.
Many orders of worship provide worshipers the opportunity to confess our collective sin. We are sinners learning through grace, and since we are sinners, we do in fact sin. At this point, the words of the Lord’s prayer come to mind: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” It is interesting that this is the only part of the prayer that puts a condition on what we ask for. We ask God to forgive us the same way we forgive others. If that is truly what we wish, shouldn’t we absolutely rush to forgive those who hurt us? Do we not hope for community’s swift forgiveness when we sin?
Sometimes it seems God is like a school teacher—knowing us, teaching us, guiding us, helping us. And Jesus, seeing us clearly, gives us guidance about how to deal with sin in our community: honestly, with kindness and openness, increasing love through mediated forgiveness. When someone trespasses against us, we should not respond by telling even more people about what they’ve done. We face the issue head-on, go to the source. If that doesn’t work, we return to the source with witnesses. And if that still doesn’t work—we go on our way. For we are all sinners, saved by grace, with hearts yearning to live ever more deeply into the love of God.
Guide us, God, as we live with and sin against one another. Help us to face our problems head-on with love. Amen.

09/04/2026

Join us Sunday. We will celebrate Holy Communion at our 10:15 AM worship service. Sunday school 9-10 AM and coffee time 9:30-10:15 AM.

09/04/2026

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 ~ Read Romans 13:8-14
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is approached by a Pharisee, one who has studied the law. This Pharisee wants to know which commandment is the greatest, or most important. Matthew’s Gospel says the Pharisee asked this question “to test him” (22:35). The Pharisee wanted one law; Jesus gave him two.
Paul only states the second here in his letter to the Romans, saying the bulk of the commandments (see Exod. 20:1-17) can be summarized in this one. Some of those original commandments did instruct on how people were to act with one another, while others instructed how people were to act toward God. But what if the first commandment Jesus says is most important—to love God—is only fulfilled through the second? If the God we so dearly love is a God who “so loved the world” (John 3:16), then that must affect how we view the world.
Isn’t that how it is with us and those we love? Your son or daughter wants you to meet a “friend” who just might be more than a friend—such an introduction should lead you to regard that friend not only with kindness, but with a hope for the friend’s goodness and well-being, hope that your child is safe with that friend. Love for your child opens you to love those who are important to your child.
We love a God who “so loved the world,” so we must view the world through the lens of God’s love. How is it, then, with that world? Is there laughter and joy? We delight in the joy and share in the laughter. Is there suffering and pain? We mourn for the pain and seek ways to help. Loving God is manifested in how we care for that which God loves—and God so loves the world.
God, let me work with you to relieve pain in whatever way is possible—through prayer and the actions that accompany prayer. Amen.

09/03/2026

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 ~ Read Romans 13:8-14
Paul’s letter to the Romans is a personal correspondence to a specific Christian community. He has not yet met these Roman Christians, but, in Christ, he sees them as neighbors whom he is hurrying to meet. He loves them. In his letter, he extols the teaching of Jesus, who summarized the law thusly: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-40). Paul echoes this teaching, reminding the Romans of Jesus’ words and their connection to Moses’ law.
The definition of “neighbor” moves from the intimacy of one’s own circles of family and friends to the wider circles of persons within one’s community—one’s nation, one’s alliances— eventually toward the aim expressed by Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
How is it possible to care for the well-being of so large a company? It may be easiest to show our love for others in our own communities, where we respond with active love to the needs of others through our churches’ ministries, local food banks, transportation services, and support groups. But global organizations such as United Methodist Committee on Relief, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, and the United Nations Food Program serve needs that are beyond what we can do locally. May God help us grow in our capacity to care and grant us wisdom and courage to give care to neighbors we have not yet met.
O God, give me eyes to see and hearts to care for those I am called to love. Amen.