Dunbar United Church of Christ

Dunbar United Church of Christ An Open and Affirming Congregation Sunday Service 10:00am
Saturday Evening Service 5:00pm
Coffee Hour and Fellowship immediately following Sunday Service

06/14/2026

Scripture/Sermon of the Day. June 14, 2026

Matthew Verses from 9:35-10:15

Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healed their diseased bodies, and healing every disease and every sickness. When he looked out over the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! Pray for workers for the harvest!”

He called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to throw them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.

Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. 7 As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons.

If anyone refuses to welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city. 15 I assure you that it will be more bearable for the land of S***m and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than it will be for that city.

Reflection/Sermon:

I. Jesus preached “good news” of the kingdom wherever he went. I’m reading a book about a man named Gurdjieff, who was a spiritual teacher, influenced by Christian and Sufi-Muslim religions. In his work — his teaching — he has a concept he calls “Singing your song.” These are negative messages that play over and over in our minds. Like, “Life isn’t fair.” Or, “People don’t realize how hard I have it. They don’t know how much I suffer.” Or someone’s song can be how badly they are treated, or how they married the wrong person, or , “Nobody appreciates me.” More are, “I’m so lonely,” and “No one likes me,” Or, “I’ll never get this right — I’ll never learn.” There are thousands of these songs. These songs are the negative messages we sing to ourselves.

II. Part of Gurdjieff’s work was to help people stop feeding themselves this spiritual poison. It’s what Jesus did when he began his mission. After he was baptized, and then tempted by the devil, he went out “Preaching good news.” Look at Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” He said when we do something for others, serve others, help others — like being a peacemaker — then we are “blessed.” What if we try to do good — like Martin Luther King or Navalny or Mother Teresa — but we suffer for it? Jesus said that’s good — it’s blessed — happy are those.

III. The healing we need is in our minds — not so much in our bodies, or where we live, or even who we live with or what we own — or don’t own. But when we open our mouths to speak, is it “good news”? Or verbal poison that’s going infect someone with our misery?

Here’s a story about this:

A man moved to a new town and met an old-timer there and asked him how the people were in that town. The old-timer said, “How were the people in the town you came from?” The newcomer said they were pretty UNFRIENDLY and ARGUMENTATIVE. The old-timer said, “I’m afraid that’s what the people in this town are like.” Another newcomer to the town met the same old-timer and asked the same question. The old-timer responded with the same question — what were people like in the town you came from? This time the newcomer said, “They were wonderful people — friendly and helpful.” The old-timer said, “That’s how they are here too.”

IV. We can change where we live, and who we live with, and win the lottery, and give ourselves a new body with botox and plastic surgery and exercise — but unless we change in our minds and hearts — we’ll keep having the same experiences.

So Jesus brought good news, and he healed diseases and especially — people’s minds filled with demons of anger, hatred, arrogance, self-importance.

V. He told his disciples — which is what we are — to do the same. “RAISE THE DEAD!”

And he gave some important advice. When we have a bad experience, if we feel hurt or rejected or down — Jesus said, “Brush the dust off your feet.” Learn to let go of the bad feelings. Brush them off, move on, continue the work —healing the sick, raising the dead, sharing the good news that God’s kingdom is as near.

And keep thanking God — for everything.

06/13/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 13, 2026

1 Corinthians 12:4-13

4 There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5 and there are different ministries and the same Lord; 6 and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good. 8 A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to one person, a word of knowledge to another according to the same Spirit, 9 faith to still another by the same Spirit, gifts of healing to another in the one Spirit, 10 performance of miracles to another, prophecy to another, the ability to tell spirits apart to another, different kinds of tongues to another, and the interpretation of the tongues to another. 11 All these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person.

12 Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. 13 We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.

Reflection:

Paul explains that God gives us different gifts. When we discover our gift, we’re to use it for “the common good.” I saw an episode recently of the show “Call The Midwife.” A man had inherited the business his father — and maybe grandfather too — had established — a rope-making business. His wife was pregnant and would soon deliver her child. The man — her husband said — "The child must be a boy. I have everything planned. I will teach him the rope-making business so that he shall continue this family tradition. You must have a boy!” the husband commanded his wife. She gave birth to a daughter and her husband was so angry he wouldn’t talk to her and wouldn’t look at his daughter. Eventually he came around and accepted the infant girl and picked her up and the first thing he did was take her to the factory and walk through it while he spoke to her softly and said, “This will be yours some day — and I’ll teach you how to make rope and how to run this business.”

It was good to see that the father had finally accepted and embraced his daughter. But he was not open, yet, to the possibility that his daughter may not have the “gifts” to run a business. She may be a musician, or go to a convent, or be a housewife and raise a family, or a thousand other things.

Sometimes we don’t discover all our gifts until we’re adults. Abraham was 75 when God called him. But Paul tells us in this letter to the Corinthians that God does give us gifts, and in the time we’ve been allotted, we are to discover what these are and then use them to serve others.

06/12/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 12, 2026

John 14:15-17

The Spirit of Truth

15-17 “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

Reflection:

In the chapter before this Jesus had just given the disciples “a new commandment:” “Love one another as I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (13:34-35)

Now, in the reading today, Jesus talks about truth. He says the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Love, Spirit, Truth — these are the same thing, all referring to something that there are now words for. We try to find words to understand something our minds can’t grasp.

In a world without God, which is much of the world we live in, love, spirit, and truth frighten people. Jesus was considered evil and dangerous by powerful people in his society. There is no place for God. There was no room at the inn. “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” Jesus said. Truth, love, and spirit are refugees, illegal aliens, foreigners on this earth. To embrace them can get a person killed. Ask MLK, Jr., Gandhi, Jesus, the prophets.

06/11/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 11, 2026

2 Timothy 1:12-14

11-12 This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.

13-14 So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.

Reflection:

The author of 2 Timothy says that his call to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ is “the cause of all this trouble I’m in.” In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was rejected at his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. He had been doing ministry in Galilee an people liked him there. Galilee was home to a mix of cultures and races. Nazareth was more rural and mostly a Jewish population. They didn’t like it when Jesus said God favored all people equally.

As he traveled around, Jesus was bound to find people he offended. Some people didn’t want him showing kindness to foreigners or to certain Jews, like tax collectors and prostitutes, who were not in good standing with the religious authorities. I Timothy was right — the message of God’s gift of heaven and love to everyone, the worst sinners first, can be offensive to some. It can cause trouble to the person spreading it.

06/10/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 10, 2026

Job 38:1-11

God Answers Job

1-11 And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said:

“Why do you confuse the issue?
Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?
Pull yourself together, Job!
Up on your feet! Stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
and I want some straight answers.
Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean
when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
and tucked it in safely at night.
Then I made a playpen for it,
a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose,
And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place.
Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’

Reflection:

God asks Job: “Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?” If people could not talk unless they knew what they were talking about, the earth would be a quieter place. Or what if God made us so that we couldn’t speak unless only truth came out of our mouths?

Job is silenced by God’s questions, as we would be too, because they are unanswerable.

God thunders, screams, howls at Job: “Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?”

Job is silent, he doesn’t say a word. The purest form of prayer.

06/09/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 9, 2026

Numbers 11:24-30

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders, and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Reflection:

We have this reading today because we are in the season of Pentecost, where God gives people the Holy Spirit. The Book of Numbers is the story of the Israelites forty year journey through the wilderness. It was a hard life. We learn in this chapter that there were 600,000 people. Where do you find food and water for that many people — even for a few days? And for so many years? Moses, as their leader often didn’t know what to do. He often “heard the people weeping throughout their families” and the strain of it took a toll on Moses. Once he asked God to put him to death “at once.”

God told Moses: “Gather seventy of the elders ofd the Israel and bring them to the tent of meeting….and I will come down and talk to you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself.”

Joshua complained to Moses that God gave God’s spirit to people “who had not gone out to the tent.” Moses said: “I wish God would put his spirit on everyone!” I believe this is God’s plan — eventually everyone will have God’s spirit.

06/08/2026

Scripture of the Day June 8, 2026

Romans 8:26-27

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Reflection:

Jesus called the Holy Spirit our Advocate. Other words for the Holy Spirit, other than Advocate, are Helper, Companion, Counselor. The author of Ephesians reminds us that we don’t "do" our spiritual work alone. It’s the insight that Alcoholics Anonymous is governed by — and mainly the first three of their 12 steps. 1, that we’re powerless when it comes to “saving” ourselves. 2, that we believe there’s a power greater than us who will help. And 3, we decide to turn our lives over to the care of this power. Fr. Thomas Keating’s most important advice about prayer is: “Just show up; that’s all you need to do.”

06/07/2026

Scripture/Sermon of the Day. June 7, 2026

Genesis 12:1-5

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.

3

I will bless those who bless you,
those who curse you I will curse;
all the families of the earth
will be blessed because of you.”

4 Abram left just as the Lord told him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all of their possessions, and those who became members of their household in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan.

Matthew 9:9-13,18-26

9 As Jesus continued on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. He said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. 10 As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table.

11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 When Jesus heard it, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

18 While Jesus was speaking to them, a ruler came and knelt in front of him, saying, “My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her, and she’ll live.” 19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Then a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his clothes. 21 She thought, If I only touch his robe I’ll be healed.

22 When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, “Be encouraged, daughter. Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that time on.

23 When Jesus went into the ruler’s house, he saw the flute players and the distressed crowd. 24 He said, “Go away, because the little girl isn’t dead but is asleep”; but they laughed at him. 25 After he had sent the crowd away, Jesus went in and touched her hand, and the little girl rose up. 26 News about this spread throughout that whole region.

Reflection/Sermon:

I. We’re only on chapter 12 in the Bible, page 19 or 20, and God has already made the world and then destroyed it, and through Noah, tried again. But when people came back, instead of knowing God, they tried to be God — through a massive building project — “a tower with its top in the heavens.” People said, “Let’s make a name for ourselves.”

II. That was thousands of years ago — and people still want to make a name for themselves. They still have grand building projects. One impressive structure that’s been nicknamed “The Claw” has been built on the South Lawn of the White House to help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the president’s birthday. The president compared the Claw to the Eiffel Tower which was supposed to be taken down after the 1889 World’s Fair but people liked it so much, they kept it. He said The Claw is like the Eiffel Tower — it “is quite attractive to a lot of people and we may never take it down.”

We’ve been a nation for 250 years and will celebrate this milestone with an Ultimate Fighting Championship of 7 mixed-martial-art cage fights on the south lawn of one of America’s most cherished national symbols, The White House. We shall celebrate our freedom with men in a cage trying to destroy each other.

In this bloody spectacle, there will be fighters with names like: Topuira, Gaethje, Pereira, Zahabi, Hokit, Lopes and Garcia.

III. It’s ironic that many of the names of those who will be fighting represent the diversity of America. These are men whose ancestors have traveled from far-away places to make their homes here. At the same time, people by the thousands, with similar — or maybe the same — names are being arrested every day, in America, and locked in concentration camps until they are deported.

IV. I had a vision last week. I saw, at this time in our nations 250 year history, another large statue like the Statue of Liberty. But it was called the Statue of Captivity. It was a man in a cage, facing Liberty, with an arm extended through the bars but instead of a torch, the hand is open and empty and pleading. It had a plaque, but instead of the words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” —it said, “You tired, your poor, you huddled masses, we will find you.”

VI. It was a vision of what we are becoming, because we have lost our way.

We are like those at the Tower of Babel, with grand building projects, like A BALLROOM next to the White House so big it will make the White House look more like an outhouse — an appropriate symbol for what our democracy is becoming.

And between the Lincoln Memorial and the Potomac River, A GIANT ARCH — dwarfing the Memorial and so large it will block the viewS of the Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

VII. As the great New York Yankee baseball player Yogi Berra said, “This is Deja Vu all over again.” We still build towers to the heavens to “make a name” for ourselves.”

We have lost our way. As our buildings become bigger and more grotesque, the room in our hearts for God gets smaller and smaller.

So we are called today, as God called Abram, and Jesus called Matthew, to release the captives, and bless our neighbors, and raise the dead to life by the power of God’s love.

Annual church picnic. Come one And all
06/07/2026

Annual church picnic. Come one And all

06/06/2026

Scripture of the Day. June 6, 2026

Psalm 33:12-22

12
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord;
happy are the people he has chosen for his own!
13
The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees all of us humans.
14
From where he rules, he looks down
on all who live on earth.
15
He forms all their thoughts
and knows everything they do.
16
A king does not win because of his powerful army;
a soldier does not triumph because of his strength.
17
War horses are useless for victory;
their great strength cannot save.
18
The Lord watches over those who obey him,
those who trust in his constant love.
19
He saves them from death;
he keeps them alive in times of famine.
20
We put our hope in the Lord;
he is our protector and our help.
21
We are glad because of him;
we trust in his holy name.
22
May your constant love be with us, Lord,
as we put our hope in you.

Reflection:

The United States Semiquincentennial, also called the Bisesquicentennial, the Sestercentennial, or the Quarter Millennium, will be the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. Festivities will mark various events leading up to the Declaration's anniversary on the 250th Independence Day: July 4, 2026.

One of the events to celebrate the independence and freedom of our country will be a caged fighting contest with lightweights with the names Topuria and Gaethje competing and Heavyweights Pereira and Gane. It’s billed as “The Most Historic Sporting Event Of All Time.” I love that the fighters have such foreign-sounding names when our country, celebrating 250 years of “freedom” is arresting thousands of people a day for deportation for being “foreign.” We are a nation of contrasts. (This fight will be on June 14, which is also the president's 80th birthday.)

Which brings us to our reading today. David and Goliath were also a study in contrasts. Against the most advanced weapons systems of his day, David used rocks. And he won the contest. The psalm today tells us it’s not might or material advantage that determines the outcome of our battles in life, but our awareness of and closeness to God.

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