The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza is the pastor of The First Congregational Church of Canton Center, CT, and a lecturer at Yale Divinity School.
Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7 (NRSV)
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’
Reflection: When God Falls Off the Ceiling
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PRAYER
God of everything everywhere, may we come to know you down here, where you have always been. Amen.
New Prayer Requests:
We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org.
Prayers of Intercession:
- For the family and friends of The Rev. Dr. Sharon Ledbetter who passed away February 19, 2023. Sharon served in Keene, NH, Southbury, CT, and was called as Pastor of the First Congregational Church in Lebanon, CT, where she served for 25 years before retiring.
- For the people of Ukraine whose lives continue to be shattered by war.
- For those grieving or suffering due to the ~7,000 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the new year.
- For those suffering due to the Turkey–Syria earthquake where ~47,000 people are known to have lost their lives, with thousands more injured, in a first earthquake, and who then suffered a second quake.
- For those affected by the various storms, fires, landslides, and tornadoes throughout the country.
Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving:
- For women who find ways to help their community
- For women Growing In Grace
This Week in History:
March 7, 1965 (58 years ago): In Selma, Alabama, a 600-person civil rights demonstration ends in violence when marchers are attacked and beaten by white state troopers and sheriff’s deputies. The day's events became known as "Bloody Sunday." [History]
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
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Brenda M. Pelc-Faszcza
interim pastor of First Congregational Church in Canton Center