We are an Open and Affirming Congregation
Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!
Worship Services
We live stream our Sunday Worship.
SUNDAYS
Worship 10:00 AM
135 E Larch St, Rhinelander, WI 54501
FELLOWSHIP TIME
Enjoy coffee and conversation following worship.
At a time when religion is too often portrayed as narrow-minded and exclusive, we are raising our voices for alternative vision. One where God is all-loving and inclusive. Where the Church of Jesus Christ welcomes and accepts everyone as they are. Where your mind is nourished as much as your soul. Where Jesus the healer meets Jesus the revolutionary. Where together we grow a just and peaceful world.
Every visitor is also invited to share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month. We live stream our Sunday Worship to our Facebook page. We also post the video on our YouTube channel. Join us by clicking on the underlined sites, Facebook or YouTube, above.
See you here!
Join Us for Rally Day September 8, 2024
Next 7 Days of Events
Change Your Mind
“A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but did not go. Which one did the will of his father?” They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds.” – Matthew 21:28-32 (NRSV)
Moral of the story: People who say yes don’t always follow through. People who say no sometimes do. Doers, not people who only talk a good game, are pleasing to God. Right?
Yes. And no.
Because doing isn’t the only point here. There’s a deeper one in what Jesus says about the first son: “He changed his mind.” And in his reproach of his religious audience: “You didn’t change yours.” Jesus wants us to be doers of God’s will. But he’s equally concerned about our capacity for reconsideration. Maybe more.
What he commends isn’t mere ‘doing.’ It’s convertibility, a willingness to think again, to discover we’re wrong, to reverse course. It seems that a chastened heart may be preferable even to constancy and virtuous doing. Because there’s a sneaky danger in constancy and virtuous doing. It can give the illusion of perfection. Self-righteousness and judgmentalism come with that territory.
But people who change their minds are always undergoing the peculiar suffering of being wrong, swallowing their pride, recalibrating their assumptions and choices. They’re under no illusion of perfection. Humbled and teachable, they’re more likely to be merciful. And for Jesus there’s no other bottom line.
Prayer
Take my made-up mind and give me a changing mind. Make me convertible and merciful, so that I can truly do your will.
About the Author Mary Luti is a long-time seminary educator and pastor, author of Teresa of Avila’s Way and numerous articles, and founding member of The Daughters of Abraham, a national network of interfaith women’s book groups.ABout UCC
A church of firsts and of extravagant welcome. A church where "they may all be one" (John 17:21).
The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians who come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world.
Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts, weaving God’s message of hope and extravagant welcome with action for justice and peace. Together, we live out our faith in ways that effect change in our communities. Our church works to help make a difference in local, national and global communities.
