Entries by Kevin Ireland

Why the Sanctuary Grows Darker in Lent

Dear faith family, Earlier this week, someone asked me a thoughtful question: “Why do you have black curtains partially covering the beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary?” If I’m honest, this is a new tradition for me as well. But over these weeks of Lent, I’ve come to experience it in a meaningful way. […]

Mercy in the Dust

Isaiah 1:10-17, John 8:2-11 I came to Jerusalem for the festival, like everyone else. Every year when the harvest comes in, we travel up the hill to the city. The roads fill with pilgrims and wagons, children running ahead of their parents. You can smell dates and figs drying in baskets, hear lambs bleating and […]

Space for the Spirit

Dear Faith Family, This past Wednesday was one of those days when the calendar seemed to fill every available space. From early morning until mid-afternoon I moved from meeting to meeting – planning worship music, discussing technology upgrades for our staff, exploring ways we might support justice work here in Wichita, checking in with staff, […]

Who’s Missing?

Matthew 19:13-15 and Deuteronomy 24:17-22 I remember the day we brought the children to Jesus. Word had spread that he was coming through our village, and people were already gathering along the road, some hoping to hear him teach, some hoping for healing, and some just curious. We had heard the stories. They said he […]

Praying for Peace in a Time of Tension

This week the news has once again turned our attention toward the Middle East, as tensions with Iran continue to escalate and the threat of a wider regional war grows more real. For many of us, these headlines stir both concern for the present and memories of conflicts past. I remember the first Gulf War […]