Kansas City United Church of Christ
No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life’s Journey, You Are Welcome Here!
We invite you to join our Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m.via Zoom.
Welcome to Kansas City UCC, an Open and Affirming, Peace with Justice church. We are located in the Brookside neighborhood at 65th and Linden (two blocks east of 65th and Wornall). We are currently closed for Sunday worship. However, we are on Zoom each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For the Meeting ID and Password please email mail@cccucc.com before 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Rev. Luckey will preach a series of sermons on the classic parables of Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew. The familiar stories contain a teaching nugget for us all. As many times we may have heard the lessons before, the parables are always offer a truth fresh for every moment.
July 12, 2020
Parable of the Sower: In this classic, we are reminded that however noble our efforts and intentions, there will always be resistance, criticism, doubt, and rejection. But the good news from the parable of the sower is unassailable: some seeds---our efforts--- will fall on fertile ground.
Scriptures: Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears[a] listen!”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[a] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
July 19, 2020
Parable of the Weeds and Wheat: As every gardener knows, especially this time of year, there are always weeds that threaten to take over the garden. In the lesson today, we hear not only the parable itself, but Jesus’ interpretation of the parable, through the gospel of Matthew. The enduring question about the presence of evil (the weeds) speaks to our own time today. How do we reconcile in our minds the presence of a loving God and the presence of evil in the world? What do you understand evil to be? How can it be overcome?
Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears[a] listen!
July 26, 2020
Parable of the Pearl of Great Price: Here in these short parables we hear the familiar refrain, “the reign of God is like….” In our modern-day minds that are used to calculating what we keep and what we give away, we encounter a God who seems to be willing to give everything away for what really matters. If this is true about God, what are the implications for how we are to live our lives?
Scriptures: Matthew 13:31-33, 42-52
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
The Parable of the Yeast
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Three Parables
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Treasures New and Old
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
August 2, 2020
Parable of the Feeding of the Five Thousand: The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is perhaps the most well known of all the parables. And it shows up in all four gospels. What does a miracle story of a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread feeding a hoard mean today in a Pandemic stretched world where we are confronted with the increasing scarcity of resources?
Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Our Church Name
We are still the same congregation once known as Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ, however, in January 2018, we changed our name to Kansas City United Church of Christ.