We gather for a Worship Service on this Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, Third Sunday in Lent in person at the Chapel (2700 W 14th Street) at 11:00 a.m.

To join us at the Chapel, buzz Zion Church (Bob Bucklew) from the Directory at the front of the 2700 Building on the campus of San Sofia apartments or enter from the accessible ramp from the rear parking lot. When you arrive, call Bob at 216-375-5323 to open the parking lot gate.

As it is our tradition on the first Sunday of the month-and in this season of Lenten journey, we will share in Holy Communion. The bread and cup will be provided for us around the table at the Chapel. If you are joining us on Zoom, we encourage you to gather some simple elements of bread and cup and join with us in Communion. All are welcome!

The Sunday Bulletin is attached in PDF format. You may use it as a devotional during the week.

UPCOMING EVENT:

OWLS Cleveland (Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors) cordially invites you to our March meeting. We will gather on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024, 11:30AM – 1:30PM at Zion United Church of Christ, 2700 W. 14th Street, Cleveland (on the campus of San Sofia Apartments).

Join us for lunch and meet our guest speaker, Michael O’Malley, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor. Then join in an art project with local Tremont artist, Angelica Pozo. Get acquainted with your neighbors, find out who the OWLS are, and hear about future activities. Door prizes and favors. Masks are optional.

To help us make sure we are prepared, please RSVP for the lunch and/or the art project by March 9, 2024. Call Beverly to RSVP: 216-310-6810.

The Focus Scripture Reading is John 2:13-22

John’s account of the Gospel differs greatly from the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in that Jesus travels to Jerusalem early on in his ministry for the first time at Passover, enters the temple, and drives out the moneychangers with a whip of cords. In these verses of John 2, it appears that when Jesus calls the temple, “my Father’s house,” the other religious leaders present want a sign from Jesus. He tells them to destroy the temple and in three days he will raise it—a reference to his own death and resurrection, but those present refuse to believe the temple can be destroyed. This is the temple that Herod had begun restoring, but was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the year 70 C.E. It is important for us to remember that while John’s account purports to tell what happened in Jesus’ day, John was most likely written around 90 C.E., well after the events of the destruction of the temple. John’s account is trying to show how wrong the people were about Jesus, to prove his account of Jesus is the right one. It’s interesting to note how many times in John’s account the Jewish people demand signs, when it seems that the gospel account itself is all about proving who Jesus was, as if over-responding to that demand for a sign. It’s important to look at these passages with a critical eye, in light of how John’s account has been used to fuel antisemitism, and at the same time, recall the reforms Jesus brought to practice and religious life (and in all four accounts of the Gospels, Jesus did enter the temple and drive out the moneychangers).

Sermon/Reflection: “Jesus the Great Disruptor” by the Rev. Scott Rosenstein, based on the reading of John 2:13-22.

Please join us this Lenten season to give thanks to God and to seek the companionship of Christ in-person at Zion Chapel.

Lenten Blessings,
Pastor Scott Rosenstein
216-273-7561 – church
216-577-1514 – mobile

Bulletin Cover Image:
Christ overturns the tables of the moneylenders
Oil painting, 1965 by Peter Koenig
St. Edward the Confessor’s Parish Church, Kettering
The Catholic Diocese of Northampton, United Kingdom
Lo & Behold Bible Blog – “Christ clears the temple (John 2:13-17)”
https://loandbeholdbible.com/2023/08/18/christ-clears-the-temple-john-213-17/