Worship

Worship2022-07-22T15:21:54-05:00

Please consider praying with us on Sunday and at our Tuesday Mid-Day Prayer worship.

All are welcome at Kenilworth Union Church. We are a nondenominational congregation upholding the traditions and teachings of the Protestant faith. Join us for Sunday Worship.

Special Services

In addition to regular Sunday worship and fellowship, Kenilworth Union celebrates the seasons of the Church year with special services during Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and other occasions marking important milestones in the life of the congregation.

Online Streaming

Selected services and sermons may be viewed live online. Visit Upcoming Worship for details.

The Unnamed, IX: The Quintuple Divorcée

March 12, 2023

This Samaritan Woman story is a particularly appropriate text for Kenilworth Union. In the first church constitution the founders wrote: “Recognizing the minor differences which exist among believers… we have united as a church of Jesus Christ upon the great essentials of the Christian faith.” For all of our 130-year history, unity across our differences has been a guiding principle. At the same time Protestant Christianity in the United States was breaking into what historian David Hollinger calls two broad groups: the ecumenical and the evangelical. If you wonder how churches like this one exist in a rapidly fracturing religious landscape, you will find Hollinger’s book a provocative read. Kenilworth Union remains fiercely independent, but Hollinger would label us more ecumenical than evangelical for three reasons: our participation in the movement of the World Council of Churches, the way we read and interpret the Bible seriously but not literally, and the fact that senior ministers come from mainline Protestant traditions. And yes, women preach and pastor here.

The Unnamed, VIII: The Hyphenated Woman

March 5, 2023

Don’t let the shocking, insulting nature of that comment be lost on you. It was not a compliment. It’s still not a compliment. “You dog!” I say to my son when I challenge him to a dollar a hole on the golf course and he collects $18 every time, just by getting lucky, every time. “You dog!” Forgive my language, but Jesus comes this close to calling her a bitch, a female dog. But here’s where the story gets good and becomes Gospel. Look at this pushy mother’s response to Jesus’ blunt, unmannerly metaphor. She doesn’t take offense; she doesn’t walk away huffing “Well, I never...”; she doesn’t resent it; she doesn’t argue with it: she enters Jesus’ metaphor. She wrestles Jesus’ metaphor from his grip like a University of Michigan linebacker, runs the other way, and takes it home for a stolen turnover touchdown.

The Unnamed, VII: The Woman with the Chronic Condition

February 26, 2023

Twelve years waiting to touch the fringe of power, just so she no longer has to live on the fringe of her community. And I love the way Mark talks about Jesus’ miracle-making machine. The instant she touches the fringe of his power, she can feel in her body that she is suddenly well. The bleeding stops just like that. Likewise, Jesus feels the power exit his body. That is such a nice narrative touch, don’t you think? That miraculous power is tangible; that energy is palpable; it’s like a shock of static electricity. Giver and receiver alike can feel the exchange of energy; the down at the back of both necks stands up straight. “Who touched me?” Jesus instantly demands. They say there is no such thing as a dumb question, but Jesus’ disciples think this one might just qualify. “Who touched you?! Jesus, you’re a hot celebrity crushed by a milling mêlée of humanity; everybody’s touching you!” “No!” he says. “Somebody touched me with faithful intent. I know the difference. I know when someone wants something from me.” Jesus sounds angry, but he’s not; he is amazed; he is astonished by this towering but anonymous faith.