Sunday, February 01 (11:00 am) with Holy Communion
Congratulations, Losers
Matthew 5:1-12
Congratulations, Losers
One week from now, someone will win the Super Bowl. Confetti will fall. Gatorade will fly. Players will grab microphones and declare, “I’m so blessed!” But what about the ones who don’t win? What about those who end up in what we call the Losers’ Locker Room?
This Sunday at Shiloh, we’re asking a provocative question: What if God’s idea of winning looks nothing like a victory parade? What if the ones Jesus calls “blessed” are exactly the people our culture writes off as losers? In a political moment when so many of us feel defeated, discouraged, or demoralized, we need to hear Jesus’ scandalous sermon on the mount again—as if for the first time. The Beatitudes aren’t pious platitudes for people who already have it all together. They’re life preservers thrown to desperate souls struggling to keep their heads above water.
Join us for worship as we explore what it means to be truly blessed—not because we’ve accumulated the right things or won the right battles, but because God meets us exactly where we are. We’ll share communion together, sing songs that remind us whose we are, and discover that in God’s upside-down kingdom, the last really are first.
We are Honored to Welcome a Special Music Guest, Rev. Dr. Jaron S. Green! Dr. Green is a scholar, minister, and community leader who brings his gifts as both theologian and musician to our worship. Dr. Green embodies a commitment to “scholarship in service of the soul”—weaving together prophetic witness, pastoral care, and the transformative power of music. Dr. Green will lead worship music this week and bless us with his rendition of “I’m Blessed”—a fitting musical meditation on the day’s theme. His presence promises to deepen our worship as we explore what it truly means to be blessed.
Come ready to be challenged, comforted, and reminded that we’re blessed—together.
See the Shiloh Worship Page for Online Access to Worship.
Our preacher, is the Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade, pastor of Sanctuary UCC, the chair of the Medford Interfaith Clergy Association, and clergy consultant to Shiloh Baptist Church. She preaches at Shiloh twice per month. For more about Rev. Wendy’s mission and ministry, see SanctuaryUCC.org and RevWendy.com.
