the Third Sunday in Lent

The Rev. Phil Brochard In her farewell sermon last week, Emily Hansen Curran shared a personal transformation from culture-war Christianity to a love-centered faith, which deeply moved her father, Randy. He responded by publicly confessing his own past rigidity and thanking the church for helping him rediscover love and grace. Their story of reconciliation paralleled Jesus’ parable of the barren fig tree, reminding the congregation of the importance of nurturing relationships, not cutting them off. The sermon calls for patient love over certainty and judgment, affirming that fruit can still be born in the most unlikely soil.