When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.” The house of Israel called it manna…
Toward Sunday
Listen to last Sunday’s message on our podcast here. Our worship this Sunday will be rooted in Philippians 2.1-13. As a community of faith, we seek to root our lives in this Grace in the following ways: public worship of God ministry of the Word (preaching or witnessing) holy communion family and private prayer searching the Scriptures fasting and abstinence Which practices are most meaningful for you at this point in your journey? Is there a practice you would like…
Toward Sunday
Our worship this Sunday on Measuring Depth will be rooted in Matthew 20.1-16. A parable is essentially an elaborate allegory. We are invited to see ourselves in the parables, and then apply them to ourselves. I wonder where you see yourself in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard? Our worship series will invite us to reflect on growing deeper in our faith lives. Matt’s message will focus this Sunday on how we measure growth in the…
Toward Sunday
Our worship this Sunday, September 4, will be rooted in the celebration of our Vocations in recognition of Labor Day. We’ll return to the donut plans we reflected upon a few months ago in worship. Antonio Garza (a local farmer) and Greg Eddy (union organizer and activist for California educators) will witness to their faith as they reflect on their vocations. Follow this link to learn more about the United Methodist Church view on Labor and Labor Unions. Consider these questions as you prepare…
The Voice of God is Calling Words by John H. Holmes 1913 (UMH #436) “I hear my people crying in slum and mine and mill; no field or mart is silent, no city street is still. I see my people falling in darkness and despair. Whom shall I send to shatter the fetters which they bear?” We heed, O Lord, your summons, and answer: Here are we! Send us upon your errand, let us your servants be. Our…
Christ Has No Body Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on…
Toward Sunday
We gather weekly to worship as a way to root our lives in Grace, in God’s unconditional love. We gather weekly in Kitchen Tables to grow in faith. We do not always know what it will cost us to be part of such a community, but we learn along the way. The disciples followed Jesus for quite some time and they, too, struggled to understand the cost of becoming a disciple. Our worship this Sunday will be rooted in Matthew…
Prayers of the People
We reflected in worship yesterday on how God calls us to reach in love as a small group of people. We wondered about our Kitchen Tables, the gifts of those around them and where we might work together to reach in love. As we begin our final week in this worship series, let us pause to pray: God of Hope and New Life, May your Spirit inspire us as we seek to discern our gifts and the gifts of those…
Toward Sunday
Our worship this Sunday will be rooted in Romans 12.1-8. I Mary Hinkle Shore writes, Imagine working with someone to move one of those large racks of folding chairs that populate church basements and school gymnasiums. It takes a theory (“I think this will work if you’re on one side and I’m on the other”); you have to share at least elements of a vision, to be of “one mind” on the nature of the task and its execution. Even so,…
Prayers of the People
We reflected in worship yesterday on how God calls us to reach in love as individuals. We wondered about the places in our lives where we feel “other” and the places in our lives where we cause those we encounter to feel “other.” As we begin a new week in this worship series, let us pause to pray: God of Hope and New Life, May your Spirit sustain us as we seek to reach in love to those around us.…
Seeing the Story
Here is a link to a Lego re-telling of the story we’ll focus on in worship tomorrow. Who are the “outsiders” or “others” in your life that might be calling out for mercy today? How will you hear their stories? How will you respond?
Dogs and Disciples
Worship this Sunday will be rooted in Matthew 15.21-28. Writing about this passage, David Lose calls our attention to this summary by Jim Boyce: So stretch your imaginations to entertain the scene. Gathered in one corner are those familiar disciples, for Matthew the true blue representatives of the faithful lost sheep of Israel, now leaping into the fray like so many ravenous beasts, as it were self-styled guarantors of the holy tradition, on their guard lest the mercies of God…
Who Is My Neighbor?
The following is adapted from Wishful Thinking by Frederick Buechner (page 78): When Jesus said to “love your neighbor” he was asked by an attorney for clarification. This attorney wanted a legal definition for neighbor in order to help him know exactly who Jesus wanted him to love. This is the sort of answer he was expecting: “A neighbor (hereinafter referred to as the party of the first part) is to be construed as meaning a person of Jewish descent whose legal…