A State of Flux

When the Pentecost Spirit blew into the lives of the disciples...they entered a STATE OF FLUX. They spoke languages they didn't know to people they didn't know.  They started getting "beamed" to desert roads  to run along side of chariots with people who needed hear the message.  They were told to eat stuff that was repulsive to them.  They were told to go and take care of the fiercest of persecuters.  They were sent on missions way out of their comfort zones.  When God calls us to do a new thing, we too are drawn into a state of flux. 

Our New Community Worship service is (has been!) in a state of flux.  This summer we will be working to find our way through the FLUX to a new FIT.  Join us...watch for meeting announcements for opportunities to give input and get involved in planning a new worship experience!

In the Midst of It All...Love has Come!

In the midst of it all…

a government tax,

a burdened journey,

a burgeoned town,

no room in the midst of it all.

In the midst of it all…

each single life, here and now,

walks the hard pavement of ordinary life,

wading through the sinking mud

or flash flood of waking tasks,

worried racks

of anxious unknowns.

But, somewhere in this night,

the desert night of long ago,

 or this daily desert of a road—

a twinkling here, a shining there,

a flower blooms in deepest winter.

Love has come and calms the shiver.

A warming kiss a soft embrace,

a lighted window

a stable place.

In the midst of it all…

a hard won labor,

grace is born in fleshly groans.

The baby cries his birthday song

 as angels weep and sweep

the heaven-to-earthbound glory.

And, love has come,

 to each and every one

of us whether our eyes are open

and we perceive,

or closed in lonely fear.

We will receive this love come to us –

whether open-hearted in abundant waves,

or in unsuspected and surprising ways.

Love has come. Love has come…

Arise and shine – with the sun!

Love has come in newborn grace

to offer truth

and God a face.

Barbara Doerrer-Peacock, 2010

The Gospel of Rummage

Yes, it's High Holy Season of Rummage at Velda Rose again! I've gone through the aisles for three days now and found treasure each time... certainly things I couldn't live without: yet another two t-shirts...a set of sheets...a coin purse...some candles.  I'm still a novice.  I've only been to four of these sales now in my time as Associate Pastor.  But, I'm starting to see the gospel good news in them.  Not only are we doing good stuff for the environment by reusing and recycling, but there's more to it...something deeper that I'm  beginning to put my finger on.  How often does all our material "stuff"  keep us apart?  We isolate ourselves behind the brick walls of our back yards, or inside looking at all our screens - computer, TV, telephones.  But, the good news of our rummage sales is that it brings people together.  Friends and strangers, the well-off and the not-so-well-off, both men and women,  young and old, there's something for everyone.  As workers,  we  plan and prepare and categorize and sort together.  We share stories and laughter and lives. We're drawn together in a space that we can share both our appreciation and our grumblings. We invite friends and neighbors to join us. knowing the work benefits causes greater than ourselves.  Everyone loves a treasure hunt, so there's the shopping that we all like.  We are reminded that somehow, our cast-offs might just find a good home with someone else...and somehow, I think that can strike a chord of hope deep within us.  In this Christian faith of ours,we've heard some similar promises...about treasures hidden in fields, and blessed are the meek, what is lost is now found,  and what is least will be the greatest of all.  These are rummage messages...good news for us!  The Gospel of Rummage!

September Vacation

I've learned that for me at Velda Rose,  September is the optimal vacation month.  Most families are busy getting kids acclimated to school, but our winter friends have not yet returned from their northern homes.  There's a lull in activities.  So...it's time for me to VACATE for a couple of weeks.  Actually, I'm not going far.  I plan to stay at a friends' casita for a couple days of personal retreat time, and then Rich and I will spend the next week and half probably cleaning the garage. Oh well.  It's nice when it's done, but not the most fun way to spend a vacation!  But, then again, time to sleep a little longer in the mornings, and a change of routine can do wonders.  A little purging of old clutter can also be good for the soul.  So, after this Sunday, I'll see you at the end of September, and ready to jump full-throttle into our "high" season!  Activities around the church will soon be picking up steam...Pathway Wednesday nights will begin Sept. 26, Fall Rummage sale is right around the corner in October.  Hasta luego!

Jamie - We're with you!

Here's a little humorous moment to tell Jamie Kuchan we're all with her in her Olympic training!
Senior Olympic Synchronized Swimming

But seriously...we may not have the huge life-dedicating choices to make like those training for the Olympics, but we all are faced with an overwhelming amount of choices to make every day.  How do we make those choices?  If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed to the point of apathy, or just living our lives reacting to things that come our way, we will find ourselves tossed about by any wind that blows, and empty of any true fulfillment.  Our filling comes from being willing to be intentional in our lives, even if we have to choose between imperfect choices. 

This Sunday, we'll look at what happened and what Jesus had to say when his followers had to face some difficult choices!

Hungry?

Are you hungry?  It's a common question. It may be the prelude to stopping at a drive-thru, or a quick rummage through a refrigerator, or being handed a lint-covered granola bar from the depths of a school backpack, or dropping some change into a vending machine.  We are fortunate that we live in a place where there may be multiple answers to that question.  Certainly there are many places in the world where it's a  mute point. Of course. There's rarely any other condition.  But, for most of us, it's simply a question inviting an easy, hospitable act of satisfying a slight grumbling noise.  To Jesus, though, it was more.  During August in the New Community worship service, we will taking a close-up look at the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John.  It's all about being hungry and feeding...feeding miraculous numbers of people with a few morsels, and shifting our understandings from physical hunger to spiritual hunger. We probably know there are more types of hunger than just grumbling tummies.  Jesus was concerned about the starving souls all around him.  That's why BREAD was a favorite metaphor for him.  You may be experiencing some sort of hunger in your life.  Maybe you think it's just your tummy that is rumble-grumbling, but it might be something more. An ancient poet once said, "As a deer longs for flowing water, so  my soul longs for you, O God"  (Psalm 42) 

Why Come to Church?

Here's a little midsummer reminder:
First - let me tell you why NOT to come to church:

• Because someone told you you should.
• Because the church needs your money.
• Because it's what you've always done.
• Because the church wants to keep it's attendance numbers up.
• Because you have nothing better to do.
• Because God will be angry if you don't come.

Now, let me tell you some reasons WHY TO COME to church:

• You know you can worship God anywhere...but there's just something about being with other people worshipping that feels good.
• You'd like to see and get to know supportive, caring, friends.
• God might speak to you through someone else.
• You might gain a new insight about yourself, others, or the world.
• You might feel God a little closer.
• You might be guided to some new opportunity to serve others, or clarify your sense of purpose in life.
• You like cookies and potlucks.
• You like to sing meaningful songs with other people...not just alone in the shower or while you are driving in your car.
• You like to be around and interact with people of all ages.
• You might find someone to have a good conversation with.
• You'd like to give God and others an opportunity to perhaps meet some need you didn't know you had.
• You'd like to be present and available so God might use you to meet someone else's need.