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.

Searching for Superheroes!

We're going to begin our search for SUPERHEROES  this week in worship.  We don't have to look too far...we've got a few in our midst!  Our Senior High-ers leave this coming week for a superhero mission to Joplin MO, to help in the rebuilding of that community after devastating tornados last spring.  We've all got a little superhero in us...just as we all have a mild-mannered, sometimes weak-kneed, alter-ego that gives us problems.  We wish we could do great things.  We may wish we could have super-intelligence, super-strength, super-powers to handle any circumstance that comes along. The fact is, God's power is all we need.  The good news is that at times we DO do great things, although often hidden from our own view.  The good news also is that even when we don't do great things...God's power is made perfect through our weakness.  Our search for superheroes this month will show us that they are us and we are them...each embodying a God-given blend of strength and weakness to show God's super love, power, justice, and compassion for all. 

Summer Heat

It's here.  We all know it well - and most of us bear it as best we can living in Central Arizona:  "Convection-Oven Season," otherwise known as summer in the Phoenix area.  As a northern Midwesterner, I grew up with the cycles of the seasons.  They ingrained my life with a rhythm that permeated many of my activities and moods. While winter in the northern climes is the "hunkering down" season, here in Arizona, it's the summer.  We stay inside, moving from air-conditioned building, to air-conditioned car, to air-conditioned home. We may save our outdoor activities for earliest morning or later at night.  Basically, however, most of us are blessed to have those options.  Our Middle Schoolers went on an "Urban Plunge" this week, visiting various mission outreach locations in downtown Phoenix. This morning, I just saw some of them come back to church for a quick break, maybe picking up or dropping off stuff.  The message I got was: IT WAS HOT!   As temps hover around 113-115 degrees, our Urban Plungers remind us that not all people living here - or in many other parts of the world - have the cooling options we have.  Let's let the summer heat remind us to give thanks to God for what we have, reach out when we can to those mission projects especially this high-demand time of year, and pray for doors of relief and guidance to open for those who are suffering.

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE with God!

Many of us spent the week in Vacation Bible School thinking about the passage  from Mark 10:27: "For human beings, it is impossible, but not for God; for God, all things are possible!"  Wow.  That's one of those statements that boggles your mind the more you think about it.  I wonder what I've been assuming is impossible lately?  One of the problems I have to admit here is that when I look for what might be possible with God...I limit my options to what I think I want or only what I can conceive of.  At VBS this week, we saw God do some things in our scripture stories that NO ONE could imagine or expect...and God did them when things were looking pretty bad.

During worship on Sunday, Dylan (who did a great job reinacting some Bible characters for us this week!) is going to retell some of those  favorite amazing stories.  Plus we'll join with the kids singing some of their "SKY-high" flying songs.   The Sky's the limit with God's love for us!  All things are possible!

You FOUND our New Community space! Welcome!

There's nothing like finding and being found!  Jesus said so.  It was one of his favorite activities, I think. Sometimes it's been hard to find the New Community contemporary worship service at Velda Rose, but it's been around awhile, and we're claiming our space! 

We worship at the 9:20 a.m. hour on Sunday mornings  in the fellowship hall - called Moore Hall.  It's on the west side of the campus.  As you park your car or come through the parking lot off of 56th St. and head towards the patio, take a right at the Welcome Gazebo, and you'll see the doors down the walkway....or just ask someone.  We're a pretty friendly bunch.  

We're a "come as you are" community.  We all live hectic lives and are looking for a place to be accepted and loved just for who we are.  We know it's not often easy to come to church on Sunday morning, so we want you to feel comfortable. There will be some coffee and cookies waiting for you.

But, don't be mistaken.  Living the Christian life in this day and age is not about coffee, cookies and comfort.  We hope you will leave on Sundays feeling like you have some renewed connection to God, and challenge to finding and following a spiritual path.  We also hope you will find in us companions on your journey!  Welcome!