AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR ASH WEDNESDAY **
We believe in God who, from dust and nothingness, brought forth this earth, and all that dwell hereon. Light and dark, are the special effects God has chosen to reveal the awesome colors of creation as each day begins and ends.
We believe in Jesus the beloved Son of God, begotten to love, teach, free, heal and save humankind. He sought to show all people how best to love God and one another.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, God’s companion-gift sent to warm our hearts, walk by our side, and give us the language of glory to honor God all the days of our life. This Spirit invites us to dance the dance of transformation and sing songs of thanks and praise to the One who loves us without reservation.
We believe in the Church that gathers our hearts as one prodding us, by the truth of Christ’s resurrection, to serve God and work for good. Thanks be to God.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, we come before you on this Ash Wednesday as those seeking transformation. As we journey through the next 40 days help us understand what it means to be intentional disciples of Jesus. Try us and challenge us to find time to attend to one spiritual discipline. May these 40 days be for us a time to discover a deeper faith. Help us, gracious Lord, to stay the course, knowing that our spiritual muscles will be stronger for participating in a pious exercise. If we fast, keep us alert. If we wait upon another, let us find in our service the true meaning of discipleship. Our investment of time and spiritual energy in the days ahead will determine the richness of the fruit of our labors. Let us not be distracted by doubt or thrown off course, by the demands of the world. Let not our best efforts be thwarted by weakness or frustration. Oh patient one, empower us to love with a heart like Jesus, to wait upon you with the same trust as Jesus and to accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our dearest Abba Father, in heaven; your name we hallow above all. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We ask no more than our daily bread and that you forgive our trespasses, empowering us to forgive those who trespass against us. Let us not be overcome by the temptations of this world, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PREPARING OUR OFFERING
The season of Lent is a time for turning to God and taking a look at ourselves in the mirror God holds before us. Lent is a good time to reflect on how much of ourselves we have invested in our relationship with God. Lent is not meant to be a time of listing our sins, mistakes and regrets. Neither is it a time for us to obsess over failures or beat ourselves up. Lent is an opportunity to become better followers of Jesus; a time for honing our spirituality. It is always a season of decision; so I invite you to decide. Choose a spiritual discipline to practice for the next 6 weeks. Take 30 minutes apart from your regular day, at least three times a week to pray, or fast, read the scriptures, or wait upon someone else. Write down what you will do on the card in your bulletin and, carry it with you to remind you of your decision on this journey through the 40 days of Lent.
Friday, March 21, 2014
March 2, 2014 "PIETY TAKES PRACTICE"
*THE APOSTLES’ CREED REVISITED**
I believe in God, the all-powerful Sovereign of the Universe, the loving Abba Father, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God’s only Son, who was conceived by The Spirit of God and born of Mary.
Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried.
On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
I believe the risen Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God Almighty.
From this throne Jesus shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal and the communion of saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving Lord, it is a joy to be gathered here in the company of old and new friends. We relish this Sunday ritual of raising our voices in song praising your name and offering our thanks for your love and compassion. We have readied ourselves answering the call to worship, singing with gusto the opening hymn. We have testified to our faith, reciting the words of the creed, which attests to your power and presence, asserts the truth of Jesus and assures us of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the world today. We are moved and comforted by the words of familiar and much beloved hymns and confess our desire to better appreciate the prayerful content of the newer less familiar ones. Make each one of us a powerful witness to your presence, today, as we seek our own spiritual transformation in Jesus Christ. We pray in his name. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
When we read about Jesus and his disciples we don’t spend a great deal of time wondering how they supported themselves. We may assume that they, like Blanche Dubois, depended on the “kindness of strangers” or thought they had their own means of support. Luke tells us how women whose lives were transformed: Mary called Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others provided for Jesus out of their own resources. They, like the male disciples, accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow. These women didn’t only support the ministry financially; they became an essential part of it proving that the growth of any ministry requires, first, an invitation to be transformed and become part of something greater than oneself.
I believe in God, the all-powerful Sovereign of the Universe, the loving Abba Father, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God’s only Son, who was conceived by The Spirit of God and born of Mary.
Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried.
On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
I believe the risen Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God Almighty.
From this throne Jesus shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal and the communion of saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving Lord, it is a joy to be gathered here in the company of old and new friends. We relish this Sunday ritual of raising our voices in song praising your name and offering our thanks for your love and compassion. We have readied ourselves answering the call to worship, singing with gusto the opening hymn. We have testified to our faith, reciting the words of the creed, which attests to your power and presence, asserts the truth of Jesus and assures us of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the world today. We are moved and comforted by the words of familiar and much beloved hymns and confess our desire to better appreciate the prayerful content of the newer less familiar ones. Make each one of us a powerful witness to your presence, today, as we seek our own spiritual transformation in Jesus Christ. We pray in his name. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
When we read about Jesus and his disciples we don’t spend a great deal of time wondering how they supported themselves. We may assume that they, like Blanche Dubois, depended on the “kindness of strangers” or thought they had their own means of support. Luke tells us how women whose lives were transformed: Mary called Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others provided for Jesus out of their own resources. They, like the male disciples, accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow. These women didn’t only support the ministry financially; they became an essential part of it proving that the growth of any ministry requires, first, an invitation to be transformed and become part of something greater than oneself.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
February 23, 2014 "WALKING THE DISCIPLESHIP WALK"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Loving Lord, when we were toddlers learning to walk we grabbed onto the hands of loving parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters — anyone who promised to help us stay upright on our feet. Instinctively our goal was to walk and run without help. Though, advised and warned, through our formative years, to make wise choices and to follow healthy paths, mistakes were inevitable and we want to say that we learned from them. We confess that only in hindsight do we recognize how you have always been close at hand, promising to help us get back on our toddling feet each time we have tripped, stumbled and fallen. With a sigh of relief we say: Thank you in the name of the one whose footsteps lead us in paths of righteousness for you name’s sake, even Jesus Christ our savior, redeemer and friend. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
My office is an interesting place to visit. The desk is always cluttered, with papers, photos, pens and post-its. Every inch of wall, floor and ceiling space provides a spot for some important treasure: a antique prayer bench embroidered by my aunt and repaired by Roger Holder, the coat rack with my robes and stoles, boxes of historic church documents, pictures and souvenir posters from South America dating back to 1973, crosses from Chile, Guatemala, Russia, Mexico, Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs; angels and stuffed animals —some that sing— others that herald a holiday, pottery chalices and patens sculpted by a friend who died in 2005. When I look at these treasures, they remind me of adventures shared and lessons learned. The treasure is the memory stirred by the object not the object itself. Let your offering to the church stir in you a memory of important lessons learned and marvelous things accomplished in the name of the Christ.
Loving Lord, when we were toddlers learning to walk we grabbed onto the hands of loving parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters — anyone who promised to help us stay upright on our feet. Instinctively our goal was to walk and run without help. Though, advised and warned, through our formative years, to make wise choices and to follow healthy paths, mistakes were inevitable and we want to say that we learned from them. We confess that only in hindsight do we recognize how you have always been close at hand, promising to help us get back on our toddling feet each time we have tripped, stumbled and fallen. With a sigh of relief we say: Thank you in the name of the one whose footsteps lead us in paths of righteousness for you name’s sake, even Jesus Christ our savior, redeemer and friend. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
My office is an interesting place to visit. The desk is always cluttered, with papers, photos, pens and post-its. Every inch of wall, floor and ceiling space provides a spot for some important treasure: a antique prayer bench embroidered by my aunt and repaired by Roger Holder, the coat rack with my robes and stoles, boxes of historic church documents, pictures and souvenir posters from South America dating back to 1973, crosses from Chile, Guatemala, Russia, Mexico, Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs; angels and stuffed animals —some that sing— others that herald a holiday, pottery chalices and patens sculpted by a friend who died in 2005. When I look at these treasures, they remind me of adventures shared and lessons learned. The treasure is the memory stirred by the object not the object itself. Let your offering to the church stir in you a memory of important lessons learned and marvelous things accomplished in the name of the Christ.
Newsletter Article for March 2014
ON WAITING FOR A BUS OR SOMETHING
Have you ever waited for a bus? For those who are dependent on public transportation to get from here to there the hope is that the bus will arrive at or around the time promised. When I lived in New York City buses could be counted on to arrive about every 10 minutes during the rush hours of the morning and evening. I didn’t always take the bus the dozen or so blocks from my apartment to work, but on really cold or rainy days if the bus was there I got on it. In South America once some friends and I waited half a day for a bus that had been scheduled to take us to a city in the Southern part of Colombia. The bus drivers in that part of the world didn’t really pay attention to the time tables. They picked people up and dropped them off all along their route; so what was supposed to be an express bus with no stops turned out to be a local with lots of stops. I still have the photograph I took of my friend Rose sitting on the curb outside the bus station waiting. The earliest definitions of the word wait, from the around the year 1200 meant to “lie in wait” to watch for with a hostile intent. I’ll grant you that those obliged to wait “forever” for a bus might well be waiting with hostile intent! In those earlier centuries wait meant “to watch,” “to be awake,” “to guard.” Not until the 1400s did “wait” come to include the sense of “remaining in some place,” “to stand by in attendance on,” “to serve as an attendant at a table.” Wow! Going from the meaning of lying in wait with a hostile intent to serving as an attendant at a table is quite an evolution for one small word.
We live in a society that grows impatient when obliged to wait, but we have an opportunity to be waiters with the many who are waiting in the world around us. Some are waiting to hear if they landed the job they applied for; others are waiting fearfully for the results of a biopsy, or a CT scan, or an MRI; some are waiting for others to make a decision which affects our congregational life; some are waiting to hear if they have been accepted to college, some are seated at the bed side of a loved one waiting and keeping watch in case they awaken or do not ever again.
As I see it we have some choices in the manner of our waiting for the, arrival, the results, the inevitable and the decisions of others. We can stay in one place and twiddle our thumbs, looking frequently at our watches. We can stew and storm and throw up our hands in frustration as we remark on the ineptitude of the bus lines, the inefficiency of the health care system, the uncommunicative nature of corporate decision makers; the unfair politics of educational institutions, and the mysterious unpredictability of the human body. OR We can be waiters who serve, who keep on keeping on, doing ministry, witnessing to our faith, telling our story, praying for the decision makers. This gives a whole new meaning perhaps to your understanding of waiting upon the Lord. It means we serve the Lord and attend to God’s people.
In the 6th chapter of Matthew Jesus said to his disciples: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
As we enter of the season of Lent let us let go of impatience and stewing and find ways to wait upon one another in the name of the Christ.
Peace,
Rev. Amanda
Have you ever waited for a bus? For those who are dependent on public transportation to get from here to there the hope is that the bus will arrive at or around the time promised. When I lived in New York City buses could be counted on to arrive about every 10 minutes during the rush hours of the morning and evening. I didn’t always take the bus the dozen or so blocks from my apartment to work, but on really cold or rainy days if the bus was there I got on it. In South America once some friends and I waited half a day for a bus that had been scheduled to take us to a city in the Southern part of Colombia. The bus drivers in that part of the world didn’t really pay attention to the time tables. They picked people up and dropped them off all along their route; so what was supposed to be an express bus with no stops turned out to be a local with lots of stops. I still have the photograph I took of my friend Rose sitting on the curb outside the bus station waiting. The earliest definitions of the word wait, from the around the year 1200 meant to “lie in wait” to watch for with a hostile intent. I’ll grant you that those obliged to wait “forever” for a bus might well be waiting with hostile intent! In those earlier centuries wait meant “to watch,” “to be awake,” “to guard.” Not until the 1400s did “wait” come to include the sense of “remaining in some place,” “to stand by in attendance on,” “to serve as an attendant at a table.” Wow! Going from the meaning of lying in wait with a hostile intent to serving as an attendant at a table is quite an evolution for one small word.
We live in a society that grows impatient when obliged to wait, but we have an opportunity to be waiters with the many who are waiting in the world around us. Some are waiting to hear if they landed the job they applied for; others are waiting fearfully for the results of a biopsy, or a CT scan, or an MRI; some are waiting for others to make a decision which affects our congregational life; some are waiting to hear if they have been accepted to college, some are seated at the bed side of a loved one waiting and keeping watch in case they awaken or do not ever again.
As I see it we have some choices in the manner of our waiting for the, arrival, the results, the inevitable and the decisions of others. We can stay in one place and twiddle our thumbs, looking frequently at our watches. We can stew and storm and throw up our hands in frustration as we remark on the ineptitude of the bus lines, the inefficiency of the health care system, the uncommunicative nature of corporate decision makers; the unfair politics of educational institutions, and the mysterious unpredictability of the human body. OR We can be waiters who serve, who keep on keeping on, doing ministry, witnessing to our faith, telling our story, praying for the decision makers. This gives a whole new meaning perhaps to your understanding of waiting upon the Lord. It means we serve the Lord and attend to God’s people.
In the 6th chapter of Matthew Jesus said to his disciples: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
As we enter of the season of Lent let us let go of impatience and stewing and find ways to wait upon one another in the name of the Christ.
Peace,
Rev. Amanda
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
February 16, 2014 "TACKLING THE HOT TOPICS"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Most Loving and Patient Creator, we enter this sanctuary and in spite of siren sounds and the roar of airplane engines we are attentive to the merging of our spirits here. We place ourselves in your hands consciously and intentionally. We are seekers, longing to comprehend the part we are to play in your great plan. When marvelously uplifting ideas and inspired moments to minister in your name enter our thoughts, let us not doubt that you are at work in us. Teach us to be alert to each and every opportunity we are given to be salt and light in your world. Let us be the living witnesses of the one in whom and through whom your word has always been, “YES”! We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
Did you know there are sites on the internet that will — for a price — send a box of revenge, anonymously, on your behalf to someone who has “done you wrong.” One site boasts how much better you will feel, because with payback all that anger and resentment just flows out of you. In truth payback haunts us more than the feelings that triggered the desire for revenge, because we will spend the rest of our lives justifying that act. Deciding to give gifts to people who are in need promises to purge the remnants of anger, or resentment, redirecting our energy, purifying our hearts and our actions. The church is a most appropriate place for redirecting our energy.
Most Loving and Patient Creator, we enter this sanctuary and in spite of siren sounds and the roar of airplane engines we are attentive to the merging of our spirits here. We place ourselves in your hands consciously and intentionally. We are seekers, longing to comprehend the part we are to play in your great plan. When marvelously uplifting ideas and inspired moments to minister in your name enter our thoughts, let us not doubt that you are at work in us. Teach us to be alert to each and every opportunity we are given to be salt and light in your world. Let us be the living witnesses of the one in whom and through whom your word has always been, “YES”! We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
Did you know there are sites on the internet that will — for a price — send a box of revenge, anonymously, on your behalf to someone who has “done you wrong.” One site boasts how much better you will feel, because with payback all that anger and resentment just flows out of you. In truth payback haunts us more than the feelings that triggered the desire for revenge, because we will spend the rest of our lives justifying that act. Deciding to give gifts to people who are in need promises to purge the remnants of anger, or resentment, redirecting our energy, purifying our hearts and our actions. The church is a most appropriate place for redirecting our energy.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
February 9, 2014 "MISSION POSSIBLE"
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Gracious God we are taught by our teachers and our parents how rewarding it is to do work that we love. Perhaps those first disciples of Jesus were looking for a way of life, a path to follow, that promised to be more soul-rewarding than what they had been doing. We confess that our understanding of what you expect from us, as disciples of Jesus, is muddled by the demands of everyday. We tend to separate what we term “holy pursuits” from daily pursuits. Help us, loving Lord, to realize that we are called to intertwine the holy with the daily. Let us be dressed in Christ always as you make clear the path ahead. It is in his precious name that we pray. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
What gives money value? It isn’t the paper it’s printed on. The tree it came from had greater value. It isn’t the popularity of the deceased president on the face of the bill. It isn’t the color or the artwork or the catchy motto. Lots of countries have prettier more colorful bills, but their bills have no value in our “fiat” system of exchange. The value of money used to be measured by it’s weight in gold, until 1971 when President Nixon put an end to the gold standard. Today money only has value as a medium of exchange for goods and services, which are exchanged for paper bills. The demand for a good or service will govern how many paper bills will be needed to obtain it. God’s grace is poured out in abundance on humankind at no cost. Our contribution to the church of paper bills creates and sustains places where people can discover that grace.
Gracious God we are taught by our teachers and our parents how rewarding it is to do work that we love. Perhaps those first disciples of Jesus were looking for a way of life, a path to follow, that promised to be more soul-rewarding than what they had been doing. We confess that our understanding of what you expect from us, as disciples of Jesus, is muddled by the demands of everyday. We tend to separate what we term “holy pursuits” from daily pursuits. Help us, loving Lord, to realize that we are called to intertwine the holy with the daily. Let us be dressed in Christ always as you make clear the path ahead. It is in his precious name that we pray. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
What gives money value? It isn’t the paper it’s printed on. The tree it came from had greater value. It isn’t the popularity of the deceased president on the face of the bill. It isn’t the color or the artwork or the catchy motto. Lots of countries have prettier more colorful bills, but their bills have no value in our “fiat” system of exchange. The value of money used to be measured by it’s weight in gold, until 1971 when President Nixon put an end to the gold standard. Today money only has value as a medium of exchange for goods and services, which are exchanged for paper bills. The demand for a good or service will govern how many paper bills will be needed to obtain it. God’s grace is poured out in abundance on humankind at no cost. Our contribution to the church of paper bills creates and sustains places where people can discover that grace.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
February 2, 2014 "A DISCIPLES' CURRICULUM VITAE"
*THE APOSTLES’ CREED REVISITED**
I believe in God, the all-powerful Sovereign of the Universe, the loving Abba Father, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God’s only Son, who was conceived by The Spirit of God and born of Mary.
Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
I believe the risen Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God Almighty.
From this throne Jesus shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal and the communion of saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving God, we are so very grateful for those men and women who recognized your Christ, who followed him, believed in him and, in turn, took up their crosses. Their courage and persistence in discipleship kept the story of Jesus relevant and alive so that we, like them, might be blessed. Pour into us your spirit of leadership, your spirit of purpose realizing that you have given to each of us gifts which empower and enable us to serve others. Let us not wonder about the days of our life, what we are doing here, if we are simply taking up space until you call us home. Make us instruments of your grace and goodwill. Let the light of your Christ shine in and through us. If we should get downhearted about anything remind us that your consolation is as close as a prayer. We are blessed to be your people, followers of the Christ in whose name we pray. Our dearest Abba Father, in heaven, we hallow your name offering our thanks and praise. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We ask no more than our daily bread and that you forgive our trespasses, empowering us to forgive those who trespass against us. Let us not be overcome by the temptations of the world, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
In 1971 Curtis Mayfield wrote: We who are young, should now take a stand. Don't run from the burdens of women and men. Continue to give; continue to live, for what you know is right. Most of your life can be out of sight. Withdraw from the darkness and look to the light where everyone's free; that's the way it's supposed to be. We just keep on keeping on. It isn’t easy to keep on keeping on, when we can’t see what lies ahead, but we do it — through the storm, through the night, led on to the light holding the hand of our precious Lord who leads us home. The ushers will now come forward to collect the offering.
I believe in God, the all-powerful Sovereign of the Universe, the loving Abba Father, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God’s only Son, who was conceived by The Spirit of God and born of Mary.
Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
I believe the risen Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God Almighty.
From this throne Jesus shall come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal and the communion of saints.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving God, we are so very grateful for those men and women who recognized your Christ, who followed him, believed in him and, in turn, took up their crosses. Their courage and persistence in discipleship kept the story of Jesus relevant and alive so that we, like them, might be blessed. Pour into us your spirit of leadership, your spirit of purpose realizing that you have given to each of us gifts which empower and enable us to serve others. Let us not wonder about the days of our life, what we are doing here, if we are simply taking up space until you call us home. Make us instruments of your grace and goodwill. Let the light of your Christ shine in and through us. If we should get downhearted about anything remind us that your consolation is as close as a prayer. We are blessed to be your people, followers of the Christ in whose name we pray. Our dearest Abba Father, in heaven, we hallow your name offering our thanks and praise. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We ask no more than our daily bread and that you forgive our trespasses, empowering us to forgive those who trespass against us. Let us not be overcome by the temptations of the world, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PREPARING FOR THE OFFERING
In 1971 Curtis Mayfield wrote: We who are young, should now take a stand. Don't run from the burdens of women and men. Continue to give; continue to live, for what you know is right. Most of your life can be out of sight. Withdraw from the darkness and look to the light where everyone's free; that's the way it's supposed to be. We just keep on keeping on. It isn’t easy to keep on keeping on, when we can’t see what lies ahead, but we do it — through the storm, through the night, led on to the light holding the hand of our precious Lord who leads us home. The ushers will now come forward to collect the offering.
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