Hello friends,
We are weeks away from the start of school for many of our students. As staff and leaders, we are preparing for the start of Fall ministries. Starting September 11th, we will also start a new sermon series 24/7 Faith. For the next couple of weeks, I’d love to learn and hear from you. Attached is a one question poll that is multiple choice. Please take the time to fill it out.
https://www.menti.com/p3xtbociv8
See you this Sunday!
Pastor DJ
Here’s the quote I read last Sunday.
“On Generosity
On our own, we conclude:
there is not enough to go around
we are going to run short
of money
of love
of grades
of publications
of sex
of beer
of members
of years
of life
we should seize the day
seize our goods
seize our neighbours goods
because there is not enough to go around
and in the midst of our perceived deficit
you come
you come giving bread in the wilderness
you come giving children at the 11th hour
you come giving homes to exiles
you come giving futures to the shut down
you come giving easter joy to the dead
you come – fleshed in Jesus.
and we watch while
the blind receive their sight
the lame walk
the lepers are cleansed
the deaf hear
the dead are raised
the poor dance and sing
we watch
and we take food we did not grow and
life we did not invent and
future that is gift and gift and gift and
families and neighbours who sustain us
when we did not deserve it.
It dawns on us – late rather than soon-
that you “give food in due season
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
By your giving, break our cycles of imagined scarcity
override our presumed deficits
quiet our anxieties of lack
transform our perceptual field to see
the abundance………mercy upon mercy
blessing upon blessing.
Sink your generosity deep into our lives
that your muchness may expose our false lack
that endlessly receiving we may endlessly give
so that the world may be made Easter new,
without greedy lack, but only wonder,
without coercive need but only love,
without destructive greed but only praise
without aggression and invasiveness….
all things Easter new…..
all around us, toward us and
by us
all things Easter new.
Finish your creation, in wonder, love and praise. Amen.”
― Walter Brueggemann
Hi everyone,
I pray that your summer has been going well. I spent last week with middle school students at a United Methodist Summer camp. Our Camp was at the base of a valley and up the hill, there is a lovely hike to oversee the valley. At the top of the hike, there is a beautiful cross that’s visible from far away. It’s hard to spot, but can you see the cross on the ridge?
I’ve been reading a lot about the stories of Methodist founder John Wesley. He meet with his accountability group and they had 22 questions they used. I’m going to copy them below.
These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago.
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble or complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
Also, don’t forget…
I'd love to learn from you about what topics are interesting to you and your friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates and anyone else in your life. Would you please take the time to fill out this survey? You are welcome to share it with others, the more responses, the more we learn! The survey typically takes 5-7 minutes. I'll be sure to share some of the learnings in the Fall. We are getting a great response rate and want to make sure the your voice is heard as well.
Please click this link and feel free to have other people in your life fill it out too. This survey is for members, non-members, regular attendees and people who have never come.
Hi everyone,
I'd love to learn from you about what topics are interesting to you and your friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates and anyone else in your life. Would you please take the time to fill out this survey? You are welcome to share it with others, the more responses, the more we learn! The survey typically takes 5-7 minutes. I'll be sure to share some of the learnings in the Fall. We are getting a great response rate and want to make sure the your voice is heard as well.
Please click this link and feel free to have other people in your life fill it out too. This survey is for members, non-members, regular attendees and people who have never come.
Here’s a prayer that was written by Ann Mayer for this past Sunday.
“Holy God, we know that nothing can separate us from your love; whether we are celebrating or grieving, healthy or sick, free or imprisoned, we know your love is always present. We are thankful for this.
This week as we celebrate independence & freedom, we also remember that freedom in our context has historically only meant freedom for those who are white; now it seems that it only means freedom for those who are white and male and Christian. Show us the ways we can work toward freedom from oppression for all of your children. Teach us to challenge systems meant to benefit those in power. Teach us to love as you love.
Deliver us from meager sentimental patriotism. Teach us not to idly squander our freedom in vain with self-centered pursuits. Give us hearts that seek to serve others, not to deny freedom to others;
We want to ask you to remedy the problems in the world; We want to ask you to heal the sick and feed the hungry and fix climate change – but we know that’s our job. Teach us the ways we can make a difference in the lives of others.
Holy God, many of us are grieving the decisions made by the top court of our country in the last couple weeks. They have limited women’s rights, chipped away at the separation of church and state, limited the ability to keep people safe from gun violence, and made it more difficult for us to work toward a more healthy planet. The country we celebrate this week is supposed to be a positive model for the world, yet now we are moving backwards on that path. We lament and grieve these losses.
Even as we grieve, open our hearts so we may be generous, and teach us the ways we can serve others rather than ourselves. Comfort us when we are overwhelmed and teach us your ways of love.
Fill our lives with the abundance of your Spirit, so that we may be your fruitful disciples. May the fruits of our lives be food for the hungry.
In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Hi everyone,
I'd love to learn from you about what topics are interesting to you and your friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates and anyone else in your life. Would you please take the time to fill out this survey? You are welcome to share it with others, the more responses, the more we learn! The survey typically takes 5-7 minutes. I'll be sure to share some of the learnings in the Fall.
Please click this link and feel free to have other people in your life fill it out too. This survey is for members, non-members, regular attendees and people who have never come.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor DJ
This survey was inspired by a survey from Church of the Ressurection.
Come each week in July and August as a series of preachers across Washington state reflect on ancient Christian tenets and original Wesleyan practices that we rediscovered during the pandemic.
Read MoreThe Scripture for this Sunday will be John 11:14-44, the resurrection of Lazarus. While this rich passage presents various themes, our guest preacher Derek will reflect on the aspects of mutual transformation and resurrection. Here’s a description from Derek…
Jesus could have saved Lazarus before his death, but he says, "For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe." (John 11:15 NRSV). Before calling Lazarus from the grave, He tells the community to "take away the stone" (v.39). After calling Lazarus, He says to them, "unbind him and let him go." (v.44). Certainly, Jesus was capable of accomplishing these tasks without the aid of the community; yet he calls us to take part in the miracle for our own sake, saying, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" (v.40). At Underground Ministries, we see this passage as the blueprint for One Parish One Prisoner. God raises the dead, literally, but calls His people to participate in the miracle for our mutual transformation and resurrection.
If you want to learn more about One Parish One Prisoner, please use this link.
Beginning the first Sunday in July, we will begin a new worship series entitled Water from Another Time. The pandemic has transformed society and continues to shape the church in unexpected ways. Even in these shifting sands, God helps us find solid footing by walking forgotten paths and retrieving ancient practices. Come each week in July and August as a series of preachers across Washington state reflect on ancient Christian tenets and original Wesleyan practices that we rediscovered during the pandemic. This summer, may you also be refreshed by water from another time.
I am very excited about the chance for us to spend time studying and learning more about our Wesleyan roots. These Wesleyan practices are a lot of the reason why I love being Methodist. I hope that you join us on Sunday mornings.
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
For many students in our surrounding school districts, they are finishing their academic school years. With this time of transition, please keep parents, guardians and students in your prayers through this time of shifting to Summer. We are all in a wonderful season where we anticipate warmer weather and sunny days ahead. Weeks of working in your gardens are beginning to pay off (or not) as flowers, fruit and vegetable flourish.
This Sunday we will continue our sermon series on the Holy Trinity by focusing on God the Father. It is also Fathers day, a time to celebrate persons in our lives who are positive influences. For some people in our community, this is a time of remembering father-like figures who weren’t as wonderful as we hoped. For others, this may be a time of remembering fathers who were influential in your lives, but are no longer with us here on earth.
The picture I’ve attached to this blog post is from Whidbey Island when I officiated a wedding recently. One morning, I went for a walk to get fresh air. As I turned around, I saw this eagle watching me quietly and carefully. In the few moments I had with this beautiful creature, I was in awe of God’s creation. I pray that this week, you experience God’s creation in a new and wonderful way.
Please know that I continue to hold you and your loved ones in my prayers. I look forward to seeing you online or in person this weekend.
Pastor DJ
Church friends,
I pray that you are doing well and enjoying the lovely weather. Some folks are spending more and more time in their gardens, others meeting with friends outside your homes. This Sunday we will begin a new series on the Holy Trinity. We will begin this Sunday by learning more about the Holy Spirit.
The Scripture reading this week comes from John 14:25-27. I’m copying it below through the Common English Bible translation.
25 “I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. 26 The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.
27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.
This week we are introducing a revamped way to engaging your faith. Throughout the bulletin, you will see three different reflection and preparation question.
Weekly digital poll through Mentimeter instructions
I hope that you’re enjoying your week that is filled with sunny days and cloudy days and a little bit of sprinkles here and there, isn’t this perfect Pacific Northwest weather? On this blog I am attaching a simple letters that you could use if you decide to write to your local politician. These were requested to me by some members of our church and I thought it would be helpful to share them with you. My intention is not to get you to write these letters unless you were feeling call to. I pray that you join me in prayer for our nation as yet another shooting occurred this past week.
This week I’d like to talk to you about our generosity moment. Every Sunday our goal is not just to let you know how you can give through your prayers your presence your gifts your service and your witness. What I hope to do in addition is to that to lift up a ministry that is happening within our community I regular church goers and church members like you. I recently spent time with some of our folks who are helping with food for kids over the next couple of weeks will be recording and sharing some information to put in a video so you can learn more about how our church and some of our leaders are supporting 11 families and 53 people every weekend throughout the academic year.
I know that there are many other ministries occurring in our church. If you’re interested in sharing the story about why you serve and how you serve would you please contact me?
Sample letters you can use as a template.
These letter were provided by Rev. Adam Hamilton a United Methodist who serves as the lead pastor of The Church of the Resurrection.
Dear Member of Congress,
Thank you for the work you do every day on behalf of the American people and on my behalf as my Representative.
Last week we all grieved as 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We shared that grief as Republicans and Democrats. You likely know that since January 1, 2022 there have been 27 shootings at schools across America. Some were suicides. Some were children who accidentally discharged guns, and some were teens who took their guns to school with the intent to kill. Twenty-seven school shootings.
Congress has united around solving major problems in the past. You’ve been bi-partisan in your support for Ukraine, spending billions to help Ukraine fend off Russia. What could be possible if Republicans and Democrats saw the deaths of these children in Uvalde, Texas, as a chance to address this issue together? This is our moonshot, our chance to solve a problem and make the world a better place.
To that end, I write to encourage bi-partisan efforts to reduce school shootings focused on:
Research Funding Focused on Reducing Violence Committed by and against Children: We can address this problem, but it will take bi-partisan support of serious research identifying root causes of this violence and practical solutions to address this problem.
· Please increase funding for research at the federal level on causes of and actions that can be taken to reduce violence committed by young adults, and against children and teens.
Responsible Gun Storage: The largest number of gun deaths each year are suicides, often with young adults using guns owned by their parents. In addition, there are children who find guns and inadvertently harm themselves.
· Please pass legislation requiring guns be stored with a trigger lock in place. This will help prevent needless deaths and the misuse of guns in a home.
Licensure & Training: Permit laws are the single most effective way to reduce gun violence. States with permit laws of any kind have less gun violence than those without.
· Please provide incentives to states where permit and training laws already exist, and to those where they are expanded, or are enacted.
Background Checks: Background checks are among the easiest laws to thwart through private party sales, straw man sales and some gun shows and trading of weapons.
· Please establish processes and upgrade technology to help states share this information seamlessly and quickly to maximize public safety.
We can do something about this. These are our nation’s children. You have the power, as legislators, to leave a legacy of safer schools and better policies to protect the lives of our children. I’m pleading with you to please act.
Sincerely,
________________________________________
Dear State Legislators,
Thank you for the work you do on my behalf as representatives. Last week we all grieved for the lives of 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We shared that grief as Republicans and Democrats. You likely know that since January 1, 2022 there have been 27 shootings at schools across America. Some were suicides. Some were children who accidentally discharged guns, and some were teens who took their guns to school with the intent to kill.
Our state legislature has united around solving major problems in our state in the past. You’ve worked across the aisle to do what was in the best interest of our state. I’d like to ask that you work across the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, to reduce the likelihood of violence against children as we saw in Uvalde, Texas, this last week. I know you care about our state’s children. Please, take action to protect our children.
To that end, I write to encourage bi-partisan efforts to reduce school shootings focused on:
Expanding Mental Health Access:
· Please increase investments in mental health services and raise the gun ownership age to 21.
Responsible Gun Storage: The largest number of gun deaths each year are suicides, often with young adults using guns owned by their parents. In addition, children find guns and inadvertently harm themselves.
· Please pass legislation requiring guns be stored with a trigger lock in place. This will help prevent the needless deaths and the misuse of parents’ guns by children.
Licensure and Training: Permit laws are the single most effective way to reduce gun violence. States with permit laws of any kind have less gun violence than those without.
· Please reinstate or expand licenses and training requirements to own a gun.
Background Checks: Background checks are among the easiest laws to thwart through private party sales, straw man sales, gun shows and trading of weapons.
· Please pass universal background checks for all gun purchases, trades and transfers.
You have the power, as legislators, to leave a legacy of safer schools, and better policies to protect the lives of our children. I’m pleading with you to please act.
Sincerely,
________________________________________
Grace and Peace to you,
This Sunday we will continue to study the early church apostles in Acts 17. I want to encourage you to read all of Acts 16-17 in preparation for our service together. In addition, let us all continue to pray for the senseless gun violence that continues to terrorize our Nation. In two short weeks, shootings in California, Buffalo and Texas have shown us what happens when evil manifests itself.
You might be like me, at a loss for words. In my heart, we gather as a people of faith in seasons like this. We gather to remember who we are and God’s calling for each of our lives. Just as we prayed for one another after Rev. David Zaske led us through prayer last week. My hope is that we get another glimpse of God’s kingdom so we may be rooted in the hope of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Until then, I look forward to seeing you online or in person soon.
Pastor DJ
