Author: Wende Gonzales

Pastor’s Notes 8/16/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Question of the day:

If a letter of reference was required to vouch for you as a person of faith, who would ask to write it?

Chances are good that it would be someone from church or the community that knows you well that you would ask to define your Christ-like nature. It is most likely someone who has served alongside you, mentored, taught or inspired you. It would also make sense to ask someone who could testify to the ways you shaped and impacted their personal walk with the Holy One. It would be good to ask someone who has witnessed the ways you serve like Christ to speak on your behalf.

The passage of scripture we will sit with on Sunday is Romans chapter 16. This text is a reference letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. Paul is introducing these individuals as equals in the faith who should hold the respect and affirmation of leadership they were sent with. He requests the kind of hospitality from the church that welcomes and embraces as if they were welcoming Paul himself. Paul is credentialing them and acknowledging their gifts and calling and extending permission for the church to do the same.

Ten of the 29 persons mentioned by Paul that the Church should greet as holding authority in Paul’s absence are women. He trusts them with his life, and he knows them to have worked very hard. Phoebe specifically, most likely delivers this letter in oral form and she embodies the same Christ granted authority that Paul or any of the other male apostles carries.

Unlikely heroes are the ones that build, form, shape, inspire and keep the church vital in the world. Acknowledging the authority God has bestowed upon each within the body of Christ is life giving. Paul validates the credibility with which each of us is gifted by God. It is important to recognize the faithful and dedicated served by others in the faith community as well.

If you were to write a reference letter for a follower of Jesus who has influenced your life, who would it be and what would you say? Thank God for this person today and be sure to let them know how you cherish them. I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday in person or on YouTube!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 8/9/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.  – Acts 16:14-15

The journey of life has an interesting way of turning sometimes, whether we call it providence, serendipity, divine intervention, fate, fortune, or something else altogether. It is often in retrospect that we can see the whole picture and recognize God as having been present amid the unpredictable courses we find ourselves on sometimes.

The stories of the three unlikely heroes from the Bible we will engage with on Sunday appear in Acts 16. Paul led a small group of evangelists to Macedonia in response to a God inspired vision he had to go and offer help there. The unfolding of the events that happen with Paul in Philippi gives us a glimpse into the mysteriously connected ways the Holy Spirit can tend to work in the lives of Jesus’ followers that grows the kingdom on earth.

Interactions with Lydia, a slave-girl, and the jailer demonstrate how events in life can be chain reactions of faithful opportunity. Encounters that we could never predict or anticipate lead to a series of God revealing incidents and those involved can be identified as the unlikeliest of heroes.

The Holy Spirit continues to work through us at Sun City Christian Church. It would cover our skin in goosebumps if we were to fully know the ways our actions and faith have demonstrated to others that the living presence of Christ is moving among us. We too are unlikely heroes and even the seemingly small gestures of love we extend can have a lasting effect.

I look forward to worshiping with you in person or through YouTube on Sunday!

Brett  

Pastor’s Notes: 8/2/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

-Mark 15:40-41

The ministry of presence is an amazingly important gift. Having the willingness and desire to be there with awareness, compassion, empathy, and support is faithful. Being present is how unlikely heroes thrive in the world today and it is most definitely evident in the first followers of Christ.

The female disciples of Jesus showed up. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome, as well as “many other women” were there. These were women whose names don’t show up in the first church charter of 12 but were tirelessly present in ways that supported Jesus in his ministry.

The women supported Jesus financially and with food, lodging and other gestures of kindness for hospitality was an underrated skill of discipleship. They were with him in those most vulnerable moments like Jesus’ death and burial when it would have been easier and safer to keep distant (Matthew 28:1-8 is our text for Sunday).

In our worship we will explore some interesting questions about the relationship Jesus may have had with the disciples who followed him, as well as the way their mothers came together in ministry as well. We center our thoughts around the ways we are showing us as Christ’s living presence in the world and continue to encourage and support each other as we live into our calling and purpose to serve God and community.

I look forward to worshiping with you either in person or on YouTube this Sunday.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 7/26/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Winter, spring, summer or fall,
all you have to do is call
and I’ll be there.
You’ve got a friend.

James Taylor

Being that friend who will stick with someone no matter what, might just be one of the greatest gifts we can offer one another human being. Forging a bond with another person whether related by birth or not, yet referring to them as family is a such a beautiful thing. Deep relationships ground and balance us. It is so meaningful to connect with that person we haven’t seen in months, yet we sink in right away as though they never left us.

Ruth and Naomi have one of those special relationships that transcend kinship through ancestry and fully embraces what it means to be family (Ruth 1:1-22). Naomi has lost all the men in her life, most recently her two sons have died and all she has left as family are her two daughters-in-law. After offering them release, and an opportunity to return to their roots, Ruth vows to stay with Naomi.

“Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you stay, I will stay…” proclaimed Ruth and together they left Ruth’s homeland of Moab and traveled the fifty miles to return to the homeland of Naomi’s deceased husband.

Ruth will marry her deceased husband’s kinsman and the family name will be restored. The major genealogical importance from this story is that Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed is the grandfather of David. Yup, King David. Ruth, who is not an Israelite, is named in Matthew’s genealogy connecting Jesus with the house of David.

On Sunday we will explore this story deeper as well as the powerful role relationships within our church family touch us in ways that we don’t always have the words. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube (as we are back up and running) this Sunday. We are serving God and community!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 7/19/2024

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Rizpah took funeral clothing and spread it out by herself on a rock. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until the rains poured down on the bodies from the sky, and she wouldn’t let any birds of prey land on the bodies during the day or let wild animals come at nighttime.   2 Samuel 21:10

God was moved.

Through our series of unlikely heroes, we have identified multiple instances where human response has affected God. In last week’s text, the daughters of Zelephehad changed God’s mind. In the story of Rizpah found in 2 Samuel 21:1-14 God’s heart is touched by an act of sincere devotion, love and faithfulness.’

As we will learn in greater detail on Sunday, David is ruler of Israel at the time of our story, and the land has experienced three hard years of drought. Frustrated by the notion of why, David confronts the Lord who reveals to him that it is because of former King Saul breaking covenant with the Gibeonites and putting them to death.

King David offers reparation, whether in a political gesture of good will, in pleading with God, unresolved anger towards Saul, or any other emotion that was possessing him in that moment. The request is that seven of Saul’s descendant be executed in the public square and left there, without proper burial or remembrances.

Two of the men were sons of Rizpah, who was a concubine of Saul. The most we know of her comes from her actions in this story. For several months she holds vigil by the deceased and holds all predators at bay. In this act of love, others took notice and sent word to King David about this woman’s fidelity to her children and her grief.

David has a change of heart and has the bodies of Saul, Jonathan and these 7 transferred to their family tomb and given proper burial. “After that,” reads the story, “God heeded supplications for the land.”

So… what can this mean for us today? When our hearts break, so does God’s. Honoring the dead and grieving properly is important for the people and for God. We also get a glimpse of just how strong the bond is that parents have with their children, and it brings a sense of purpose and obligation that never leaves.

God was moved. Kindness matters. The love and compassion we show to others is not only noticed, but it is infectious. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube this Sunday!      

Brett 

Pastor’s Note: July 12, 2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.” -Numbers 27:3-4

This week we will continue our look at unlikely heroes of the Bible. These individuals are inspirational to us for often, the last thing we would consider ourselves to be is heroic or life changing. But we are called by Christ and equipped by the Holy Spirit and we are recipients of God’s grace so indeed, God’s beloved are capable of things beyond our wildest dreams.

The daughters of Zelophehad made a claim for their rightful share of property upon entering the promised land. In a collective stand of unity these five courageous sisters approach Moses, Eleazar the priest, and other leaders with a full crowd looking on and spoke they  out for what they deemed just and right. It was an unprecedented request.

As scholar Rev. Donna Owusu-Ahnsa puts it, for the daughters of Zelophehad, this was a risky move that made the first crack in the process of shattering the glass ceiling in ancient Israel. “If Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah were granted the land, their uncles would receive less property. If they were not granted the land, the sisters would be beholden to the care of those whom they had challenged.”

Moses took the matter to God directly and The Lord made a change. “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance. . . (Numbers 17:7).

On Sunday we will explore a few key points that arise from this incredible story. 1) With courage, average folks can accomplish amazing things. 2) God is capable of change when it is warranted. 3) Justice is possible so keep in pursuit. 4) Humans are stronger together than we are on our own.

Unlikely heroes are all around us. Scratch that. Unlikely heroes are us. We are capable of life changing things when we can band together. I look forward to worshiping with you in person or on our YouTube channel as we remind ourselves of our collective purpose as disciples of Christ. 

Pastor’s Notes 7/5/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. -Exodus 1:17

“Sun City Christian Church (DOC): Serving God and community.” This is our congregational action statement, and we will utilize it to celebrate 50 years of faithful ministry. We will also continue to live into this declaration as we turn the page onto what the next 50 years as the body of Christ might look like.

Far too often the people of God get discouraged and utter under our breath, “What difference can we make.” “We are old.” “We have nothing special to offer.” “Surely, God would prefer to use to somebody else to serve.”

The reality is that the people of Sun City Christian Church are exactly who God has in mind to love as Jesus would from our doorstep and beyond. God is using us and the gifts each of us bring matter.

Over the next few Sundays, we will study the stories of faith ancestors who could have very likely uttered similar excuses to why they too may have felt less than worthy as servants of God and community. “Unlikely Heroes” will center us around lesser-known servants who are barely mentioned by name or in a single act of faithfulness that made a significant difference to the Kingdom of God on earth.

Exodus 1:15-22 will set the tone as a handful of remarkable women were responsible for Moses to exist and survive in this world and become one of the greatest prophets God ever called. They were quick on their feet and not afraid to take a risk or to stand for what they knew to be right.  God was present with them and as a result a nation of people was saved.

We will also explore the contributions of others like us who have lived into a calling and purpose as followers of Jesus. We are making a difference as we serve God and community together! I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday in person or on our YouTube live stream.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 6/27/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.        –Romans 8:24-25

Saint Augustine is credited with saying: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

As we conclude our series about caring for creation, we will examine the cries and sufferings of the Earth and all of God’s creatures. We will explore the need to let holy anger move us toward the courage to be hopeful and active for justice. To serve God and community, by facing the challenges of our troubled world, we must do so with hope.

Hope is a verb that requires action and intentionality on our part. According to seasonofcreation.org, hope can manifest in different ways. Hope is not merely optimism nor is it a utopian illusion or waiting for a magical miracle. Hope is trust that our action makes sense, even if the results of this action are not immediately seen.

Hope doesn’t act alone. Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Paul explains the close relationship of hope as a growth process: ‘endurance produces character, and character produces hope’ (Rom 5:4). Patience and endurance are close associates of hope. These are qualities that lead to hope.

This hope through patience and endurance will enable to us groan with creation as it suffers. We must offer not only care and compassion but solutions and action to help her renew and recover. We have been called by God to as partners in serving creation and we claim accountability for the wrongs we have done and strive to do better moving forward.

On Sunday we share aloud the Green Chalice Covenant as we moved to restore hope for and with creation:

As children of God and followers of Christ Jesus, we covenant to:

Worship God with all creation and pray for the healing of the earth.

Study the climate crisis and engage others in climate solutions.

Repent and forgive for the harm we have inflicted on the earth that sustains life.

Advocate for eco-justice public policies and witness by living sustainable lifestyles.

Rest in God’s good creation and invite others to delight in nature.

Pastor’s Notes 6/21/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made.
– Romans 1:20

My Grandpa Marshall wasn’t much of a church goer. He believed in God and appreciated the act of worship but sitting on wooden pews, confined indoors for an hour with a preacher “telling him what to believe” didn’t constitute a holy moment for Grandpa. Now, if we would have told him that church is sitting by a stream with a pole in hand while taking a moment to thank God for the glories of creation, he would have been a charter member out fishing every Sunday.

According to the article “Out in the Wilderness” published by the National Council of Churches Ecojustice Program (now Creation Justice Ministries), since the church’s earliest days, Christian theologians have referred to great outdoors as a source of inspiration as the Book of Nature—God’s complement to the Book of Scripture. The Book of Nature can be read anywhere, of course, but its letters can be discerned most clearly in the pristine and undisturbed quality of wilderness.

Wilderness is an essential part of the Biblical story. Wilderness areas have been home to some of the most formative events in the Bible. Moses’ call to leadership, the exodus of the Israelites, David’s character and reputation, Elijah’s prophetic vision, John the Baptist’s preparation to herald Christ, and Jesus’ testing for ministry.

Throughout time, humanity has connected with God in the wilderness. Holy encounters happen in nature. While out in God’s backyard we are not only reminded of our beloved-ness but often deepen our commitment to be in partnership as earth’s caretakers. To truly be in awe of God one simply needs to intentionally go looking for God. And as Paul notes in his letter to the church in Rome, God’s presence will be seen through all that God has made.

Join me in worship on Sunday in the chapel or on our YouTube page as we continue to explore our covenant as carers for creation. We will celebrate our wilderness stories and commit ourselves to seeing God’s handprint in all of creation with the hopes of claiming actions to become faithful stewards.