Tag: Disciples of Christ

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. 

Pastor’s Notes 6/14/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Sun City Christian Church (DOC): Celebrating 50 years of serving God and community.

What would be your action statement? What words describe you: what you are about and strive for, what you are accomplishing with your life?

According to simplestic.com, action statements are often included in resumes to describe one’s accomplishments, skills, and experience by using powerful verbs and language that help present quantifiable results.

They are statements that sum us up concisely. With few words, action statements describe who we are and what we do. As a community of faith, we use action statements to articulate our mission and vision in a simplified and tactile way.

Action statements are easy to remember yet can cover the vast and complex breadth of our calling and purpose. At the most recent meeting, our church board adopted the action statement “serving God and community” to identify who have been, who are now, and will be moving forward.

Over the next several months leading up to our grand anniversary celebration on November 3rd, we will utilize this action statement as we celebrate our 50 years in ministry together as a congregation. Watch for “Sun City Christian Church: Celebrating 50 years of serving God and community” to be on banners, our website and all the communications we share.

We are serving God and the community! I look forward to diving deeper into this covenant with you on Sunday morning. To be reminded of God’s ongoing covenant with us, and our text for Sunday, check out Genesis 9:8-17.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 6/7/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Then God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

We are one with the earth, or in the least we should be. The stories of creation in Genesis remind us of how deeply and intricately connected all of life is. Earth sustains and fills all of creation for we are in a symbiotic relationship with all that God has made, starting with the earth itself. During the month of June we will explore our covenant with God and creation and the importance for living sustainably as a faithful response.

In an article about learning environmental responsibility from the Old Testament, Ellen F. Davis says, “Being fully human means also understanding our unbreakable bond with the land, the material base of life. One cannot go more than a few chapters in the Old Testament without seeing some vivid reference to land and its importance for humanity, beginning with the image of adam (in Hebrew meaning “man, humankind”) formed from Adamah (“soil”) in Genesis 2:7.”

In worship on Sunday, we will explore in greater detail ancient Israel’s connection with the land and the importance it played in their understanding and faith. Davis also mentioned that living into our humanity means honoring God and those who preceded us by living within the natural limits of the world, caring for the soil, and living wisely on the earth that has been left to us.

Pastor’s Notes 5/31/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humans[a] in our image, according to our likeness…   – Genesis 1:25-26a

This Sunday we will begin a series reminding ourselves of our covenant with God to care for creation. Our scripture for Sunday is Genesis 1:24-27 and if we look closely at the quote above, we notice something interesting about humanity. On the day in which God created humanity, God first made cattle and wild things.

What?

I always just assumed we got our own day, ya’ know. But according to scripture humanity, made in the Holy’s likeness, was quite possibly crafted from was left after making cows… That is humbling information that I think is also telling.

Like everything else, we too are created. We have been formed and shaped and craftily knit into these complex and individually unique packages. Thank goodness God also gave us some extra parts the livestock didn’t need to be earthly companions capable of some incredible things. We do bear a role of responsibility, only we aren’t superior to creation for we too are a part of it.

We have been created. So, we are creatures, we are creations, and quite often we forget this amazing little detail in our holy DNA. Sunday we will sit with the truth that we are God’s created ones, that we are not greater than the rest of God’s making but one with it. We are formed in God’s image, crafted with other beings and so the ecological crisis the world faces is also a spiritual and religious one. We will prayerfully explore our role and responsibility as Christ’s beloved to care for God’s creation. I look forward to worshipping with you in the chapel or on livestream. 

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 5/24/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  — Acts 2:43

Inspiration.

What inspires you?

In our worship on Sunday, Acts 2:43-47 will guide us as we explore what inspires the Church and the individuals who give it life. Last Sunday, the conversation began as the Holy Spirit provided all the inspiration necessary as we celebrated the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples that they would not be alone in their journey to love after Jesus left this earth. The Holy Spirit is the advocate that continues to breathe life into the followers of Jesus.

The day of Pentecost was newly behind the people but the crowd of followers has grown to 3000 baptized. The church is taking shape. Awe and wonder are filling not only the new disciples but the original group as well. The term apostle identifies those who walked with Jesus, following his resurrection and ascension. They continue to follow the way of Jesus but now are doing amazing things in his name. The apostles are the living witness and the promise of new life spreads.

The movement of the Holy Spirit was infectious, and the people were coming together for worship, service, study, and prayer. They were serving the “least of these” and were sharing all things in common with each other. They had found a vision, purpose, and plan for extending the love of God to others. More importantly, they were living out the faith.

I look forward to digging deeper into our inspirations and sharing our vision to love like Christ in Sun City! See you in person or online through You Tube or playback later through our website.

Pastor’s Notes: May 17, 2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

The premise that Jesus seemed to teach from was: Tell them, then tell them what you told them. Once you have told them, then explain it to them before showing and telling them again.

Well, the time for all of that is behind him. Last Sunday we read where Jesus revealed that the Holy Spirit has come upon his followers and that they will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. He said this then ascended to the heavens. This was his final earthly encountered with his beloved.

In Acts 2:1-21, for Sunday, Luke gives us the story of Pentecost. Jesus’ disciples didn’t have to wait very long for this gift of the Holy Spirit to breathe upon them like a mighty wind with tongues of flame dancing about their heads.

They were able to express the good news of God in the languages of the foreigners who happened upon the house where they were. This truly miraculous and God inspired moment sets the stage for the birth of the church and the amazing ministry the followers of Jesus, throughout the ages, would embark upon.

The Holy Spirit is still with us as Sun City Christian Church continues to share the good news of the resurrection Promise to our neighborhood and beyond. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or over Facebook Live Sunday as we celebrate Christ with us. Wear red (orange and yellow works too) and come be moved by the Spirit!

Pastor’s Notes 5/10/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
Luke 1:6,7

This coming Sunday is often celebrated as Ascension Sunday. It marks the moment when Jesus physically left this earthly life. The ascension is the defining event between Jesus’ resurrection and the day of Pentecost that sets up the “God will continue to do new things but now through the followers of Jesus who come together as church” movement.

It really was time for Jesus to go. If he was still with them, his followers would rely upon him- the ascension needed to happen. The disciples needed to let go and so did Jesus. It was time for them to claim their identity, to practice what he preached, to be the body of Christ that would extend the love of God beyond borders.           

Jesus needed to trust that his followers did get the message he was trying to live, breathe, and preach. They may not do things exactly like Jesus did, but they would find their way together. The love of God would be shared. Sunday’s tip for living into the resurrection promise on this earth, calls us to let go. Let go of thinking we have it all figured out and make room for God to work in a way that is appropriate for what is next.

“And while he was speaking, he was lifted up and a cloud carried him beyond their sight.” And in that moment the church starts to take shape and days later when the Spirit descends upon them, the church is truly born but this moment of transition was necessary for them to remember and recognize and claim a path that was carved out for them.

I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday live in person, and/or live streaming through our YouTube channel.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 4/26/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Psalm 100:1-2

My Grandma Marshall used to always say that she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. She would also say, when referring to Psalm 100, a joyful noise was the only thing that would come out whenever she would sing. She would give me a wink and laugh and laugh and laugh.

But I remember fondly the songs she would sing to me, “Itsy, bitsy, spider,” and “London bridges” are two that I recall from my childhood. She may not have had the gift for singing but she loved music, she loved the good ol’ fashioned hymns.

“Amazing Grace” was Grandma’s favorite and at her funeral, her kids, and grands, and other extended family sang it together as special music. I can’t hear or sing “Amazing Grace” without thinking about my grandmother.

Music is one of the greatest connections we have with God on a Spiritual level. On Sunday we will celebrate our next resurrection tip: Music is prayer.

My Grandmother would be pleased, because the focal point of worship will be those good ol’ fashioned hymns. Our very own Jan Kansorka and the bluegrass band she is a part of “The Monday Group” will not only be leading our singing but will share their music during the sermon time (I will be at Community Christian Church in Tempe as they install my wife, Rev. Trish as their settled Minister)!

May a song connect you with the Holy this week!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 4/19/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

For proper communication to ever happen certain elements must be involved. There must be a sender, a message, and a receiver. For our stories to live on, they must be experienced, shared, and heard.

We have some amazing stories to tell. We tell tales of adventure from our many travels. We have moments we cherish like achievements, graduations, engagements, weddings, births, and anniversaries. We have stories that make us laugh and stories that make us cry. We have stories of lessons learned and challenges yet to be conquered.

Our Resurrection tip for this Sunday is “Share Your Story.” New life can happen when we tell our stories. The memories stay alive, our conviction and purpose can remain in our forefront when we don’t forget where we have been and what we have been through.

Our text will come from Luke 24:13-27, the story of two of Jesus’ disciples and their encounter as they walk home from Jerusalem after Jesus’ death. While the two disciples are in deep in conversation with each other, a stranger (Jesus) approaches and asks a question that sets the conversation on fire, (and I paraphrase) “what ya talking ‘bout?”

So, they tell all of that they had experienced, and all that Jesus was and did. The seven miles to Emmaus wasn’t enough to cover it all and something about this stranger’s listening skills prompted them to invite him to stay with them a bit longer, to come in and share a meal.

On Sunday we will explore the importance of telling our life and faith stories and we will celebrate the people with whom we cherish sharing our stories with. Every day resurrection happens and the more we share and listen to our stories, the longer our legacy will remain. See you Sunday. 

Brett