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Hello Reader!

Hello beloved one.

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Announcements:

*Playdate TOMORROW! from 9:30 to 11:00 at Lee Martinez Park. Come play!

*Office hours are happening over to Breadfellow (247 Linden St) on Thursday from 10 to 12. Please oh please, come.

*Depolarizing Ourselves by Braver Angels. There is still time to sign up for this free in-person workshop to become more aware of your "inner polarizer" and to learn methods for disagreeing without contempt and ridicule...and it will be facilitated by our very own, Joyce Wood. Please register here for the event, taking place THIS SUNDAY, July 28th, right after church. A light lunch will be provided.

How's Everybody Doin?

We usually follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Click on the link if you want to see what we'll be exploring in the weeks to come.

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INVOCATION

Holy God,

ever present and moving among your people,

draw us near to you,

that in place of hostility there may be peace;

in place of loneliness, compassion;

in place of aimlessness, direction;

and in place of brokenness, wholeness;

through Christ Jesus, in whom you draw near to us.

Amen.

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SONGS

New Every Morning The Porter's Gate PREVIEW   ​

Messiah / You're Beautiful Phil Wickham PREVIEW   ​

Come, All Who Are Weary Come The Porter's Gate, Paul Zach... PREVIEW   ​

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SCRIPTURES & READINGS

Ephesians 2:14-22 CEB

Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God.

When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.

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“In its true form, reconciliation possesses the impossible power of the lion lying down with the lamb…But instead of pushing for relationships that are deep, transformative, and just—instead of allowing these efforts to alter our worldview, deepen our sense of connectedness, and inspire us toward a generosity that seeks to make all things right —we have allowed reconciliation to become synonymous with contentedly hanging out together.” -Austin Channing Brown, I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

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May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. -Romans 15:5-7

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TAKEAWAYS & COMMUNITY QUESTIONS

• Unity does not mean uniformity - an expansive God expresses creativity in a variety of ways and kinds of people.
• Unity includes — no one will be excluded based on works, or rules of law
• God is building something, using all of us…it’s not an army…it’s a place to dwell, a place of holy beauty, a place of peace.
• Christ’s peace begins slowly and tenderly
• Christ’s peace will transform you into a more loving version of yourself. Not by your great striving to get peace but by your great relaxing into how loved you are and how big God’s love is for the world.
• Being open-minded should be synonymous with following Christ because transformation is inherent when we follow Christ. Change is a part of the journey.
• Isaiah 11: In order for the lion to rest with the lamb, the lion has to change. It has to give up some of its power. It has to hold back its teeth, its appetite . And the lamb, too, must change…perhaps it has to speak louder, take up a little more space, and trust in a way it never has before. Isaiah 11 is a vision of sharing power…entrusting it to each other, entrusting it to God.
• How can we help build this place of peace, this peaceable kingdom?
• Look for walls that need to be broken down, in yourself, your family, your country, your world.
• How can you be one part of what God is building?

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ARTWORK

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BENEDICTION

You are God’s Child

Gifted with dreams and visions.

Upon you rests the grace of God like flames of fire.

Love and serve the Lord in the wildness of your being.

Practice Resurrection.

And may the deep peace of Christ be with you,

The strong arms of God sustain you,

And the glory of the Holy Spirit shine upon your face.

Amen.

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Resource: Megan Phelps-Roper Part of how we unite is by truly engaging people we don't agree with. This is why we are participating in the Braver Angels event this Sunday. If you want another resource, consider these tips from Megan Phelps-Roper. ​ Click here to read her guidelines for disagreement

Practice: Read Isaiah 11 Spend some time with this poem. Maybe read the words out loud and slowly. Try reading it in a translation that you don't normally use. What strikes you as new or profound? What could a creative response to these words look like?

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Grace and Peace,

Katrina and Darren

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