On Saturday, January 5, New Journey begins offering a second worship service. It’s both exciting and a little anxiety producing. Exciting because our worship is so full from January through March that we need to make space for new guests. Exciting because we have an opportunity to offer a worship service that is more contemplative but still grounded in Scripture and the Eucharist. Exciting because the Grand Canyon Synod is partnering with us, providing financial support for this additional service. Exciting because we trust that God will be at work through both of our worship experiences in ways we can’t yet know. I suppose that reality, not knowing how God will work through our … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – November 30, 2018
You don’t need me to tell you that this is a busy time of the year. Once Thanksgiving passes, we are off to the races. Some of us are already shopping for Christmas. Others are in the process of getting Christmas decorations up. Christmas gatherings fill many of our schedules. We here at New Journey will be adding Wednesday night soup suppers and the singing of Marty Haugen’s “Holden Evening Prayer” to our activities. And of course, there is the planning of who will be where and with whom for Christmas Eve worship and family Christmas celebrations. These are not bad things. Our spirits soar as we anticipate Christ’s coming anew this year and as we anticipate special music and worship. Our … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – October 31, 2018
I want to thank the members of New Journey who attended the prayer service at the Chabad Jewish Center this past Sunday. We remembered those who were murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pennsylvania. We gave thanks for the response of communities around the country to their Jewish neighbors. We offered up our prayers to God who is with us through such troubling times. The rabbi was clearly moved by the presence of other people of faith. There were not enough chairs for everyone who came to share their respects and to let our Jewish neighbors know that we are with them. Whether you are currently in Fountain Hills or somewhere else, please make an attempt to get to … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – September 30, 2018
These are the days of endless political ads on television. I am already weary of them, likely you are too. But more than being just weary, I really dislike that they routinely pick something someone said or did, often taken out of context, and then announce that in light of said action or statement the person running for office is totally good or totally bad. I suppose those who run these ads do so because they feed into our temptation to project all of our negative ‘stuff’ onto someone else, particularly those who we don’t like or who have a different perspective than we have. When we do this, we look at only the finer attributes of those we like and who see things the way we do. Yet, … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – August 31, 2018
I have been intrigued by the story of Joseph and his family in Genesis. This story is filled with sibling rivalry, pain, grief, and deception – we know something about those things don’t we? It seems that no matter our age, these troubles make their way into our lives in one form or another, either because of actions we take, or because of the actions of others. Family life over time is not for the faint of heart. And yet, our families—either the ones we were born into, or the ones we have built around us—are essential to our emotional/spiritual/physical well-being. The Joseph story delves into these realities of human betrayal and alienation. But the story does not end there. Come to the … [Read more...]