At the Grand Canyon Synod Assembly this past week, we learned of an outreach ministry of a congregation in Las Vegas that I’d like to share with you. It is called the Blue Stone Ministry. Here’s how it works: A congregation places little blue stones in their baptismal font. When members pass the font, they are invited to take a couple of blue stones and carry them at all times. When they meet someone, whether friend or stranger, who is having a difficult time in their life, they hand that person a blue stone and say the following: “Please take this blue stone and carry it with you. Let it remind you that God loves you and I love you (or care about you- if you prefer) and I will keep you in … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – May 31, 2019
I returned just a couple of weeks ago from a preaching conference in Minneapolis. It’s an annual event geared to support and encourage those of us who are in the parish, preaching week in and week out. Every day, about 1500 of us were able to hear at least a couple of sermons preached by people who teach preaching or who serve in well-known settings. What was particularly delightful was that they preached to us as preachers – they encouraged and supported, they challenged and comforted us. They reminded us of our calling to preach the good news all the while showering us with the good news. I sat with long-time friends from other parts of the country and we sang and prayed and clapped … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – April 30, 2019
You will hear in my sermon from last Sunday (see link below) a quote by Brene Brown: “courage starts with showing up and allowing ourselves to be seen.” The person who exemplifies this in striking fashion is Lori Kaye. She is the woman who jumped between the rabbi of the Chabad in Poway, CA, and a shooter, saving the rabbi’s life and losing hers. I can’t help but wonder what acts of courage, large and small alike, were part of her life so that she instinctively moved to save the life of her rabbi. When we look behind a major act of courage by someone who risks all in order to save another, we normally find that there have been all kinds of ways they have shown up and let … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – March 31, 2019
It is hard to believe that three months of Saturday evening worship has come to a close. From the first Saturday in January through the last Saturday of March, several members of New Journey shifted their worship participation to Saturday so that there’d be people here to welcome guests drawn to a new worship time. Guests did join us, and several of those guests are now worshiping with us regularly. We are so grateful that the Spirit of God has brought these new people to be with us. Our members also shifted to Saturday night so that we could open up seats on Sunday morning for guests who joined us. And again, the Spirit of God has brought us guests who have joined us in singing and praying … [Read more...]
Pastor Adele’s Message – February 28, 2019
The liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday which is March 6 this year. It goes for 40 days (not counting the Sundays in Lent) and comes to an end on Easter Sunday, April 21. You’ll notice that 40 sounds familiar: the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years; Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. 40 days signifies a good long time. Time long enough to feel unmoored from life as it was prior to the experience of wilderness, time long enough to challenge assumptions of what could be depended on to preserve life. Both for the Israelites and for Jesus, it became clear fast enough that the only thing, the only One, who could sustain them in their wilderness time was God. All … [Read more...]