There was this great movie that had an unforgettable line “Life is a box of chocolates …” but I think “Life is like a luggage carousel.” At the airport, luggage is put on the carousel and then luggage is taken off the carousel. Things are given to you but yet, things are taken away from you. Doesn’t life seem like that sometimes?

For most people, we really take for granted childhood and as you grow up through high school. You are given a nice home to grow up in and you never really think about where the next meal comes from. Gain a lot of knowledge. Go through new experiences. But yet, maybe you move to another state and then lose all the close friends you had while growing up and then they eventually fade in memory. Maybe parents die young or they get divorced. That can take away a whole bunch of opportunities whether financially or emotionally. Maybe get rejected as you ask the girl you are infatuated with to the prom and that crushes and devastates you into oblivion. You think that all these wonderful things would be put on the carousel if she says yes. But it takes away all the things on the carousel and you feel sad and empty.

You go to college and get a job. Make some money and get a house. Get married and start a wonderful life. It seems like the whole world is in your hands and nothing can stop you. The carousel is moving and the amount of stuff put on the carousel is good and wonderful. But you have to take the good with the bad. I don’t think life can exist with just the good. You may lose that job and you are behind in mortgage payments. Money gets tight and you fight with your wife. The house is a mess and so are your kids. They get involved with the wrong crowd with drugs and alcohol. Maybe you yourself become an alcoholic and try to escape life. But one thing we are forgetting is the carousel keeps moving. Things are put on it and things are taken away. That’s why they say that life is beautiful.

Then a game changer happens. It is the pandemic Coronavirus. It stops people’s carousel and then death. It affects the whole world and it seems that life is moving at a crawl. But we will get through this. Don’t let it stop the carousel. We have to learn from this that you can’t take life for granted. Have to be humble and appreciate all that God has given us. Keep adding things that are good and wonderful to the carousel and the carousel will shine.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

In Christ,

Stan Yee

* ANNOUNCEMENT! The new godsgracecc.com will go live on Thursday, June 4! You will need to re-sign up to get these posts in your inbox daily. Check it out on Thursday.

ANNOUNCEMENT: We have a new website coming! We're so excited that our website is moving into the 21st century.  (This one is almost 14 years old!) It should go live tomorrow. You will need to re-sign up to receive the blog posts in your inbox. We'll give you details. 

Join us next Sunday, June 7, for worship streamed on location at Great Beginnings Cafe and free breakfast for the community. 

This is a time when lament is pouring out whether we name it or not. Lament for the 100,000+ lives lost to COVID-19; for the unjust deaths of George Lloyd, Breonna Tayler, Ahmaud Arbery and countless unnamed individuals; for the rioting and political unrest here and abroad; for the millions who are unemployed; for the fear and anxiety stemming from the pandemic; and the loss of human contact among so many.

God is with us. God is with us. God is with us.

And yet, it doesn’t feel like God is with us. So we turn to the Psalms a place where we find lament named and cried out in the Bible.

Psalm 42 is a good place to turn.

Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face? (vs 1-2)

Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. (vs 11)

We gather tomorrow at 10:00 am via the stream to remind one another of our hope in God when it’s hard to remember.

And, we will share that hope in God on Sunday, June 7 as the stream will be broadcast on location at Great Beginnings Café with free breakfast served to the community.

Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. (vs 5)

Grace be with you,

Vikki

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.   ~Thomas Merton

The above quote came from "A Network for Grateful Living's" Word For The Day on 3/17/2020. I saved it, as I do when something particularly speaks to me. At the time, we were  just being hit with the Covid stay at home orders and all that entailed. Fast forward two long months...George Floyd in Minneapolis. I have reread Merton's words several times this morning. Sometimes it is hard to have courage, faith and hope, isn't it? I think back to Jim's devo from yesterday... "Jesus did not fit into the cultural norms of his time. He treated everyone as if they were a wonderful, loving, precious child of GOD… everyone." What would Jesus do if he were standing on the streets of Minneapolis amidst the chaos? 

Gracious God, during these dark days filled with anger, rage, distrust and deep sadness, help us all to find the courage, faith, and hope only you can bring. Amen

Andrea Heshmati 

*Photo courtesy of Vikki Luce.

Boaz is an honorable man. But this isn’t the book of Boaz, it is the book of Ruth. There are a lot of good people out there and it is good to hear about the Boaz’s of this world doing the right thing, but Ruth and Naomi are forced into this predicament because of the culture they are in.

Slavery, child prostitution, starvation, and war were all part of the world that was back then and they are all part of the world which is now.

The way we treat each other is usually from cultural norms. The way we treat women, the way we treat people of a different race, the way we treat people of a different religion, the way we treat the LGBTQ community, the way we treat others is usually from cultural norms.

Jesus did not fit into the cultural norms of his time. He treated everyone as if they were a wonderful, loving, precious child of GOD… everyone.

We are in the midst of a pandemic, COVID-19. What would Jesus do?

I believe he would not fit into the cultural norms of our time.

I believe he would cry for those who have lost their lives.

I believe he would pray for those who are in the hospital.

I believe he would be with and heal the sick.

I believe he would be with and feed the hungry.

I believe he would sit at the well with the unwanted, with the immigrant.

I believe Jesus would advocate to wear a mask and social distance.

It is right to mourn those who have died, but please, pray for and understand this virus… COVID-19 is not an equal-opportunity killer. It kills Latino and black people at more than two times the rate of white people, these cases are concentrated in poorer ZIP codes. (Science Magazine 15 May, 2020 Vol-368,issue-6492)

Pray for the poor, pray for the lonely, pray for essential workers, pray for the ability to see where your cultural norms are stopping you from being Jesus in the world. We don’t have to reopen Jesus’ church. It never closed.

And please… KNOW YOU ARE LOVED! Amen!

Jim Dietvorst

Late in her life, the great Catholic social worker Dorothy Day said, “If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.” -Thomas G. Long, “Testimony: Talking Ourselves into Being Christian”

On Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost. The day of the Holy Spirit's coming among us. “The Holy Spirit poured out gifts upon all people on that day, …visions….and …dreams…men and women will prophesy (speak of the Lord)…” Acts 2:14-21

There was this East Indian Jesuit named Tony de Mello who used to tell a story about disciples gathered around their master, asking her endless questions about God. And the master said that anything we say about God is just words, because God is unknowable. One disciple asked,”Then why do you speak of God at all?”

The Master replied, ”Why does the bird sing? She sings not because she has a statement but because she has a song.” -Anne Lamott, quoted in “Testimony: Talking Ourselves into Being Christian,” by Thomas G. Long

This Pentecost, let us pray for the words God would have us sing.

*Tonight, “The Well at 6pm our special guest will be Peter Mayer, lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett. Please join us from 6-7pm. If you need the link for the zoom invite, please contact Vikki Luce.*

*June 7th –God's Grace Community Church will be streaming the service at 10am from Great Beginnings restaurant. Please come and join us. GGCC has been blessed to gather for many of our evening ministry events at GB over the last 10 years. In this pandemic time, restaurants and other businesses are hurting. GGCC is paying to serve 150 free meals starting at 9am that day. We ask only that each patron consider tipping the amount they would have paid for the meal to support the wait staff who are undergoing challenging times.

Prayers: For you and your loved ones. For those who are in challenging economic circumstances. For those who are ill or who mourn the death of loved ones.

Still in one peace,

Pastor David J Jensen

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

Salvation is free and we don’t need to earn it. We are saved through Faith –and our Faith is not our doing; it is from God. Really! So, if we don’t have to do anything for God, what could we do for God? Personally, and more than anything I would like to cause God to smile!

So, how do I do that? I think what most brings God joy (and hopefully smiles) is gratitude. We are hearing more and more with Covid to be grateful; when we appreciate what we have, we will feel hope and optimism. So, let’s do it! Let’s be grateful and show appreciation!

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. –William Arthur Ward

Heavenly Father, help us to be thankful during our times of stress and uncertainty. Remind us to express our gratitude to You and to those around us. Thank you for being so loving you give us everlasting life just because. Smile, God, we love You! Amen.

Jill Maclay

See photos from Sunday here and from the Booneville, MS Boys & Girls Club food distribution here. 

We hope you can join us Wednesday evening for The Well via Zoom at 6 pm.  Our friend, musician Peter Mayer will be our special guest. 

Did you hear the special announcement? Free Breakfast for the community at Great Beginnings Cafe on Sunday, June 7th! Worship will be on location that morning as we invite the community for a free breakfast to celebrate those in the hospitality industry who have been hit hard by the shelter in place. Tips for the employees will be encouraged and welcomed. If you'd like to make a gift to the RTB fund to pay for 150 breakfasts go here. 

Visit the home page regularly for resources, prayers, songs and links. Go here for a Memorial Day Prayer. 

I’m enjoying reading it again and looking forward to discussing it next week. I know a couple of ladies have loved it and I’m not sure what the reaction of such an overtly Jesus book will be from some.

One quote that has stuck with me that applies to our current situation is this:

“What often keeps us from loving our neighbors is fear of what will happen if we do.”

That’s a real fear today in this pandemic. But still, God calls us to be love. To love people for who they are not what they do. And who they are, I believe is: beloved child of God, created in God’s image.

May we move beyond our fear (while still being smart, wear a mask, practice physical distancing, stand up for the vulnerable) and be love.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 for our worship gathering via the livestream. God is present in this sacred time with you and with me, in our sacred spaces.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

Does it hurt? asked the Rabbit.

Sometimes, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.

Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, he asked, or bit by bit?

It doesn’t happen all at once, said the Skin Horse. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

Are there really any ordinary people? CS Lewis wrote, “Your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”

Right now, it feels like we are all moving into the unknown together. Just like the rabbit in Margery William’s classic story. For sure there is mystery in the unknown, but also a lot of wonder. There’s no running away from it. If we see others as being holy, each life is to be relished and celebrated. My life has value and meaning, not because of anything I’ve done, but because God says so! We live in a world of stories. In sharing our stories, we learn what makes us alike, what connects us and gives us a sense of community. We are not alone, God’s Spirit is already there, maybe we are just ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Living Christ, We thank you for the gift of faith, that sees your word lived in the lives of ordinary people. We thank you for people we have yet to meet and the challenges we have yet to overcome. We are a people of hope, we know you live this life with us and through us. Amen

Lois Autterson

Tomorrow the church will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. The story is told to us in the first chapter of the book of Acts.

Jesus said , “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by God's own authority.” (Acts 1:7) Reading this verse reminds us that we don’t know everything, and be wary of those who think they do. Christ is saying in reality that perhaps not even Jesus knows everything. Some things reside only with the Heavenly Parent. If you are hearing theology that has all the answers for everything all the time, it might be a good idea to question such teaching.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.“ (Acts 1:8,9) Jesus is saying that the geographic strategy of God includes the local, regional, those we don’t like, and the global. Then as Jesus departed, he went up into a “cloud.”

In many images of Jesus' Ascension, Christ is seen offering a blessing. Many artists have Jesus holding up three fingers in the Ascension blessing , which represent the Heavenly Parent, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  In these verses from Acts chapter one, Jesus is indeed offering a farewell blessing to his followers.

Elevation has a new song that reminds us of ”Christ's blessing that is upon us, God’s presence is around us, and beside us. God is for you!”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp6aygmvzM4 

When the news of the day causes such promises to seep from our heart, it is critical that we know the sacred places where we might be reminded.

For further reflection see : Psalm 68:32-35. John 17:1-11, and 1 Peter 5:6-11

Prayer: That we might be blessed in this moment.

Still in one peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

This concept sounds simple enough right? I found it interesting how it changed not only how I shopped, but how others did as well. Some seemed to go along with the new way and followed the floor markings while others either did not realize the changes or just simply did not care. Whatever the reason, it got me thinking.

When you are out in the world, where do your eyes go? Do they look down, so you do not stumble, trip, or fall? Do you look up towards the hills and the sky? Do you look at eye level? Or some combination of the three?

As I shopped, I stopped to smile for there in the midst of change (which is both exciting and hard for some of us), was God. God was telling me to keep moving forward, however, not so fast. God reminded me to slow down, look around and take it all in. If I was not looking or scanning multiple places, or if I went too fast, I would miss something. In this case, backtracking was not all that bad or hard, just a few extra steps added to the day as I looped back down another aisle to get to where I wanted to be. Looking back and remembering something can be a good thing. It is important to remember not to get stuck there. It is also important to remember that sometimes in life we cannot go back for what we missed. A moment is just that, a moment.

Missing things is going to happen as we are human. However, God has our back and will remind us to slow down, look around and take it all in. God wishes for us to see His blessings and His beauty for it is ALL around us, not just or always where WE think we should look. He is strategic and has a plan for each one of us.

Where do you look or turn to when you need a reminder of God and His Love? Where do you find strength? Two of my favorites are Psalm 121 and Matthew 6:25-34. These remind me that God’s got this – HE has ME! I am also blessed to be a part of a women’s bible study full of amazing and strong women. A few weeks ago, we were discussing Psalm 23 and other scriptures that we turn to … Maybe one of them will speak to you … Do you have one that is not listed or a favorite poem or author?

Psalm 23 ~ Hebrews 11:1 ~ John 1 ~ Psalm 121 ~ Matthew 6:33 ~ Matthew 18:28-30 ~ Matthew 16:24-26 ~ Colossians 3:2 ~ Romans 12:1-2 ~ Revelations 2:10

I encourage you to look ALL around. Look up, down, forward, and backwards. Look at scripture, other readings, your family, friends, support systems. May you see the beauty in ALL things as God allows HIS light to shine through you and to you!

Dear God, Thank you for direction even if it was not what we planned or expected. Thank you for reminding us to slow down and soak in the beauty that is all around us. May we continue to remember to look to you, wherever and however that may be; that sometimes you come to us where we are, for you are the Light that shines bright amid the darkness. Thank you for holding us all in your loving and unconditional care; “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” We are all children of God, called by name. In your name we pray. Amen.

April Schauer

** Check out this version of He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands – made me smile, I hope you do too 😊 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXrqnfcW_Y8

• The Theory of Everything
• Lonesome Dove
• The Wizard of Oz
• Places in the Heart
• Gone With the Wind
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Casablanca
• Love Actually
• The Day After Tomorrow
• Forrest Gump
• Miracle on Ice
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• Mary Poppins
• Good Bye Girl
• Sound of Music
• Princess Bride
• Groundhog Day
• Star Wars
• A New Hope
• Shawshank Redemption
• And Justice For All

Check out photos here. Make an offering here. 

Visit the home page daily for links to prayers, articles, songs and more. 

Where do you find hope? Where do you give hope? Do we need hope?

I think we do need hope. Hope that things will turn out all right – and we know things will turn out all right because we are Easter people. Easter people believe in resurrection and in new life.

It might seem that hope is all we’ve got right now – but perhaps it’s all we need.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am MDT for our worship livestream. It won’t be the same without you!

Grace be with you,

Vikki

Pastor Dave is asking for us to text him the name of a favorite movie that ends in hope. (720) 341-8766

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeBv9r92VQ0

The bible is a funny book. I used to think the bible was a story, a chronology of God’s people starting with creation and ending with the final judgement. I don’t think that so much anymore. A couple of weeks ago Pastor Dave explained that the bible was made up of about 85% stories, 15% poetry leaving about 10% for rules and regulations. I thought there were a lot more rules than 10%. Must be my Catholic upbringing. We didn’t read the bible much.

The more I read and study the bible I am inspired by the depth and inspiration it holds. There are also many contradictions. Proverbs seems to tell us that if we live an upright and Godly life, things will pretty much go well for us. Now turn to Job and we learn, well maybe not so much, right?

I believe the writers of the bible were truly inspired but some maybe had a broader agenda than just telling a story. I have heard it said that many of the stories about a violent and vengeful God are more about the Hebrews telling their neighbors “Our God is bigger than your God.” Kind of like a kindergartener telling the kids on the playground “My dad can beat up your dad.”

Some have said bible writers are like our kids telling someone what their parent does for a living. I once worked with a CPA whose son told his school class his dad worked on taxis. Or maybe describing God is like trying to explain the internet to your dog. We do the best we can to understand God but “For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:11.

I have recently been introduced to the term “proof text.” I would describe a proof text as a verse, sometimes taken out of context, used to justify a doctrinal belief. Sometimes they are helpful. Sometimes not.

Another term I have learned in the last few years is hermeneutic. Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretive principles or methods we resort to when immediate comprehension fails. Wikipedia

My hermeneutic changed when I learned that Genesis 1 is a poem about a God who creates and keeps creating and everything He creates is good, it’s good, it’s good, it's very good and we are part of that creation. And now I see that the story doesn’t end with judgement, it ends with Jesus. And that too is very good.

Father God, You don’t make life simple. You make us work, and search, and struggle as we try to follow the example of Jesus. Lord, walk with us and teach us because your desire is for us to be in relationship with You and we in relationship with each other because that is where we find you. We lift these prayers in all the Holy names of God. Amen.

Mark Autterson

...God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  The Scribes and Pharisee had over 613 laws which they created to live by, yet damned whoever tried to obey them.  On one trip to Israel our tour guide Yehuda tried to explain how exacting they were on the laws.  The Talmud said you had to wash your hands before meals. They debated what washing meant.  Do you wash the hand to the wrist, the middle of the arm, or all the way to the elbow?  Is washing work?  If so can, you wash on the Sabbath? They did this with everything!  What they failed to see was that God’s law was given for the purpose of pointing out that no one could ever measure up to God’s holy standard. The real law of God, wasn't to tell anyone how good they are or to earn their way to heaven. It was to show how in need of God’s salvation we are. 

The people looked at the hyper-religious Scribes and Pharisees and said we can never be as righteous as them. Christ was telling everyone that system is artificial and will never save you.  Jesus wanted people to repent and turn away from self-righteousness.  He always looked at what was inside a person not the outside. When Christ looked at the Scribes and Pharisees and saw their hypocrisy, he called them out on it.  In the parable of the tax collector and the sinner (Luke 18:9-14) he tried again to get the Pharisees to understand their condition.

The point is God wants repentance and a clean heart. Not some human-made religious system based on works righteousness.   Jesus came to fulfill the law completely and he did.  It is faith in Him that saves us. Nothing else.

Matt Schneider

Pentecost Sunday is May 31^st. On that day we will lift up the creativity of the Holy Spirit among us. 

              “In the last days , God says,

                 I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

             Your sons and daughters will prophecy,

               Your young men (and women) will see visions,

               Your old men(and women) will dream dreams  (Acts 2:17)

Right now, it can feel like the “last days” as we face a pandemic. That part of the text is easy to understand right now.  We worry about both the medical and financial threat which looms.  Fear and despair loom.  We could sure use some “dreams and visions” from the Holy Spirit . We pray come Holy Spirit come!

Into the midst of our dark days the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus comes!   Last week I was feeling a bit gloomy and decided to make a list of the positive ways I have seen God at work “showing wonders among us” (Acts 2:19). The list I drafted looked something like this:

…..God invites us to take a deep breath of the Spirit each day through scripture, or by reading devotionals.

…..God’s Grace Community Church (GGCC)  has generous hearts who continue to give as they are able.

…..We are so blessed right now to not have facilities requiring upkeep and other resources.

…..Coming together now requires high tech understanding. We have been using streaming, websites, Zoom and other technologies for a while.

…..Through Zoom, we have added two new groups during this time, the Monday Women’s group and the Wednesday night gathering called “The Well.”

…..The pre-existing Friday men’s group has gone national with people often attending from 3-4 states.

…..Our overall strategic nature is agile and flexible. That comes in handy when the world is doing things most of us have never endured before.

…..People are looking for meaning and purpose in tough, out of control times.  Many times, we only ask “how do we get people to come to church?” Part of GGCC’s pattern of doing ministry is also asking “how do we send people into the world?”

….. There are places where it is not safe to go now.  Government and medical officials also remind all of us to limit traveling.  We are blessed to have long standing partnerships on the ground in areas where people are in need. We can Practice generous gifting of resources with those partners so their hands and feet can be Jesus, feeding and clothing those in need.

…..That you care enough about God's mission at GGCC to have read this email this far, is a blessing of epic proportion! Thank you! You matter!

GGCC is far from perfect. With an imperfect pastor. Yet through it all God is redeeming us anew each day. We also pray that the good work begun among us in the name of Christ Jesus continues, as the Holy Spirit breathes into us new dreams and visions even as we are locked down in quarantine.

See Acts 2, and 1 Peter 3 for further reflection.

Prayers: Tomorrow, Ted Hanlon, my best buddy in college turns 61 years old. Let us pray for the Lord to remind us of one person each day whom we can reach out to and celebrate God's creating of them.

Still in one peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

I am certain that the words of the prayer in this picture will bring comfort, no matter what is going on in 6 years, or 60. Lord have mercy! 

Andrea Heshmati

We hope you will join us for The Well: Share Spiritual Gathering on Wednesday. We gather via Zoom; fellowship begins at 6:00 pm and promptly at 6:15 our time together begins. Contact Vikki to get the link. 

We're not Sunday and done...we take the message into our week.  Get devotions for the week here or here. 

For reflection and conversation: 

• How do you feel like you belong? How do you help others to feel they belong? 
• Where is Jesus creating a safe place for you? 
• Who has invited you into knowing God's love? How did they do that? 

Eugene Peterson says that we skip the way and hurry to want the truth to find life. But we can’t get to the truth and life without the way of Jesus.

What is the way of Jesus? Ah, that’s the big question. It’s what we talk about all the time: the first are last, wash feet, love God + people, take time to rest and pray, celebrate when the lost is found, notice that the Kingdom is near.

The way we live and move and breathe. The way we see Jesus in the eyes of those around us and the way we go to those on the margins.

We gather to get back on the way because sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the path. We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am as we “gather” to worship via the livestream. It won’t be the same without you!

Grace be with you,

Vikki

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability — and that it may take a very long time. Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser. -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Out of the lion’s den for Daniel, the whale’s belly for Jonah, and prison for Paul. Through the Red Sea onto dry ground. Through the wilderness, through the valley of the shadow of death. Through! It’s a favorite word of God’s! Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Lucado, 2020).

It won’t be painless. God doesn't guarantee the absence of struggle. If fact, it's in struggle where light is found. The key is to keep looking for it. If you are relentless about anything, be relentless about seeking God during these tumultuous times.

Adapted from and inspired from Max Lucado's book, You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Turbulent Time

Tammy Heflebower

On April 19^th, Pastor Dave preached on Holy Humor Sunday or Joke Sunday. Basically, sharing the story of how Jesus had played a joke on Satan, and rose from the dead. He had risen, He has risen indeed.

That Sunday we laughed a little bit, told a few jokes, “gathered and worshipped“ together. During this time, I think we need a bit of humor. We need to laugh; we need to take a break from our worries.

As I mentioned before when I write my devotions, I feel like I fall short. Reading the devotions from others lifts me up. I “hear” their voice in their devotion.

When we were getting ready for church, we were kind of joking around a bit. Here are a few more jokes, I hope you laugh, relax and take a break. God wants us to laugh. I want to help you laugh. So here goes:

What were the discarded titles Moses threw out when writing the book of Genesis ? 1) Ready or Not Here comes the Universe. 2) God Gets Busy 3) Existence Gotta love it. Or 4- none of the above 

During a lively game of basketball- Peter denies Jesus three times.

Birds of Pray- Give us this day our daily worm.

You idiot- He said cast the nets, not castanets.

Evandalism: God loves You.

One of the little known parables of healing the man with poor fashion sense- wearing black socks with his sandals.

Maureen Herzog

John's Gospel begins with such high sounding poetic talk about, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It sounds very beautiful and poetic. But then when that Word –made –flesh got to talking, began moving about the world, reaching out to untouchables, healing the sick, rebuking the rich and powerful, raising the dead, upsetting the authorities, well, then many people thought they could see God just a little too well! God got so close to us in Jesus that we got a good look at God and we didn’t like what we saw!

So we put Christ to death on a cross. We were determined to keep our religion “vague,”  indefinable, and soft, even if we had to crucify Jesus to do it! And we did. But then we learned on Easter that he was not only Word made flesh but also eternal life. He was the God who would not be defeated by death.

Come Lord Jesus to the hardship of our pandemic time! Give us the strength to take our place with you. Give us the wisdom to follow in your way.

See John 14:1-4 for further reflection.

I hope to see all of you at “The Well” tonight at 6pm. 

Peter Mayor and his band are doing a benefit concert for the artists in the band this Friday night at 6pm online.

See the God's Grace Community Church web site for details on these ministry opportunities as well as others.

Prayers: For all mothers...

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

I’ve examined many of the arguments for atheism and have found them all to be rather thin and/or specious.  Just because there is pain and suffering does not mean that God is not there and is not with us. Tragedies both big and small happen every day.  In addition, there have several tragedies and genocides greater than the holocaust throughout the course of history.  Indeed, we are enduring health and economic suffering right now with the coronavirus.  However, none of these painful events is evidence that God is not with us.  Easter was a recent reminder of the reality that the tomb was empty, and that Jesus is indeed risen.  Matthew 1:23 says “The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.”  Later, in the very last verse of Matthew, Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

We can trust and take comfort in these words that are just as true today as they were almost two thousand years ago.  Amen!

Brad Gauen

Make an offering here or mail to PO Box 631633, Littleton 80163.

Upcoming events

• Next Sunday is Mother's Day! Make a gift to Ready to Bless (RTB) to honor or remember the formative women in your life and give us the names of those women to share in worship on Sunday. Go here for details. 
• Wednesday, May 6, join us for The Well: Shared Spiritual Gathering via Zoom at 6:00 pm. 
• Thursday, May 7, is the National Day of Prayer. This day of prayer started in 1952 and is an opportunity to pray for local, regional, national and global needs. Prayers and a possible prayer walk will be posted on our website. 
• Friday, May 8, the Peter Mayer Group is live streaming a benefit concert. Tickets at petermayer.com/live

Take the message into your week: 

• How is Jesus leading you? 
• Where is Jesus in the midst of all that's going on? 
• Do you know Jesus' voice? Why or why not? How might you come to know his voice?

We’re not quite sure how we got here, and yet here it's May. Author Emily Freeman shared these three questions in an email and they resonated with me.

• What was the funniest thing that happened in April?
• What do you miss?
• What does peace look like in May?

A funny thing that happened to me in April is really more of a fun thing: coloring Easter eggs with family via Zoom. I miss holding and hugging and playing with my grandsons. And for May, I need to be more intentional about spending time outdoors to find my peace.

How do you answer these questions? I think these are a great conversation starter for this beginning of May.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at the worship livestream; it won’t be the same without YOU! Visit John 10:1-10 and Psalm 23 to prepare.

Grace be with you, 

Vikki

This is a very thought provoking statement from a dear friend of mine. As these days wear on and I endure lows and wait impatiently for a high, it’s only human to become somewhat weary. Will I return to what I consider normal? I can’t imagine a summer without Rockies Baseball or my favorite outdoor concert venues. When will I be able to take my grandchildren to the playground or the neighborhood pool?  My inability to share in Christian fellowship with my sisters in Christ or the precious little children in my BSF class is very disheartening. 

A definition of normal includes; the usual, average, or typical state of condition, or conforming to a standard. That sounds very vague to me, but then what do I know? For those of you who know me, you would agree that my life has survived many years of anything but normal. Being a very social person, the concept of social distancing is very foreign to me. What on earth would I do with all that  “distance” time? 

God had a plan! I have found my place of comfort in more prayer time, personal quiet time, ( I had no idea there was such a thing), and listening to Christian music. So instead of “doing” (busy with others), I’m spending more time in just “being.” Being in a closer relationship with God! It’s definitely a new normal I have been blessed by. 

A beautiful new song I’d love for you to listen to is “Waymaker,” by Michael W. Smith. Here is the chorus: Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, My God, That is Who You Are!                                                                                                                        

Linda Culberson

I in them and you in me--so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23

Davis Benedict

Tonight, Performance Psychologist Dr. Jack Stark https://www.jackastark.com/ will be our guest speaker at the Zoom gathering called “The Well,” starting at 6pm. Jack is a great friend of God’s Grace Community Church. He has worked with many churches, Nebraska’s 1990’s NCAA National Championship football teams, NFL and NBA teams, NASCAR, Creighton University basketball, and Fortune 500 executives. He will be addressing techniques to get us through the stress and anxiety of times like these. We hope all of you can attend this Zoom gathering. If you are uncertain if you are on the invitation list for the gathering, email Vikki Luce. vikki.luce@godsgracecc.com   

Tonight's teachings will help you gain the “abundant life“ Jesus has in mind for you.

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed.” (John 10:10)

The word “real” is interesting. Jesus is talking about both “eternal life” as well as “real life” right now. Do you want to step into the life of your dreams right now?

South African activist, Peter Storey, once noted with scorn about the “pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye” attitude that some Christians have. Rather impatiently, he countered, ”I have no time for a gospel that has no power to change the world, this world.”

The Covid virus has laid bare many of the racial and economic challenges in our culture. People of color and those who dwell in poverty are clearly the hardest hit. Are we ready to examine the systems of taxation, healthcare, and educational opportunities to explore how the “dream life” might be experienced by all God’s children? Jesus' resurrection brings new life to the world now!

Anne Lamott says that grace is an “unseen sound that makes you look up.”   Let’s pray we all “look up.”

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

“Expectation is the root of all heartbreak”

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

We have heard a lot of people ask, “When will things be back to normal?”

There have been lots of times in my life I wanted to go “back to normal.” 

When I lived abroad, I reached a point I was ready to move home.
When things are crazy at work, I want them to settle down again.
Dad died almost 18 months ago, and I still long for normal.

In the gospel of John, when Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, he says to her, “Do not hold on to me.” For resurrection stories to be hopeful, an important step is letting go. The promise of Jesus’ resurrection was not that things would go back to normal; but that the story would continue in a new normal. Embracing a new normal is part of the promise of Christianity. 

This process is what psychologists call grief.
Grief is not something our culture is good at.
And our models of grief are not exactly accurate.
Most people can name the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Interestingly, this model was created based on interviews of terminally ill patients describing the phases they went through in processing their own mortality. The process of dying is linear; the process of being left behind is not.

Right now, our whole world has been left behind. Our old reality has died. New social norms will stay with us forever. And that is a beautiful thing! That is resurrection truth! Our ability to adapt, change, and take care of one another is the most fundamentally human—even spiritual—thing we can do.

To feel scared is normal.
To feel anxious is normal.
To long to go back is normal.
But hope comes from letting go and preparing to embrace what happens next. 

In closing, may we remember the words of the psalmist: “From the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.” (Psalm 71:20). 

--If you’re looking for more conversations about grief, here are a few things that resonate with me.
Ted Talk on Grief “We don’t move on”
Podcast on Grief from The Liturgists
The Harvard Business Review published an article called “That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief.
An interview with P.J. Fleck (Coach at University of Minnesota) on a mindset to approach a new normal

Zach Herzog

1. Reading the scriptures, the Bible with others opens us up to who God is and what God is doing;
2. Breaking bread together. In Holy Communion we remember Jesus with us; 
3. Being hospitable, welcoming and serving others. 

Check out some photos from worship here and from a birthday caravan on Saturday here. 

We take the message into our week's conversations, reflections and devotions. 

• Read the Emmaus Road story in Luke 24:13-32. Imagine that you are there - what do you see, touch, hear, smell, taste?
• When has a stranger helped open your eyes and heart to Jesus?
• Why do you think we don't recognize Jesus walking alongside us? 
• Listen to this song and pretend that it's Jesus singing he wants you to have it all. 
• Visit the homepage daily for links and resources on the right hand column. 

But Easter DID happen and DOES happen and WILL happen. Jesus walks alongside us and we don't recognize him. Until...after.  It's always after that we realize, with our warm hearts, that God was/is/will be with us. 

May we remember that God has been with us so that we can know that God is with us now. Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! 

We'll "see" you tomorrow at 10:00 am MDT for the worship stream. It won't be the same without you! 

Grace be with you, 

Vikki

Praise Song for the Pandemic

I think we are riding that horse but it is also pulling a cart of people. It is the people that you love and care but also people that you want to help. Whether you know it or not, there are people that you influence directly and indirectly and there are many that depend on you directly and indirectly. It is foolish to think that you are the only one who lives in this world in a bubble. For the people that we see frequently and infrequently, they all have a part in our lives and memories. We are living in an age where we need to reach out to people, we know and we don’t know. We are all in this world together but isn’t it great to have a wonderful Shepherd Jesus leading the way.

Through all the troubles and temptations in this world, we are going to fall off that horse not just once but many times. The people in the cart will come around pick you up and get you back on that horse. One of them is Jesus Christ. He will always be there to watch over you. Some say that He is riding on the horse right behind putting his arms around your waist. Isn’t it good to know that you will always have a friend in Jesus?

Now, we are facing something that will make you fall off the horse numerous time and that is the Virus. It is making the people in the cart sick and dying. It is making the people in the cart stay away from each other. It is destroying our togetherness but don’t let it do that. Keep in touch with the people that you see and also with the people that you don’t see often. Pick up the phone or connect on the internet to make sure that bond is strong. A rope of 3 strands cannot be easily broken. Don’t forget that we are all in this together and we will get through this.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, united we stand and divided we fall. Saddle up. We are going on the ride of our lives. “Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gathers together in My name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18: 20-21.

In Christ,

Stan

What brings you comfort during these unsettling times? At the top of my list is the assurance that God walks beside us, he's on the journey with us. And just after that is the certainty of my church family's steadfast presence, albeit by our Zoom connection. Also on my list...having that extra loaf of banana bread in the freezer for emergencies.

Be well friends,

Andrea Heshmati

Annie Dillard said that if we consider the potential for the wild eruption of the Spirit in worship, we ought to “…wear crash helmets out in the pews.” The Spirit most certainly is a great comfort, a holy solace to us; and yet the Spirit inevitably catapults us out of the building and into mission. The New Testament’s Greek word for the church is “ekklesia,” which means “called out.” We are called out of the dance, out of the hall, to grab the hand of somebody who is hurting, lonely, poor, hollow. The Church is not a club, a nice place where nice people do nice things with other nice people. We speak “in tongues,” meaning we find the language to tell our story to people who don’t speak our language. (From notes on a lecture I heard William Willimon give in 1993.)

During this Covid virus crisis, let's each grab a crash helmet and prepare to serve the Lord!  Church Globally—we have been tossed out of our “normal” places of worship and are experiencing Christ in new places.  Within the confines of quarantine, through our high tech devices,  we each have the opportunity to reach nearly anyone, anywhere in the world with the love of Jesus.  Find the hands of the “…hurting, lonely, poor, and hollow.”

To quote the theologian April Schauer, I had some normals I needed to give up, “some normals I do not wish to return to.”  Church Globally—we have some “normals we needed to give up.” Letting loose of some old ways, so Christ might offer that which is new, might just be the Holy Spirit tapping you on the shoulder.

See Acts 2:14-28 for further reflection.

*Announcement: We are going to be developing a new website. If you desire to offer a proposal to do this work, please contact Vikki Luce this week!*

Prayers: For all those who have been impacted medically, economically, emotionally, or spiritually by the coronavirus. May we have a vaccine soon. Come Lord Jesus.

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

Luke 24:9-11 “When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”

Is there anything in your life now that seems like nonsense to you?

There were conflicting stories back then, You know, people were saying Jesus died, in fact, people saw Jesus die! And when they were told what happened and reminded of what Jesus said… they thought the women’s words were like nonsense. Maybe it’s a male/female thing?

Luke 24:12 “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”

And then maybe it isn’t a male/female thing. Maybe we not only doubt others, but we doubt ourselves. We like to call Thomas the doubting one, but maybe it’s our humanness coming out to scapegoat the one who was brave enough to say out loud what everyone else was thinking.

It's a strange time now for us, too. I hear people saying they look forward to going back to normal. Do you think the followers of Jesus were saying this during this time of doubt? Wouldn’t it be great if only we could go back to normal.

People are going to protest. People are going to want to go back to the good old days.  People are going to call you a fool. People are going to do things that Jesus didn’t do. AND… some people are going to want to hurt you.  BUT!!!!

As good as the past may have been. As worried as you may be. As crazy as the world may seem. Jesus is with us, you and I, now and Jesus is saying FOLLOW ME!  So…

Love your neighbor, you are following Jesus! Forgive those who have hurt you, those you know and those you don’t know, you are following Jesus! Feed the hungry, you are following Jesus! Help the alien, the foreigner, the ones everyone is telling you to neglect, you are following Jesus! Pray to GOD if you are worried, nervous, or in doubt, you are following Jesus. AND…

KNOW YOU ARE LOVED! For you are following Jesus! Amen

Jim Dietvorst

It was a beautiful morning for us to "gather" via the stream. We celebrated "Joke Sunday" an old tradition that God played a joke on the devil when Jesus rose from the dead. Pastor Dave's sermon was based on John 20:19-31. Jesus comes to bring peace to our past and to our future, now. We can live with renewed hope even in the midst of the crisis and our wounds. If you weren't able to be with us, you can watch here. See photos here. 

We'll be looking for you Wednesday at our midweek gathering! You can sign on to the Zoom meeting at 6:00 pm, the shared spiritual gathering will be from 6:15-6:45. Vikki will email the link about 5:30 pm. If you don't get it contact her.  

We're not done with God on Sunday, take the message into your week's reflection, devotions and conversations. 

• How do you deal with what weighs you down? Pastor Dave referred to this book, "Peace of Mind". What gets in the way of letting Christ come in? 
• What burdens are you holding onto from the past?
• We confess that we hold onto the past and fears of the future, but Christ comes to clear our minds and bring healing as it says in Isaiah 53:5 "we are healed through his bruises." 
• What are worries for the future? “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”- Parker Palmer
• How might you let Jesus come through the locked doors of your doubts about the past and the future now? 
• Visit the home page daily for links to prayers, articles and songs. 

Christ is Risen Indeed!

Last Sunday was Easter, but Easter isn’t over. We need the good news of resurrection and new life daily. And, the good news that God is with us in suffering, in good times and in bad times. This good news can bring us peace in the midst of fear, mercy in the midst of anxiety and hope in the midst uncertainty.

Brennan Manning writes:

The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.

We are a beacon of light with our prayers, our love and our peace in a broken world.

Join us tomorrow at 10:00 am as we gather via the stream for worship to celebrate the peace of Christ.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

We read:  Matthew 21: 12 Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves... Contemporary English Version. 

Several of our lovely women mentioned the significance of Jesus getting “angry”.  He didn’t just tell a parable and wait for everyone to ponder and digest his opinion on the matter.  He made a ruckus and was violent overturning tables.  

What did it take to get their attention and change their behavior?  What does it take to get our attention?  Do we yell at our children in anger, because we feel discussing calmly isn’t getting their attention or changing their behavior?  

Is Covid big enough to get my/your attention?  Is it something big like Jesus’ overturning tables and causing a big commotion?  Is it something new?  A New Normal, perhaps? The big question is:  How are we changing our behavior?  Okay, we are social distancing and we hope this will go back to normal.  –And the bigger question:  What are we changing spiritually?  --And what will we do to continue this change when we go back to normal.

Could our changes be: stop cheating our neighbors, stop gossiping, stop speeding, start Bible study, start loving our neighbors, start providing for those who are in need, start obeying traffic laws, start taking time for God each day.  What does God want us to change?

Dear God, thank you for the BIG (and somewhat angry) reminders that we are not perfect and need to improve.  Help us to change our behaviors in the way you want each of us to do.  Help us to quickly learn what that change should be.  Help us to happily change.  Help us to continue this change for as long as you desire.  Thank you that you are with us each and every day. Please be with us as we reach out to each other in both the good times and bad. May we be reminded through our struggles and joys that we are not alone. We can do all things through You!! In your name we pray. Amen. 

Jill Maclay

In the past, such as an economic downturn, companies, individuals, and countries have had to deal with a new normal. Not too long ago, I overheard the doctor tell the couple, “It’s ok. Just think of this as a ‘new’ normal.” In addition, in very recent days Dr. Fauci has been known to say, “I’m not sure we’ll ever get back the way we were pre-virus; rather, we have to get used to a ‘new’ normal.” 

Much like Nathanael, we might be questioning, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46a) 

It’s important in these seemingly difficult times to remember that God is always with us.

 Isaiah 41:10 (CEVD) Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories. 

I was reflecting on how Noah and his family might have felt during the preparation for and living in the ark for 40 days and nights; the results from such a catastrophic flood would have presented a significantly new normal. I too must remember that I can’t rely on my old normal as the anchor; but a new normal may take some adjustment. It may look just as rich with possibilities; it’s just that the possibilities may look very different from what I may have originally expected.

Romans 8:18 (GNTD) I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 

At this time of suffering and concern, which will cause significant change and a ultimately new normal, may we all be protected by God’s grace and mercy.

Sarah Thompson

The story goes that a pious Jew who is praying at the Wailing Wall is asked by a Japanese tourist,” If he does this often?”

The Jew responds, ”Two or three times a week, as my father did, and his father before him.”

The tourist asked, ”What do you pray for?”

“Peace for Israel, peace for all people,” answered the Jew.

“Are your prayers answered?” asked the tourist.

“Nah‘, says the Jew, “You might as well be talking to a wall.”

---Rabbi Lionel Blue in the ”Tablet” Nov 3,2000. Pg 20—

Do you enjoy a good joke? The Sunday after Easter is known by the nickname “Joke Sunday" or "Holy Humor Sunday.” The early church said the resurrection played a joke on the devil, that is where the name comes from.

No doubt the times are serious with Covid-19 and living in quarantine. The serious nature of our current times might just make this the best time to share a joke and laughter with each other. Easter reminds us the last laugh belongs to Christ! Let us share in the joy of the empty tomb this day and forever.

Psalm 16 says:  ”Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

                                  Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;

                                          my body also rests secure.” (verses 1,9)

Note how verse one calls upon the Lord to be our security. Then verse nine reminds us to rejoice and find joy.

See also John 20 for further reflection.

Prayers: For healthcare workers, those economically challenged, healing from the coronavirus.

My good friend Ted Hanlon introduced me to Don Francisco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lmv_xR6_q8   We live in the truth “He’s Alive!”

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

A conversation with Zach Herzog brought about an interesting theological way to think about how my public health viewpoint can interpret the actions and changes occurring within the pandemic. A very simplified way, Zach described Augustine’s definition of sin as loving the wrong way, confusing what is loved for it's use, and what is loved because we enjoy it. In a time of scarcity and isolation, it is easy to start confusing these things. From leaders on down, this pandemic has acted as a hard lesson in what we believe is useful/needed and what we enjoy. Leaders are enjoying power and money instead of understanding these are things to be used. On the lighter side, people understanding that a lot of the things we love for the enjoyment, can be suspended to make sure the things we love for their use are preserved for all. We are learning new things to find useful, and new things to enjoy. And overall, people understanding to love their neighbor as something we enjoy and needing to be preserved long term. At it's core, public health is understanding at a population level, what is useful/needed and what is enjoyed, and where we can make sure things are controlled so both can be preserved for the greatest number of people, now and in the future. Acting selfishly, and pursuing things we enjoy confusing them as something as useful, goes against public health, but also goes against loving thy neighbor. As we go forward in these next few months, let us reflect on what are the things that we love to be useful and what we should love to be useful, and what truly we should love for enjoyment.

Sam Jacobs

Pastor Dave shared that this Easter we are back to basics - more like the first Easter where the disciples were filled with fear and anxiety, gathered in homes. Mary who was the first to see the empty tomb, doesn't see dirty laundry but she kneels, pauses and sees angels. Christ gives us a new imagination that even surrounded by "dirty laundry" we might see angels. There is Good News alive and in the world, Christ is risen and in the world! If you weren't able to be with us you can watch the service here. See photos from our "gathering" here. 

Daily resources, links, songs and prayers are posted on the home page of the website. Check it out!  

This day, Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter morn this is the question on our hearts.

Where is Jesus?

From the book of Lamentations, chapter 3:2 (read verses 1-9 here)

He took me by the hand and walked me
into pitch-black darkness.

But, even as we ask the question, where is Jesus, we continue reading Lamentations 3:22 (read verses 19-24 here)

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

This afternoon, we’ll gather individually to pray for our community and our world. Our prayers are so needed now. Thank you Jesus for teaching us to pray. If you would like to join in our prayer, you can download the prayers here.

We’ll see you in the morning.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

In the 1990’s Fr. Richard Rohr spent several years studying initiation rituals from different times and cultures.  He distilled his learning into 5 themes or teaching and used them as a basis for a weeklong transformational retreat.  Last week he shared the themes over 5 days in his daily devotions.  These are my brief comments on his lessons:

• Life is hard – In my sweet short life I have seen discrimination, assassinations, wars, famines, floods and genocide.  I have lost family and friends.  I don’t know why life is hard.  
  • And yet, my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28).
• We are not that important – Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;”.  If you believe in the body of Christ, God was not talking about “a” man. God was talking about humanity, male and female.  There are 7,655,957,369 people in the world.  If we each carry the image of God, the spirit of Christ, we are just one manifestation of God out of 7,655,957,369 walking around today.  You are important to God but maybe not so much in the history of the world.
  • And yet, do you not know that your name is written in heaven? (Luke 10:20).
• Our life is not about us – Until we can see God’s image in the other 7,655,957,369 people we share this planet with we are missing the point of life.  If we want to see God we need look into the eyes of his people.  All of them.  He loves them as much as he loves us.  His love is unconditional.
  • And yet, I live now not my own life, but the life of Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20).
• We are not in control – If this pandemic has taught us anything I would say this lesson must be near the top of the list.  We never were in control and never will be in control.
  • And yet, can any of you, for all of your worrying, add a single moment to your span of life? (Luke 12:26).  
• We are going to die - It is said that in some rights of passage the initiate was required to dig his own shallow grave and spend the night sleeping there. 
  • And yet, neither death nor life. . . can ever come between us and the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).To go deeper visit Fr. Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation for his take on these life lessons:https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/

After 9/11 Archbishop Bruce Springsteen wrote a prophetic song titled “Into the Fire” as a tribute to the 343 firefighters who were lost rushing into the fire.  I believe the courage and dedication of those firefighters can be attributed today to our healthcare professionals as well as all those preforming essential services as they run daily into the fire.

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love bring us love

May your love bring us love

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Into the Fire (Live In Barcelona)

In Jesus name and all the holy names of God.  Amen

Mark Autterson 

FEAR + UNCERTAINTY + DOUBT = FUD    WOW!  I LOVE how God puts people in our lives at just the moment we need them.  I needed to be reminded of this FUD stuff and how GOD’s got this.  I first heard about FUD from a sermon given by Pastor Dave Jensen on Sunday, May 5, 2019.¹   As part of the message, we were all asked to write a Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt or a combination of these on a post it note.  As we were ushered up to communion, we were invited to place our notes on the wooden cross and give our FUD to GOD.

Hearing FUD also took me back to an evening spent with another dear friend of mine who helped me co-create a piece of art out of every post it note placed on the cross that day.  We lost count of the number of paper cranes she folded.  She even shared an amazing Japanese story about the paper crane.²  I can’t tell you what the notes said, but the idea behind the piece speaks to me now more than ever: “we are transforming our fears up and through the power of love and community.  On some of the cranes, you can see some of the writing, the feelings that were felt; and when we come out through this community and other communities through love and faith and hope and all those other amazing things through life, we come out flying high.” ³

In these unprecedented times, know that it is okay to feel FUD.  We are all human and some days will be better than others.  While it is sometimes hard to remember, and we may feel isolated and alone, we are not.  We are on God’s team and he picks all of us.  He has us each doing our part, in whatever way we are able, to transform our fears through Him and through our communities.

We have an Easter promise – that as we mourn loss of what we once knew, we will have new life.  A life filled with hope and faith.  A life filled with grace and unconditional love.  A life filled with kindness and compassion.  A life filled with the good that we choose to create.  We are all one people, we are God’s people, chosen by name.

Dear God, thank you for FUD and the beautiful new creations that come out of it.  Thank you for our communities – our family and friends – a stranger we have yet to meet.  May we continue to know that while we are physically apart, we are still one community.  May we find new and creative ways to be a better people in your Kingdom.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

April Schauer

¹ Archived services (including 05.05.2019) may be found at http://www.godsgracecc.com/live-stream

² How Paper Cranes Became a Symbol of Healing in Japan – National Geographic Society Newsroom

https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.nationalgeographic.org%2F2015%2F08%2F28%2Fhow-paper-cranes-became-a-symbol-of-healing-in-japan%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C0dc0c11c083c49ce6d2508d6d5d20f1f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636931495499139163&sdata=uGydWLp5dRCiGNYpH6dXduu6GC8OqlrS5spiwjEyyvA%3D&reserved=0

³ Archived Service (05.12.2019) - Paraphrased from a brief talk about the piece of art; starting around the 47 minute mark - http://www.godsgracecc.com/live-stream

Blessed Holy Week to all of you.

In the church we examine people as to their “personal faith.” Faith is personal, but it is never private.

John Calvin wrote, "...the gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only but is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart...our religion will be unprofitable, if it does not change our heart, pervade our manners, and transform us into new creatures." (John Calvin, "Golden Book of the True Christian Life")

The Covid 19 quarantine has brought us into a moment of crisis. In a crisis, we are stripped of the masks and distractions of life. In tough times, we find out quickly if the gospel “…possesses our whole soul…” Vulnerabilities have become public. We have the opportunity to allow Easter's truth to  “change our hearts”  and meet the needs of others with clarity through prayer, generosity and love.

Where there is need, please express it. Where there is bounty let us give. And, in all things let us continue to pray and give thanks to God for the gift of Easter which brings hope and new life now and forever!

Both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worships will available via zoom. Go to the God's Grace (GGCC ) website for details.  Also available on the website are opportunities to sign up to pray at the Virtual Easter Vigil, on Saturday 4-8pm. Easter worship will be streamed at 10am this Sunday.

Let us pray for all of us. Each one of us is affected by this Coronavirus. Let us lift up those who have the virus, the economically challenged, the hungry, the lonely and homeless. As we are each gifted in some way to bring Easter and new life to another at this time, may we follow Christ as “transformed creatures“ practicing generosity.

See John 20 for further reflection.

Still in one peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

As we prepare for the culmination of Holy Week and the journey into Easter, I’m always amazed how much we are beloved by God.   Richard Rohr, in his book “Simplicity,” states: “Jesus has hidden himself in the human condition, even in the humiliation of the flesh.  Christ always comes into the world on a donkey, Christ always comes into this world as a beggar.  We would love to see him enclosed in church theology.  But God is always free.”

God is with us, even with all our weaknesses and imperfections, in times of illness and pandemics.  When much seems lost and we are challenged to trust, the Easter promise holds such joy.  Paradise lost, is now regained for the world.    

 On Monday mornings I receive a weekly devotion written by Terry Hershey.  Terry is an inspirational author and speaker who shares his practice of mindfulness and relishing life.  Last week he mentioned an assignment given by a 1st grade teacher to her students.  Students were to name the seven wonders of the world.  I decided to ask my granddaughter Madelynn, who lives in Texas and is in the 2^nd grade.  Her list was not the typical list of what we know as the seven wonders of the world.

Madelynn’s List:  Water, God, Food, Earth, Shelter, Family & Friends, and Life.  What seems so simple, what we take for granted is what we all seem focused on now.  Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath, sit in silence, rediscover our connectivity to God and others through prayer and meditation.  We’re all learning isolation is hard, we’re not wired this way.  Simple gestures like a container of cookies with a note attached, can be shared with someone who lives alone or a grocery run to local food banks, which are popping up everywhere now.  It’s a time for us to get out of our heads and lead with our hearts.  When I do, I seem to develop a deeper trust of life and the moment we’re in.   Hearts are beginning to open a little wider right now and we are beginning to realize the connection we’ve always had to one another.  It’s a rare gift, a chance to see God’s world with wonder, maybe for the first time.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13 

Lois Autterson and Madelynn Pullos                

It's Holy Week. Get devotions and links here. 

Send Pastor Dave images/names/stories of what is giving you joy, new life and resurrection at david.jensen@godsgracecc.com. 

Join us this Holy Week for: 

• Maundy Thursday worship, 7 pm, email Vikki for the Zoom link.
• Good Friday worship, 7 pm, email Vikki for the Zoom link.
• Easter Prayer Vigil, Saturday, 4:00 - 8:00 pm. Sign up for a 6 minute prayer slot here.  
• And Easter Celebration Worship, Sunday, 10:00 am via the stream.

 May the Lord be with you. 

It’s not very often that the disciples or we do exactly what Jesus says to do. What does Jesus tell us? To love God and to love our neighbors.

We might not be sure what that looks like in this time of the coronavirus and physical distancing, so let’s not make it complicated.

We are intentional to engage scripture and prayer. (Join our Easter Prayer Vigil on Saturday, April 11 from 4:00 – 8:00 pm by signing up for a 6 minute slot here.)

We are intentional to love others by sheltering in place, wearing a mask in public, not hoarding, reaching out to those who are isolated, sharing freely what we have, being a light in the darkness.

Jesus knows it’s hard, so he promises to be with us. Always. With God’s help we can follow Jesus even in the midst of this pandemic.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am for our Palm Sunday worship livestream. It won’t be the same without YOU! Share the link, you never know who might need to hear the Good News. Send me photos of your worship space. We’re in this together.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

During Holy Week, there will be multiple opportunities for you to engage with Jesus’ walk to the cross and resurrection. 

• Pastor Dave would like for you to send images of hope, joy, new life and resurrection. These will be part of our Easter worship. You can email him at david.jensen@godsgracecc.com or mail to his home, 5510 Sawdust Loop, Parker 80134
• There will be Zoom Maundy Thursday and Good Friday gatherings.
• Easter celebration worship will be April 12 at 10:00 am via the stream.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!"

Habakkuk was a prophet who wrote prophesied in the first five years of King Jehoiakim’s reign (609–598 BC).  He was a prophet to Judah, the southern Kingdom. Habakkuk was deeply troubled at the evil acts being committed in Judah. He saw wickedness, oppression and corruption in the Nation.  God through Habakkuk prophesied that the Babylonians would attack and lead Judah into captivity in Babylon. God told Habakkuk that he was going to use the Babylonians to punish the wickedness of Judah. Habakkuk could not understand how God would choose to use a nation he viewed as more wicked to punish Judah.

While Habakkuk did not understand what God was planning to do, he ultimately comes to understand that God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. Though ordinary living is going to get tough, Habakkuk trusts in the plan of God.

Although we are experiencing pain and turmoil right now, we ultimately have to trust God and as Habakkuk said “Rejoice in the God of my salvation.”

Stay safe and God Bless,

Matt Schneider

This desire to be connected, and to feel that connection is common to almost everyone, believers and nonbelievers alike. Whether we are part of a community, a faith family like God’s Grace or not, people need encouragement from others. Jan’s brother Jim reached out to us on Tuesday night to share “something to lift you up!” with us. It is from the end of James Corden’s Late Late Show from Monday night, providing something of a secular sermon, followed by a moving “Hymn of the Day” – You Will Be Found, from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. I encourage you to take the time to listen to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_10msPMEick.

Remember Jesus’ words from Matthew 28:20 – “For lo, I with you always, even to the close of the age”. You are not alone! We have been found!

Dave Erickson-Pearson

“He (she) who denies their neighbor the service of praying for them denies them the service of a Christian.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together”

The coronavirus has presented us all with feelings of fear and desperation. On the eve of going to the cross Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. “Jesus fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: ”Papa, Father, you can – can’t you?- get me out of this. Take my cup away from me. But please, not what I want--what you want?”  (Mark 14:35-36)

One of the ways God is guiding us through this time of Covid 19 is by flooding the internet with spiritual resources. One of the prayers I have appreciated the most is “Prayer for a Pandemic,” by Cameron Bellim.  Let us pray…

May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close
Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips
Remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country,
let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.

Keep the events of Holy Week in mind. This weekend we observe Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter worship will follow. Stay tuned to the website for details. God will be streaming and zooming!

Each month we give away an estimated $2000.00 to our mission partners. Last month we increased that by $1500.00 to send extra much needed resources . I want to be very clear that if the economic circumstances created by the virus have created an economic burden for you, let us know and we will try to offer support. If you are one of those financially blessed at this time, I want to say thank you for your generosity. We are called right now to share what we have to meet one another’s needs. God’s Grace Community Church is thankful for the offerings we have received, so that the gospel might be proclaimed at this time and resources might be offered to those in need.

See Matthew 21:1-11 and Matthew 26:14-27:66 for further Passion Week reflection.

Keep a strong dose of joy pumping into your life. Tonight Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have a special on CBS.

My colleague Carolyn Hammack just sent me this YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YuWAZmD0aU  

May we each “Be a Light.”

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

Psalm 91:14-15 Reminds us, "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble."

Even during our darkest moments with Covid19, God is with us! We are never alone. 

Tammy Heflebower

Pastor Dave used the scriptures of Mark 4:35-41 and Genesis 2:2 to remind us that rest and sleep and sabbath are a powerful gift. Jesus, both 100% human and 100% divine, needed some rest. He wanted to get in the boat and go elsewhere and get some sleep. The disciples and we learned that waking up the divine brings great power. We have an invitation for Sabbath rest in this time of "forced" seclusion. Let's remember that it's a gift from our Lord who will calm the seas and has the whole world in his hands. If you weren't able to join us yesterday, you can watch here. 

We are all invited to participate in our Easter celebration. Pastor Dave is inviting us to send in images or names or stories of what and who is giving us hope, joy, new life and resurrection. You can email these to Pastor Dave or mail to his home, 5510 Sawdust Loop, Parker 80134. 

Visit our homepage each day for the blog post and daily inspiration. 

Check out the photos from Worship and some hope we saw last week. 

Lent Midweek Worship via Zoom! Wednesday, April 1st at 4:00 pm. About 15 minutes to focus on Lent and our theme of Listening. Let Vikki know if you want to participate. 

What are we to do?

It’s Lent, that time of year leading up to Jesus’ suffering, so we can remember that Jesus is always with the suffering. Jesus is always with us.

A prayer resource, World in Prayer, provides a weekly prayer written by a variety of authors based on the weekly global news. It’s good stuff. This week’s led me to discover the following written by Jamie Tworkowski:

Conversations will not be cancelled.
Relationships will not be cancelled.
Love will not be cancelled.
Songs will not be cancelled.
Reading will not be cancelled.
Self-care will not be cancelled.
Hope will not be cancelled.

There is still good stuff. We are still “gathering” for worship, small groups, families. There is time for quiet and reflection. May we find the blessing in this.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am for the livestream of worship. Text prayer requests and/or ways you have found Sabbath blessing in this time to Pastor Dave at 720-341-8766.

It won’t be the same without you.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

Sunday , the 22^nd was my day to provide refreshments at church. March 22^nd, we were not physically at Rock Canyon for church due to the coronavirus pandemic. We were however gathered, as our church family, as Pastor Dave, Amy, Amanda, Ed , Dave, Ron and Bruce brought us church via the stream and Facebook, from the Jensen home.

Thanks to Vikki – her creativity, patience and grace are always with us even as she and Terry are quarantined due to a potential exposure. Terry L is always operating in the background. The quiet, gentle giant (at least in my eyes).

Back to refreshments- normally, we bring refreshments for all to share, for fellowship , to have a moment to say “hi”, “how are you?”, “have a good week “ ,”are things better?”.  A time to connect.

Refreshment this week was in the form of worship, of our streamed service, of refreshing in being together, but separate. 

I give thanks for my church family. For the gathering , for the music, for the word, for prayer, for a time to reflect and refresh together. 

Some time soon we will be together in person. In the meantime we are together, loving and supporting each other via texting, Facebook , email and the phone.

God’s Peace- stay healthy and connected. 

Maureen Herzog

It’s easy for us to worry and become anxious during this corona virus pandemic.  I think it’s top of mind for most folks right now as it dominates the news and our conversations. However, I found this devotion written by Destiny Gonzalez that I thought is worth sharing. Below is s portion of her devotion, go here to read the whole thing:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41

This story holds a profound lesson challenging our response to fear.

It is important to recognize that the fear in this story was valid. This is not a story about irrational anxiety. Notice the language in the text describing “a great windstorm,” “the waves beat[ing] the boat” and “that the boat was already being swamped.” This was real. The disciples were lifelong fishermen who knew the sea and could recognize genuine danger, and they were convinced they’d die.

Continuing reading here. 

Brad Gauen

As Jesus and his disciples cross the sea, “A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping.”  Mark 4:35-41

In Mark 4, the story of the storm is one of conflict, which produces fear in the boat. There is a conflict with nature, the storm. There is a conflict within their hearts and minds as well and they wake Jesus to ask him, ”Teacher is it nothing to you that we are going down?”

Fear is pumping through Jesus' followers and he is “asleep.” The virus COVID-19 is moving through our population creating conflict within us. In the midst of our fears, is Jesus asleep again?  While we stir, conflicted with the thought of illness and possible death. Is Jesus asleep again?   

The best thing Jesus can do for us, is to stay asleep and take a non anxious posture as we fill with anxiety.  In the story Jesus rises up and says to the storm, ”Quiet!” and then looks at his disciples and asks, “Don’t you have any faith at all?”

It is counter intuitive, but in times of greatest fear we are invited to rest in the arms of the sleeping Christ. Genesis 2:2 introduces us to the concept that there is great power when God rests.

We are a culture that likes to multi-task and stay on the go. We have now been forced into Sabbath time. I invite you to read scripture, pray, meditate, and go for a quiet walk. There is great power when we rest with God. The alternative is to ramp up the conflict within and around us by watching the news with our bias, and that will in actuality do little good.

God’s Grace Community Church (GGCC) was created for a time like this. We will have worship on Sunday morning. We are working to solve the stream issue we had last week. We were still able to get the service out via Facebook Live.

• Men’s group will meet on Friday morning at 630am through a virtual online gathering. 
• Staff will meet this Thursday afternoon on Zoom.
• The GGCC website is now loaded with opportunities for you to rest and take Sabbath time with God. I urge you to give it a look. You are invited to leave prayer concerns on the website as well.
• If I can be of service to you please let me know. My email is david.jensen@godsgracecc.com. My personal cell phone is 720-341-8766 .

Let us pray for healing and a stop to the COVID-19 virus. May those most at risk- the poor, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions be watched over by the Holy Angels.

I highly recommend you consider going to our good friend Peter Mayer’s virtual concert this Friday night for tornado relief in Nashville. https://www.stageit.com/petermayermusic/nashville_tornado_benefit_show/69459?fbclid=IwAR0TtLrX4YVgPquJVSrfEvOOb5CXOLYUNICwt9ekO3YeSmR4SVY9RdHGF1I  Take some Sabbath time by listening to music. Enjoy a great concert in the safety of your home at a very nominal price while helping other people in need.

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

Why fear when God has already given you, in Christ, everything you need to be what you're supposed to be and to do what you're called to do? I think it's one of the dirty secrets of the church of Jesus Christ that many of the things we do are done out of fear and not faith. Fear happens when I look at myself, assess my resources, and conclude that I do not have what it takes to do what God is calling me to do, or to face what I have to face. Fear in a believer is a function of forgetfulness. To the degree that you forget who God is, who you are as his child, and what you have been given by his grace, fear is your default emotion. I am deeply persuaded that the only solution to fear is fear. In other words, fear is defeated only by a bigger, greater fear. Here's what I mean. When the fear of God overwhelms and controls your heart, it protects you from the paralyzing and debilitating fear of other things. It's only when God looms hugely larger than anything you could ever face in this fallen world that your heart is able to experience peace even when you don't understand what is happening (and you don't have the power to solve it if you did). Meditate on these passages:

• "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Ps. 23:4).

• "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 27:1).

• "The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied" (Prov. 19:23).

• "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isa. 41:10).

• "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps. 34:4)

So how can you enter into an experience of vertical fear (fear of God) overwhelming and quieting horizontal fear (fear of anything else)? Well, first run to God and pray that he will grace you with the eyes to see and the heart to remember his awesome glory. Then require yourself to quit meditating on your problems and instead meditate on the glory of the God who has become your Father and who is always with you. No, you should not deny your problems, but if you let them be the subject of your meditation, they will loom larger and larger, and you will grow more and more afraid. Today, face reality, but meditate on God's glory. For further study and encouragement read Psalm 111. 

Shared by Linda Culberson

We are working to overcome the challenges and get the stream going on Sunday. 

God's Grace leadership affirmed supporting our ministry partners in this time of great need as they serve children, families and individuals from the Ready to Bless fund. 

• Confluence Ministries - $250
• The Gathering Place - $500
• Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives - $250
• Convoy of Hope - $250
• Sun Valley Kitchen + Community Center - $250

We give thanks to God that we can give and share what God has first given us. 

Visit our homepage for daily inspirations of prayer and readings. (Right column)

Things are different, including church. What does this mean for us?

It means we are still the church, remembering these verses from Hebrews 12:

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. ² We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! ³ So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up. CEV

We will “gather” tomorrow at 10:00 am via the stream. You can catch the stream here or on our Facebook page. We’re not inviting you to just watch, but to participate. Light a candle, find your Bible (Pastor Dave will be preaching on John 9,) grab a cup of coffee and perhaps some comfort food to enjoy when we’re done. We’ll send out and post the song lyrics so you can sing along. And, watch our website for new ways to check in daily. 

Things are different, but we are still the church. We'll be "looking" for you. 

Thanks be to God!

Grace be with you,

Vikki

She was annoyed until her husband mentioned that saying the Lord's Prayer is 20 seconds long. Aha! Washing hands becomes a spiritual practice, a chance to pray, to connect with God and forget ourselves. (And a welcome relief from Happy Birthday.)

Washing my hands is now a 20 second gift. 

Thank you Jesus for in your mercy I am changed. 

Zach Herzog

How Good it is to Center Down!
by Howard Thurman

How good it is to center down!
To sit quietly and see one’s self pass by!
The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic;
Our spirits resound with clashings, with noisy silences,
While something deep within hungers and thirsts for the still moment
    and the resting lull.
With full intensity we seek, ere the quiet passes, a fresh sense
    of order in our living;
A direction, a strong sure purpose that will structure our confusion
    and bring meaning in our chaos.

We look at ourselves in this waiting moment –
    the kinds of people we are.
The questions persist:  what are we doing with our lives? –
    what are the motives that order our days?
What is the end of our doings?
Where are we trying to go?
Where do we put the emphasis and where are our values focused?
For what end do we make sacrifices?
Where is my treasure and what do I love most in life?
What do I hate most in life and to what am I true?

Over and over the questions beat in upon the waiting moment.
As we listen, floating up through all the jangling echoes of our turbulence,
   there is a sound of another kind –
A deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.
It moves directly to the core of our being.  

Our questions are answered,
Our spirits refreshed, and we move back into the traffic of our daily round
With the peace of the Eternal in our step.
How good it is to center down!

On March 1 the world was different. We could go to work, gather in crowds, and venture into any business and receive services. The world was a wonderful place. I preached on John 3:16 and we explored how, ”...God so loved the world that God gave God's only son…”  The focus of this verse is clearly on God's redemptive activity in creation. It was a joyous day in worship! When things are going well, it is easy to talk about how things are “lovely “ with God and otherwise.

Now, the world has moved.  Many  of us cannot go to work. We’ve been asked not to gather, and the few stores that are open have too many empty shelves. This week I am preaching on John Chapter 9. The religious leaders seem bent on condemnation. They want to know, ”…who sinned, this blind man or his parents, that he was born blind…?”   When you read the text, even Jesus' disciples seem to lean toward saying the world is a lost place.

Jesus spits into some dirt and prepares to place it on the blind man’s eyes. There had to be a huge gasp in the crowd at that moment. If you read Numbers 12:4 you will see that the Old Testament teaching is that those who are spat upon are condemned. However, Jesus' focus here is not on condemnation but on salvation, on healing and restoration. The spittle is placed on the man’s eye’s and he is able to see. That which was condemned is redeemed.

Let that be a Lenten lesson for we coronavirus threatened pilgrims who follow Jesus. That we might trust God will not condemn but seek to restore. 

Prayers: That we might fear not in fearful times. In anxious times, let us maintain hope in Christ Jesus our creator and redeemer. The end of the coronavirus and healing for those who currently have it. For economic justice and restoration. Thankfulness for the financial generosity to continue our mission together.

Watch the God's Grace Community Church (GGCC) website.

*GGCC will be streaming worship this week.  WE WILL NOT BE  PHYSICALLY GATHERING. WE WILL BE WORSHIPPING TOGETHER THIS SUNDAY AT 10AM*

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

Well, let’s all guess on what the whole world is talking about and that is the Coronavirus.  It’s going to spread to 10 million people and it’s going to kill millions.  As a precaution, we have to shut down everything.  No dine in at restaurants.  Schools, rec centers, and etc. are all shut down.  Movie theaters, museums, and live events are all shut down.  Social distancing of 6 feet needs to be done.  No handshaking but elbow bumps are allowed.  Massive panic buying is happening all over the place and I experienced it first hand as my wife went into panic mode or maybe, desperate mode.  This was due to the fake news of national lockdown.  Don’t go out of your house which is bologna.  Stay away from people.  Only gatherings of 50 or below is allowed.  Everybody is a carrier of the virus and we can’t afford to interact with anybody.  You know, maybe we were in a shutdown long before this virus ever started.

When you go out for dinner, did you ever notice that a family of four is not talking to each other and just texting or surfing the internet on their iPhone?  When the food comes, they eat but yet not talk to each other.  Shoveling a fork of food into their mouths and yet on the iPhone.  It is an amazing feat even for an octopus.  In the past when I was a kid, family dinner meant family dinner.  We all gathered, shared food, but most importantly, shared what was going on in our lives.  There were problems we were facing but there were wonderful joys we experienced.  We always had good conversations that prepared us kids for the future.  It was a great time and I wish that families today would get back to that.  I think it would help resolve divorce, kids running away from home, and etc.  But nowadays, this is what I mean by shut down.

The internet is a great tool for info and entertainment but I think it can be obsessive for kids playing video games.  They spend hours and yet they say they are connecting with others but I think it is the opposite.  Kids come to my house for dinner parties and all they want is my internet password, then hide in the corner charging their phones, and not talk to anybody.  Shut down at its finest.

We got to start it up and it all starts with our hearts.  The heart is the most important muscle in the body but it the most important muscle for our relationships.  It begins with our heart.  If we open up our hearts, it can start up conversations which grows in relationship and then grows into communities.  I think that will connect people together better than the internet will.  So, follow your heart because it knows the way to true happiness which points to God.  It has been that way and will always be that way.  Trust your heart because it knows.

In Christ,

Stan Yee

May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close
Remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips
Remember those that have no place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country,

Let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,

Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

Amen.

We gathered yesterday, a small group in person and a much larger group via the stream. We were all together. Pastor Dave taught from John 4 about Jesus' in-depth conversation with the woman at the well. Jesus offers us living water, friendship and community. Everything we need right now. If you weren't able to be there or watch live, you can see it here. 

Photos from last week's ministry: Lent Midweek Gathering and Sunday Worship. 

Please check the website for updated information about events and locations. We will do our best to connect with one another and be church together, whether in person or in spirit. 

Third Thursday with Open Door and Whiz Kids are cancelled. Please keep Rev, the kids, their families in your prayers as they live in these difficult times with school and structure cancelled. 

For your week's devotions, reflection and conversations. 

• Do you know Jesus as friend? (Read John 4:1-42)
• Are you thirsty for “living water”?
• When have you been blessed by the Jew and Samaritan (two very different cultures) coming together?
• Looking ahead to next week: Where is there suffering? See John, chapter 9.

Curated Links & Resources

• Short and Sweet Spirituality Blog (short quotes to consider an idea) https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/blogs/posts/short-sweet-spirituality/696/follow-the-grain
• 4 Practical Ways to Incorporate Serving into Your Daily Life https://growingtogetheringraceandknowledge.blogspot.com/2020/02/4-practical-ways-to-incorporate-service-into-daily-life.html
• Video: Simple Acts of Kindness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdYJr03eJjE&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJ2bHVjZTgxQGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIm5GRWUzUiJ9
• 49 Things to Do If You’re Staying Home https://www.neil.blog/articles/49-things-to-do-if-youre-staying-home-due-to-coronavirus
• Devotion: Jesus Offers Living Water https://www.guideposts.org/faith-and-prayer/daily-devotions/jesus-offers-you-living-water

Do you wonder if God listens to you? In our Bible text tomorrow, John 4:1-30, Jesus listens to a woman who thought no one, especially no one like Jesus, would ever listen to her. It’s a story that God uses to help us understand that God does listen to us – the sinful, the sorrowful and the lost.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am, if you’re well in person or if you prefer, tune into the stream here. We will be meeting at Heflebower Funeral Services, 8955 S Ridgeline Blvd, Ste 100, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.

Here’s a message of God’s love and light coming to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OgVs4N1Mkk

Grace be with you,

Vikki

It is a huge danger to pretend that awful things do not happen. But you need enough hope to keep going. I am trying to make hope. Flowers grow out of darkness. ~ Corita Kent

I am not a "worrier" and I don't seem to get overly anxious about things I cannot control. I know I'm fortunate in those regards and for many other things in my "first world" life. Worry and anxiety is something that many people just seem to be born with, it's part of their personality, I guess?As we watch sporting events being canceled, work places instituting mandatory "work from home," schools closing, and the stock market plunging lower and lower, it is my hope that those folks who are consumed by worry and anxiety will find some sense of calm and peace. Now is the time to look out for one another.

Isaiah 41:10 ......do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 

Andrea Heshmati

Mumford & Sons in their song “Guiding Light” say, “Cause even when there is no star in sight, you’ll always be my guiding light.”https://youtu.be/qHsEwQvnGOE

I find myself, when things are going well, or even if my life becomes a bit routine drifting away from GOD… and if not drifting away from GOD then maybe seeing the guiding light less dimly.

Psalm 43:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in GOD…”

In John 4, Jesus talks with a Samaritan Woman at a well. His disciples have gone into town (Sychar) to get supplies, take care of business… You know, doing the routine things between miracles. And then in verse 27 of John 4 “they return and were surprised to find Jesus…?”

When we get caught up in the routine.

When we get downcast.

When we get disturbed within.

When we get caught up in politics.

When we drift along…

Know! Yes, KNOW!

GOD is there surrounding you, inside of you, holding you… Return! And be surprised!

As Mumford & Sons says, “Don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind, ‘cause even when there is no start in sight you’ll always be my guiding light.”

The author of Psalm 43, around 3,000 years ago, knew you could get caught up in worldly things, they knew you get downcast and disturbed within and yet… they knew to turn to GOD for a guiding light.

About 2,000 years ago, the disciples returned and were surprised by Jesus. If we’re not surprised by Jesus, by GOD then maybe we’re not following the right light. If we have fit Jesus into our normal routine, then maybe it’s just our interpretation of Jesus. Maybe we need to return and be surprised. Maybe we’re caught up in a routine that has us missing the miracles, maybe we’re just sitting with folded hands and becoming blind!

You are a wonderful, loving, precious child of GOD! Know you are loved!

Open your eyes to GOD and be surprised.

Precious Father, Loving God, Holy Spirit I pray. I pray for you to be my guiding light, to let me see where I am drifting from your path and to return and be surprised! AMEN!

Jim Dietvorst

If you have a copy of the “New Revised Standard Version” (NRSV) of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, look in the introduction. Bruce Metzger who lead the translation committee writes:

 “The Bible carries its full message, not to those who regard it simply as a noble heritage of the past or who wish to use it to enhance political purposes and advance otherwise desirable goals, but to all persons and communities who read it so that they might discern and understand what God is saying to them. (New York: Oxford University Press,1991,p.XIV.)

In encountering the scriptures, we expect to encounter God in Christ. We come to the Bible, not projecting our desires upon it, but rather expecting Scriptures to project God’s desires upon us.

We spend a great deal of time questioning the Bible, probing it, speaking to it. But, in John 4 when Jesus knows all about the woman at the well whom he had never met, Scripture reminds us all that the Bible is busy putting  questions to us! While we are busy reading the Scripture, God is also busy reading us!

God has read our fears over the coronavirus. Christ sees our concern about instability in the financial markets. The most often repeated phrase in scriptures is “fear not," our God knows we are prone to being anxious about many things. Let us place our trust in God who has our back and knows our concerns better than we know them ourselves. No coronavirus or dropping of the stock market can ever separate us from the love of Christ Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

See John 4:1-42 for further reflection.

Prayers: Thankfulness that God knows each of us  and calls us friend, for the coronavirus, the financial markets, that our ultimate trust might be placed in Christ Jesus. All who mourn the death of Terry Gren who was Carolyn Hammack's brother.

When Bill Withers wrote the song “Lean On Me” with his friend Paul Hill it was intended to be a Christian tune. They modified some of the language making it more secular in nature, causing it to climb the pop charts in the 1970’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyj5f5Sn0s  I believe all things are of use to God and this song, regardless of its secular success, has sacred purposes. Let us lean on God.

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

This is my prayer I have saved for Mondays, which popped up a few Mondays ago at 8:30 am:

I bless you for the day you have made, Mighty Lord Jesus and pray that I may spend this day rejoicing in your creation. I pray for your Holy Spirit to fill me with the joy of my salvation, so that your light may shine through me into the world, that your honor and glory may be known to all people. Amen.

After reading I realized this is what Vikki was talking about a few weeks ago in her sermon – how Jesus was transfigured on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John – how His insides were showing -- how transfiguration is on a higher lever and different than transforming. The visual Vikki described helped me realize how important my light can be. The light that shines through us is from Jesus – and it is so special it’s a gift – and it’s so special we can’t fully understand it, (it’s transcendent). I would never think my light that sprinkles out of me could be as brilliant as Jesus’; however, by golly, it’s from Him! It’s His light! Amen to That!

Then, this got me thinking: Do I shine Jesus’ light “to be known to all people”? Do I choose who to shine to? Do I choose when to shine? Am I too busy to shine? Am I not confident enough to think I can be a shiner? Can everyone see my light?

Mighty Lord Jesus, help us to change from the inside out. Help us to shine Your light “to be known to all people”! Amen.

Jill Maclay

The 2nd Sunday in Lent was a beautiful morning. Pastor Dave shared from John 3:1-17 about how Jesus tells Nicodemus that to enter the Kingdom we must "born from above" and we wonder how that can be. It's what God does, not what we do! God and the Spirit blow the gifts of God into our lives. If you missed being with us, you can watch here.

Check out photos from recent ministry events: 

• March 8 Worship Gathering
• March 7 Bowling with Open Door Kids
• March 5 Lent Midweek Gathering

Join us this Wednesday evening for pizza, salad, dessert and worship! Get details here. 

We're not just Sunday people. We take the Good News into our week. 

• If you were asked, “Who is Jesus?” how would you respond?
• When have you gone to God at night (in secret)? See John 3:2
• Have you felt the uncontrollable “winds” of God taking control of your life? See John 3:8
• Looking ahead to next week: What is the best “water” you have ever had? See John 4:5-42

Curated Links & Resources

• How to Be Still Even When You Don’t Like Silence https://www.prayerandpossibilities.com/10-ways-find-stillness-even-dont-like-silence/?ck_subscriber_id=170436440
• 5 Books for Spiritual Formation https://annarbolch.com/2020/02/23/5-favorite-books-for-spiritual-formation/
• Self-Reflection for a Happier Life https://www.lifehack.org/696285/how-self-reflection-gives-you-a-happier-and-more-successful-life
• Science-based Benefits of Journaling https://nesslabs.com/dear-diary?_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJ2bHVjZTgxQGdtYWlsLmNvbSIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIm5GRWUzUiJ9

Who Has Seen the Wind? 

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

the wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

the wind is passing by.

I was reminded of this poem when reading our scripture for tomorrow, John 3:1-17. In verses 7-8 we hear Jesus say, “You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” 

We can’t see the wind, nor can we see the Spirit of God. Except for maybe when the trees bow their heads, or the people of God bow their heads and follow Jesus.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am as we gather to worship and “see” where the Spirit of God is present in our lives and in our world. It won’t be the same without you.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

This is the time of year where I find myself doing a little extra self-reflection. We are entering the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday has come and gone, and I’ve celebrated another birthday – Woo Hoo!!

The other day I went for a walk in the beautiful Colorado sunshine. As I was crossing the street, being careful to avoid the snow melt and run off, I noticed a stone. In that split second, it looked like a heart being washed in the water. It looked cool, so I picked it up only to find that outside of the water, it had an entirely different appearance.

In the water it looked like a heart. Outside the water it was just a stone. Even though it changed in appearance, I decided it grabbed my attention for a reason, so I held onto it for a few seconds, placed it in my pocket and kept walking. I found this interesting and it got me thinking. Who has my heart? Who has yours? How many of us and how often do we hide our hearts and our brokenness? We hide and keep on walking. God, however, sees it all. He sees what we sometimes can’t put into words. He knows what we are afraid to share with others; afraid of what people might think. God also takes our sins, our wounds and our brokenness and washes it all away. He transforms our hearts in ways that we don’t always see right away.

A number of years ago, I wrote the following, “… I began to ponder the word “Broken.” Have you ever really looked at this word? Have you ever noticed that the word “OK” appears in the middle … how it is hugged and sandwiched right in the middle of the rest of the letters? The next few minutes I was lost in thought about how when I feel broken and lost, I am really ok … I am ok because I am hugged and sandwiched by God and all that He has given me. He has given me His unconditional love … He has given me the love of family … of friends … and even that kind word or encounter with a complete stranger. All of these things help to make the brokenness fade away.”

So even when we are feeling broken, we are OK. We are right. Our brokenness from past relationships, employment that didn’t work out or from things that are out of our control, God washes our hearts and heals us. He is with us as this brokenness leads to new opportunities and adventures.

It isn’t always easy to share what’s on our hearts or to let people know what has broken us. It is my hope, my wish and my prayer that the next time you feel like you are cracked or broken or lost -- know and remember that you are hugged, loved and OK, all by the Grace of God.

Dear God, Thank you for being present in our brokenness and for unconditionally walking beside us as our hearts are healed. Please help us to walk past our fears of being vulnerable; may we stop being stubborn and find the courage to share not only our joys but also our brokenness with others. Thru Your grace and mercy, may we see the beautiful blessings of friendship, love and support in our lives. May we know that we are OK in our Br “OK” enness. In Your name we pray, Amen.

April Schauer

I confess that too many of my sermons have as their unstated subtext: here is what you need to do (or here is how you need to think ) in order to get yourself right with God. But what if we are unable to get ourselves right with God? What if there is no way for us to right our relationship with God by what we do, think, or believe, but that it is up to God?

“To be with God is really to be involved with some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls you. God is a means of liberation and not a means to control others.” James Baldwin, “Nobody Knows My Name.”

When Nicodemus comes to Jesus to talk about matters of the spiritual life, Jesus responds by telling him that a relationship with God is  “…born from above… ( John 3:3).” Jesus goes on to say, ”Unless a person submits to his original creation-the wind hovering over the water creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into new life- it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom (John 3:5). “

For further reflection read John 3:1-17.

Prayer: That we might submit to the mystery of the Holy Spirit.

Still in One Peace,

Pastor David J. Jensen

The other day I heard an interview with Sarah Ruden. Sarah is a philologist. Philology is more commonly defined as the study of literary texts as well as oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning. (Wikipedia)

Sarah talked about a familiar story found in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30. The story is about a woman who asks Jesus to heal her daughter. The text says, “The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.” Jesus calls her a dog, but she persists and says, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Now calling the woman a dog seems a bit rude but here’s the thing. Sarah Ruden says if you look at first century Greek the word used is not the mangey, scruffy mongrel that first comes to mind. She finds the same Greek word used in other ancient Greek texts like Aristophanes and Plato. The word refers to a cute little lapdog. She then goes on to describe the tone and the texture of the exchange in this context.

In early Greek and Roman culture cute little lapdogs are thought of as being fed scraps at a great joyous, rich, generous feast. Ruden says Jesus and the woman were talking theologically about the eschatological banquet. This is the great feasting in heaven at the end of time. There is so much food there that even the dogs under the table get stuffed. The dogs are just helpless and bloated they have eaten so much. That is the ultimate joy and abundance. When you think about the general poverty that prevailed in the ancient world, a normal person maybe feasts and has meat once or twice a year but is normally walking around hungry.

Now these Gospels were being read but not just by the early Jewish Christians. They were being read all over the Roman Empire by a multi-ethnic audience of people with pagan backgrounds as the Christian Religion spread. This is them. They are included as heirs to the kingdom also. Everybody. The ordinary people. And the banquet never stops. And no one is lowly enough to be excluded.

There are many other interpretations of these passages by learned theologians, but I really like this one. It is more tender and hopeful than many I have read. I don’t know that one interpretation is more correct than another. It is by looking at these stories from different angles that we begin to see the face of God. It is like holding a diamond up to the light and turning it to see how it refracts the light. Judaic authorities call this practice midrash.

It is said Saint Francis would pray all night saying “Lord, who am I? Lord, who are you?” Lord, who am I? Lord, who are you?

Mark Autterson

 Matthew 4:10

It was the first Sunday in Lent. And so the journey with Jesus to the cross begins. How do we put aside the things that seek after us so that we might seek to be with the Lord? Pastor Dave shared the story of Jesus' temptation to help us. If you missed being with us, you can watch it here.  Check out ministry photos here. 

We'll be looking for you on Wednesday evening for the Lent Midweek Gathering of Supper & Worship. Sign up here to bring food for the potluck soup supper. 

Take the message into your week. 

• What do you need to give up in order to give Jesus a chance in your life?
• What is the thing in your life that is in danger of taking over your life?
• What do you love too much in the wrong way?
• Looking ahead to next week: Who is Jesus? See Genesis 12:1-4 and John 3:1-17 for reflection.

Curated Links & Resources

• 15 Ideas to Observe Lent Without Giving Up Chocolate https://www.prayerandpossibilities.com/15-ideas-to-observe-lent-without-giving-up-chocolate/
• What is Lent? https://www.exploregod.com/articles/what-is-lent
• Honest with God http://www.growchristians.org/2017/03/27/prayer-is-not-the-art-of-the-deal-its-the-art-of-honesty/
• Waiting in the Silence of God https://relevantmagazine.com/god/waiting-in-the-silence-of-god/

I guess it would be cool to skip the hard parts of life, but without the hard would the "easy" really be better? Probably not. Besides Jesus promises to be with us in the good and the bad - I'd rather have Jesus, right? 

Here's a piece to help us consider the blessing in the ashes. 

BLESSING THE DUST
All those days you felt like dust, like dirt, as if all you had to do was turn your face toward the wind and be scattered to the four corners or swept away by the smallest breath as insubstantial— did you not know what the Holy One can do with dust?

This is the day we freely say we are scorched. This is the hour we are marked by what has made it through the burning.This is the moment we ask for the blessing that lives within the ancient ashes, that makes its home inside the soil of this sacred earth.

So let us be marked not for sorrow. And let us be marked not for shame.Let us be marked not for false humility or for thinking we are less than we are but for claiming what God can do within the dust, within the dirt, within the stuff of which the world is made and the stars that blaze in our bones and the galaxies that spiral inside the smudge we bear.
—Jan Richardson from "Circle of Grace"

Happy Leap Day! We'll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am as we gather to worship, 

Grace be with you, 

Vikki

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, open and receptive, so that I may embrace the many ways you choose to visit my life.

Create in me a clean heart, cleared of the refuse of old battles with others and deadly opposition with myself.

Create in me a clean heart, purified through the daily disruptions and the life encounters that take me beyond my grasping control and ego-centeredness.

Create in me a clean heart, freed from the clutter of cultural enticements, so that I can enjoy the beauty of life’s simple things and relish the gifts I easily take for granted.

Create in me a clean heart, bathed from harsh thoughts, shame, and perfectionistic tendencies, warmly welcoming others with the embrace of nonjudgment.

Create in me a clean heart, brushed free of frantic busyness, so that I will have time to dwell with you in the listening space of solitude and silence.

Create in me a clean heart, cleansed of anxiety and lack of trust, restoring in me an enduring faith in your abiding presence and unconditional love.

Create in me a clean heart, scrubbed of racism and prejudice, drawing me toward all as my sisters and brothers.

Create in me a clean heart, washed with your mercy and strengthened by your love, helping me move beyond whatever keeps me from union with you.

Create a clean heart in me, God. Dust off the unmindful activity that constantly collects there. De-clutter my heart from harsh judgments and negativity. Wash away my resistance to working through difficult relationships. Rinse off my un-loving so that beauty of. My generous and kind heart can shine forth. Remove whatever keeps me from following in your compassionate footsteps. Amen.

By Joyce Rupp in “Out of the Ordinary – prayers, poems and reflections for every season”

"Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy."

-- Pope Francis

Ephesians 5:1-2, 11-14

^1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

^11-16 Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the day we embark into Lent. May this season of journeying to the cross renew our faith and strengthen us for service in God’s name.

We gather at Rock Canyon High School at 6:30pm for a worship service. The format is a more traditional service this year versus the come and go experience we have done in the past. We hope to see you all there to hear the word, share in Holy Communion, receive the ashes, and to hear the words of forgiveness.

My favorite Richard Foster prayer: “Prayer for Quiet..                                                            

                “I have, O Lord, a noisy heart. And entering toward silence doesn’t stop the inner clamor. In fact, it seems only to make it worse. When I am full of activity, the internal noise is only a distant rumble;

                 but when I get still, the rumble amplifies itself. And it is not like the majestic sound of a symphony

                 rising to a grand crescendo; rather, it is the deafening din of clashing pots and clinging pans.

                 What a racket! Worst of all, I feel helpless to hush the interior of pandemonium.

Dear Lord Jesus you once spoke peace to the wind and the waves. Speak Your shalom over my heart I wait silently…patiently.

I receive into the very core of my being Your living command, ‘Peace, be still.’ Amen”

   —Richard L. Foster “Prayers From the Heart (London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1996), 59.

Come let us gather this day in the quiet of Ash Wednesday.  Let us embrace this season of Lent. May it be a time that restores our soul and strengthens us for service in Jesus' name.

For further reflection read Psalm 51.

Prayers: That we might be faithful pilgrims, following Jesus to the cross this Lenten season.

We’ll be looking for you tonight at 6:30pm.

God's blessings,

Pastor David J. Jensen

“He made the entire human race...with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and...actually find him. Acts 17:26~The Message

Gentle reminders of how God has blessed us are there in His word. Time, the opportunity to share in the diversity of life, is there if we choose to live in the moment. Choosing to listen, really listen to others, to hear, really hear their stories can give us a glimpse of Christ within. It’s not easy. Letting go of our preconceived ideas and beliefs is tough. God is constantly putting opportunities in our path to stretch and grow in His love.

“The biblical story of creating makes it clear that the great variety in creation is not a matter of some things being better and other things being worse. The repeated refrain is “And God saw that it was good.” The diversity is goodness abundantly expressed.”

“We are free in relationship to each other, discovering an equal acceptance. Other persons are not enemies to fear, not superior beings to envy, not deadbeats to avoid. In Christ every person is or can be experienced in a new way, a person we are free to receive and love without fear of being diminished or intimidated.” The Traveling Light

Jesus, Loving Spirit,

We are so thankful for your love that knows no boundaries. Help us to see with your eyes of compassion and forbearance. Open our spirits to your presence and keep us from missing the opportunities you put before us. You are the surprise and joy in our lives.

Lois Autterson

We gathered for worship on a snowy morning yesterday to consider the story of the Transfiguration - Jesus on the mountaintop with Peter, James and John is changed from the inside out. His insides were showing. It's a mountaintop experience that will continue down into Jerusalem where Jesus will meet the cross. Through this story in Matthew 17 we learn that Jesus is with us on the way up and on the way down. And, that by listening and obeying Jesus, we too are changed from the inside out. Our connection to Jesus' transfiguration/transformation is found in Romans 12:1-2. 

Check out photos from last week's ministry here. 

We'll be looking for you February 26, 2020 at the Ash Wednesday worship service (not a come & go experience) 6:30 pm at RCHS. 

Take the message into your week. 

• What do you listen to? Is listening easy or hard for you? Why?
• How do you listen to Jesus?
• Where do you need to be turned inside out – to be transformed? How might you seek transformation during Lent?
• Looking ahead to next week: Do you give up anything for Lent?

Curated Links & Resources

• How to Be a Better Listener https://cupofjo.com/2019/04/how-to-be-a-better-listener/
• 5 Verses to Help You Be Still and Listen https://countingmyblessings.com/be-still-and-listen/
• A Powerful Technique For Better Listening https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-refugee-experience/201809/simple-and-powerful-technique-better-listening
• Lent is Grimness You Didn’t Know You Needed https://sojo.net/magazine/march-2020/lent-grimness-you-didnt-know-you-needed
• What is Lent? https://www.exploregod.com/articles/what-is-lent

“Listening comes first. In this life, you listen even before you are aware of it. From within the womb an unborn child is already listening to the voices of her parents. After her birth, she will spend the next months hearing the words they speak, whisper and sing to her, until one day she will start echoing those words, one imperfect syllable at a time.”

Listening seems to be a lost art – there is a lot of noise and people yelling and trying to be heard. But who is listening?

There are many books available to help us grow the art of listening. But McHugh is right, we are born listening. We are created to listen. We must turn back to being our true selves.

This Lent, particularly at the Midweek Gatherings, listening will be our focus. I hope you will be able to join us Wednesday evenings in March and April 1^st from 6:30 – 8:00 pm for supper and worship at Great Beginnings Café. We’ll have soup March 4, 18, & April 1 and pizza March 11 & 25.

“Listen to everything with your heart—Everything—and be still with it before acting on what you feel.” Mark Nepo

Tomorrow we gather at 10:00 to worship, praise and thank God and begin our focus on listening. It won’t be the same without you!

Grace be with you,

Vikki

Now an Advance is not a “church service.” It is a coming together of our church family and a presenter, who shares stories, experience, wisdom and humor, all in a comfortable space with our church family and friends. I loved it. The “message” was great, presented by Scott Seeke, in a very relaxed atmosphere.

That is the background. Having been in corporate America for over 40 years, there was continuing education, seminars and classes you had to do every year to enhance your skills. Normally I could take a way a few things that would make me a better employee, a better boss. Also, during the seminar, I would find my mind drifting to the things I wasn’t doing, because I was at the darn seminar. I wasn’t always present.

On Saturday I was present for the entire day, I wanted to hear what the next topic was, what the next part of the message was going to be. Looking around the room everyone was equally engaged.

I didn’t see texting, emailing or phone calling going on. Everyone was present.

It was refreshing, the message was wonderful, being with family felt great.

I know that this might seem simplistic to you. But it felt good to be present, to hear the word, hear the meaning behind it, have a meal with my church family and catch up with a few folks I had not chatted with in a while. Just be present.

Heavenly Father, thank you for my church family, thank you for the time we took to Advance and the message we heard. Thank you for “disconnecting”us from electronics, technology and all the outside noise, for just a little while. Being present is a gift we are losing track of when we “connect” with technology, not with people.

Maureen Herzog

As we prepare for Lent, here is a practice to consider. 

"For many years, at the Ash Wednesday service at Georgetown University, one of the rituals, in addition to the imposition of ashes and the celebration of communion, was the letting go of burdens. Students, staff, and faculty were each asked to write on a 3 X 5 note card a heavy and life-denying burden they wished to give up during the Lenten season. Often their burdens were deep and paralyzing issues such as guilt, alienation, low self-esteem, abuse, and depression. As they came to receive the ashes and communion, they were invited to place their burden in a basket and to imagine that in so doing they were placing that burden in the hands of God. Many of the participants experienced a sense of peace as they laid down their burdens, for they discovered in that prayerful moment that God would be their partner in bearing these painful and life-denying burdens."

To Practice: Write on a piece of paper a description of a burden you want to give up. Then tear it up as a way of indicating your willingness to let go and let God.

Spiritual practice by Bruce G. Epperly in "God's Touch" 

Practice posted at https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/28048/in-gods-hands

A couple of weeks ago I preached in Renzi, Mississippi near Booneville, just north of Tupelo at our sister congregation Hopewell Baptist. For our text I selected Mark 1: 29-39. The special focus of my sermon was verse 35, “Jesus got up early and went out to a secluded spot to pray.”

A prayer from Glen E. Rainsley-                                                                                                

       “The words peace and quiet seem to go together quite naturally. They describe a state many of us long for, seek, and cherish.

        We experience peace and quiet in a variety of ways.

        When a cluster of children, flock of family, or crowd of visitors leave us, there is the peace and quiet of being alone.

         When a storm finally abates and the noises of rain and wind and thunder fade, there is the peace that follows a time of turbulence.

         When two people share one another’s company with a sense of silent understanding hovering between them, there is the peace and quiet of a secure relationship.

         When a walk through a park calms the restless emotions inside of us, there is the peace and quiet of God’s creation granting us serenity.

         Within silent prayer, we discover the peace and quiet in which God is met.”

True silent prayer engages us with our living God who transforms and creates us anew. You go forth never to be quite the same, changed a little or lot by our creator in whose image we were formed.

When Jesus' disciples find him deep in prayer they say, "Hey come back to do some more miracles, you are a rock star to the people you have met." Jesus responds, ”No we are moving on to new places.” May our silent time with God encourage us to go and serve in new places.

Read Mark 1:29-39 for further reflection.

Prayers: For our preparations for Lenten season, and for Ash Wednesday which is one week from today, February 26th. That our time of silent prayer will send us forth as new creations to follow Jesus in the world.

God's blessings,

Pastor David J. Jensen

The walls remind me of the separation we see in the world and are reminded of on an almost constant basis.  We are separated by nations, tribes, generations, economic status, gender, politics, religion, etc.  The list goes on and on.  Even within Christianity we are divided.  I recently heard there are over 200 Christian denominations in the US alone.  (I often wonder how God views such division.)

No nation or leader can unify humans. Fortunately, we have Jesus.  For it is only through Jesus that unity is possible.  There is no other.  Jesus and the bible have quite a bit to say about unity.  Below are some verses we can use as we pray for unity in Christ and unity in His church.

John 17:23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Ephesians 1:10 To be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Colossians 3:13-14 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Brad Gauen

Check out photos! 

• Fri, Feb 15, Breakfast for RCHS Teachers & Staff
• Sat, Feb 15, 2020 Advance: Beyond Belief
• Sun, Feb 16, Worship & 2020 Annual Gathering

Can't miss events:

1. Thurs, Feb 20: Third Thursday with Open Door - Music Edition! 3:45-5:15 pm
2. Wed, Feb 26: Ash Wednesday Worship, 6:30 pm (more of traditional service, not the come & go of recent years)
3. Wed, Mar 1: Lent Midweek Gatherings - Soup & Worship, 6:30 pm

We take our faith into the week...

• If you had to name one verse or passage of scripture that you cling to at your core what would it be?
• Where have you seen Jesus in the streets?
• In what way would your life need to change for you to follow Christ with greater devotion?
• Looking ahead to next week: How do you rate your listening skills?

Curated Links & Resources

• Reggie McNeal on the Kingdom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rdu660WhhE
• How to leverage the power of stories https://sarahkbutterfield.com/2020/02/05/how-to-leverage-the-power-of-stories/
• GGCC 2019 in photos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iBzqb6WpQM&t=1s
• Pray with Strangers Even If You Don’t Really Want To https://maypatterson.com/2020/02/pray-with-strangers-even-if-you-dont-really-want-to/
• Music Video to sit with “On The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUhwyjdk8A

But love is really something. More than just a valentine or day. Love is every breath we take, the very essence of God within, around and between us.

"Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that." -- Michael Leunig

May we seek to give and be love – every day, not just on February 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikb8qX-kyts

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 am as we gather to worship and share God’s love. We welcome special guest Pastor Scott Seeke and after worship is the Annual Congregational Gathering & Celebration. It won’t be the same without YOU.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Davis Benedict

We talked about the theological implications of this song. Often, within churches, within families, even across society this debate occurs. Someone might see things differently and that creates fear. I believe that God—who values faith like a child—echoes the little boy’s prayer of “There are so many colors....and I see every one.”

There are so many things we can believe... there are so many ways we can worship... there are so many ways we can give thanks... there are so many ways we can pray... there are so many ways we can bless others... there are so many ways we could organize society... there are so many ways we can live life to the fullest...

And God sees every one!

Here’s a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHm2KdTTKUw

May we be blessed by diversity and may the debate of our differences help us to grow!

Zach Herzog

In the feeding of the 5000, Jesus' disciples notice that the massive crowds who have come to hear Jesus teach are hungry. Christ says to his insiders, ”You feed them.”

The disciples are incredulous! “Us feed them! All these people? With what are we to feed them Jesus? All we have found is a young person with a few fish and some dried out bread.”

So Jesus takes the bread blessed it and broke it and gave it to his disciples to share with the crowd. There ended up being plenty of food and even leftovers!

Theologians have debated for years about what happened? Did Christ miraculously make more fish and bread? Or, were the hearts of the people transformed to a higher level of generosity causing them to each reach into their own pockets to share what they had brought?

The reality is that whatever side of the debate you land on, a miracle took place.

Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission (IJM) says, ”The story of the feeding of the 5000 is an example of how Jesus works out the magnitude of the need through our own lack of resources. We just provide Christ with what we have and God works out the rest. Jesus does the miracle.”

We come together this Sunday to celebrate the mission and vision of God’s Grace Community Church (GGCC).  The vision is biblical and simple. We come together on Sundays to celebrate what God has first given us, and to grow in who each of us is individually and collectively in the Body of Christ. Then we go out into the world sharing what is in our pockets with:

• ….our families
• ....co-workers
• ….our neighbors
• …Rock Canyon High School
• …The Gathering Place
• …Confluence Ministries
• …Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives
• …The Boys' and Girls' Club of Booneville, Mississippi
• …Love, Light and Melody  (on a trash dump in Nicaragua)
• …and beyond.

Together 5000 and more are being fed through the bounty of God as we reach into our pockets to offer what was first given to us.

*I give thanks to God for the generosity which the people of GGCC have given testimony to. May we continue to grow in God's generous direction!*

Read Luke 9:10-19 for further reflection.

Prayers: That God's vision for GGCC might remain strong and central, inspiring us in all that we do. For the GGCC annual gathering and celebration of ministry. And for Pastor Scott Seeke’s leadership at the annual Advance this Saturday and in worship on Sunday.

God's blessings,

Pastor David J. Jensen

Claire and I love to host dinner parties and we had one for Chinese New Year/Super Bowl. Had 20 or more guests but the food came late. Called the restaurant and they seemed to have forgotten some dishes. We were frustrated and not having a good time. So worried about all the arrangements like food, decorations, plates, and etc. Thinking all the guests would be disappointed. Spent so much money and wondering to ourselves is this really worth it. Maybe we should give up dinner parties all together. But we were missing the point. All that mattered was the sharing of food and friends to find out how everybody lives and what they are going through. It says to love your neighbor as yourself. That’s what you do at dinner parties in order to get closer to one another. Like the sculptor, chip away the anxiousness of food and arrangements. Get rid of that stuff. The beauty of the sculpture lies in the sharing of life and love with one another.

They say heaven is a beautiful place. It is the place where dreams come true. It is a place to go when we die. There are gold streets and white clouds. It is a place we haven’t seen people in a while. That is all well and good. But I think it is a place where souls get closer to each other. It is one big dinner party to find out how souls live, how souls love, and how wonderful God is. It is a place to see how God the sculptor keeps chipping away those pieces and fragments to show how wonderful and amazing we can be together.

The value of one’s life is determined by how much love one gives, not by how much love one has received – Epictetus

In Christ,

Stan

We gathered yesterday on a snowy morning to feel the warmth of God's love flowing through one another and from God's mercy. We read Micah 6:1-8 and Matthew 5:1-12 to hear how God blesses us when we live how God has taught. If you missed being with us you can watch here. 

See photos from worship and at The Gathering Place. 

Have you signed up for Saturday's Advance? You can still do that here. 

Take the message into your week. 

• What does justice mean to you? How does justice happen?
• How is mercy applied in your days? Where do you need it? Where do you need to give it?
• Where in your life do you need humility?
• Looking ahead to next week: What does it look like to walk in Jesus’ footsteps?

Curated Links & Resources

• Never Believe Anything Bad About God https://emilypfreeman.com/never-believe-anything-bad-god/
• Richard Rohr Reorders the Universe https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/richard-rohr-reorders-the-universe?fbclid=IwAR2_XRcyYTT6N5pHjdnPpBPU4-jwY50DtDBUCUmBziA8XC8kw4DpG8uQZ1o
• Talking about Anxiety with Young People https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/we-need-to-talk-about-anxiety
• Does God Really Want Me to Be Happy? https://annvoskamp.com/2020/02/does-god-really-want-me-to-be-happy/

Do you think God complains? What do you think God complains about?

In the book of Micah in the Old Testament, God complains that the people have gone off on their own and are not connected to God. Do you think God might complain about that today?

Perhaps so.

We can complain that others are not in relationship with God, but what about us? We must look to ourselves first.

God, through Micah, has some ideas of how we might restore our relationship with God. These ideas actually might help our relationship with others. And perhaps our complaints would cease (or least slow down.)

Take some time with the book of Micah, particularly Micah 6:1-8, and see how God thinks we might live in right relationship.

We’ll be looking for you tomorrow at 10:00 as we gather (between snow events) to worship and praise God and hear the Word.

Grace be with you,

Vikki

PS: Have you signed up for the Advance next Saturday? It's going to be a great day you won't want to miss. 

Jude 20-21: But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Andrea Heshmati

John 2:15-17 “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and over-turned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get those out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69)

Some say Jesus came to turn the world upside down, but it may be that Jesus came to turn the world right side up.

So, Jesus is angry, right? People were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables were exchanging money. Why would this make you angry? The people needed these things to offer sacrifices, it was required by law. The sellers and the money changers were just doing GOD’s work.

There is a Latin saying we have all heard “exitus acta probat” translated “the outcome justifies the deed” or, as I have heard it “the end justifies the means.”

The truth is, the end does not justify the means, because the “means” are in the end.

1. When you take advantage of someone else to get ahead, you will never get ahead because taking advantage of someone else will be in your heart and in your mind and in your soul when you think you are ahead.
2. When you charge money to people at an excessive rate, you will never be satisfied because greed never has an ending.
3. If you bully someone, either a child, woman, or man, you will never rest because you will always fear there is another bully (you fear yourself).

The end DOES NOT justify the means!

There is a new thought in psychology I heard on the radio. They said our culture has always believed that we love others and out of that love we care for them, but new research, based on the behavior of children says it is when you care for others that significant bonds of love are created.

Jesus spent his whole life loving people, right? Even those who nailed him to a cross! But Jesus also spent his whole life caring for others even while he was hanging on the cross (John 19:26). Was Jesus trying to teach us to love others and then care for them or was he trying to show us how caring for others will create significant bonds of love?

And finally, Descartes said “Cogito, ergo sum”, I think, therefore I am. Archbishop Desmond Tutu says the truth is in an old South African principle “Ubuntu” which translates “I am human because I belong.” Desmond Tutu goes on to say “No one comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think or walk or speak or behave unless we learned it from our fellow human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human. The solitary, isolated human being is a contradiction in terms.”

Jesus had a tough day at the temple: The people who were taking care of GOD’s temple were justifying their behavior of taking advantage of GOD’s people by supposedly taking care of GOD’s temple, the people who were supposed to be caring and creating bonds of love for GOD’s children were taking advantage of GOD and the people who were supposed to be teaching us how to think, walk, speak and behave as children of GOD were thinking only of themselves.

May we, you and I, pray this day to understand the means that drive our life, may we find more opportunities to care for those around us and create stronger bonds of love, and may we realize and be thankful for all of those that have gone on before us and are with and around us on our journey. And may we know deep in our hearts that GOD loves each and every one of us.

Know you are loved! Love, Peace, Presence, 

Jim Dietvorst