2 Timothy 1:3-7, Philippians 1:3-4,7

Ann Robertson brought the message this Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. She reminded us of the importance of being grateful for the people in our lives who have made a difference and reflected on the ways that gratitude benefits us. Ann also provided some solutions to address times when we might not be so grateful, three of which were portrayed humorously by Hans.

As Paul told the church in Philippi, "I thank God every time I think of you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

As we approach Thanksgiving, Susan provided suggestions for how to live into a life of gratitude.

The book of Thessalonians is said to be the oldest writing in the new testament. The letter is written to a church facing persecution, with the people fearing for their lives. Yet the writer tells them to, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances."

Gratitude isn't just a practice for the good times.

Because the important thing is not just to think about gratitude, but to do it, we were provided an opportunity to reflect on things we're grateful for and share at least one of those things with our neighbor. Susan also provided some ways to practice gratitude and incorporate these habits into our daily lives.

Proverbs 3:9-17

Our guest speaker this Sunday was Franco Salvatori, an Everence stewardship consultant. Due to flight cancellations he couldn't be with us in person, so he shared his message via Zoom.

Consumerism is a unifying religion in America. It's the thing that makes you wish you just had more. But as Christ's followers we're called to worship only one God, and it's not consumption. It's easy to fill our lives with stuff, but still be empty.

The path toward an overflowing life is through wisdom and generosity. Honoring God with our first fruits is the practice of recognizing God's hand in providing the resources that we have.

God calls us to give of our first fruits not because God needs it, but because it actually changes us. It changes our hearts and helps us focus on the giver. As we practice that discipline it creates an attitude in us that Franco called wealth. If we've developed an action of giving and of generosity, because we are seeking wisdom and we're seeking God, then it's the exact opposite of consumerism. And Proverbs tells us that is the pathway to an overflowing life.

Ephesians 1: 15-23 Ephesians 3: 14-21

When you pray to God, what underlying assumptions about God do you bring to the interaction? Do you believe God to be: loving? trustworthy? concerned with your life? These assumptions, and honestly our biases, fundamentally shape how we pray, the nature of our prayer life, and a good portion of our spiritual journey as a whole. Susan Scott preached on the prayer that started in Ephesians 1, was interrupted, and finished in Ephesians 3. What can we learn from this prayer? God is knowable, worth knowing, and stands ready to impart the wisdom and most importantly, the hope that we need. This hope is not for riches or aggrandizement, but rather that God will do what they have promised to do and to aid us in our calling. This hope allows us to wait patiently for the things that God has promised that we do not yet have. Ultimately, this hope is that God will reconcile all things in heaven and earth through Jesus. Hope give us the ability to endure the feelings of helplessness and despair when the world around us seems dark and unredeemable: when all of our efforts to bring light and salt appear futile. Remember that God wastes none of the work that they call you to do and that is all a part of a plan of redemption that started even before Christ appeared.

Matthew 4: 8-10

Mauricio Chenlo preached on Satan’s temptation of Christ, offering him all of the kingdoms of the world. Similarly, often we depend on the kingdoms of the world to deliver the kingdom of God. Mauricio related his experiences growing up in Argentina where he experienced Christian faith expressed in the nation’s politics swing wildly from right to left as the government went from a dictatorship to a Marxist government. He even heard the preaching on liberation theology about the kingdom of God from the dictator Ortega of Nicaragua in the 90s. Politics is the process by which people make collective decisions about how to live together by distributing power, responsibilities and resources. So, who gets to define these priorities? In this country it seems that we are told to change our politics every four years. Likewise, the Church historically has been tempted to align with political ideologies. Jesus, however, brings a different kind of politics. Jesus rejected alignment with any of the political ideologies of his time. The role of the Church is to be a witness and an extension of the kingdom of God in this world, because we still must be in the world even if we are not of the world. We cannot just focus on feeding people’s bodies (not on bread alone); we must also nourish people spiritually. We must not manipulate God’s word, love, or message to gain power or popularity.

Luke 18: 1-8

Susan Scott preached on the unusual prayer practices of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus was steeped in the prayers of the Jewish people, but Luke recounts that he Jesus instructed his followers to pray in a different way, including for those that persecute you. The prayers of Jesus in Luke can be divided into two types. We pray for the glory of God's name, work, and kingdom, and we pray for our business, including our daily bread, the forgiveness of sins, and protection from temptation. Susan reminds us that Jesus also told the Parable of the Unjust Judge to remind us to always pray and not give up, just like the woman pursuing justice, and that God is always a just judge. Of course, wouldn't it be easier to have faith if God instantly answered our prayers instead of us having to wait? It would be nice but that places God in the role of being our servant instead of our lord. Oddly, when the disciples asked for more faith, Jesus told them it already takes very little faith to speak miracles into existence. Jesus wants us to not focus on amounts but rather on the love and greatness of God that can enable us to do the impossible. With this in mind, we must relentlessly pray with a steadfast faith and hope in God's goodness, justice, and mercy.

Habakkuk 1: 1-4

Susan Scott preached on World Communion Sunday and reminded us that regardless of our various religious journeys, national origins, denominations, and worship practices (including the incarcerated who cannot choose their mode of worship), that we are all a part of larger Christian Church family that is striving to follow the teachings of Christ. Susan also reflected on the lamentations of Habakkuk from the lectionary scripture. During these very tense, frustrating and worrisome times we are experiencing, it is easy to reflect negativity and despair back into the world. Lamentations, a form of brutally honest prayer, is one way that we can offload these feelings and transition our frustrations into a posture of waiting to hear from God and also a trust in God's love, goodness, and mercy for us.