But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
– Isaiah 43:1-3a

Observant Jewish folks do not use the name of God. In fact, many will write the last word in that sentence as “G-d.” This is a matter of respect. Just as knowledge is power, the use of a name confers some control. You have seen it in the movies and TV shows: the detective calls out the name of the suspected perpetrator who is trying to be anonymous, but at hearing their name, they look up, and thus give away the game!

According to Isaiah, God calls us by name and in this we know that we belong to God. This isn’t meant as a matter of trapping or owning, but belonging and kinship. We are redeemed – our debt is paid – and then freed to choose to cleave unto God.

In the time of crisis we need to have a firm footing. We need to know what we can trust. God, speaking through Isaiah, is reminding of that we can count on this sense of belonging, of kinship, and of support. God knows you!  God knows you by name! God has redeemed you and will not abandon you!

And yet it is in the time of Crisis that we are most tempted to feel abandoned or rejected by everyone, including even God. We will be talking about this on Sunday in Church. In the Letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul deals with great questions of faith. Among these are “Who gets in?” What does belonging mean?” and “Has God rejected me?”

As you have seen, we have been including discussion questions on Sunday morning. We do this so that you can “bring the message home” and actually participate in wrestling with the Word of God. These questions often come out of our Wednesday Noontime “Lectionary Lunch” group. I would like for you to use them for your own study time, with your family, and in groups. I invite you to contact others in your circle of friends, and consider using these questions as a starting point for deep fellowship.

For this Sunday, the questions are:
            1. Who gets in to the Kin-dom of God?
            2. What do you do when you feel forgotten?
            3. How can you help others know that God hasn’t given up on them?

Pastor George

Light of the World, bring your wisdom and understanding upon us. Through sharing your Word and living your will, let us remember that we belong with you. Calm our troubled spirits and deepen our resolve to love you with all that we are, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Walk with us through the fire, the storm, and the silent sameness, that we may be a sign of hope and strength to others. This we pray in Christ our Redeemer. Amen.

¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 New International Version

The other day I was reading my emails here at church and I was blessed with this heartfelt email. I wasn’t having a very good day for whatever reason, and this totally changed the direction of my day in a good way.  It reminds me that we need to be encouraging to one another during the best of times and during the difficult times. We are all tired and would like this pandemic to be over with; however, that is not the case.  We just need to keep on swimming, as the saying goes.  We also need to let people know that what they do matters and that they mean something to us.  We need to encourage one another, after all we are all in this together. I hope this letter uplifts you as much as it did me and thank you Nuha for giving your permission to use this as my daily blessing.

” Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God.  Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7
“With upright heart, he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” – Psalm 78:72

    As I was attending the CUMC service this morning, August 2, 2020, I thought about Bishop Hagiya’s briefing, July 27, 2020 :

“This is the ‘Kairos Moment’ for us to experiment, innovate and create the new paradigm that will take the church into the future. What new shape it will take, no one yet knows, but this is our time to create the church of the future. We need to take all that we cherish at the local church level (relationships, disciple-making, preaching and worship, community building, fellowship, etc.) and to vision a new way this will take place outside of the four walls of our buildings. If every one of us works at this new vision and experiment with new ways to bring it about, something wonderful will break forth.”

Now that we are facing yet another surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Southland, we are grateful to all those leaders who have taken serious steps to keep us – citizens, students, congregations and workers in all walks of life – safe.  Prime among those are our pastors who have allowed us to continue our spiritual participation in worship in a sheltered and meaningful manner in spite of the waves of criticism and resistance they might have faced by certain groups.  Once more, I would like to thank them for their judicious leadership throughout these tough times.  L .Roger Owens in his article “Not Lifting our Voices – The Blessing of Abstaining from Communal Song” said the following:

“Christ’s kenosis- Christ’s releasing self-assertion and relinquishing entitlements – rests at the heart of Christian believing, praying and living.  And, we might add singing.  Let not singing be a cross.  Take it up.  Find it a blessing.  We might, for instance, allow our willingness to accept not singing signify our lament.  Our corporate silence can become an eloquent cry to God, a lament not only over the destruction and fear caused by a virus but also over the ways willful ignorance, incompetence, and malfeasance have compounded the tragedy. 

“Paul used the story of kenosis, his abandoning divine privilege and accepting the humility of a servant, as the climax of his encouragement to the Christians of Philippi to ‘look not to your own interests, but the interests of others.’  Christ’s own kenosis, brought about salvation, a word which comes from a Latin word that means to make safe or healthy.  Our own self-denial around singing [or other changes we have made in worship practices] can be a way of looking out for the health of the members of our communities.  It can be a way to make safe our gathering for worship.

“It’s the same reason we will cover our faces with masks, pass the peace without touching and position unsightly hand sanitizing stations around our sanctuaries.  Because Christians look not to our own interests but to the interest of others.  Because there are no Christian entitlements.
“As Wesley said, ‘If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.’  Our worshipful silence might become both a lament and somehow, by God’s grace, a song of praise.”

Thus, as we listen to the Sunday sermons, read the daily meditations, and experience the reaching out in new and creative ways to involve our congregation and beyond, our leaders at CUMC have never failed to remind us how to keep ourselves and others safe by being the prime example for us to follow.  For that we are truly thankful.

Nuha Salib Salibi
August 1, 2020

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”  – Isaiah 40:31

Gracious & Loving God, create in us spirts and heartsthat uplift and uphold people even when we are tired.  Help us to use our words and actions to honorand bless others.  Give us eyes to seethe good things that our happening, for all too often we concentrate on thenegative.  Help us to feel your presencewith us and to shine your light in this world. Amen. 

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27 

“A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.” It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!”

For what seems to be an extremely long time now (really only 5 months) I feel as if many of us have been holding that same glass of water and we are becoming a bit numb. I remember a time when our two boys were quite little, our oldest son was in and out of the hospital over a 6 month period. A few times it was a full month and I would become physically and emotionally exhausted. As I sat next to his hospital bed the days simply ran into each other and at the time we had no idea how long this journey would last. On the good days, I could put him in the red flyer wagon and walk him through the halls at St. Joseph’s Hospital. On the, not so good days, I could hold him for only 15 minutes a day.

For me, the only sense of peace I could find was to pray, to offer my son up to God along with my worries and fears. Believing God placed the right Doctors and nurses in our care was part of that sense of peace. Jesus left us with the promise of peace, he is the Prince of Peace, he never left my side then and never leaves our side now during these difficult times.

So I ask you to visualize placing all that you are holding on to, maybe it’s fear, or worry, or anger, or whatever it might be that has you burdened, place it into that glass that you have been holding and set it at Jesus’ feet, ask him to take it from you, and know it’s no longer yours to keep.

Loving and Comforting God, we give to you all of the burdens and heaviness that we have carried and held on to for so long. Pour out your Holy Spirit of peace upon each of us to comfort and restore us so that we may live each day fully in your presence. Send your angels to watch and guard over us, our families and friends. Thank you for your peace that never fails, the peace that passes all understanding and for your love that endures forever. Amen.

Blessings,                                                                                                                          Brenda

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Up until March, I was able to practice yoga regularly throughout the week. Like so many things that came to a complete halt when we began to shelter at home, going to classes at the studio was one of them. But this past Saturday, that all changed.  I was heading to a yoga class. Finally! Only this class was not at the studio but outside in a park.

I was thankful for Ashley and Gilbert to think out of the box and to find a way that we could do yoga together in a safe manner. I was thankful for God who has blessed them with the courage to try something new.

God is a creative God that is constantly working around us and through us to create and recreate new ways of doing things.  This time has given us “permission” to try new ways of doing things and embracing the creativity that God has blessed us with that, perhaps, we have not lived into fully.  This time has allowed us to take creative risks. We have been able to try new things in worship, Messy Church and Vacation Bible Camp. Our fellowship time after church is a new and creative way for us to visit with each other as well as to reflect and dive a little deeper in the message for that week. 

This time has allowed us to take creative risks and to use the gifts that God has blessed us with.  I can’t think of a better way to celebrate God than to give yourself permission to use those gifts God has given you and to try something new.  Some of the things will work, and some will not. That’s ok because God will be with you every step of the way. 

Creator God, your transforming power of creativity is in us as we are created in your image.  Help us to recognize this gift and to use it to bring new life and new ways of thinking and doing during this ever-changing time. We give thanks for those that try new things so that we have opportunities to learn and grow in ways we didn’t think were possible.  In your name we pray.  Amen

Marty

We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. 
Hebrews 6:19

How is your soul today? I have a friend who does a weekly meditation called Porch Talk and she always begins with that question.  As I write this, I, like so many of you, are overwhelmed with so many emotions including: Fear, anxiety, loneliness, concern for loved ones, family, and friends, and on and on. Who would have thought that we would find ourselves in 2020 with a pandemic that would shut everything down? Churches, of all things, would need to find new and innovative ways of reaching out to its members. Choirs would no longer be able to sing for fear of spreading the virus to unsuspecting members. Jobs would be lost and families would find themselves getting in lines at food banks for the first time.

The latter part of January my sister and I determined that we were going to need to place my mom in a board and care facility because she would need a great deal of assistance. How could we have known that a month later we would not be able to visit her because of the pandemic? Even in this, we were blessed as I asked  God to guide and direct me to the place that would give her the best care and a place where she would be happy. I still have concerns about my mom, but I had to put those concerns in God’s hands and trust that He would put His strong arms of protection around her and us. I speak to her at least three times a week and she tells me they are taking very good care of her. If they weren’t she’d tell me that as well.

All of us are dealing with so many issues not to mention racial tensions, the politics of the day, continuously depressing news cycles, death, and all the rest. It can all become so overwhelming.  Many of us can relate to Michelle Obama when she speaks of having, “low grade depression”  I ask you again, “How is your soul today?” Just know that God has been with us at all the stages of life and He will continue to be, “a very present help in the time of trouble,” through the good, bad, happy and sad. We are not alone. God is with us.

I am reminded of an old hymn that says, “In times like these you need a Savior.  In times like these you need an anchor;  Be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!  This Rock is Jesus, yes, He’s the One;  This Rock is Jesus, the only one!  Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!” (Ruth Caye Jones, In Times Like These)

James Calhoun