This week we began a series  on important relationships called Community. As we continue to shelter in place we are reminded just how important community is. From FaceTimes to zooms many of us are connecting with more people than ever before! But to live a healthy emotional life we need more than just surface level community, we need friendship. Friendship requires people being willing to make room for each other and to be willing to allow other people into their lives in deep and meaningful and vulnerable ways. We have lots of famous examples of deep friendship from Jesus' disciples, John Wesley’s class groups, and the cast of friends (ok some are a little more pop culture than others). All of those example friendships share some things in common. Each week in this series we are going to talk about an element in friendship that is important for developing healthy communities. This week we talk about the unfairly named “doubting Thomas” and why the story of his doubt is actually a story that should encourage all of us to make space for the doubt of others and ourselves. Thomas’ friendship with Jesus allowed him to be authentic even when it was scary. This week Pastor Sarah will share why communities need more people willing to make space for doubt. 

As we continue to shelter in place Easter feels very different. We cannot gather with our usual celebrations and traditions, and we are physically separated for an unknown amount of time. During this time many of us a feel a sense of unease, anxiousness, and grief. Easter this year may feel very different from how we are used to celebrate it, but it is actually closer to how the first Easter must have felt. Just as everyone is experiencing all of these changes because of the Corona virus in different ways, so the first witnesses experienced the resurrection in different ways. Jesus doesn’t scold any of the reactions that people have. Join Pastor Sarah as she shares why Easter holds hope and a chance for us to experience the resurrection in a new, maybe even more authentic way.

The wilderness road of Lent can feel like a labyrinth—  although there is only one road it is hard to tell how close you are to where you are trying to head. There are plenty of moments that are both/and moments. As we look at the story of Palm Sunday we see each character seems to be both experiencing what is right in front of them a parade and they are also unsure what it all means and where it is all headed. This scene of Palm Sunday is both victorious, and filled with loss and fear. As we have been Shelter in place we too are experiencing moments that feel like a labyrinth. Some moments are filled with joy and others are filled with fear and sometimes those moments are side by side. Listen as Pastor Sarah shares why Palm Sunday can help us understand where our hope comes from, and how it give us courage to keep going on this wilderness road. 

This week Justin McRoberts uses the story of Lazarus to remind us that times in the wilderness often feel difficult because we are dealing with unmet expectations. Everyone in the story of Lazarus had a different expectation of how Jesus should have reacted and what their desired outcome is. During this time of sheltering in place many people are dealing with deep disappointments based on the expectations of what the previous couple of weeks "should" have looked like. Justin helps remind us that a shift in expectations can lead us to finding some unexpected meaning in times when we are feeling disappointed and abandoned by God. Listen as Justin tells us how a surprise Beastie Boys concert turned into a life lesson. 

This week Pastor Sarah shares how times of wilderness can bring confusion and needed disruption.

All of us are experiencing disruption to our daily lives as we continue to experience social distancing and the changes that the Covid-19 outbreak has brought. Disruption is not a foreign concept to our faith. Scripture holds many stories of Jesus causing disruption in order to change a community or system. This week we talk about the blindman that Jesus healed by the side of the road. Jesus is breaking a lot of understood laws and changes the way that people "see" how God acts in the world. Listen to the ways that although disruption can be disorienting, it may be the very thing that we need.

During our first digital worship Pastor Sarah shared the story of Jesus’ unexpected connection with a Samaritan woman, and why sometimes in the wilderness people are worth risking relationship with (doesn’t mean you have to be in the same room!) We all have wilderness seasons, seasons or situations where we feel like we are wandering or things are unsure. Often it is only after a wilderness season that we can look back and see what needed transformation occurred during that wandering. The question for this season is what gifts and unexpected transformations will occur as we feel socially isolated from one another.

"The wilderness can often feel unholy, because we can't control it, or what people think about our choice of whether to venture into the vastness or not. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it's the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand." Brené Brown

The season of Lent is one that takes us into the wilderness. As Lamont shared last week, the wilderness feels dangerous, and we often feel alone and isolated. The gift of community is that although we each have our own wilderness journey, we do not have to do it alone. Lamont also reminded us that our time of waiting in the wilderness is the beginning, not the end. Jesus began his ministry in the wilderness, and when we give into the lessons during this season, we have the potential for something new to develop.

This week, Pastor Sarah will share why time in the wilderness requires letting go of old patterns of thought and old coping mechanisms. As an example of letting go, we will hear the story of Nicodemus from the book of John. Nicodemus tried desperately to use his former frameworks to comprehend the kingdom of God, but it will take an analogy of birth to begin to understand what Jesus is trying to share. Join us this week as we journey further into the wilderness and allow ourselves to let go enough to experience change.

As we enter Lent season, Lamont Hartmon will examine Jesus' experience in the wilderness as we learn how we can navigate our own wilderness seasons.

"The life journey has led me to love mystery and not feel the need to change it or make it un-mysterious.” - Richard Rohr 

People often talk about life as a journey, and like most journeys, there are times when the path before us is very clear. At other times, we can feel like we've lost our way, and we're unsure which direction we should go. Over the last couple of weeks, we've been asking how the psalms can help us pray and help us find our way along the journey of life.

Last week, Pastor Sarah talked about the more difficult parts of our journey - the moments when we feel disoriented. One of the gifts of having the psalmist's account of life is that we can see that feelings of disorientation are normal...and in fact, an important part of the journey. It is not a season to be rushed or denied. Feeling abandoned by God, although devastating, is normal, and even Christ had a moment of feeling forsaken. Some people remain in this space, but if we want to continue our journey with God, there will be a season or re-orienting ourselves. Psalms of re-orientation are those that look back on trying circumstances and praise God for God’s faithfulness through the valley. Psalm 66 says, “Come and see what God has done." While we cannot fabricate or pray our way to redemption, we can tell our stories and look back on the path for moments when we can see "what God has done." Prayers of re-orientation are prayers of thanksgiving for the mystery of the journey. Join Pastor Sarah as she shares how we can use the psalms to re-orient ourselves.

When we can't seem to find our way, it can feel like we're all alone on the path of life. Even when surrounded by friends and family, feelings of abandonment and lostness can combine to leave us wondering if even God has somehow disappeared. There's nothing more disorienting than feeling lost and alone. 

This week as we continue our series, Pastor Sarah talks about those moments of disorientation when the path isn't clear, you feel alone, and life has hit you hard. These disorienting moments are not only difficult for the one who feels lost, but also for those who want to provide support. Sometimes, faith communities and well-meaning friends ask us to move quickly toward hope and away from despair and devastation. The denial of pain isn't an honest response, and it actually isn't faithful to the process.

The Psalms have a different path for us to take.

Psalm 88 offers a voice for those who have been swallowed up in loss, pain, or fear. The Psalms teach us that crying out to God is not only “ok”, but it is faithful. In this passage, the psalmist writes that his life has been swallowed up in the pit, and he finds himself in the gray space between life and death known as “sheol.” And yet, he raises his voice to God. The cries of lament in the Psalms confront our notions of faith. They challenge our assumptions of acceptable prayers, and they share in the same cry that is found on the lips of Jesus in the gospel of Mark. Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In Christ, God goes to the place of forsakenness and cries a similar prayer as our own in Psalm 88. Join us this Sunday as we talk about feeling lost and how sometimes that's the beginning of...finding our way.