So many of our deepest questions about regret, faith, and life—come down to this: What does it take to be okay before God? This weekend we get to understand how the Bible holds together the ancient wisdom of the prophet Micah and the surprising grace of Jesus' Beatitudes. In Micah 6, God reminds the people that before there was any failure, there was grace. And in Matthew 5, Jesus goes up the mountain not to give another list of spiritual requirements, but to announce blessing—especially for those who know they are poor in spirit, weary, or unfinished.

Together, Micah and Jesus tell a freeing story: abundant life flows from grace, not fear. Justice, kindness, and humility are not ways to earn God's love; they are fruits of the grace God gives us. At the center is the good news that Jesus does what we cannot, so that imperfect, searching people like us can stand before God and be okay—not because we have it all together, but because grace has already met us where we are.

I am looking forward to seeing you in worship!

Blessings,

This weekend at worship, we are excited to team-preach as this week is recognized as "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity." Coming from different Christian traditions -Lutheran and Methodist – we will reflect together on what it means to follow "one Light through many lamps." We'll explore how God shows up in the gifts and graces of others, how Jesus calls very different people into a shared mission, and how the church can be a place of unity and hope in a divided world.

The Gospel of John tells us that the first spark of discipleship began with a simple question: "What do you want?" From that moment, two curious disciples followed Jesus—and everything that would become the global church began with their longing. We all come to Jesus looking for something: forgiveness, healing, wisdom, meaning, peace, direction. Like those first disciples, we are invited to "come and see" what only Jesus can give.

This Sunday we'll explore how discipleship starts not with certainty, but with desire. Not with perfect answers, but with an honest search. And we'll reflect on how, like John the Baptist, we can humbly point others toward the One who carries our wounds and heals our world. Come and discover again what it means to say, with wonder, "It's all about Jesus."

Blessings,

You Are God's Beloved.

At Jesus' baptism, a voice from heaven speaks words that shape everything that follows: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

This Sunday, as we celebrate the Epiphany season, we'll explore why these words are spoken at life's hardest moments—and how they echo into our own lives. Drawing on ancient Jewish tradition, story, and the promise of baptism, we'll reflect on how God's intimate voice still calls us by name today and reminds us of what is truly important.

As a new year begins, come and hear again the good news that grounds our faith: before anything else, you are God's beloved child.

Blessings,

This first weekend of 2026, we are saying goodbye to Christmas and hello to the season of Epiphany. We will be pondering the God who chooses to dwell amongst us. Epiphany is a season to notice, name, and nurture the light of Christ—in our lives, in our world, and in one another. It is a season of revelation — of light breaking in, of God showing up in places familiar and unexpected. The Wise Men saw more than a star; they recognized a sign pointing them toward Christ. In this new year, we commit ourselves to becoming God-spotters: people who practice noticing, receiving, and sharing the holy in our daily lives. Each week invites us to cultivate spiritual habits that sharpen our sight — so that our resolutions are not about self-improvement, but soul-attentiveness. This season calls us to look for God's light not only in personal spiritual moments, but in justice, unity, courage, humility, service, and wonder.

And we have something special for you this weekend!!! As we prepare for the season of Epiphany, you are invited to take home materials for a simple and ancient Christian practice. At the end of worship, you may take a piece of chalk and instructions to bless your home by marking your doorway for the new year—a tradition rooted in the story of the Magi and the light of Christ that guides us. This blessing is meant to be done at your home, on or near Epiphany, as a sign that Christ is welcome there and that God's grace goes with you into 2026.

Last year, church member Yvonne mentioned a book that she thought was so fitting for the season of Epiphany. So this year we are inviting people to read it and join a book discussion night that will take place in early February. The book is Trust the Whisper: How Answering Quiet Callings Inspires Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Grace by Kathy Izard.

I am praying for you and look forward to beginning 2026 with you in a worshipful, Spirit-filled way.

Grace & Peace,

Christmas is a glorious time filled with joy and wonder, as we celebrate the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior.

In Benjamin Britten's wonderful A Ceremony of Carols, he sets to music these words from the sixteenth century English priest and poet Robert Southwell:

This little Babe, so few days old, is come to rifle Satan's fold;

All hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake;

For in this weak unarmed wise, the gates of hell he will surprise.

What does it mean that the fulfillment of God's eternal promise leads us to a stable in Bethlehem? How does this help us understand the relationship between Jesus' birth and our daily lives in this challenging, complex world?

We will explore these questions at worship.

Christmas Eve Nighttime Service

God is the master of meeting us in the messy and the chaos and the brokenness and helping us find an incredible new plan forward.

Grace and Peace to you, sisters and brothers in Christ.

At all of our worship services this weekend, we will talk about another member of Jesus' family tree: Joseph.

Joseph rarely gets the spotlight in the Christmas story. He speaks no words, sings no songs, and yet his quiet integrity changes everything.

This Fourth Sunday of Advent, we reflect on Joseph's dream and the faith it takes to trust God when life doesn't go as planned. As we prepare for Christmas, we'll consider how Jesus meets us in the space where hope and fear collide—and why that meeting place is holy ground.

Grace & Peace,

This week we meet Mary, one of the most remarkable members of the family tree of Jesus that we have been exploring.

God calls her into a future she never expected, and when God does, Mary should have been afraid—yet she responds with courage, trust, and a simple, world-changing yes. In her amazing story we discover that it isn't fearlessness that makes us faithful, but God's perfect love that casts out fear.

On this 3rd Advent weekend, let's explore together how Mary's "yes" opens the door for Christ's coming—and how our own small yeses make room for God's hope to shine in our world today.

Blessings,