VUE CHURCH

Lee Beard-There is a time for everything, including grieving and not bypassing it to move on. Western culture, particularly in the United States, is often characterized by a profound discomfort and impatience to walk the path of grief by skipping it altogether. If we are going to love anything or anyone, grief will be a journey and healthy ritual we must go through to live well, because grief is the price we pay for love.

Debbie Stull-The heart of the ritual is that wilderness seasons aren't necessarily something we need to escape, fix, or conquer. Sometimes they are places where we learn to become still, notice what we've overlooked, receive care, and remember that we are not alone.

In this teaching we explore how Jesus’s deep life of prayer shaped his capacity to love, forgive, and extend grace beyond boundaries. Through the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 24, and the practice of Selah—a deliberate pause for reflection—we consider how to use the power entrusted to us with integrity, justice, and humility. We also reflect on how God’s love and grace meet us in everyday experiences, inviting us to slow down, re-center, and participate in a purpose greater than ourselves.

Prayer is ultimately the experience of God's loving presence. Something is wrong when it feels like something we should or have to do. Prayer should be the natural language of our soul. A misunderstanding lies in thinking of prayer as something that we do, rather than “What God Does In Us.” Just imagine a life continuously attuned to the loving presence of God which allowed the life of God to flow into and through you with each breath. Such a life would itself be prayer, because 'to pray is to live.'

Our whole community slowed down this past Sunday to gather in the park around the ritual of friendship, food, and creating space to just be together. Instead of a sermon or a teaching, here's a short prayer and reflection to begin a new week.

Rituals are practices that mark moments with meaning, create connection, and remind us what matters most—and in an increasingly digital, disembodied world, they can draw us back into our bodies, our communities, and the sacred. Through the story of Jesus’ baptism, we explore how baptism connects us to God’s work of making things right and reminds us that our deepest identity is not earned through success, popularity, or power, but received as beloved sons and daughters. Ultimately, spiritual transformation begins when we learn to receive God’s love, because...

“You can’t start a spiritual journey on a negative journey foundation. If you seek God out of fear, shame, or guilt— you don’t go very far. But if we remember the voice that spoke those powerful words of love (at Jesus’ baptism) we will find a new way of living and being.” —Richard Rohr 

Ian Watson our special guest from the UK and Kendal Beard's father taught from the book James: What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes-so make the most of every day.

Rituals are powerful practices that shape our well-being, deepen relationships, signal belonging, and help us mark the moments that matter. Jesus gave his followers rituals such as Eucharist, baptism, prayer, and foot-washing, all pointing toward a life marked by love, friendship, hospitality, and self-giving; in a world where we often try to do everything alone, rituals remind us that we celebrate together, heal together, and become whole together.

Rituals give shape and significance to our time, relationships, and shared experiences—and people are returning to them because they work. In this conversation, George explores the profound meaning of shared meals, from the early church’s practice of “breaking bread together” to the way food becomes a natural sacrament of friendship, family, and God’s presence. Around a table, we slow down, make meaning visible, and discover that God meets us not outside of ordinary life, but through the tangible gifts of food, friendship, and one another.

We’d love to hear about the rituals that matter to you.

What are the small or significant practices that bring meaning, create connection, or help you remember what matters most?

Please share a ritual(s) that is meaningful to you HERE

Read the "Rituals That Matter" blog HERE

George explores why rituals matter—not simply as religious traditions or routines, but as practices that give shape, meaning, and belonging to our everyday lives. From morning coffee and shared family habits to Sabbath, prayer, and worship, rituals can sustain the heart, strengthen relationships, and remind us what matters most, while Jesus challenges us to keep rituals rooted in love, mercy, and faithfulness.