Parable of the Mustard Seed by Kelly Latimore

Friends,

We live in a world that tells us there is never enough.

Not enough time. Not enough resources. Not enough opportunity. Sometimes it even tells us there isn’t enough belonging to go around.

Indeed, the myth of scarcity lies beneath so many of our political divisions.

But Jesus tells a different story.

This Sunday, we’ll explore the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52), where God’s kingdom begins with the smallest of things and quietly grows into something that offers shelter for birds and nourishment for all.

Faith begins by trusting that God’s grace is already at work, even when we cannot yet see it. Scarcity tells us to hoard and compete. Jesus invites us to notice the small beginnings God is nurturing among us and trust that there is enough grace for all.

As we continue discerning a name for our future merged church, these parables have something to teach us. Many of you have offered thoughtful name suggestions. Each one is a small beginning that may one day grow into the name that carries our shared mission into the future. This week, our New Name Team will gather to prayerfully reflect on those submissions as we prepare for all-church conversations and a congregational vote later this summer. I have also prepared a reflection guide that will help the team prayerfully discern the names, and I want to share that same guide with the whole congregation (click HERE). I invite you to spend some time with it as you read through the list of submitted names, preparing your heart for the conversations ahead.

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we continue our Journey into Becoming series and discover how God’s patient grace is still shaping us, our community, and our future.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Friends,

Too often, Jesus’ teachings are distorted into questions about who is in and who is out. And honestly, in these polarizing times, I think Jesus offers us something more than us versus them thinking.

Take this week’s Gospel reading, the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9). A farmer scatters seeds everywhere. Some fall on the path and are eaten by birds. Some land on rocky ground or among thorns and struggle to grow. Others fall on fertile soil and flourish.

Growing up, I was taught that this was a story about “good people” and “bad people,” those who receive God and those who reject God.

But Maybe Jesus is inviting us to see something deeper. Because all of us have rocky places in our story. All of us have fertile ground in our lives. All of us have seasons when faith comes easily and seasons when life feels dry.

The good news is that God continues to sow seeds of grace in all seasons of our lives, often through imperfect people, communities, and even difficult experiences that shape us in ways we don’t recognize until much later.

As we continue our Journey into Becoming series, I invite us to reflect on two simple questions: What seeds of grace have shaped you? And how might God be calling us to become seeds of God’s grace for others?

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we worship, reflect, and discover the new life God is blooming among us.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Friends,

One of the first things people ask when a baby is born is, “What’s their name?”

It’s a curious question, because at that point you know almost nothing about them. You don’t know what they’ll love, what gifts they’ll discover, or what their story will become. And yet, we give them a name. We speak hope, identity, and possibility over a life that is still unfolding.

As many of you know, Kim and I recently welcomed our daughter, Zoe. Her name means “life,” and becoming a parent has reminded me that some of the most important things in life are received before they are fully understood.

That insight feels especially meaningful as I return from paternity leave and as our congregations continue discerning a shared future together.

This summer, we’ll begin a new worship series, The Journey of Becoming, exploring what it means to walk with God through seasons of growth, change, and discovery. Scripture reminds us that faith is rarely about having everything figured out. More often, it is about trusting God in the midst of becoming, learning who we are, who our neighbors are, and who God is calling us to be together.

Our first sermon, based on Romans 7:15–25 and Matthew 11:16–30, is titled “When We Don’t Know What to Call Ourselves.” Together, we’ll reflect on how faith invites us to embrace uncertainty, receive grace, and recognize the new life God is bringing forth among us.

As individuals and as a church, we may not have all the answers. But we do not walk alone. God journeys with us, and we journey with one another.

I hope you’ll join us as we take the next steps together.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

“Marsha P. Johnson” Icon by Kelly Latimore

Friends,

I’m grateful to be back with you this Sunday after paternity leave. These past weeks have been full in every way, and I’m especially excited for many of you to meet baby Zoe.

This Sunday we celebrate Pride Sunday, and we do so by lifting up the life and witness of Marsha P. Johnson.

Marsha was a key figure in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries alongside Sylvia Rivera. She cared for queer and trans youth, sex workers, and unhoused neighbors with radical compassion.

Marsha was unapologetically a person of faith. She prayed daily, loved the church, and said, “My spirit is filled with God’s love, and that’s what keeps me going.” Her life reminds us that holiness is not found in social status or respectability, but in love that shows up on the margins.

We’ll also celebrate our tradition of rainbow Communion bread, a sign of God’s wide table and the beauty of our many colors held in one body of Christ.

I’m looking forward to worship, celebration, and being together again with you all.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

The Good Shepherd icon by Kelly Latimore

Kindred in Christ,

There are so many voices around us right now, and it is not always easy to tell which ones to trust.

This Sunday, we turn to John 10:1–10, where Jesus offers us a different image. He names himself as the shepherd, the one whose voice calls out to the sheep:
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus names himself as the shepherd, a voice we have heard before, the One who leads beside still waters and restores our soul. A voice we learn to recognize not in the noise, but in the quiet places of trust.

It is a gentle image, but it carries a deep invitation:

Whose voice are we listening to?

Not every voice leads to life. Some stir up fear or pull us away from one another. But the voice of Christ calls us toward love, toward justice, toward a deeper belonging with God and each other. It is often subtle, more like a steady presence than a shout, which means following Jesus asks us to slow down, to listen closely, to pay attention to what is life-giving.

This is also an invitation to loosen our grip on planning alone, and to live in a deeper attentiveness, where listening becomes the way we discern and respond to the voice of God.

I am grateful that Nancy Goddard will be preaching this Sunday. She brings a thoughtful, grounded presence, and I am thankful for her willingness to share the word with us.

Kim and I are also deeply grateful for your prayers as we draw near to welcoming our baby. We feel held by this community. I am hoping to be in worship this Sunday, unless our little one decides it is time to arrive first.

As you move through the week, I invite you to listen beneath the noise. Notice what voices are shaping your heart, and where you hear the quiet, steady call that leads to life.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz