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Kindred In Christ,

As we will explore further this Sunday, in Luke 6:17-26, Jesus’ Beatitudes are not just words of comfort—they are a call to action. He names the poor, the hungry, and the grieving as blessed, not because suffering itself is good, but because God is near to those in pain. This week, I invite you to engage in a prayer practice that centers Jesus’ counter-cultural blessings and calls us to embody this love in the world.

Preparation

Find a quiet space. Light a candle if you’d like, symbolizing the light of Christ. Take a deep breath. Settle into stillness.

Step 1: Centering with Breath

Breathe in deeply and pray: “Blessed are those who struggle…”

Breathe out slowly and pray: “…for God is near.”

Repeat this for as long as you feel led, allowing your breath to slow and your heart to open.

Step 2: A Prayer of Solidarity

Offer this prayer, slowly and intentionally:

“God of the weary and the worn, we come before you with open hearts.

Bless those who hunger—physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Bless those who mourn, and may they know your presence in their grief.

Bless those who are cast aside, and remind them that they are seen, known, and loved.

And God, bless us with the courage to stand where Jesus stands—

with the poor, the hurting, the oppressed—

until your kingdom of justice and peace is made real among us. Amen.”

Step 3: Closing Prayer

Prayer is not just about words—it is about action. Take a moment to ask yourself:

• How is God calling me to stand with the marginalized this week?
• Is there someone in my life who needs encouragement, practical help, or solidarity?
• What systems of injustice do I need to challenge in my community?

Choose one concrete action—whether it’s reaching out to someone in need, supporting an advocacy effort, or making space for someone’s story—and commit to it as a lived prayer.

Closing Blessing

As you end this time of prayer, place your hand over your heart and receive this blessing:

“Blessed are you when you hunger for justice.

Blessed are you when you feel weary from the fight.

Blessed are you when you stand with the poor and the grieving.

For God is with you, now and always. Amen.”

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

We are excited to share with you the Merger Exploration Team’s findings and report (download PowerPoint HERE and detailed report HERE). These items are in preparation for our upcoming presentation and discussion this Sunday, at 9:30 AM at Green Lake UMC in-person or online (please note that we will not host a service at our regular time this Sunday). You are invited to remain after the meeting to participate in Sandwich Makers, as we prepare food for those experiencing hunger in our area. We hope you will join us this Sunday, and come ready to listen, speak, and discern together where the Spirit may be leading our communities in this time and place for the sake of the U District, the Green Lake neighborhood, and beyond.

Along with discernment and discussion, you are invited into a season of deep prayer. Prayer is an act of openness to God. There are three modes of prayer that I want to offer you during this season: the Ignatian prayer of holy indifference, listening prayer, and silence.

Holy indifference invites us into a special, positive form of indifference, where we begin to let go of attachments that keep us from love and justice, trusting in God’s presence. Listening prayer helps us attune to God’s voice—through scripture, emotions, community, or silence. Silence allows us to sit with God, discerning what is truly of the Spirit. In releasing, listening, and resting, we make space for transformation.

Here is an example that you are welcome to use or adapt as you pray:

A Prayer of Openness

Holy Indifference

Loving God, I release my need for control, my attachments to certainty, and my fears of the unknown. Free me from anything that keeps me from fully embracing your love and truth. May I desire only what brings life, justice, and wholeness to others. Let your will, not mine, guide my heart.

Listening

Speak to me, O Spirit, in whatever way I am ready to hear. In words or in stillness, in clarity or in mystery—help me to be present to your voice. Open my heart to your wisdom, whether it comes through scripture, community, creation, or the quiet stirrings of my soul.

Silence

Now, I rest in your presence. I set aside my need for quick answers and simply rest in you. In this sacred silence, reveal what is true. Shape me, renew me, and draw me deeper into love… [*remain in silence for a moment].
Amen.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Last week, Rev. Judy Schultz kicked off our new series reflecting on what scholars refer to as Jesus’ “inaugural address” of brining good news to the poor, liberation to the captives, sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free, and declaring God’s favor (Luke 4:21-30). And this week I will preach on the second half of this story. We will explore how Jesus suggests that this political platform is good news for more than just the people of Nazareth, and this angers his hearers so much that they attempt to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:14-21).

As we will see this coming week, Jesus crosses a social border, by insisting God’s mercy includes people from other countries and different religions, and this upsets the border-based politics of the Nazareth community so much that they wish to throw Jesus off a border that he cannot return from!

Sadly, more and more it seems we do our politics by creating boundaries, building walls, establishing borders. We separate and divide ourselves against each other so that border control now defines our relationships with each other.

And border control is at the heart of the conflict between Jesus and the people of Nazareth, and it seems to be at the heart of our own political conflicts in today’s world at every level.

Our recent presidential election further revealed the clear boundaries built and strengthened between Republicans and Democrats, and even within those groups’ lines are further drawn over who is a real Democrat and who is a true conservative. A border stands at the center of the debate concerning immigration, Syrian refugees, Palestinian Refugees, and all displaced people from Latin America. The terrorizing of immigrant communities in our country, through increased ICE raids, is justified in the name of border control. Wherever you find racism, prejudice, or discrimination you will find walls. Our economic system has created a stark separation between the rich and the poor. Within our own United Methodist Church, we remain divided over worship purity and a desire for correct interpretation of scripture and inclusion. And when it comes to our personal relationships, I’ll bet each of us can name the walls and barriers that have stood at the center of our families, friendships, and communities.

Whether our borders are geographical, physical, ideological, religious, or emotional, they first exist and arise from within us. We project the borders of our hearts onto the world and each other.

And as we will explore further this Sunday, there simply is no room for that in the politics of Jesus. To the contrary border crossing is a hallmark of Jesus’ politics. Jesus is the Border Crossing Christ, brining healing, companionship, and redemption to all people, regardless of what side they land on any given border. And Jesus calls us to embody these politics as disciples today.

I hope to see you in person or online, as we seek to adopt Jesus’ political platform our own.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

This week we begin a new worship series titled, The Politics of Jesus. Together we will explore not only how politics includes elected officials and the governing process, but also how it deeply involves you and me, the opinions we hold, the actions we make, and especially the ways we relate to one another as human beings and followers of Jesus.

When we talk about politics, we of course talk about the long-standing system of racism and prejudice that is baked into the foundations of our country. We talk about Palestinian refugees and the recently enacted, and long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza. We talk about economic systems that create and promote income disparity for the many and prosperity for the few. We talk about the immigration sweeps and the separation of families. We talk about the continuing tragedy of gun violence in our country. We talk about the degradation of our planet. We talk about the violence and discrimination against women. We talk about the fearful rhetoric that is being espoused from the highest office of our nation against our beloved transgender siblings. We talk about the conflicts in the United Methodist Church, and those that have left our denomination over the move toward greater inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community.  And we talk about the challenges and gifts of living together as a congregation today in Seattle, with our partnerships, families, and friendships.

To be clear, we are not limiting ourselves to Democratic, Republican, or American politics. Rather, we will hear and focus on Jesus’ politics. Over the next few weeks, we will try to open ourselves up further to allowing the politics of Jesus to challenge, critique, and even expand our personal politics. For Jesus’ politics has implications for our lives and upon all the situations listed above. Yet the politics of Jesus are different from the kind of politics most of us see, experience, and probably even practice. His politics are driven, led, anointed, and filled by the Spirit, the life of God.

Biblical scholars often refer to Jesus’ reading of Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:16–21 as his “inaugural address.” This moment, in the synagogue at Nazareth, is seen as Jesus publicly declaring his mission and his vision for how we are to live and relate to one another. By reading the passage from Isaiah and stating, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” Jesus aligns himself with the prophetic vision of “bringing good news to the poor, release to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and liberation for the oppressed.”

Our nation witnessed Jesus’ politics sharply challenging our American politics recently, on January 21, 2025, during the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral. Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a sermon urging our newly re-inaugurated president, Donald Trump, to, “In the name of God…have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now.” Her call for mercy and justice for the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrant populations, and other vulnerable communities sparked criticism from Trump, who accused her of politicizing religion, but Budde stood by her appeal through leadership grounded in humility and care for the marginalized—the politics of Jesus.

Join us in person and online this Sunday, as we kick off our new series and explore further how we might live if we adopted Jesus’ political platform as our own.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Happy New Year! And Happy Epiphany! This Sunday we will celebrate Epiphany Sunday by reflecting on the Magi who follow the star into the unknown (Matthew 2:1-12). Their foreign mystical practices, their astrological star-reading led them to encounter the divine presence in the humble first century Palestinian baby, Jesus, which was going unnoticed by king Herod, and so many others.

I grew up being taught that Christianity was fundamentally against astrology, star reading, and all other “non-Christian” religious and spiritual practices. Yet we see the opposite in this story.

Far from seeing the Magi as in need of repentance or conversion, Matthew’s gospel emphasizes their wisdom. We can and should learn from these foreigners and their practices. The great wisdom of the Magi is that they left the comfort of their world and culture, and traveled into a foreign and hostile world, and knelt before a child.

They did not limit the possibilities of where the Divine could show up to their own nation, culture, or religion. With eyes of faith, they saw the divine Christ in the human baby Jesus. The Magi saw God in a child from another culture and believed that this baby was deserving of gifts fit for a king.

What if it is true that every child is deserving of such gifts? What if we treated children from every nation as if they were worthy of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? What if we saw a star hovering over every child in the ruins of Gaza today?

Khaled Nabhan, a Palestinian man who lost his precious 3-year-old granddaughter Reem, went viral in a widely shared video of him cradling Reem’s lifeless body, and kissing her eyes. Over and over again he called her “the soul of my soul.”

Every child is the soul of someone’s soul. Even an orphan is the soul of God’s own soul, for God is the “Father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5). And as James Baldwin said, “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe.” Yet we are so quick to limit deservingness of our own kind.

The Magi challenges us. They challenge us to actually step out, they call us to see the star and follow it toward encountering the other.

Join us this Sunday, as we explore further what it means for us to see, trust, and follow the divine stars in our lives, and allow it to lead us into God’s future.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz