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Kindred in Christ,

This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent and the start of the new liturgical year! Yet, if you are like me, along with the joy of the holidays, and the wonder of the season, at times, you also feel spiritually, emotionally, or mentally left on empty. Many of us feel tired this season. Tired of the political vitriol. Tired of the us-versus-them mentalities. Tired of the racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia that permeate our country, our cities, and our families. Tired of the distrust and line drawing between people groups. Tired of waiting for prayers to be answered and for justice to be made a reality.

So, we come to this season of Advent weary for a world that will one day be made right. But that is not today. It is a world we can only glimpse—sometimes only through tears.

And so, we cry out with our spiritual ancestors, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and with your captive children dwell… O come, and turn all hearts to peace, that greed and war at last shall cease” (updated lyrics by Rev. Mark Belletini).

It is during this anticipation and longing that the hope of Advent comes near to us. This hope is not a false certainty. Rather, the hope of Advent allows us to encounter a story bigger than our present moment. We find out that we are part of a story of redemption and healing that stretches all the way back to the coming Christ child, and into the future when all wars will cease. Encountering this hope, in the mist of our present human struggle, is how the weary world rejoices.

Join us this Sunday, as we kick off our new Advent series and begin the journey to Christmas and to all the ways Christ is present in our word. We look forward to seeing you in person and online!

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Join us in-person or online for our Christmas Eve service, Dec. 24th at 7 PM! There will be Christmas carols, candle lighting, crafts for children, and more! Invite your family and friends. 

This service is in collaboration with Gathering UMC, Green Lake UMC, and Woodland Park UMC.

We hope to see you as we celebrate the hope of God entering the world in a refugee baby.

Kindred in Christ,

This has been a tough week for some of us, as we have had to deal with extended power outages and debris clean up in our neighborhoods. I appreciated those of us that have been community and have checked in with one another during these last few days. And I have celebrated with you and others who have let us know that their power has been restored. Praying that as you read this, your power is back, or will be back very soon. And if you find yourself still in need and could use help from our church community, please reach out to me at:

Paul.Ortiz@ugathering.org.

In all of this, I am reminded of the importance of creating community and extending hospitality toward one another. This Sunday we will gather with various community partners and attempt to do just that! We are joining forces with Green Lake UMC, Woodland Park UMC, and GLSA (childcare program) to co-host a brunch church event starting at 10:30 AM. RSVP and indicate what you can bring below.

As I prepare and collaborate for this event with many of you and others, I am reminded of the story of Jesus feeding the multitude (Matt 14:13-21). At first, the disciples see that there are only five loaves and two fishes. Yet after Jesus gives thanks, blesses, and breaks the loaves, he invites the disciples to begin distributing this small gift among the hungry crowd. And as the story goes, five thousand were fed that day, and there were leftovers! This story can be interpreted as God miraculously multiplying the elements until all had enough to eat. Yet, perhaps the more meaningful miracle would be that once one person offered their small gift of five loaves and two fishes, it inspired others in the crowd to also share the little they were holding on to. And by the end of the disciples going around the multitude, all had been blessed and moved to share what they had with others, and all were fed through God’s work, through the power of community. My hope is that we will all share what we can with each other and with our community partners and see what miracles Jesus might do through us!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

© Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com

Kindred in Christ,

It has been a heavy week. If you are like me and others I have been checking in with, you are likely still feeling the grief of the results of the election.  Yet while this has been a bad week, I hope you also know that it is not the final week. And that God’s story is not over, and I am thankful that you are part of that story with us. We are glad you are here!

I was reminded this week that the kind of community we are and strive to be—LGBTQIA+ inclusive, multi-ethnic, antiracist, seeking justice in the way of Jesus—is needed now more than ever. So, I hope you are finding supportive community in the days to come. Please reach out to me if you would like to process and pray with someone.

And I would like to share with you a prayer by Jan Richardson that I have meditated on these last few days. I offer it to you now, and any time you feel as if the world you knew is coming to an end.

Blessing When the World Is Ending

Look, the world
is always ending
somewhere.

Somewhere
the sun has come
crashing down.

Somewhere
it has gone
completely dark.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the gun,
the knife,
the fist.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the slammed door,
the shattered hope.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the utter quiet
that follows the news
from the phone,
the television,
the hospital room.

Somewhere
it has ended
with a tenderness
that will break
your heart.

But, listen,
this blessing means
to be anything
but morose.
It has not come
to cause despair.

It is simply here
because there is nothing
a blessing
is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more
for a blessing
than when a world
is falling apart.

This blessing
will not fix you,
will not mend you,
will not give you
false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening
when another one closes.

It will simply
sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction
from which the light
will come,
gathering itself
about you
as the world begins
again.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. — Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSVUE)

Kindred in Christ,

These words of scripture were addressed to a people exiled, while trying to navigate a new reality. Most of us haven’t literally been driven from our homes or country, but I suspect these words from Jeremiah have resonance. Our lives are filled with change. Nonetheless, God assures us of a future filled with hope. On the path of discipleship, we learn that we are active participants with God in creating that future together!

As your pastor, I give thanks for the long and faithful legacy of this congregation and all the saints of our past, which have brought us to this time and place in our history. And together, we will continue to create and sustain a hopeful, joyful, loving and just community, committed to nothing less than changing our city and our world for the better.

This Sunday begins our 2025 Pledge Campaign (learn more here). If University Gathering UMC has made a difference in your life in the past, then I invite you to prayerfully consider giving toward our collective future! Your financial pledge allows us to create a responsible budget, build inclusive community in the way of Jesus, engage with new people in meaningful ways, and further our legacy of faith and social justice with our neighbors. I hope you will join us on Sundays through November, in-person or online, for our pledge campaign worship series, as together we envision, cultivate, and celebrate a future with hope.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz