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Engraving of “The Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones” by Gustave Doré

Kindred in Christ,

When we look at the world today, it can feel overwhelming. War continues, injustice persists, and so much around us feels fractured or uncertain. It is not hard to find ourselves wondering, “Can anything really change?”

And closer to home, we may ask the same question about our own lives. About strained relationships, unresolved wounds in our families, or parts of ourselves that feel stuck. Can change happen there too?

This Sunday, as we continue our Lenten series The Work of Imagination, we sit with that very question from the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1–14). In his vision, he stands in a valley of dry bones, surrounded by what seems beyond repair. He confronts the question, “Can these bones live?”

God begins to move. There is a rattling. There is a coming together. There is breath.

In the Gospel, Jesus stands at the tomb of his friend Lazarus (John 11:17–44). He weeps with those who mourn, and then calls life out of death. He reminds us that resurrection is not only something we wait for in the future, but something God is already bringing to life among us.

Together, these stories invite us to see differently. Where we see endings, God is creating beginnings. Where we see what feels lifeless, God is already breathing new life.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we continue this Lenten journey and open ourselves to the Spirit’s work of renewal in our lives and in our world.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

As my wife, Kim, and I eagerly await the arrival of our baby in just a few short weeks, I keep thinking about what it will be like to see the world through tiny, new eyes. That fresh perspective reminds me that God calls us to see differently too, not just the beauty around us, but also the places where injustice and suffering remain. This Sunday, our Lenten series, The Work of Imagination, invites us into that kind of seeing with Psalm 23 and John 9:1–41.

Psalm 23 comforts us with God as our shepherd, guiding us through green pastures and shadowed valleys, steady even when the path ahead is uncertain. In the Gospel, we meet a man who has never seen before. Jesus restores his sight, but the story is about more than physical vision. He begins to see the world in a new way, challenging old assumptions and discovering a life transformed by God’s grace.

These readings invite us to stretch our imagination. What might we notice if we looked at the world through God’s eyes? Where might healing, dignity, and restoration appear in places we thought were fixed or lost? Where might we be called to act for justice, bringing light to shadows and hope to places of despair? Lent calls us to pay attention, to wonder, and to imagine the unexpected ways God is at work.

I am grateful for the care and prayers while I was away last week. I am excited to return this Sunday, while still taking it easy. My procedure went well, and I am slowly finding my rhythm again. I am especially thankful that Alex Bodman, a candidate for ministry from Ronald UMC, will be our guest preacher this Sunday. He brings fresh energy and insight.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we worship, pray, and imagine together, opening our eyes to what God’s love and justice can do in our lives and in the world around us.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Mother God, Holy Spirit by Cara Quinn*

Kindred in Christ,

Have you ever imagined God as a mother leading her children through a world broken by violence and injustice? This week’s readings invite us to do just that. In John 3:1-17, Jesus calls Nicodemus to be born again from the Spirit. God’s mothering presence is powerful and guiding, shaping us to live boldly, to stand for justice, and to seek peace in a world too often marked by war. Psalm 121 reminds us that the One who watches over us never rests, always lifts us up, and guides our steps toward life and wholeness.

As I continue my recovery this week, I am grateful for Steve Shamblin, who will share a word with us and help us live more faithfully into the Spirit’s call to courage, renewal, and compassionate action.

We continue our Lenten series, The Work of Imagination, reflecting on how God invites us to see new possibilities, to imagine life beyond oppression, and to participate in the work of justice and peace. May this week be a time of bold renewal and faithful courage under God’s strong and mothering care.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

*A note from the artist: “Multiple bird-like motifs include an abstract face that takes on the shape of a bird in flight, a dove resting on the crown of the head and feathers which frame the face. The background pattern represents the fresh wind of the Spirit which continuously searches the earth. Intentionally a non-human face, this representation of the Holy Spirit is meant to inspire and evoke a feeling of mystery while feeling distinctly feminine. The color palette and circular shapes represent the light coming out of the darkness, as the Spirit hovered over the dark waters at the dawn of creation (Genesis 1:2).”

Saint Photini Modern Coptic Icon

Kindred in Christ,

We all know something about thirst.
The kind that shows up in our bodies, yes, and also the kind that settles into our spirits. A longing for clarity, for connection, for something that will finally satisfy.

This Sunday, as we continue our Lenten series The Work of Imagination, our scriptures lead us to places of deep longing. A wilderness with no water (Exodus 17:1–7). A well where a surprising conversation unfolds between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, known in some Christian traditions as Saint Photini, crossing borders guarded by patriarchy, ethnic division, and social status (John 4:1–30).

Together, we will reflect on Human Thirst and the Disruptive Waters of Grace, stories where God meets people not by leaving things unchanged, but by lovingly interrupting what society says is proper or simply the way things must be.

Lent invites us to tell the truth about our thirst and to trust that God’s grace still flows in unexpected places. It invites us to imagine that crossing borders can be holy work, opening us to deeper freedom, deeper connection, and deeper love.

I invite you to join us this Sunday as we continue this journey together. We will listen for God, tend to our longing, and allow our imaginations to be shaped by grace.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Kindred in Christ,

This Sunday we step into the season of Lent together and begin our new series, The Work of Imagination. Lent invites us into holy movement, into a slower and deeper way of seeing, and into the courage to imagine life shaped not by fear or scarcity, but by God’s love.

Our scriptures this Sunday will carry us from the garden of Eden in Genesis into the wilderness with Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. We will listen for the wisdom of stories that speak of abundance and limits, of care for the earth and one another, and of the choices that shape our shared life. We will walk with Jesus into the wilderness, where he refuses the easy answers and the false promises of control, choosing instead the way of trust, humility, and love.

This journey is shaped by our Ash Wednesday prayer, “from dust we have come, and to dust we shall return,” offered this past week in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Lent asks us to remember our fragility not as defeat, but as invitation. An invitation to turn away from what deadens us and toward what helps us live fully now.

You will see this spirit reflected in the image guiding our season. A dove breaking a crown reminds us that Lent is a turning away from domination, empire, and the ways of death, and a turning toward the Spirit’s work of power sharing, community, and the way of Jesus. This is the work of imagination.

This Sunday will also be a moment of joy as we welcome new members into the life of the church. After worship, the Merger Exploration Team will share where we are in this season of discernment and listening and help us imagine a joint future.

We hope you will be with us this Sunday. Come as you are. Come to imagine, to listen, and to journey together through this Lenten season, trusting that God meets us on the path.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz