Kindred in Christ,

I am excited to begin our new series, The Epiphanies of Epiphany: A Series About Finding God in the Ordinary. Epiphany comes to us from the Greek word “epiphaneia,” meaning “appearance” or “manifestation,” and refers to the ways we encounter the divine in our ordinary human lives.

For most of us the beginning of a new year tends to focus our attention on the future. For some of us that focus is expressed in our New Year’s resolutions, the intentions we have for our life, and the plans we make. Others of us may not make resolutions but we still have hopes and wishes for the coming year, and we consider the possibilities of what the year might hold for us. Some of us simply want a clean slate, a fresh start, a new beginning.

In whatever ways this gets expressed or experienced, it touches a common longing or desire within us. We seek something we don’t have. We want something different. We are aware of an absence.

You might be wondering what absence has to do with epiphany. At first, they might sound mutually exclusive. But what if the experience of absence and the accompanying longings and desires are the beginning of an epiphany for you?

Maybe epiphanies are the means by which God expresses God’s longing and desire for each of us. Maybe they are God calling and guiding us into deeper communion with each other and Godself. Maybe an epiphany is not so much an “Aha, I got it” kind of moment as it is an “Aha, it’s got me” kind of moment. It’s a moment that awakens us to the deep desires of our hearts, touches the longings of our life, and fills the absence in such a way that we get up and leave transformed and equipped to transform the world.

Join us this Sunday as we explore this theme deeper and consider the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-17). Hope to see you in-person or online.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Christmas celebrations have been canceled in Bethlehem this year. There is no Christmas tree lighting in the Manger Square nor festivities along the cobble-stone streets that normally are bustling with foreign tourists this time of year. There are no holiday decorations to be seen in the city that is synonymous with the birth of Jesus, located in the Israeli-occupied West bank.

Above is the icon, “Christ in the Rubble,” by Kelly Latimore. It is inspired by the witness of Palestinian pastor and theologian, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac. This year, he and his congregation in Bethlehem placed Christ under the rubble in the nativity of their church. And when asked where God is as Gaza is being bombed, Isaac replied, “God is under the rubble.”

Join us this Sunday morning, as well as for Christmas Eve, as we further reflect on the God that takes on flesh and enters our war-torn world, in order to bring peace and liberation. And how this peace can be born through us today.

In the meantime, if you would like to donate to organizations that are working for peace and humanitarian relief in Gaza, click HERE. The first 500 donations made over $100 will receive a free signed print of “Christ in the Rubble” icon by Kelly Latimore.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Join us for a special Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Sunday, Dec 24th, at 7 PM, in-person or on Facebook Live. We will still host a regular morning service that Sunday for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Invite your friends and family. We hope to see you at both events!

Kindred in Christ,

Above is a picture of one of our prayer stations, and an icon we have used during this Advent season in worship. The creator of this icon is Kelly Latimore, and it is titled, “Mary: Love Forever Being Born.”

As we continue to embrace the holy dark and expansive spaces in our lives, I invite you to read and meditate on the following poem by Sr. Ilia Delio, which inspired the creation of this icon:

“What do the stars say?

The light that meets our eyes after millions of years summons us to look beyond.

The dark that hovers over us is filled with light.

That underneath the appearance of the stable heavens is the bubbling energy of the universe.

We are forming, forming, forming and nothing can stop us.

There is a palpable power of attraction, pulling us toward we-no-not-where.

Love alone is the guide of the universe and the whole universe is in the human heart.

Tend to the heart and the power of love will name itself as God.”

Love. The universe is being born over and over. Dying and expanding. In life there is inevitably death. Yet, in death there is always new life.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

I love Advent. I love the practice of lighting just one candle a week, a slow journey from darkness to light. I used to think that getting to full light was the goal, and the quicker the better! But Advent has taught me to slow down, to take my time, for the formative journey of “shadow and velvety deepness” is the true gift of this season. Advent invites us to linger in the mystery of darkness, allowing ourselves to dwell in that expansive space of the unknown in our lives, and encounter and trust God in a bigger way than when we relied solely on our own sight and understanding. May we encounter the blessing of darkness and light together this season.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz