Do you remember your graduation? It was likely an exciting yet scary time of moving into the unknown. A wilderness space of promise and perplexation. My 5^th grade child will soon graduate, and they wonder what middle school will be like. Maybe you remember graduating university or grad school and wondering if you’d be able to land a job in the career you studied for. Or perhaps you already had a job lined up when you graduated, but you wondered what it would be like to actually live into that vocation—after all, internships and practicums under mentors only go so far. Perhaps at your graduation, as you faced the edge of the cliff of the wilderness, you wondered, will I fly, or will I fall?

I imagine the disciples felt similar when they gathered one last time on a mountain to be sent out into the world by Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). At this point, their three-year training with Jesus was complete. The time had come for them to be sent out to make a difference. Yet they are not sent alone. At the end of his commencement speech, Jesus assures them, “And know that I am with you always, even until the end of the world!”

What does it mean for the Spirit of Christ to be with us as we move into the unfamiliar spaces of our own lives? How does the awareness of Christ’s with-ness embolden us for risk taking action as a church? Join us this Sunday as we conclude our series, Lessons from the Wilderness and continue to move forward with one another. See you on FB Live!

-Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Have you ever had your name changed?

Many of us, when we marry change our name. We sometimes take the last name of our partner, or we hyphen together both names. But names change for other reasons, too. Have you ever had your name changed?

Some people change their nickname as they grow older. When I was young, my Spanish-speaking grandmother called me Pablito (which means “little Paul”). Later when my daughter was two years old, she began referring to me as daddy Paul. And while I would have found that name silly before becoming a parent, it provided profound meaning to my unfolding identity as a parent. Have you ever had your name changed?

Growing up, I had a good friend who went by a female name, that was until they came out as gender non-binary, and then they changed their name to match their true gender. Have you ever had your name changed?

Name changes are important. They signify life changes. A dramatic event that will never leave us the same.

In the scriptures, Sarah and Abraham have their names changed by God (Gen 17:1-8, 15-19). Their names are changed as they step out in faith into the unknown. As we will explore on this Sunday, it is crucial for God to rename them in order for them to live deeper into the unfolding vision God has called them into. Join us as we continue in our series, Lessons from the Wilderness, and reflect on what it means to be renamed by God.

Alongside you,

-Rev. Paul Ortiz

“Christ in the Wilderness” by Kelly Latimore.

Kindred in Christ,

The American novelist, theological poet, and environmental activist, Wendell Berry writes:

“As I have read the Gospels over the years, the belief has grown in me that Christ did not come to found an organized religion but came instead to found an unorganized one. He seems to have come to carry religion out of the temples into the fields and sheep pastures, onto the roadsides and the banks of the rivers, into the houses of sinners and publicans, into the town and the wilderness, toward the membership of all that is here.”

Berry highlights for us that Jesus’ life and ministry can be understood as a movement “out of the temples” and into the wilderness where the outcasts and common people reside. Likewise, in the gospel accounts we often witness Jesus retreating into nature in order to hear the voice of God more clearly. The above icon (inspired by Wendell Berry’s words) is a depiction of Jesus’ trust in God and venture into the unknown.

This week, we will reflect upon the significance that Jesus was baptized not in a temple but in the wilderness (Matthew 3:1-3, 13-17). We will also be celebrating the baptism of Abigail Jo Smith! Join us as we continue in our series, Lessons from the Wilderness! See you on Facebook Live!

Alongside you,

-Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Pentecost Sunday is certainly the noisiest of all Christian holy days—a party, the “birthday of the Church.” We celebrate with banners, red balloons, and cake. We hear rushing wind, tongues of fire, and cacophonous crowds. The polyglot celebration of Acts 2 reminds us that God sent all humanity a gift—the Spirit with its promise of passion, diversity, and creativity.

Yet, it is not an exclusive party. With all that wind and noise, and hazardous pyrotechnics of the Spirit, the text tells us that the Apostles were moved outdoors to begin their multi-lingual proclamation. While they began indoors, the Spirit pushes them outdoors to connect with new people in new ways. Rather than starting outdoors and being moved inside a temple, the Church is born when a group is empowered to put themselves out there in a new way.

As the world begins to slowly and responsibly open up and we find ourselves meeting more people in person, I wonder what it would look like to trust the Spirit’s power of creating new and life-giving connections with others. As we wander deeper into the wilderness as a faith community and begin to do outreach events, how might the Spirit be inspiring you with Pentecostal imagination for new connections to happen?

Join us this Sunday, as we celebrate Pentecost and continue in our worship series, Lessons from the Wilderness. I hope to see you on Facebook Live!

Alongside you,

-Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

This coming Sunday is an important day in the church calendar—Ascension Sunday! Yet, unlike other holy days such as Easter or Christmas, Ascension Day is not accompanied by a wealth of traditions. I do not know about you, but I did not grow up celebrating Ascension Day dinners with my family, nor have I ever given out Ascension Day cards to my friends. Perhaps it is because the story of Jesus’ Ascension is not exactly a happy story. For in a sense, the disciples experience God leaving them. In Acts 1:1-11, Jesus had only been back from the dead for a short while when he decides to leave the disciples and ascend to heaven. This must have been very frustrating to Jesus’ followers, who wished that Jesus would just settle down and for things to go back to how they used to be before the crucifixion. Yet Jesus does not reveal to us a God that settles down, but rather a God who leaves in order for us to follow after God into something new and more grace-filled than we could have imagined.

Join us this Sunday as we reflect further upon the story of the Jesus’ Ascension and continue in our series Lessons from the Wilderness. Hope to see you on Facebook Live!

Alongside you,

-Rev. Paul Ortiz