“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

Kindred in Christ,

Author Ruth Haley Barton describes discernment as an ever-increasing capacity to “see” the work of God in the midst of the human situation, so that we can align ourselves with whatever God is doing in our present. Yet if you are like me, sometimes you feel like you have already figured out what God wants you to do and already have a set plan in motion, and you forget about the need for ever-increasing discernment. And when roadblocks come up in our lives that cause our trajectories to feel “stuck” we get frustrated. The temptation in these situations is to either plow forward at all costs or give up and turn around. But what if the roadblocks in our lives were holy reminders to pause and reflect deeper? What if each time we felt stuck in a situation with our job, family, or community life, we utilized those spaces as a reminder that we do not always know exactly where God is leading and there is always a need for deeper discernment?

This week we will reflect on the story of Balaam (Numbers 22:21-35). A famous “seer” of the ancient world, yet, ironically, was unable to see that the Angel of the Lord was blocking his path. Balaam was so sure that he understood his mission that it took him awhile to be able to listen to his recalcitrant donkey and the roadblocks along the way. But through pausing, he eventually learned that God had greater plans for his life.

Join us as we continue in our series, Lessons from the Wilderness. I hope to see you on Facebook Live!

Alongside you,

– Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

The artist Scott Erickson (whose work involves liturgy and faith) recently posted the art piece above on his Instagram account with the caption, “If you love the form, you have everything to lose. If you love WHAT gives it form, you’re free to receive whatever it is turning into.” The depiction of a church building crumbling in an hourglass is a provocative metaphor of the effects of an evolving culture upon stagnant religious structures and formulas. Seemingly tried and true ways of doing church will die over time as society shifts, but what gave these structures life in the first place will continue to give life to new ways of gathering, worshiping, and following Jesus that are relevant in the present moment—the image suggests.

Yet for us, Erickson’s image hits in a literal sense as well. Our physical building will soon begin to be demolished, and we will await the construction of something new. While it is appropriate to grieve what we are losing (and we will gather for a viewing of the demolition in June, stay tuned for more details), this season provides us a unique opportunity to ask, “WHAT is beneath the form of our religion?” “WHAT is the thing that gave it life in the first place and that will give life to something new?” If we can tap into that, then (as Erickson suggests) “you’re free to receive whatever it is turning into.” This is one of the great gifts of the wilderness—the invitation to strip things down and reflect what is at the heart of our faith, and our being.

I look forward to continuing to journey the wilderness with you and hope to see you this Sunday on Facebook Live as we continue in our series, Lessons from the Wilderness!

Alongside you,

– Rev. Paul Ortiz