Sunday, July 5, 2020

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

This Communion Sunday, we hear some familiar and comforting words from Jesus “ 28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Yet, we know the yoke of following in the ways and teachings of Jesus is anything but easy, and there is a heavy burden from caring about others and the earth. So how do we reconcile this call for rest and comfort with the reality that following Jesus is hard work? How do we engage in the world changing work with Jesus while not running ourselves ragged? And is it possible to take breaks and still be working for justice? Join us for worship this Sunday as Rev. Mollie preaches this paradox.

All the tools you’ll need to join us this Sunday!

In this time when we are not able to gather together in person, we are happy to provide our Sunday Worship service to you from the comfort of your home. Below you will find everything to join us. You will need access to Adobe Acrobat to view the bulletin. You can download that for free here.

Service begins promptly at 10:15 am on Sunday, and though we can’t all be together in person, we strongly encourage singing along and participating in any way you’d like! The service is accessible through your phone as well as your personal computer just by clicking on one of the link below.

Help us see who is joining us for service! Even if you’ve been with us for years or just checking us out, please click here if you’re joining us this Sunday morning!

Bulletin and Announcements: Click here to view the Sunday bulletin and announcements*

YouTube Live Stream Service: Click here to join our 10:15 am live stream

Giving Online: We are now happy to offer the opportunity to give online with Tithe.ly! Please click HERE to learn more or text GIVE to (844) 909-1782.

To sign up for automatic withdrawal through Vanco, please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and mail it to the church at 100 Carr St. Lakewood CO, 80226. Thank you.

*Updated Bulletin will be posted the Friday before worship

Pastor Curt is on vacation June 29-July 14.
Rev. Mollie will be pastor on call until July 8.
Rev. Mollie will be on vacation July 8-July 15.
Rev. Nancy True will be pastor on call July 8-July 14.
If you need to reach Nancy her cell is 720-394-3421.
Allison Booth, Director of Communications, will be out of town from July 11-July 17 for a funeral. She will have occasional access to email for any communications or scheduling inquiries you may have.

In mid-March, due to COVID-19, we suddenly stopped worshiping in our sanctuary and started worshiping in the virtual space. The worship leadership team of Allyson, Mollie, Curt, and Alan did an amazing job of both settling into the rhythm of virtual worship while also pushing forward new ideas. And throughout all these months Rob Cass has ably managed all the tech support required for hosting/operating Zoom virtual worship. As the quality of worship deepens, so also does the number of tech support skills and tasks to be completed.
As chair of the Board of Congregational Care I’m establishing, at Rob’s request, a Tech Support Team for Sunday worship. The idea is that with a team, the work of supporting worship will be spread out amongst many hands and hearts. Some folks may have the deep tech experience Rob has and others will have discreet skills like editing, helping with video recordings, uploading prerecorded videos, or setting up slides for worship. Rob will coordinate the work of the team and he is envisioning most of the tasks to be ad hoc. No need for a regular meeting. He has already drafted an “operating manual” for the Tech Support Team.
If you have an interest in supporting virtual worship, no matter how extensive or particular your skills are, please contact me at paul.michalec@du.edu or Rob at rdcass42@gmail.com  Once we return to face to face worship in the sanctuary the Tech Support Team will continue to offer some form of virtual worship post-COVID-19 as a form of radical hospitality for anyone who can’t attend an in-person service. If you can operate a computer mouse you can be part of this team. All skills.  All abilities are welcome.

We follow in the ways of Jesus of Nazareth, who was on the side of the
oppressed, marginalized, cast off and forgotten. We claim a savior who sacrificed
much in the name of justice and bringing about the Kingdom of God. Because of
this, we cannot be silent. We must say Black Lives Matter; as to stay silent is to
stay with the oppressor. We must say Black Lives Matter, because our black
siblings in Christ are having their sacred breath taken from them far too soon.
Saying Black Lives Matter does not mean any other lives are valued less, but
indeed, that Black life is sacred and of worth, protection, love, dreams, and value.
Because of the 400 + years of systemic oppression of black and brown bodies in
this country and within our churches, we must say Black Lives Matter. Saying
Black Lives Matter is not anti-anything else, but pro-black life. We cry out in grief
and lament over the loss of Elijah McClain, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and
Ahmaud Arbery, and the many, many beloved of God who were killed by
systemic racism. Let us do the hard, needed work to face racism, to work to
become anti-racist, to dismantle the systems of oppression that keep black life
from flourishing. We believe this is the to which Christ calls us.
Many have been involved in anti-racism work for a long time. Some of us
are just now beginning to understand the realities of systemic racism and the
ongoing oppression built into our society. There are many ways to do the work of
Anti-Racism, what we know and hear from Black and People of Color (POC)
leaders in the movement is to listen, learn, become more educated. So as we
take steps to be transformed and do the work of anti-racism, here are a few ways
we as a congregation are engaging in this work in Summer and Fall of 2020.
Monthly conversations through films like Just Mercy, The Cross and the Lynching
Tree, and the Netflix documentary 13th.
An Anti-Racist Book Group is also in the works. Meeting monthly, this will
be an opportunity to read Black and POC authors of anti-racism books,
memories and non-fiction, and fiction. You can come as often as you can; this is
not a club that requires monthly participation – though we hope you can
participate monthly!
We hope you will join us in this work of “becoming more human through
anti-racism work” (Paraphrase of Austin Channing Brown, Author of I’m Still
Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness).
Please reach out to the Pastors for more information or further conversation.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Jeremiah 29:4-9

The exiled Israelites were tired. They were homesick for what life was like before. They refused to allow a new normal to take hold in them. Does that sound familiar? Are we not also tired, homesick for what was before, and refusing to allow a new normal to take hold in us? The Israelites had been conquered and sent into exile. It made them question everything: who they were, who God was, and how long they would have to live like this. And into their reality and ours, the prophet Jeremiah speaks a surprising word about growing where we are planted, lamenting and then moving on, and working for the well-being of all. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Curt preaches on how we can grieve what has been lost in a time of COVID and still find life abundant in the here and now.

All the tools you’ll need to join us this Sunday!

In this time when we are not able to gather together in person, we are happy to provide our Sunday Worship service to you from the comfort of your home. Below you will find everything to join us. You will need access to Adobe Acrobat to view the bulletin. You can download that for free here.

Service begins promptly at 10:15 am on Sunday, and though we can’t all be together in person, we strongly encourage singing along and participating in any way you’d like! The service is accessible through your phone as well as your personal computer just by clicking on one of the link below.

Help us see who is joining us for service! Even if you’ve been with us for years or just checking us out, please click here if you’re joining us this Sunday morning!

Bulletin and Announcements: Click here to view the Sunday bulletin and announcements*

YouTube Live Stream Service: Click here to join our 10:15 am live stream

Giving Online: We are now happy to offer the opportunity to give online with Tithe.ly! Please click HERE to learn more or text GIVE to (844) 909-1782.

To sign up for automatic withdrawal through Vanco, please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and mail it to the church at 100 Carr St. Lakewood CO, 80226. Thank you.

*Updated Bulletin will be posted the Friday before worship

Take a minute and watch the message of wide welcome and God’s love for all, our part in this year’s Virtual Denver Pride Parade, June 21, 2020. View our video by clicking HERE.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Acts 9:1-20

This weekend we celebrate Pride – the love of and support for the LGBTQ community. We will also hear and reflect on the story of Saul’s conversion to Paul. This is a conversion from someone who persecuted Christians, to someone who followed Christ and helped start many early churches. Christianity has long been harmful to the LGBTQ community, and while some Christians have changed from harmful and hateful understandings of the LGBTQ community, we still have so much continued learning and work to do. Join us in worship as Rev. Mollie and Pastor Curt co-preach on allyship, on continuing to learn and change, and on making mistakes while we stand with the oppressed and marginalized.

All the tools you’ll need to join us this Sunday!

In this time when we are not able to gather together in person, we are happy to provide our Sunday Worship service to you from the comfort of your home. Below you will find everything to join us. You will need access to Adobe Acrobat to view the bulletin. You can download that for free here.

Service begins promptly at 10:15 am on Sunday, and though we can’t all be together in person, we strongly encourage singing along and participating in any way you’d like! The service is accessible through your phone as well as your personal computer just by clicking on one of the link below.

Help us see who is joining us for service! Even if you’ve been with us for years or just checking us out, please click here if you’re joining us this Sunday morning!

Bulletin and Announcements: Click here to view the Sunday bulletin and announcements*

YouTube Live Stream Service: Click here to join our 10:15 am live stream

Giving Online: We are now happy to offer the opportunity to give online with Tithe.ly! Please click HERE to learn more or text GIVE to (844) 909-1782.

To sign up for automatic withdrawal through Vanco, please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and mail it to the church at 100 Carr St. Lakewood CO, 80226. Thank you.

*Updated Bulletin will be posted the Friday before worship

If anyone needs assistance clearing debris or branches from last week’s storm, we have volunteers on standby to help. Please contact Rev. Curt or Rev. Mollie if you have questions.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Matthew 14:22-33

This Sunday we hear the story of Peter walking on water. You read that correctly. Peter walked on water! He got scared pretty quickly and started to sink, but there was a moment when his eyes were fixed on Jesus and he was able to do the impossible. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Curt preaches on stepping out from our places of safety and security so that we too might do something that is thought to be impossible.

All the tools you’ll need to join us this Sunday!

In this time when we are not able to gather together in person, we are happy to provide our Sunday Worship service to you from the comfort of your home. Below you will find everything to join us. You will need access to Adobe Acrobat to view the bulletin. You can download that for free here.

Service begins promptly at 10:15 am on Sunday, and though we can’t all be together in person, we strongly encourage singing along and participating in any way you’d like! The service is accessible through your phone as well as your personal computer just by clicking on one of the link below.

Help us see who is joining us for service! Even if you’ve been with us for years or just checking us out, please click here if you’re joining us this Sunday morning!

Bulletin and Announcements: Click here to view the Sunday bulletin and announcements*

YouTube Live Stream Service: Click here to join our 10:15 am live stream

Giving Online: We are now happy to offer the opportunity to give online with Tithe.ly! Please click HERE to learn more or text GIVE to (844) 909-1782.

To sign up for automatic withdrawal through Vanco, please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and mail it to the church at 100 Carr St. Lakewood CO, 80226. Thank you.

*Updated Bulletin will be posted the Friday before worship

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Genesis 18:1-15 and 21:1-7

This Sunday we begin our celebration of June as Pride Month. Pride Sunday will be celebrated on June 21st, but Pride deserves more than a single Sunday. Many people don’t know that the roots of Pride parades began with what is known as the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Riots were a violent response to police brutality and harassment of the LGBTQ community in New York. As we observe both peaceful and destructive responses to the murder of George Floyd throughout our country, it is worth pondering together how we as Christians are called to confront oppressive structures and systems that target already vulnerable people. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Curt preaches on how sometimes

All the tools you’ll need to join us this Sunday!

In this time when we are not able to gather together in person, we are happy to provide our Sunday Worship service to you from the comfort of your home. Below you will find everything to join us. You will need access to Adobe Acrobat to view the bulletin. You can download that for free here.

Service begins promptly at 10:15 am on Sunday, and though we can’t all be together in person, we strongly encourage singing along and participating in any way you’d like! The service is accessible through your phone as well as your personal computer just by clicking on one of the link below.

Help us see who is joining us for service! Even if you’ve been with us for years or just checking us out, please click here if you’re joining us this Sunday morning!

Bulletin and Announcements: Click here to view the Sunday bulletin and announcements*

YouTube Live Stream Service: Click here to join our 10:15 am live stream

Giving Online: We are now happy to offer the opportunity to give online with Tithe.ly! Please click HERE to learn more or text GIVE to (844) 909-1782.

To sign up for automatic withdrawal through Vanco, please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and mail it to the church at 100 Carr St. Lakewood CO, 80226. Thank you.

*Updated Bulletin will be posted the Friday before worship