Beloved of God,

Many of you will have noticed that we have been spending a good bit of time in Matthew’s Gospel on Sundays. One reason I like using the Lectionary as a tool to plan out which texts to preach on is because you are encouraged to spend time moving deliberately through one book of the Bible, but you are also spending time in other books alongside it, and can reflect on them as the Spirit leads.

But this week, choosing to preach an Old Testament text forces me to miss one of the great passages in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 22:34-40), in which Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment. Jesus’ answer isn’t in any way controversial. Deut 6:5 has always been considered one of the foundational commands within Judaism. Where this gets interesting is when Jesus offers a second commandment, because nobody asked for that. Furthermore, Jesus suggests that these two commandments are of a like kind. He tells the Pharisees and us that to “love your neighbor as yourself” somehow bears the shape of the command to Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I would suggest you could even frame it this way: you cannot truly love your neighbor if you will not love God. You cannot truly love God if you will not love your neighbor.

Knowing how to do both of these things well takes a lifetime of work, and an abundance of grace. And doing them both creates a tension between them that we never finally resolve outside of Christ. Christ who was always God before the worlds were forged became for us also a neighbor, a human being. And He alone has lived a life marked by perfect love of both God and neighbor. May we be conformed more and more into his image and learn to practice both loves like Him.

Please join me this week in praying for:

• Protection from, and an end to this pandemic
• Educators in our community during a particularly hectic season
• Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level
• The two men standing for election to the office of President of the United States
• Doctors, nurses, and other health professionals working for our well-being
• Those who are lonely or afraid
• Those feeling a strain on their mental health
• Our oldest neighbors
• Our youngest neighbors
• Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list)
  

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    I first of all want you to be aware of an opportunity that is coming up at the end of this month (I can’t believe it’s October!). Haley is putting together an event that is a creative spin on our traditional trunk or treat for these strange times. I’m really excited about it, and I think the more of you who are willing to find ways to join in the fun, the better it will be. This could be a great chance for us to love on our own children here at church and to share that same love with other kids in the community. We’ll have more to say soon, but for now, if you want to join us in building up our candy stockpile, feel free to bring a bag of pre-wrapped candy on Sunday or through the week as you’re able. It’s gonna be a blast.
    I have been reminded this week of how much everything we do well as a church runs on the mutual commitment to give our time and efforts and focus to one another in love. There is of course the truism that “money can’t buy love, and love can’t buy groceries.” But just as important as the funding we jointly hold to keep the lights on is the willingness to do careful, creative and even surprising things for one another and for our neighbors. Jesus threw dinner parties for strangers in desert places. He met with doubt riddled outsiders by night to bring them into the kingdom. He spent time with children in an age where most folks thought of their progeny as little better than property. I get the privilege as your pastor of hearing what many of you are up to: stories about outdoor dinner dates, and grocery runs, and even the odd repair of a sewing machine. I hope you will continue to listen to the Spirit as you are called to these unconventional and creative acts of love for one another and for our neighbors. God bless you as you do.

    Please join me this week in praying for:

• Those fleeing and fighting wildfires in the West
  
• Wisdom for both of the candidates standing for election to the office of President of the United States
• Our youngest brothers and sisters and neighbors
  
• Our oldest brothers and sisters and neighbors
• For parents as they care for their young children
• For children as they look after their older parents
• For doctors, nurses, first responders and others who are working for our good in healthcare settings
• For those in positions of public trust at the federal, state and local levels
• In praise for the change of seasons, and God’s constant care and provision for the world
• For those who are hurting, sick, afraid or alone
• That we would have eyes to see them and be willing to love and serve them for the sake of the Kingdom of God
• For one another (if you are interested in getting updates from the prayer ministry, please contact [email protected] to be added to that list)

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    I want to make sure that you have been able to catch up with the good work being done by our missionaries. It was so great to hear from the Joneses on Sunday morning, and if you missed doing so I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch their interview with Dana Pratt.
    
    It was also great to spend time with the Blakes on Sunday evening at their “Desert and Dessert” event and hear more about the remarkable work they have been doing in West Africa. If you’d like more info on their good work, please feel free to contact the missions team at their new email address: [email protected].
    
    In Psalm 37, from the Monday reading, we come across one of my favorite images of God in all of scripture. I’m going to quote it here in the NRSV:

                      Psa. 37:23        Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
                                                            when he delights in our way;
                                         24     though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
                                                            for the LORD holds us by the hand.
    
    I love the image of God as a loving parent who knows that we will fall and fail, and yet preserves us from disaster by holding our hand as we stumble along. You’ve all seen a baby learning to walk with the aid of a parent holding their hand. It’s true that when the baby walks they are really walking. It’s true that when the baby falls, they are really falling. But because mom or dad are there with them, the walking is easier and the falling is less disastrous. And doesn’t this feel so much like the kind of care we get from God?

Please join me in praying this week for:
    *     Those facing hurricanes on the gulf coast
    *     Those fighting and fleeing fire on the west coast
    *     Those both known and unknown to us who have been directly affected by this pandemic
    *     Doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals and first responders as they continue to work to keep us safe and healthy
    *     Students and their parents
    *     Administrators, teachers, and others trying to educate students well in the midst of new challenges
    *     Those dealing with mental health challenges that are more pronounced in this time
    *     In praise for the containment of the Medio Fire
    *     For those serving the church in leadership positions: council, deacons, CLT and others
    *     For our sister churches nearby and throughout
    *     For one another (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to the prayer list).

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    I want to begin by saying how proud I was of the way this church family conducted itself in the congregational meeting last Sunday. I was especially proud of you because there were real, substantive disagreements that were dealt with generously. Different points of view were heard and considered, and a way forward was proposed and accepted by the body. While I am certain this conversation will continue, the way you dealt with one another as stewards of this church’s resources and members of the body of Christ showed all the marks of people who take those callings seriously. Thank you.

    The Psalm for our congregational reading today is Psalm 19. I love Psalm 19. I am so grateful for the way it paints a picture of the way creation joins Scripture in declaring to us who God is, and what God is like. I think sometimes the fact that we all are very different people with different strengths, wounds, histories and hopes means that we are more able to hear the voice of God in different circumstances or even in different parts of scripture than others. This is of course part of why we need each other’s wisdom and witness. But I think it also may be the case that God, knowing this to be true, chooses to speak to us in ways that we can hear. I hear God’s voice in Psalm 19 so clearly. I expect that as we read through the Psalms together you too will hear God’s voice in one or more of them just as clearly. Thanks be to God for the gift of God’s Word!

Please join me this week in praying for:

*     Our worship team, as they continue to serve faithfully and prepare to resume evening practices.
*     Young students as they continue their educational adventure online.
*     Parents, who are tired and know just enough to stay worried about young students
*     Those dealing with the fatigue of their vocation in a time where so many are not “working from home”, but “living at work”.
*     Those who are lonely, afraid, and worried about the future.
*     Doctors, nurses, first responders and those working jobs in harms way for the common good of us all.
*     Wise and creative ways for us to use our resources and gifts to love our neighbor and serve our King.
*     The Haywards, and especially Lorelei as she recovers from surgery.
*     For those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels as the seek to make decisions for the good of us all.
*     Each other (please email april@wrbcnm if you’d like to be added to our prayer list)

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

Beloved of God,

    First, I am very pleased to announce that we may increase our on site worship attendance beginning this Sunday from 25% to 40%! If you have been graciously holding back to allow for others to come worship in person, now might be the time to come yourself! If you would rather join us online until things are safer still, we understand and will continue our online broadcast of the service.

    I hope you are all planning on attending/tuning in for our congregational meeting this Sunday. You will be able to virtually attend the meeting even if you are not able to be there in person. Please pray for God’s wisdom as we take up the proposals that the church council has prepared for us to consider.

    For those brave souls among you that you are continuing to read through the Psalms with us: I am maintaining a digital calendar with all the readings on it which you can access here. If you would like to have some conversation partners, or share what God is saying to you as you read, you can join our classroom page here.

    The gospel reading scheduled from the lectionary for this week is Matthew 16:21-28. It gives us an honest picture of what our discipleship looks like. It won’t be comfortable. It’s a daily choice we have to make. But there is also the promise that a life of discipleship ends in reward. The “dailiness” of it isn’t a fruitless pursuit, but dealing with the “dailiness” can be tiring. Our readings for Sunday from Psalms and from Romans are there to help us navigate the call to be disciples “daily”. At our weakest moments, the only thing that is demanded of us is to take the next good step: the next chance to be thankful, the next chance to forgive somebody even if you’re right, the next moment to live righteously even when it's harder than the alternative. God sees your good work.

In that spirit, I hope you’ll join me in praying for:
*     Our congregation as we meet this Sunday.
*     Our missionaries seeking to serve in uncertain times and with unprecedented challenge.
*     Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level.
*     Doctors, nurses, first responders and those who do essential work in harm’s way
*     Relief and release from this viral pandemic
*     Those who are lonely right now
*     Christians and their churches, near and far, seeking to live faithfully in these days
*     One another. Please contact April ([email protected]) if you’d like to be added to our prayer list.

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall