Merry Christmas
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
12/24/22
Merry Christmas! “Make Room” is a song from Casting Crowns with a beautiful Christmas message for us today. Click the link below for a few moments of peace this Christmas Eve.
Advent Meditation
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
12/7/22
Fuller Studios comes to us from Fuller Seminary. They offer video meditations in several languages throughout the church year. Below you’ll find a link to their meditation for Advent.
Here’s a description from Fuller Studios: “Yearning and Promise” explores Advent and the expectant longing for the birth of Christ through cityscapes, wilderness, and water, with scriptures drawn from Isaiah 40 and Matthew 1. The meditation was filmed by FULLER studio at North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Illinois, and El Matador State Beach in Malibu, California. The audio for this video is in Swahili with subtitles in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Korean—a poetic way to represent the primary tongues of our community.
From Generation to Generation
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
11/28/22
We’re sharing a “From Generation to Generation” Spotify playlist with you today. Songs for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany can be accessed with a free Spotify account. Use the link below to sign in with your existing account or to create your free account. You’ll hear music from Sara Bareilles to Jars of Clay to Marty Haugen to The Goo Goo Dolls. Enjoy!
Prayer for Thanksgiving
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
11/24/22
As you gather around the table for your Thanksgiving dinner, we’re sharing a Prayer for Thanksgiving. Click the link below for a prayer written by Pastor Amanda Horan based on Psalm 104. Enjoy the day!
Prayer for Election Day
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
11/8/22
Our Playlist Theme this month is Pray, and we’re a sharing a Prayer for Election Day from the Grand Canyon Synod. Click the link below for the prayer.
Faith Challenge
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
10/31/22
You’ve heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge. The money raised from that event resulted in new medications and treatments for ALS. You’ve probably heard of the Plank Challenge. Folks have improved their physical condition through this challenge. Have you heard of the Faith Challenge? A friend of mine told me about a congregation in Wisconsin issuing a Faith Challenge, and it sounds like a great idea. The challenge is simple. How might your faith grow if you committed to attending worship services four weeks in a row? Good things can come from these challenges, let’s give the Faith Challenge a try. See you in worship!
Bono’s Faith Walk
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
10/27/22
Bono, lead singer of U2, has a memoir out titled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. In the book he writes about his family, his wife, and his band. He also writes about his faith and its impact on his life and his career. You’ll find two links below. The first is to a condensed version of an interview with him. If you have more time, use the video link for the full interview.
Generous, Fair, and Kind
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
10/12/22
Generous, Fair, and Kind. That’s how people describe Seara Burton. She was a police officer in Richmond, Indiana, killed in the line of duty. Seara will be remembered because she was generous, fair, and kind to all the people she encountered. We don’t always know what difference we make in the lives of others. Seara Burton made a difference. Click the link below to learn more about the difference she made.
Act of Faith
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
10/4/22
People will gather across the world for Yom Kippur services tonight. The people from a synagogue in Sanibel Island will be extremely grateful to read from the Torah. Click the link below to watch how Melissa and Scott Congress went on an Act of Faith to retrieve two Torahs after their synagogue was hit by Hurricane Ian.
Serve One Another
Denise Viker, Parish Nurse
9/28/22
We are called to serve one another. That can take many forms. A card, a casserole, a cone. Yes, an ice cream cone. Click the link below to read how an ice cream cone was a loving act of service.
Gratitude
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
8/31/22
Teddy Droseros hasn’t always lived his life with gratitude. He learned it over time. He learned it after living through some dark days. He learned it from watching his mother struggle with health issues. Now he’s helping others learn to be grateful too. Teddy calls it a shift in perspective. Click the link below to learn more about being grateful.
Wait Time = Prayer Time
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
8/15/22
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the average American will wait in line an average of five years in a lifetime. Yes, you read that correctly . . . five years. So, Pastor Hollie M. Holt-Woehl has a suggestion for us. She suggests we use our wait time as prayer time. Click the link below for more on a While You Wait Prayer.
Giving Grace
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
7/13/22
Have you ever thought that you’re “Giving Grace” when you’re sharing your gifts? Vijay Gupta, a violionist with the LA Philharmonic and founder of Street Symphony, probably didn’t think he was “giving grace” when he began performing in the Skid Row section of Los Angeles. He started sharing his gift with the neighborhood ten years ago, and it’s made a difference in the lives of many. Click the link below to listen to how Street Symphony started and what a gift it’s been to others. It might get you thinking about how you can share your gifts.
Connecting with Gen Z
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
6/30/22
If you’re like me, you have a bit (maybe a lot) of gray hair. When I attend worship services, I notice that many, many of us in the room are older. Where are the younger people? Our Church has a beautiful, powerful message of grace to share. How do we connect with all ages to share that gift? The article linked below to Living Lutheran caught my eye. Gen Z wants to be connected to the Church, but that connection might look different from previous generations. So, let’s learn more about that, make some changes, and find ways to connect with each other.
Trust God. Period.
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
6/7/22
You know Ernie Johnson as the host of Inside the NBA on TNT, but there’s so much more to the man than broadcasting sports. He and his wife demonstrate their faith in the way they live their lives. Johnson describes Cheryl as a “world changer” for the strength she has to follow her heart. They demonstrated their ability to follow the Spirit when they adopted their son, and then a daughter, and then . . . you’ll see.
Click the link below for a modern day Pentecost story. As Ernie says, Trust God. Period.
Unite for Uvalde
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
6/2/22
Watching the news coverage of the multiple shootings around our country over the last few weeks has me feeling helpless. Maybe you’re feeling the same way. You want to do something. But what?
Listening to Pastor Andrea’s sermon on Sunday gave me an idea. She talked about the Jewish Community Center for Loving Kindness in Pittsburgh. After the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, they received messages of encouragement and support from around the world. Cards and letters arrived in the mail and lifted them up during those dark, dark days. That support meant something to them, and since then they do the same for other communities because they know it helps.
So, maybe we can do the same for the faculty and staff at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. They lost nineteen of their students and two of their teachers. They’re mourning. When school starts in the fall, they’ll be called on to help their students heal. They need encouragement and support to carry on with their vital work. Let’s send them cards and letters. Let’s Unite for Uvalde.
Here’s the address:
Robb Elementary School
715 Old Carrizo Road
Uvalde, Texas 78801
Below you’ll find a link to the Jewish Community Center for Loving Kindness so that you can learn more about their mission. You’ll also find a link to Pastor Andrea’s sermon where she talks about the organization and calls on us to Look to Jesus.
Jewish Community Center for Loving Kindness
Remember Them
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
5/19/22
In the link below you’ll find an audio essay by Stephanie Ramos. She serves as a hospital chaplain in Los Angeles. You’ll hear her remember the early days of the pandemic. You’ll hear her remember patients and families she comforted. We all recognize the heroic work of the doctors and nurses, but we should remember the clergy too. Chaplains, priests, imams, rabbis, etc. Our local pastors too. They’ve carried a heavy burden during this time. Let’s remember the lost and those who cared for them.
Learning Love & Service from a Hawk
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
5/11/22
If you watch the TV show This Is Us, you heard love defined by Miguel’s mother in a recent episode. I’m paraphrasing, but she defined it as love is expecting nothing in return. The Gospel Lesson for this coming weekend includes the following words from Jesus, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus doesn’t tell us to love those who love us first. Jesus doesn’t tell us to love those who make it easy to love them. Jesus simply says to love each other.
Both of these things came to mind when I heard the following interview with Sy Montgomery, author of a new book about hawks. Hawks are beautiful to look at, but don’t expect any love from them for your care taking. They’re not easy to love; in fact, caring for them can be quite dangerous. In the interview Montgomery talks about love and service in a way that fits the definition shared by Miguel’s mother. She writes about the hawks using spiritual language. Click the link below to listen to the interview and to read an excerpt from her book, The Hawk’s Way.
Learning Love & Service from a Hawk
Painting the Sunrise
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
4/27/22
A friend of mine works in health care and shared the following link with me. It’s a short story about a brief encounter between two people that makes a great difference in their lives. It was a reminder to me that so often it’s the little things we do for one another that add up to great good. Click the link below to read and/or listen to it.
Holy Days
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
4/17/22
Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, shared a commentary yesterday. In it, he notes that during all the turmoil in the world Passover, Easter, and Ramadan all come together on the calendar this weekend. He calls these Holy Days a shared time of “rescue, renewal, and reflection” of the three faiths. It’s a beautiful message. Click the link below to listen. May you have a Blessed Easter.
Good News
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
4/11/22
When I opened my email yesterday on Palm Sunday, I found a video from The Bible Project. You’ll find a link to it below. It highlights the beautiful message of Jesus redefining what it means to be King. He teaches an upside down message from our world and a new way of living. Click the link below to watch it. May you have a meaningful Holy Week.
Life’s Darkness & Light
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
4/7/22
Today we’re offering a “crossover event” with the Stories of Joy blog. Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad have had much to celebrate over the last year. The success of his two albums. The success of her bestselling book. Yet, they’ve had struggles to deal with too. The return of leukemia and a bone marrow transplant. In the story link below the two of them talk about the darkness in life and the light in life. Their attitude makes me think of John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” After you watch the story, use the second link to visit the Story of Joy blog for more on this inspiring couple.
Bringing Ourselves Before God
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/30/22
In the words of Eliza C. Jaremko, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, Lent is a time for us to bring our “whole, broken, beautiful selves before God.” You’re invited to click the link below to read her Lenten reflection.
Lenten Journey
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/23/22
We’re about halfway through our Lenten Journey. Maybe you adopted a Lenten discipline, and that practice is going well for you. Maybe you need a nudge to return to your adopted discipline. Maybe you’re ready to adopt one now. Wherever you are on your Lenten Journey, you might find the article below of interest. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, from Fuller Seminary, shares his experiences through Lent.
Women of the Bible
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/17/22
During Women’s History Month, Fuller Seminary is offering a couple of ways for us to get to know the Women of the Bible better. They’ve put together a workbook called “She Is . . . ” where you’ll find reflections written by several writers. Check out the first link below to learn more about Lydia, Esther, Mary, Ruth, and others. It’s available free from Fuller through March.
The second link is to a sermon series called Wisdom from the Women of the Old Testament. You can listen to sermons about Sarah, Hagar, Rachel, Leah, and others. Put on your headphones and get listening!
Songs for Lent
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/9/22
The theme for Lent at Desert Cross is Full to the Brim. It includes a Full to the Brim playlist on Spotify. There’s a wide variety of music on the playlist. Everything from the Blind Boys of Alabama to Matt Redman to Lady Gaga to Carrie Underwood. There’s something here for everyone. You’ll find a link to the playlist below. You’ll need to create a free Spotify account to listen.
What Matters Most
Pastor Thaddeus Book, Associate Pastor
3/8/22
Jonathan Tjarks is a basketball writer who found out last April that he has a rare form of stage four cancer. Since his diagnosis, he has written articulately and incredibly honestly about his faith and his doubts. In the article link below, he writes about the importance of community, not just for himself but for his two year old son.
Love thy Neighbor
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/7/22
In Matthew 22:39, Jesus tells us to love thy neighbor. The world can learn much from the people of Przemysl, Poland on what it means to love thy neighbor. The people of the town have opened themselves up to helping refugees from Ukraine. Their neighbors need help, and they’re finding ways to provide water, food, clothing, shelter, and hope. Click the link below to watch the story. It’s not an easy story to watch. There are disturbing scenes of war and violence. If you’re looking for ways to help, you can click the link below to contribute to Lutheran Disaster Response through the ELCA.
We pray for peace in Ukraine.
Full to the Brim
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
3/2/22
Are you feeling less than Full to the Brim as Lent begins? Are you feeling a bit empty? A bit worn out? Maybe this Lent will be your time to refill. Your time to rehydrate. Click the link below for an article titled “Lent: A Time to Rehydrate” for some inspiration to reconnect to God.
Telling Her Story
Andrea Cain, Senior Pastor
2/24/22
Lily Ebert is a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor. She’s telling her story and reaching younger generations on TikTok, and they’re listening by the millions. Although her story is devastating, Lily Ebert’s posts with her great grandson can’t help but bring hope to your heart. The two have also written a book, Lily’s Promise, that will be published later this year. To read more about Lily and her mission, click the link below.
I’m a Lutheran
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
2/23/22
“I’m a Lutheran” is a regular feature in Living Lutheran. Darryl W. Jones tells a bit of his faith story in a recent edition. Growing up in a Lutheran church, being encouraged to sing in worship services, serving in soup kitchens. Click the link below to read his story.
Be Kind
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
2/17/22
Kindness goes a long, long way. It can change someone’s day for the good. The first link below is to an interview with Gary Dixon, the head of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. He tells a powerful story about how kindness decreased bullying in a school district. The second link is to a list of ideas for practicing kindness. Scroll through the list, pick an idea, and let’s all participate in Random Acts of Kindness Day! Everyday!
Science. Religion. Empathy.
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
1/24/22
During the pandemic, Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the National Institutes of Health, has been a voice of calm. I’ve heard him explain characteristics of COVID-19, treatments for the illness, and the benefits of the vaccines. He explains science in a way that all of us can understand. Listening to him has actually given me some peace during these difficult times.
Although he’s taking on a new research project, studying diabetes and aging, he’s also concerned about the divisions the pandemic has revealed in our country. The link below is to an interview with Dr. Collins in which he discusses his faith and how he’s hoping to use science, religion, and empathy to bring some hope to all of us. Click the link below to listen to and/or read the interview.
Epiphany of Our Lord
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
1/6/22
Our traditional telling of Epiphany is of three wise men in a far off land. Today we’re sharing an interpretation of Epiphany in a cornfield in Iowa. The video was produced by FULLER Studio. Epiphany isn’t about where but about what. It’s about the shining light of Christ coming into our world. Everywhere. Click the link below for some added light today!
Merry Christmas
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
12/24/21
Advent Peace
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
12/9/21
This is the second week of Advent. We read the following words at worship last weekend:
CANDLE LIGHTING LITURGY:
Leader: As we reflect on the foundation of our faith in our lives,
we gather together around the candle of peace.
Congregation: The home we long for is a home that knows peace
Leader: peace that rests between us and our grief,
Congregation: peace around our anxiety,
Leader: peace between us and our self-criticism,
Congregation: peace amidst our relationships,
Leader: peace at the core of our being,
Congregation: peace hovering through and in our world.
Leader: The home we long for is a home that knows peace.
Congregation: So today we light the candle of peace—as a reminder and as a prayer.
Leader: Let it be so.
All: Amen.
Beautiful words with a beautiful message.
As I’m working in my office this week, I’m listening to an Advent Playlist put together by Lifelong Learning. The music is providing me with some Advent Peace. So far, my favorite is the “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” by Wilder Adkins. Below you’ll find a link to the playlist on Spotify. You can create a free account to access the music. Enjoy!
Trusting in God
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
11/9/21
God Pause is a daily devotional offered by Luther Seminary. Today’s focus is on Trusting in God. Click the link below to read it. If you’d like to receive their daily devotion in your email, look for the sign-up button.
Voicemail: Twenty Years Later
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries & Missional Service
9/11/21
We all remember hearing the stories of victims of 9/11 leaving voicemails for their friends and family. They knew they were in danger, and they knew they might not make it home . . . so they reached out and said goodbye. Twenty years later National Public Radio set up a phone booth for family members to leave their own voicemails. There’s a link to the video below. Let’s remember the families and friends of those souls lost on that day.
Learning from Ruth
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
8/19/21
Ruth Pearl was the mother of Daniel Pearl. After her son was murdered in Pakistan, she could’ve become bitter. She could’ve lived the rest of her life angry. Instead, she reached out. She responded with grace and found ways to humanize people. She fought hate. She did things so that “some good might come out of our private pain.” Ruth Pearl sounds like an amazing woman. We can all learn from Ruth. Click the link below to listen to a remembrance of her.
Christmas in July
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
7/19/21
Because of the pandemic, churches missed holding in-person worship services at Christmas, so some churches are having Christmas in July. What a great idea! You can listen to a story about it by clicking the link below.
It got me to thinking that we can have Christmas in July in our homes and in our neighborhoods. Start by playing your favorite Christmas music. Maybe listening to Bing Crosby sing “White Christmas” will make you feel a little cooler on these hot summer days. Bake some cookies, wrap them up, and share them with your neighbors. Maybe include some ice cream! Get a ham and invite the family over for dinner. Serve it with watermelon and potato salad. Make a gift to your favorite charity. They can always use your support. Write Christmas in July cards, emails, or text messages. Tell folks in your life how much you love them and how much you missed spending time with them during the pandemic.
To get yourself in the Christmas in July spirit, click the link below to listen to the story. Merry Christmas!
Cheering for Vin
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
7/15/21
The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks are tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals. I’m cheering for the Suns, but I’m also cheering for Vin Baker, an Assistant Coach for the Bucks. Vin Baker is a former NBA star and a recovering alcoholic. He lost a promising career and a tremendous amount of money. Through his struggle, he nearly lost his faith. He shares his story as a way to help others. He says, “I have an absolute responsibility to provide hope for people who aren’t in healthy situations when it comes to addiction.” Click the link below to read his story. Afterwards, you might be a Vin Baker fan too!
Lessons Learned
Pastor Thaddeus Book, Associate Pastor
6/28/21
Father Gregory Boyle runs a ministry called “Homeboy Industries” that employs gang members in East Los Angeles. In this commencement speech, he shares the story of bringing a gang member named Mario to talk in front of a thousand people. Following his talk, Mario is asked a question that brings tears to his eyes but also helps him and everyone else remember that we can’t judge one another by outward appearance.
“You Gotta Believe”
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
6/10/21
During the pandemic, some folks organized their closets, some folks remodeled their houses, some folks learned to cook. What did Natasha Cobbs Leonard do? The gospel singer started a new church and wrote new music! She knew people needed something good to believe in; thus, her song titled “You Gotta Believe” came out of the pain of the pandemic. Click the link below to hear her story as she shares her gift of music and her call to ministry. Get ready to turn up the volume because the music is great!
Pentecost
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
5/19/21
What is Pentecost Sunday? What does Pentecost mean? Why do we wear red on Pentecost Sunday? Click the link below to find out the answers to these questions and more.
The Role of Women in the Church
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
4/22/21
Beth Allison Barr is a Southern Baptist, a pastor’s wife, and a professor/historian. Her three worlds collided one day while sitting in church. She realized the teachings of her church did not line up with her reading of the Bible. The result was a lot of change in her life and her new book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. Click the link below to read and/or listen to an interview with her.
The Role of Women in the Church
Good Friday
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
4/2/21
Kate Bowler is a writer, historian, and professor at Duke Divinity School. Today she shared a blessing for Good Friday. You’ll find it printed below. If you’re interested in learning more about her and her work, you’ll find a link to her website below.
a Good Friday blessing in the midday night
Oh dear God, we’re in darker places then we’ve ever known
God, light the way for this whole sad earth, for the helpless ones, and for me.
God have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Spirit have mercy.
night has fallen
on the light of the world
and betrayal seems the order of the day
love itself is handed over
to brutal ignorance
and cunning that loves the dark.
oh God, you chose to feel what we feel—
how it is to die totally alone,
ghastly to behold
in your outstretched arms of the cross,
are you gathering to yourself
every hideous thing?
every failure, travesty, and wrong?
blessed are we who shout: yes! do it!
turn things right side up again!
blessed are we who bow
and wait
for the morning of the world
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
God have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Spirit have mercy.
open your hands. receive it–
love that comes gently as the dawn.
Maundy Thursday
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
4/1/21
Lutheran World Relief serves people worldwide. Food. Housing. Clothing. Medicine. They do it all. Click the link below to watch a Maundy Thursday message from the organization.
Hill of Crosses
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
3/21/21
If you joined Desert Cross for our livestream worship service this morning, you heard Pastor Andrea talk about the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania. If you’d like to learn more about this unique site and see a photo gallery, click the first link below. If you missed this morning’s worship service, we’ve included a video link for you.
Lenten Concert @ Home
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
3/17/21
Although the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans Massachusetts isn’t meeting for in-person worship services during the pandemic, they found a way to bring their Lenten Concert to the world. Click the link below for a concert @ home with Gloriae Dei Cantores, Singers to the Glory of God.
Silence . . . Time with God
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
3/3/21
The following passage is from Breathing Space, a daily Lenten email devotion, offered by Paraclete Press. It’s an excerpt from Amid Passing Things: Life, Prayer, and Relationship with God by Fr. Jeremiah Shryock. Finding God in the silence is a spiritual practice we can try during our Renew Our Hearts: DCLC Retreat @ Home. Read on to learn what Fr. Shryock has learned from his silent time with God.
“The greatest experience I have of God is in silence. Even though, as a priest, much of my life is spent talking about God—teaching and explaining God to others and reflecting on the mystery of God—it is silence that provides me with an experience of God that is unique.
At first glance, this way of prayer might not appear like prayer at all. It does not consist of much speaking, thinking, or reading. This way of prayer is more about being than anything else. There is no doing: no long prayers, petitions, novenas, or reading.
When we sit in silence, we are not looking for consolations, insights, answers to difficult questions, or anything else. (Though if God chooses to give them, we can accept them with gratitude.) Instead, we are, quite simply, sitting in silence, or in other words, attempting to rest in him beyond words, ideas, and images. When I speak about this way of prayer, people often close their eyes as if they were savoring fresh, cold water on a sweltering summer day. When their eyes open they look at me with a smile that seems to say, “This is what I need so desperately.” They “need” it for the same reasons I do. We are distracted, noisy, confused, and torn in various directions. We are overwhelmed, anxious, insecure, afraid, and weak in the midst of countless temptations and endless change.
Despite how many spiritual books we read and prayers we recite, this feeling of being tossed about at sea continues to increase. Even though we experience a reprieve at times with insights from Scripture, vocal prayer, the example of the saints, and so on, there is still something more that we need. St. John of the Cross says that “our greatest need is to be silent before this great God with the appetite and with the tongue, for the only language he hears is the silent language of love.” Silence before God is not only our greatest need; it is also our greatest teacher.
A few years ago, I realized that no matter how much I read and study, my knowledge and insights are, in the end, limited. It was as if all my talking to God and thinking about God brought me to the edge of a cliff. To get to the other side, I would need something else. That something else, I finally realized, was silence.
I began to follow this inclination toward silence more and more each day. I would sit for fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, sometimes even a whole hour, opening my heart to God alone in silence. When I would get tangled up in my thoughts, I would simply say the name of Jesus or Abba, or recite a short prayer from Scripture, such as “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20), “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9), or “Draw me after you” (Song of Songs 1:4), so as to bring my attention back to the Lord, with whom I was desiring just to be.
One of the first fruits that we discover from praying in silence is the simple yet profound realization that we are not our thoughts. For almost my entire life I identified my self with my thoughts. If I felt lonely, afraid, or inadequate, then I identified myself with these things. Instead of being a child of God made in his image and likeness, I was whatever my thoughts were telling me simply because they appeared to be true. Silence provides us with the space to discover that our thoughts, like the passing clouds, are simply a facet about us and not our whole self. Beyond them, like the clouds, is a clear blue sky, the presence of God, in whom we discover our real identity.
A second fruit from praying in silence is the discovery of the nearness of God. Even though I knew in my mind that God dwelt inside of me, subconsciously I lived most of my life believing that God was “out there,” distant from me. God, in this mindset, is more like an alien, inhabiting some remote galaxy, rather than a loving Father who holds all creation in his hand. Through sitting in silence, we can experience that God does not live far away but is one in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
When I reflect on my own relationship with God, and ask myself what I desire, the answer that comes back is very simple: God. I don’t want just to think about God or talk about God, as necessary as both of those things are. I want God. Without silence, not only do I become a slave to impulsive decisions, fear, competition, inordinate desires, and anxiety, but my perception and experience of God will be, at best, immature. This is because God is ultimately beyond our words, language, and concepts; and silence is a bridge leading to a deeper and more mature relationship with God. In this deepening experience of God in silence we can encounter from the very depths of our being a God who is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8) and not the distant, detached, dictator God that we, and our culture, often envision God to be.
Lest I fool myself into thinking I have discovered some mystical secret, the reality is I have discovered nothing new. God has been recommending this way of prayer from the beginning. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In other words, silence leads to intimacy. Perhaps the reason I never heard this before was because I wasn’t listening.”
Ashes: A Lenten Playlist
Andrea Cain, Senior Pastor
2/18/21
I often listen to music while I’m studying the Bible and writing sermons. Ashes, a playlist put together by the Lifelong Learning Team at Virginia Theological Seminary, will definitely be playing in my office during Lent. The music varies from chants to Mozart to rock. Click the link below to hear a piece of each song. If you want to listen to the entire playlist, just create a Spotify account by using the link below. Creating an account is free, and you’ll have nearly four hours of music for your Renew Our Hearts: DCLC Retreat @ Home.
The Black Church
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
2/11/21
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America. Our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces are more integrated than they were decades ago; however, our churches are not. Most of us sit in the pews with other people who look like us. PBS is presenting a documentary next week that explores the importance of the Black Church. I’m looking forward to watching it and learning more about the history of the Church in Black communities in America. Click the link below to watch a preview.
Comfort in the Cathedral
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
2/3/21
Sanctuaries are places of spiritual healing, but Salisbury Cathedral in England is being used for another kind of healing during the pandemic. The cathedral was built 800 years ago and has an incredible organ, but today it’s serving as a vaccination site. Folks come for their vaccines, and while they’re there they hear the comfort of beautiful music. Click the link below to listen to the story and the music.
The Bible and The Beatles
Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries
1/27/21
Pastor Scott Miller leads a Methodist congregation in Ohio. He regularly shares a message that, for him, starts with rock music. Seeing God’s message in the world around us is important and brings that message to life. Click the first link below to read more about Pastor Miller’s project. Click the second link below to check out his podcast.
Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church May 2, 2021 – The rscottmiller1's Podcast
- Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church May 2, 2021
- Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church April 25, 2021
- Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church April 18, 2021
- Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church April 11, 2021
- Music With A Message from Wilmington United Methodist Church Easter Sunday 2021
Desert Cross Faith Formation 