A candle for peace

This week didn't feel very peaceful in Las Vegas. There was another mass shooting, and I was heartbroken to learn that this wasn't even the first shooting of the week. The people of San Antonio and Austin were also recovering from their own acts of senseless violence. 

It sometimes feels pretty depressing to look at the state of the world. I met with the church's youth group on Wednesday night after the shooting. We talked about how to find hope, and we asked if it was realistic to pray for peace. To some of them, these horrifying moments feel almost normal. They even expect tragedy to show up in their lives. Everyday a new pain or evil makes the headlines, and it feels like there is no way to bring about change. 

It's true that we don't have all the answers. As a pastor, I wish I could offer so much more. However, we can all share a little bit of love today. We can still gather together. The youth group still took time to light candles and offer our prayers. We still found value in coming together to stand for the love of Jesus. Personally, this is what makes the church so important. We come back, time and again, with the hope of Christ. We do what we can to believe in peace, because we find the light of Jesus in our neighbors. Our world is filled with all kinds of fears and doubts. As Christians, we never bury our heads in the sand to the evil in the world, but I hope you can also find truth in God's words.

We follow a Savior who brings new life to the world. We follow a King who gave up everything for us so that we could find peace. This weekend we are going to light the second candle on the Advent wreath. This candle represents Peace. Although you may not feel very peaceful in our world today, this is a time for us to lift each other up. This is a time to share a little extra love and grace with the people in your life. Don't be afraid to show the love you have. Open your heart... God's light is shining!

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Thanksgiving!

I love this time of year!

We are entering into a wonderful season. Last Sunday my boys and I set up our outdoor Christmas Lights. They could barely contain their excitement! Next, we started shopping for the Thanksgiving groceries, and the oven has been running nonstop as we bake cookies, pies, and other goodies. Throughout this season we want to cherish our blessings. My kids are even looking for ways they can show generosity to others. We talk about living lives of gratitude, and I feel a certain hope in the air. 

Scientists have shown that people who live gracious lives tend to live longer, happier, and healthier. However, I do not always surround myself with this kind of hope. It is easy to be more concerned about all the things I do not have. I worry about not having enough time, money, or stuff generally. There is a constant drive to get more. 

In the Gospels Jesus tells his followers not to worry:

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

We are called to live as people of grace. We offer love to others, because we see the love in our own lives. Today I hope we can all take a little bit of time to appreciate the love that is already here. It may be hard. I know some people are going through a season of great difficulty, but God is still present. How do you notice the love of grace of Christ? How can you share a little bit of this love with others?

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Surrender

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind here at CLC. It all started with Trunk or Treat on Thursday. This is always a super fun night, and this year was no exception. We welcomed hundreds of people from the community to our church, and everyone had a blast joining in the festivities and eating lots of candy. After 8:00pm most of the people went home, but our youth group continued the celebration with a lock-in and a trip to Disneyland! This always makes for a super long day, but I was blessed to see the abundance of God.

I saw new relationships form and children and youth find a safe place to celebrate together as a church. I saw youth deepening their relationships to one another and learning more about the love of Christ. I believe God provides opportunities for each of these blessings everyday, but we are often too wrapped up in our own world to embrace them. Sometimes we do not want to invest in a new relationship, and we can be scared of meeting someone new. However, if we surrender our preconceived notions, and we let go of our desire to make things happen our way, then Christ always brings new blessings. There may be exhausting and difficult moments, but God is there.

We are going to be starting a new sermon series this month entitled, "I surrender." This series will take a look all the ways we get in our own way. We wind up carrying too many burdens and too much pain. We often don't realize that we are being held back by all the false idols that promise to fulfill our every need. We will be asking what our lives would look like if we let go and opened ourselves to something greater. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28–30

Today I hope we can all take a small step toward surrender. I hope we can take a look at our burdens and start to let them go. Let's embrace a new journey with Christ!

Peace,

Brian

Generosity

 Have you ever met someone who lived with a Spirit of Generosity?

When I was in seminary, I had a friend who could light up a room with her wonderful spirit. She welcomed all people into her dorm. She would freely give rides to others, and she was the first to notice if there was someone in need. She would not hesitate to help out another person. 

There are so many people in this world who live with a scarcity mentality. At times, we may feel like there is not enough, and we believe we have to hoard all the resources we can. From this perspective, it can appear the most competitive person always wins. The biggest, fastest, and strongest are able to take what they need. It is easy to see the people of this world as either winners, who took everything they could, or losers, who were beaten.

However, when we come across a person who lives generously, our perspective can change. These people are not trying to take everything they can. Instead, they can be found actively giving away their blessings. They believe in abundance not fear and scarcity. 

This week we are finishing our sermon series on our core values at CLC. The last value we are sharing is generosity. This core values flows from all the others. We began with the value of Welcome then we moved to Worship, Learning, Serving, and finally Generosity. These values all build on each other, and generosity takes all the other gifts and shares them with the world. 

Christ came to this world to give his life for each of us. Jesus didn't hold back. He didn't just come to serve the righteous or the worthy. Jesus came to love us just as we are. We don't have to fight for God's Love. Christ gave this love so that we could freely offer it to others. 

Today I hope you can all find space to feel the free love of Jesus. I also hope you can share God's Love abundantly.

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Be curious...

I love watching my kids grow up! They are are so eager to learn, and they have a sense curiosity and wonder about them. My only concern is that it all happens so quickly. Sometimes, I want my boys to stay little forever, but they are called to something more. Earlier this week, my five year old was sitting in the back seat of the car, and he asked how the sun worked. He wanted to know why it rose. How does it set? Why does it keep burning? A lot of questions that I can take for granted, but he wanted to know more about the world around him. 

In ancient times, Jesus went out of his way to teach people who had been forgotten by much of society. He allowed women to sit and learn from him. He gave fishermen and tax collectors a place of honor, and He wanted all of them to grow. When society set up a rule saying one group was inferior to another or worth less than somebody else, Jesus showed each person that they were valued. Throughout the scriptures, God is always calling people grow. Jesus loves us just as we are, but that doesn't mean we should ever stop listening and learning. Our faith is a journey.

We are in a sermon series that goes back to the core values of CLC. Every church has different gifts provided by the Holy Spirit, and we all have strengths that we are able to share with the world. Our core values represent the ways our church is called. This week we are looking at our values of wisdom and learning. We are a church that wants to grow. From children's ministry to adult Bible Study, we believe there is a path for us to grow. 

Today I hope you can all take time to listen for God's wisdom. Take time to be curious. There are too many people who want to pretend they already know everything. God wants us to become like little children and open our hearts to all the gifts around us.

Blessings!

Brian 

Worship with a fresh perspective

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Camp Lutherwood in Utah. This trip has become a CLC tradition over the past few years. Youth and families are invited to experience the wonder of creation and the joy of community. Personally, I have really come to value the perspective this time brings. Instead of gathering in the basement of the church, the youth come together around a campfire to sing, eat s'mores, and share a message of hope. We also take time to go on some epic hikes. It's a wonderful trip... Even if some of the youth complained that I chose a hike that may have been just a little too long :) 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was sitting outside together in the evening. The deer would walk by, and the stars would come out. After being surrounded by city lights, it's easy to forget how bright the stars can be. Every night we would look up to see the Milky Way, and even though the temperature dropped down to 38 degrees, we didn't want to leave the moment. We sat together, huddled in our jackets and sleeping bags, and we embraced the beauty of the world around us.  

There are so many different ways to worship. We can sing. We can read scripture. We can stand on top of a mountain or sit around a campfire. The important part of all of this is that we take time to come together and we cherish the blessings we have. There is so much to give thanks for in our lives, but sometimes we are too busy or tired to remember this. Worship is all about pushing ourselves to experience God's Grace in fresh new ways. When we come together as a community, and God shows up. 

Today I hope you can spend some time intentionally in worship. I hope you can find a community and open yourselves up to the work of the Spirit.

Blessings,

Brian Ward

Gathered in Joy

Last Wednesday we kicked off family night at CLC. It was wonderful to see preschool kids join together with older youth to play games, sing songs, and build new relationships. Even though there is quite a difference between a 20 year old and a 3 year old, I see a lot of blessings when they all come together. Kids and adults are all welcome to be who they are, and they can find there own ways to serve and experience God's Love. I believe God's Grace is best experienced when we come together.  

In the Bible, Jesus speaks of the importance of finding a community. Pharisees were called to find a place at the table with the sinners and tax collectors. The wealthy and powerful were called to sit with the the sick and the sorrowing. Everyone has a place, and everyone is valued. In our sermon series this month, we are taking a deeper look at joy. It is easy for our hearts to be filled with anxiety, fear, and even anger. However, this series asks us to fill our hearts with joy. God values each person. I hope we can let go of the fears in our past and enter into something new.

The Biblical letter to the Philippians, is a book filled with joy. It tells us that whatever we are facing, we also have a new life in Christ. We are told that if we want to let go of our past difficulties, we need to find a community. We need a place where we honor one another. We need a place where we can be honest, and we need a place where we can be united and filled with God's Love.

Today I hope you can take time for some of the relationships in your life. Perhaps you can give a family member or a friend a call. Maybe you can find a new place to serve. Maybe you can just say hi to your neighbor. God is present everywhere we go, and we are a people who share God's love when we come together.

Blessings!

Brian