As I move us through the Book of Romans on Sunday mornings, you will continue to hear how we can participate in God’s distributive justice for the just transformation of the world.  We’ve talked about how grace, gifts, and liberation in the biblical canon have never been ends in and of themselves.  We are freed ourselves to free others, just like the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt to be God’s people, who would be a light to the nations.  Each day is a new chance to participate in God’s plan and be a light for others.

Since the mission of our church is to share Jesus’ message of love, hope, peace, and joy with all persons, I encourage you to participate in the distribution of your resources to alleviate suffering around the globe, especially in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which has left a trail of devastation and flooding chaos in Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, and the US.  Thirty-four people have died in the US and over a thousand in the Caribbean.  You can pray, using the prayers at this link: Prayers Following Disasters, and you can give in a variety of ways, including through our denomination.

Please visit the following links for more information:  OGHS UCC International Emergency Fund and OGHS UCC Emergency USA. If you prefer to mail in your donation, here is the address:

One Great Hour of Sharing (UCC)

Memo: Hurricane Matthew

Financial Services Office

700 Prospect Ave. E. Cleveland, OH 44115

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Rev. Sandi

Responding to a request from several church council members, I have embarked upon a preaching journey through Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.  I will walk us through the most thematic passages of the letter and end the series the week before Advent starts.  In case you missed the first week of the series (September 25), here is a bit of background on Romans:

• The letter was written between 54 and 58 AD and is authentically Pauline.
• The letter is written to a church that Paul did not found but wants to visit.  He likely wants this church’s support for future missionary activities to the west.
• Romans is the longest of the Pauline epistles and was written at the height of his career.  It expresses the richness of Paul’s experience of Christ through the full maturity of his thought.  Interestingly, Paul’s epistles are listed according to decreasing size in the New Testament.
• This letter was carried nearly 1,000 miles by sea and land from Cenchrea, the port city of Corinth, by a deacon named Phoebe, one of Paul’s co-workers.  Phoebe, or a reader she brought along, read the letter to the church.
• Romans’ influence on Christian theology is the greatest of all Paul’s letters.

Be sure to come and hear about the various theological perspectives (salvation, justification by faith, redemption, etc.) that have been understood in Romans, including some newer perspectives that will challenge us to full participation in the gospel, enrich our faith journey, and ultimately transform us for the just transformation of the world.  I look forward to seeing you in church!

Rev. Sandi

I must say it feels so good to be back in the routine of regular worship on Sundays!  Resuming choir practice (with its inevitable belly-laughs), seeing long-time friends, and becoming acquainted with the new faces in the pews all warm my heart.  Our seasonal members will start trickling back in a month or so, and I think everyone is going to be pleased to see how we are fleshing out our new mission statement: Congregational Church of the Valley United Church of Christ is a community sharing Jesus’ message of love, hope, peace, and joy with all persons.  We plan to communicate publicly and often exactly how our family of faith is impacting the local community-and how we can all be part of something greater than ourselves.

Last week I preached on Proverbs 8, which is a great Old Testament wisdom passage.  I will continue the wisdom theme this coming Sunday, and this time preach out of the New Testament, focusing on James 1:5-8.  You will see that there is great consistency between the Testaments (and throughout the canon) on biblical wisdom.  What’s important is knowing that (biblical) wisdom is a gift of God, derived from experience, and mediated by prayer.  Jesus, in fact, is “Wisdom in Person” and the one who showed us that true wisdom comes in the complete giving of ourselves-that’s why true wisdom isn’t particularly natural or intuitive.  I have lots more to share and some good stories to tell!  So as long as I-17 stays open and the Agua Fria River doesn’t rise, I’ll see you in church!

Rev. Sandi

It’s taken me awhile to get my scattered thoughts together after this, yet another, mass shooting and terrorist attack. I have heard and read the rhetoric that inevitably follows: the media pundits’ spins, op-eds, politicians’ statements, clergy declarations, tweets, and Face Book posts. I’ve liked a lot, hated a lot, but haven’t weighed in, mostly because I’ve been so aghast and confused about what to do in this rapidly changing scape of our reality.
For some, this tragedy is a call to ban guns or strengthen gun control laws. For others, this is evidence for why we need guns: If we don’t have them, they argue, only terrorists and criminals will have guns. Conspiracy theories abound. The argument goes on and on, and many of points are valid on either side of the issue.
And again the vitriol against Islam surfaces. We are told by some that terror is Islam’s technique to spread itself throughout the world—through a reign of fear and destruction, and they cite history to prove this. And others, both Islam’s highest level clerics and other educated experts in world religions, say that the perpetrators cannot be true Muslims, any more than so-called Christians who spew hate toward LGBQs—or immigrants—or others who don’t believe as they do, can be called Christians. If you for a moment don’t think Christians engage in violent speech that incites, just check out these “pastors” in the following clips: http://fox40.com/2016/06/13/sacramento-baptist-pastor-applauds-orlando-shooting/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCIE0vqk6Uo
I’ve heard politicians and so-called Christian leaders say that such shootings occur because we’ve taken (Christian?) prayer out of schools (never mind that I taught in schools in Hawaii where the most of my students were Buddhist). Rather than taking any concrete action, people blithely say, “I will hold Orlando in my thoughts and prayers.” I don’t know about you, but that just sounds hollow. I’m not convinced thoughts and prayers will magically prevent attacks or change anyone’s circumstances; prayer just doesn’t work that way. Prayer will, however, work on our own souls. So if we are going to pray, and I think we should, let us be prepared to have God use us as the responders, the comforters, and the activists.
As the complex arguments play out in this increasingly polarized society, I invite you to a fairly simple reflection that has everything to do with compassion. Actually, Mr. Rogers, who was a Presbyterian minister and beloved children’s TV show star, finally inspired my response to my confusion. He once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Can we be the helpers?
Can we be the compassionate ones? Can we be mindful of our fears, aware of our prejudices, and engage in critical thought? Even more important, can we lay our fears and prejudices at the foot of the cross, risky as that might be, for the sake of others? Even in our polarity over issues like gun control, the nature of Islam, acceptance of the LGBQ community, and the power of prayer, we can always choose our words and actions to err on the side of compassion.
Rev. Sandi

Although we are going to a different format for summer, my prayer is that our year-round members and summer visitors still come Sunday mornings at 10 AM for mission planning, fellowship, and Bible study opportunities.

• Missions Sundays – Congregation will meet in Hayden Hall for coffee and snacks at 10 AM to discuss opportunities and execution for in-reach and outreach missions this fall.
• Scripture Study – I will lead a type of Bible study called Lectio-Divina.  No preparation is needed; this type of study is a meditative practice in which we will open our hearts and minds to let God speak to us through a short passage of scripture.  We will have time to share our insights with the group.
• Fellowship Breakfast – Join us for a communal breakfast at the Egg I AM.  The Egg I AM is at 10155 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, AZ  85258 (the corner of Mountain View and Via Linda).

The schedule is as follows:

June

5—Mission Planning

12-Breakfast

19-Scripture Study

26-Scripture Study

July

3—Breakfast

10-Mission Planning

17-Scripture Study

24-Breakfast

31-Breakfast

August

7—Breakfast

14-Mission Planning

21-Resume normal worship schedule

Hope to see you! I am also here for any pastoral needs you have this summer.  You can contact me through the church office.  Blessings!

Rev. Sandi

Front and center in our sanctuary stands a beautiful communion table constructed of an old door and an oxen’s yoke.  The door, which is a biblical symbol of communication and communion with the Divine, makes up the table’s surface; and the oxen’s yoke, which is a biblical symbol of service, makes up the table’s legs.  It could be said that we are nourished by communion at the table for service (with our legs) in the world.  The yoke also reminds us of the scripture, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). 

CCOV adopted a new mission statement on Sunday, April 3rd. The new mission reads:

“The Congregational Church of the Valley is a community sharing Jesus’ message of love, hope, peace, and joy with all persons.”

Our task over the next few months is to determine how we will support that mission in our acts and thoughts.

Holy Week is rapidly approaching.  Next week is already Palm Sunday!  Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and then Easter follows. Since I will only be with you Palm and Easter Sundays, I want to answer three frequently-asked questions about the days in Holy Week. Continue reading →