Good Trouble.

March 22, 2022

 

Happy Spring, church family and friends!

This spring weather is glorious! Sometimes warm, sometimes freezing, sometimes sunshine, sometimes snow. I love it. It makes me think of how confusing and strange it can be when we experience any kind of change in life, full of ups and downs and stresses on the way. Lots of learning happens in those transition periods. Which is what those periods are for.

In worship a couple of weeks ago, we talked together a bit about Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert, and how 40 day periods are all over the Bible as symbolic descriptions of change…of moving, with God, from one phase of life to another. For Jesus, it was a time of moving from life as it had been into his main earthly ministry. For Moses, it was 40 years in the desert herding sheep, between his life as an Egyptian man of privilege to God’s instrument in freeing the people of Israel. For Noah, it was the whole world moving through destruction to new life. In every case it is fraught and difficult, full of self-searching and strength-gathering. And in every case, though unseen, God is there.

In chapter 2 of our Lenten Bible study, “Witness to the Cross” by Amy Jill Levine, our author describes her work with incarcerated people. Her heart is moved with compassion for those who made terrible decisions and landed in prison, often (but not always) as a result of abusive upbringing or other circumstances beyond their control. It makes me think of a man I recently met, who spent several decades in prison for a terrible crime committed in his youth: he found himself filled with compassion for others in similar circumstances, and
continues to support and help them however he can. Which then makes me remember the work of Father Gregory Boyd, too, and his efforts to free gang members from that destructive lifestyle, the compassion in his heart overflowing and creating space for true healing. People like these carry with them the presence of God for people in the midst of an extremely difficult time, their own compassion reflecting God’s and making their imprisonment a time of transformation.

Here at Epworth, we encounter a whole lot of people in crisis or in chronic poverty and illness. Sometimes it is awfully difficult to know how best to meet their needs, and what compassion should look like. Sometimes it has to be lovingly firm, setting strong boundaries against destructive behavior or advantage-taking, enforcing consequences when harm is done. And then other times, it’s REALLY easy: in the middle of writing that last sentence, I picked up a call from a young man who wondered whether we had any dog food…I told him that we’d be glad to order him some from Walmart, and he started sobbing. He tells me that he works 3 jobs and is just trying to get on his feet after a breakup, but the money just keeps running out. Friends, it is an incredible joy to be able to help someone in these simple ways!

In the hardest times, every one of us needs people who can be the hands and feet of Christ for us. Who can pray for us and walk with us, encourage and uplift us, help us to find hope when we are edging toward despair, lend us their strength when we are so tired. We even need people who can be lovingly firm with us when we are hurting ourselves or others; that is compassion, too. That is my prayer for us this week: that we can be that, and find that. So that troubled times can become just a step on the way to new life.

How great is our God!

            Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 3: Good Trouble

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

There’s bad trouble, like the kind that sends a woman to her knees at Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. And there’s good trouble, too, like when the waters of life are all stirred up and Jesus invites us to be strong and courageous and walk right out on them with him. This week, we’ll meet Jesus in Luke 8, at just such a time as this. See you in worship.

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

The Unseen Highway

 March 15, 2022

 

 

 

Hello, church family and friends!

 

What a joy these weeks have been. So many good conversations, times in prayer, Bible study, meeting old friends and making new ones. There have been difficult things, too, but even in those God has been present and active. 

 

It seems weird, maybe, to talk about joy in the midst of worry and struggle. We have to experience it to understand it, I think. Because it isn’t the same as happiness. It isn’t the same as that thrill we feel when something especially wonderful happens. It’s deeper than that, at least in the Biblical sense of joy. The joy that God provides isn’t subject to changing circumstances. We find that it increases, even, in times of struggle. I’m not sure how to describe it, but to me it’s this powerful sense of connectedness to God and human beings and even the earth…like the feeling of being deeply in love, after a lifetime together. Broad and high and deep, tender and strong at the same time.

 

I find I’m aware of it in those moments when I have to rely on God even more than usual. Like, when I’m sitting with someone who is hurting. Or when I have to tell someone a hard thing. Or when I have to seek forgiveness. It’s there, too, when I’m able to fill someone’s gas tank, or fill their cupboards with groceries, or laugh with someone who really needs a good laugh. And it’s there when babies are born, and when new hope and faith is born, and when we move from this life to the next. Jesus calls it “abundant life.” It’s what I think of when Jesus talks about the solid foundation we build on, and when he calls himself the Living Water.

 

We’ve been talking together in worship about the Living Water of Jesus. The water of birth and baptism, God parting the waters, Jesus calming the storm, the still water that refreshes, all of it. So this meditation by Rev Steven Charleston, the retired Episcopal bishop and Native American spiritual leader, really touched my heart.

 

"In even the deepest ocean you can find the current, the unseen highway of water that moves beneath the
surface. In even the most confusing times of our lives we can find God's direction, moving unseen around us just beneath the surface. We are never adrift in life. We are not forgotten or ignored. Even when we are struggling to make sense of things, when we seem to have no control over our circumstances, there is a spiritual current that surrounds us, the power of the Spirit, drawing us toward healing, forgiveness, wisdom: the safe shore of love. Ride the current beneath you. Trust God to show you the way."

 

As you seek the Lord in a new way this season through whatever spiritual practices you have chosen, I pray that you drink deeply of the Living Water and gain a sense of true joy. Trust God to show you the way.

 

Thankful for the fount of every blessing,

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 3: Troubled Waters

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

One of the most powerful stories in the Gospels (and there are a whole lot of powerful stories) is the story of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and anoints them with costly perfume. There is a lot that is suprising and wonderful about that story. You’ll find it in Luke 7, and also in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 12. We’ll consider together the deep, deep gratitude and great love she expresses here, and see where God is speaking to us through her story.

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Deep Waters.

March 8, 2022

Hello, friends!

I hope the hints of spring in the air and the prayerfulness of this season of Lent are making you feel as good as they are me. Praying the hours is a thing I have been doing for a few years as part of my own Lenten devotions – nothing fancy or formal, just a deliberate stopping of everything and spending a few moments in praise and prayer, 5 times per day. It’s so refreshing. I hope you are finding ways to add a good spiritual practice or two to your daily life…you’ll find it truly rewarding. Prayer, daily Bible reading, fasting, giving, and service are all good options. In fact, they are all deeply interconnected. The Lenten devotional I’m using, “Holy Solitude: Lenten Reflections with Saints, Hermits, Prophets, and Rebels” by Heidi Havercamp, blends them all in a pattern each week. I’d be glad to talk with you more about this, if you need ideas.

I have been really blessed lately to be in conversation with Tracy Runnels, who works with the Churchill Community Coalition. It’s hard to define what she does exactly, because her skill and energy level are so high and she does a bunch of different things. But her focus is on connecting folks in need with resources, and finding ways to fill in gaps between needs and resources we have here locally. I have for years felt really drawn to the connections between physical, mental, and spiritual health, and so I am excited to support several projects she is working on. One of the more exciting ones, to me, is a big health and wellness fair she is creating for September, to be held here at the church. Medical and dental clinics, parenting classes, art and music therapy, as well as games and laughter and maybe an outdoor bbq lunch…it’s all just in the idea phase right now, but she is getting a lot of good buy-in from local and Reno area groups like Children’s Cabinet who want to expand their services to Fallon. 

Like Fallon Daily Bread, things like this are powerfully impactful to our community, even for folks who just hear about them. I run into people all the time, strangers who express feeling moved by the things we do. We get private messages, or notes in the mail. Connecting selfless service like this to our Christian faith touches hearts and changes minds and open doors to God. We may never meet the folks who are impacted like this, and they may never step foot inside our doors, but it matters. Really matters. 

And then there are the people who are impacted directly. To be in service to our neighbors is a central tenet of our Christian faith; in the serving both the server and the receiver experience the real presence of God in Jesus Christ. I am discovering, in fact, that especially for folks who don’t trust or understand “church”, service becomes a deeply meaningful act of worship.

I want to encourage you to be in service in some kind of new way this season. There are many opportunities through the church, like HERO club or Fallon Daily Bread or the food pantry, driving folks to appointments, sitting with folks who are lonely to give caregivers some respite. All kinds of opportunities in town, too. Do it prayerfully and regularly, and make yourself stretch a bit into discomfort. And watch the Holy Spirit move.

 

Standing on the promises.

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 2: The Other Side

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

This week, as we continue through the Gospel of Luke, we meet Jesus as he calls the first disciples in
chapter 5. In Luke’s telling, they have been out all night and caught nothing, and are returning home exhausted and disappointed. Rather than welcoming them home with love and comfort, Jesus tells them to go back out, but deeper this time, and try again. We’ll talk about all of this and more on Sunday. See you there. 

 

Artwork credit: the picture at left is a portion of a stunning painting by Yongsung Kim, called “The Hand of God.” You can find his work at youngsungkimart.com.

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Stronger Together.

February 22, 2022

Happy TWOsday, church family and friends!

 

Get it? 2/22/22, TWOsday. Ha.

I gather that this is a popular day to get married, or celebrate friendships and other relationships of all kinds. It’s a silly quirk of the calendar is all, of course, but I think anything that reminds us to appreciate and thank God for each other is a very good thing.

For those who weren’t able to be there, we were SO blessed to have our Scout Troop 1776 lead us in worship on Sunday. Scouts were our acolytes, greeters, led us in the welcome and announcements, did a fabulous skit for the Young at Heart, and 11 year old Ben Hallquest gave the message. I cannot imagine doing that at 11 years old, but he is a very confident young man whose love for God and faith in Jesus Christ came through loud and clear. What a blessing it was!

It was also a great blessing to have so many of our local churches represented. Our Scouts attend Oasis, Parkside, St Patrick’s, and more. And a couple of boys had never been to church in their life until worshiping with us on Sunday! Our scripture reading from Romans 10 was about there being “no distinction between Jew and Gentile” and Ben’s message was all about how God’s intent is to save ALL people, all nations. That no one is “the chosen people” because everyone is chosen. When we talked together before Sunday, Ben talked about what it felt like to be the only Catholic in his Christian school, and Ben’s mom and grandma and I talked about our own experiences of people misunderstanding or even rejecting Catholics, and how strange that is to us. Having our church filled with people from so many local churches was such a joy, and a really important illustration of that Biblical truth: we seek to divide, but God draws us together, and there is no distinction because “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

On this Twosday, it reminds me of Kathy Fraker’s illustration with the kids a few weeks ago, with the sticks. One stick is easy to break. Two is harder. A whole group of them is almost impossible. In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon writes that two are better than one because each supports and defends the other, and a threefold cord is not easily broken. When we join together in Christ, in all of our diversity of understanding, we are strong! 

I’m thinking, too, of how Paul writes that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile specifically because “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” There are SO MANY names of the Lord that we can call on. One website I found lists 950! Lord, King, Creator, Christ…Champion, Advocate, Savior, Shepherd, Father…Wonderful Counselor, God-with-Us, Prince of Peace…the Lord Who Heals, The Lord Who Provides, The Lord Our Judge, The Lord Our Hope. It comes to me that there are so many names for God because there are infinite ways we need to call upon the Lord: for comfort, for guidance, for help, for joy, for a gracious King, for a savior. And when we do, no matter what, we are saved.

On this Twosday (or Friday, or whenever you’re reading this), may we rejoice in the presence of the God who does not leave us orphaned, who will never leave us nor forsake us.

Bind us together, Lord. 

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

ROMANS 5: Overcome Evil with Good.

This week we finish our study of the book of Romans. These last 4 chapters deserve MUCH more time and study than one Sunday, just full of really important, inspiring, thought-provoking stuff. Our Monday afternoon Bible study is going through Romans right now, in fact, and when they resume that study after Easter you might like to join them if this series has inspired you to go deeper. On Sunday, touching on much else, we’ll be challenged and inspired by this central passage from Chapter 12: overcome evil with good.

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

This is True Love. Do You Think This Happens Every Day?

February 15, 2022

Hello, church family and friends!

I’ve been thinking and praying a lot about why churches exist. Why we at Epworth, specifically, exist. What purpose God has in our motley gathering of good people who seek God in Jesus Christ together.

I mean, some of it is obvious. We exist because God called us together, in all our beautiful variety. We exist because we are spiritually nourished and strengthened by worshiping, praying, studying, and serving together. And personally, I am deeply humbled by and grateful for the inspiring worship and the real ways we serve folks in need. 

But above all else, churches exist to share the Gospel.  

Now, that can be well done in a thousand different ways. And it has been said that every one of us has a unique piece of the Gospel that is ours to share. But we all, every one, need to be doing it.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times in all of our lives when it is much more important for us to receive the Good News than to give it. When we are hurting, or struggling, or in need ourselves, the church is a place of safety, nourishment, comfort, and healing. And thank God for that. We can and should claim that time to just be fed and comforted by the God who loves us to the marrow of our bones and beyond.

But then, it is time to get up. It is time to come down from the mountain with Jesus, up from beside the still waters, away from the banquet table, and get to work sharing what we have found.

Last night, we gathered together at the Fallon Theatre for a truly ridiculous (in the best way) interactive
showing of The Princess Bride. There were twice as many people present from the community as there were church members, including several young families. They went out of their way to let me know how much they enjoyed it, knowing that it was a gift to them given in the name of Jesus Christ. Friends, it is things that are literally this simple that open doors in people’s hearts to the Gospel. The more of us who are present and involved in things like this, representing God and Epworth, the more folks get a sense of what living in a church family looks and feels like. And they are drawn, inexorably, to Jesus through the love we share with friend and stranger.

This season, I invite you to pray with me about what God might be calling you to do, by way of sharing the Good News. It might be something like reading to the kids at HERO Club, or helping in the Food Pantry, or getting involved with Fallon Daily Bread. It might be leading in worship, helping to plan community events, or being part of a group to sit with homebound folks to give their caregivers a couple of hours away. It might be doing yard work around the church to keep it looking fresh and welcoming, or for older or disabled folks in the neighborhood who need some extra help. It could be something else entirely! God can use any of it, when we do it prayerfully and willingly, to draw people to Christ. 

Each of us has a part of the Good News to share. Maybe for you it’s about healing, or freedom from addiction or harmful relationships. Maybe it’s about God’s presence in times of grief, or the Holy Spirit’s guidance when you needed it, or the power of prayer. Maybe it’s about Jesus’ sacrifice and forgiveness, welcoming you home like the prodigal son. Maybe it’s about the power of belonging, as a part of the Body of Christ. The Good News is broad, and high, and deep, beloved. And it’s yours, thanks be to God! Let’s share it.

In God’s unfailing love,

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

ROMANS 4: Belonging, and Scout Sunday!

It’s Scout Sunday this week! We are so glad to welcome Scout Troop 1776 to help lead us in worship. Some will be receiving their badge for completing the God and Church course with Pastor Dawn, and some *might* even be giving the message! They are due to practice and prepare tonight (Tuesday, as of this writing) and it will be great to see how God works through these boys and their leaders. See you then.

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Believing.

February 8, 2022

Hello, church family and friends!

In a worship committee meeting recently, we realized together that we had gotten out of the habit of saying the creeds together. When I was a kid, we had to memorize them, the Nicene and Apostles Creeds, and understand the history and meanings and differences between them. We said them every single Sunday. Even now, the particular versions my church used are a matter of muscle memory. 

In case you might not be familiar, a “creed” is a statement of belief. There have been several that Christians have used over the centuries, and there are many that are deeply meaningful. The Nicene Creed dates back to the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE; the Apostles’ Creed is shorter and more well-known, and it may be older. They are both in our hymnal, along with a couple more modern ones, and one especially fitting for us as we study Romans because it comes from Romans 8. We’ll be saying these together more often in worship going forward, especially on communion Sundays.

Anyway, it all got me thinking about believing, and what we believe in, and how that affects our lives. I ran across this from Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian minister and poet, in his book Beyond Words.

“Believing.

Prepositions can be very eloquent. A man is “in” architecture or a woman is “in” teaching, we say, meaning that is what they do weekdays and how they make enough money to enjoy themselves the rest of the time. But if we say they are “into” these things, that is another story. “Into” means something more like total immersion. They live and breathe what they do. They take it home with them nights. They can’t get enough of it. To be “into” books means that just the sight of a signed first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland sets your heart pounding. To be “in” books means selling them at B. Dalton’s.

Along similar lines, New Testament Greek speaks of believing “into” rather than believing “in.” In English we can perhaps convey the distinction best by using either “in” or no preposition at all.

Believing in God is an intellectual position. It need have no more effect on your life than believing in Freud’s method of interpreting dreams or the theory that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Romeo and Juliet.

Believing God is something else again. It is less a position than a journey, less a realization than a relationship. It doesn’t leave you cold like believing the world is round. It stirs your blood like believing the world is a miracle. It affects who you are and what you do with your life like believing your house is on fire or somebody loves you.

We believe in God when for one reason or another we choose to do so. We believe God when somehow we run into God in a way that by and large leaves us no choice to do otherwise.

When Jesus says that whoever believes “into” him shall never die, he does not mean that to be willing to sign your name to the Nicene Creed guarantees eternal life. Eternal life is not the result of believing in. It is the experience of believing.”

Because He lives,

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

ROMANS: More than Conquerors

This week, as we continue in our study of Romans, we get to what many folks, if asked, would cite as the best part of the entire letter. For some, they might even claim it as the best part of the New Testament as a whole! Chapters 7 and 8. It’s inspiring, it’s passionate, it’s bold and exciting and wonderful. We’ll talk together about what was inspiring Paul in his writing, and what this part of his letter to the churches in Rome have to say to us. 

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at 775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Everyone matters.

February 2, 2022

 

Happy February, church family and friends!

When my kids were little, there were Disney movies on repeat constantly. The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, and more…over and over and over. Alice and Wonderland and Mary Poppins, for whatever reason, were the go-to movies when they were sick. And when we weren’t watching them, we were singing the songs around the house. Sweet and simple messages, plenty of silliness, uncomplicated fun.

What am I saying, when they were little? No, we were still doing this when they were in high school and beyond. They still do it now, out on their own! 

But since they’ve moved out, I’ve kinda lost track of the Disney stuff. The newer movies haven’t really drawn my attention. So when my clergy colleagues and friends started going on and on about Encanto, it took me awhile to actually turn it on and see what the fuss was all about. Til Sunday afternoon after worship, to be specific.

You guys.

I mean, I don’t want to over-sell it here. It’s just a movie, and in a lot of ways just typical animated Disney fare. But there are layers of meaning and messages that are far from simple and uncomplicated. Deep, and good, and healing, and important.

Like, that a person can make terrible, hurtful mistakes, and still be good and loving and worthy. That the same person who makes those mistakes can also do great good. That there is nothing so broken that it cannot be healed. 

That people are more than what they can achieve or produce. That you don’t have to shoulder everything. Thannnt you don’t, ever, have to be perfect. That we can be honest when we are struggling, and lean on each other. 

That everyone matters, and everyone belongs. Every one. 

We don’t believe in the Gospel according to Disney, friends. But sometimes the Gospel sneaks an echo of truth where we least expect it. God uses even these things to touch our hearts and make himself known to us.

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14a

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

May God surprise you, beloved, with the inbreaking of the Holy Spirit where you least expect it, to strengthen your faith, confirm your hope, and perfect you in love.

Love and blessings,

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

ROMANS: A Very Costly Gift

Some would say Paul’s letter to the Romans has done more to form Christian theology – that is, our understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the meaning of salvation, and more – than anything other than Christ himself. So we are taking our time with it, exploring Paul’s letter just a bit at a time. After swimming in the toilet last Sunday (that metaphor still seems so perfect to me) and reading the first 3 chapters of Romans, this week we will spend time in chapters 4-6 focusing on God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! 

If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. 

You can call the church office at 775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 

775-671-5553.