UNITED Gatherings

The world is filled with possibilities that we have yet to consider. Doubts can either push us towards opening our mind towards what is possible or they shackle us to the status quo. Jesus opens our minds. He invites us to see into the beyond, doubting together what we see, inviting us together into a beautiful new reality.

We're told that doubts are bad, that they destroy our faith, that they push us away from God, and leave us feeling empty and alone. But what if doubts are actually good? What if doubts actually press us closer to God? What if this journey, if taken together, can actually lead us into beautiful, wide open spaces of possibility? Lectionary Text: John 20.19-31

The beloved community was forged in a crucible of fear. It began with tears, locked doors, and doubt. And yet Jesus emerged from the grave, revealing a new world of hope and possibility in front of us. The resurrection changes everything, and together we help each other see a new possibility just beyond the horizon as we follow after this resurrected Jesus. Lectionary Text: John 20.1-18

This week Eunice invites us to take a look at John 12 and the triumphal entry. Jesus calls us to follow him, which goes beyond just listening to what he says, but also doing what he does.

Too many times over the course of our nearly three year existence as a church, we have been called together in unity and in love to denounce hatred and an insidious form of white supremacy that is present and active within our culture and given safe harbor within white evangelicalism. Enough is enough. May we forge a new and better path forward where all are truly welcome and all are truly invited. Christ have mercy. Text: John 12.20-33

This is our 53rd week a part. 53rd week since we have met together in person. 53 weeks. It's a lot to take in, a lot to realize and recognize, a milestone that feels like a weight of grief and pain that we'd just rather ignore than truly understand. There is so much that has happened in this season that we need to mark, that we should mark, that we can bring into the light of the day and know that while the days have been dark, the light is still winning. Text: John 3.14-21

How many times have you risked it all only to see it blow up in your face? How many times have you taken a huge leap, hoping and trusting that the person on the other side was going to catch you like they said they would, only to find yourself falling flat on your face? Were they worth it? What did you gain in the end—your own personal ROI? The Christian life is like that. A giant leap of fidelity where betrayal seems to lurk around the corner. What will you gain by jumping in? Text: Mark 8.31-38

We've each found ourselves in the proverbial wilderness before: a season and place of trials, troubles, tribulations. We often cry out into the seeming void, “Where is my rescue?” The season of Lent is a season marked by the wilderness, of intentionally placing ourselves in that space—because there in the wilderness, we can find life. Text: Mark 1.9-15; [Rf: Luke 4.1-13]

Are you listening? What do you hear? So often we spend our time talking and talking, creating more of a monologue with God, with Jesus than actually participating in the act of listening. What does listening have to do with transformation and change? How does listening well create new worlds and environments for us to walk into and experience? Text: Mark 9.2-9

What are you doing with your life? What are the actions and ways of being that define who you are? Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “Action is truth.” The actions that you engage in reveal the truth of what you truly believe down to your inner core. What truth(s) are you revealing with your life? What do you truly believe? Text: Mark 1.21-28

The moments of our life are filled with ups and downs, lefts and rights, circles and standing still. Life is is fraught with moments of decision both big and small. These moments are not only demanding but they determine the life we live. What will you do with your dash, the collection of moments between your birth and death, the moments that make your life what it is. Text: Mark 1.14-20

It's okay to be skeptical. It's okay to find yourself filled with questions as you explore the mystery, waiting and hoping for the truth to be revealed. It's a longing curiosity, a perpetual inquisitiveness that always centers around the question: Is it true? This is the journey of faith that we are all on. This is the tension and the question we all sit with: Is it true? Text: John 1.43-51

It's a new year and nothing has changed. We sit reaping the consequences of what has been sown into the fabric of our lives and our society for generations. This story is not new, but there is an overwhelming love that has come to light the way through and illuminate our path forward. Text: Mark 1.4-11

What do you hope for? What sits at the core of your heart? What do you hope for? Finding hope in the midst of the darkness is hard. Finding hope in the midst of our despair is seemingly impossible. Yet, here we stand at the precipice of hope and hope, has a name. Text: Luke 1.26-38

It's been a year. And in the midst of the turmoil, the strife, the ups and downs, we are weary. We cry out for rescue, and we anticipate the moment of the coming King. Our Lord and our Saviour. In Jesus' birth we see a God who put on flesh, a God who stepped down out of heaven to join us in this world, and to say, “I'm here now. I'm with you. I'm on your side.” This is the God whom we place our hope in, this is the God to whom we cry out to; the God who comes near and comes to our rescue. Cry hope. Sunday's Text: Mark 13.24-37

The ways of Jesus drive us to care for one another, especially those in need, consistently and without fail. There are seasons and times where each of us falters, where each of us is in need of care, and it is in those moments that we must rally around those in need, those in pain, those who are suffering. The Spirit of God will guide us in that care, and because of our love for one another we create a story that the world cannot deny—that Jesus is among us. This is how the church emerges.

The gospel is not about you, it's about us. The story of the early church was about a ragtag group of people coming together, formed in the ways of Jesus to revolutionize the world with this understanding that the kingdom of God was near and that it was for all. They lived this and expressed this and it spread throughout the empire in subversive ways that changed the world.

We sure do like to simplify things, don't we? However, sometimes we go too far and in our reduction, we're left with an ineffective mess. We've done this with the Gospel… What does it look like to step into the fullness of the Gospel, a holistic gospel that can actually make a difference—thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What does it look like to be “those” kinds of Christians?

Community is not just about us, here inside this organization, this building, this system. Community is about how we function together on the outside. And as a church specifically, it is about how we work to bring a holistic restoration to the world around us. The early church, at the outset of their existence fought for justice—we've simply whitewashed it away in pursuit of our own milquetoast understanding of “church.”

Community is about more than just physical presence, it is about the joining together of heart, soul, mind, and strength in pursuit of Jesus and his ways. There is a beloved-ness that comes from this unity that forms a people, that shapes a people, that pushes one another together in mystical ways ensuring that you'll never walk alone. Even in the time of COVID, there is a beloved-ness that can occur as we emerge from our isolation. There is a way forward into being the “Beloved Community” as a people who walk in the ways of Jesus, the ways of love.

God is at work all around us, making paths of reconciliation possible for us to walk into with one another, with ourselves, with him. And He's asking us to be his ambassadors. Ambassadors of reconciliation, to help renew and restore all things through Jesus. In this time of COVID, God is still working all around us to create new modes of connection, even deeper and more beautiful than before. He is bringing about opportunities for us to step into. Will we respond?

Together, we participate in a worldwide movement of love, of grace, of peace. And through prayer, together we enter into the communal story of God's redemptive work in and through history. Prayer orients our lives, together around what God is doing and how he is restoring creation back to himself. And prayer, sends us forth into the world together to help write the next chapter of that story.

Do you want to see the world changed? Do you want to see ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven' in our day? Then we must pause and pray. Prayer connects us with the activity of God. Prayer opens our eyes and our ears to the world around us in a different way, a way that allows us to see and hear where God is at work. Prayer opens new paths of light for us to follow where the Spirit is already engaged and at work. We chase the light through prayer, and in prayer we see new possibilities emerge from the dark.

Uncertainty and fear mixed with possibility and hope; our emotional and mental state is at a fragile place and once again we are being asked to be patient. To wait. To adapt and change. The exhaustion and fatigue from this is palpable and the weight can be unbearable. How can we even begin the process of moving forward? As followers of Jesus we are a different people, a people who have a singular focus on Jesus and his mission, who demonstrate and proclaim the nearness of God's new reality coming to life in the world around us. And it begins here, chasing the light together in prayer.

We are a sent people. A people who have been sent into the world to make a difference. “GO,” Jesus commands us with the very first word of the Great Commission. We have been commissioned, by Jesus , to go into the world to make a difference, to spread the revolutionary Gospel of love and of grace, to see the kingdom of God birthed here on this earth as it is in heaven. The forces of this world have fought against this kingdom for centuries. They have fought to maintain misogyny and sexism, racism and classism, evil forces that perpetuate a world that looks nothing like the kingdom of God. We are a sent people, armed with the armor of God to create change in the name of Jesus, in the name of love.

The church is an incubator of revolutionaries, and it is time for us to recover that as our moniker and motto. “Arise O sleeper, wake up from the dead!” Is the charge the church is given by Paul. The focus of the church is not on the church. Rather, the work of the church, the work of the people is to bring heaven to earth as Jesus taught us to pray and do. We create “good trouble” in the world around us. We help set the conditions for the justice of God to be made known through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self control. The church is an incubator of revolutionaries. This is our work.

Where we go, we go together. The ups and downs, the back and forth, the sudden stops amidst the restarts, the reigning uncertainty of this season we're facing requires adaptability. And as such, we cannot simply coast through the remainder of this uncertain reality. It is time for us as a church to adapt, to step forward and live into “new to us” ways of being the church. Where we go, we go together. And no one will do this alone.

The tension that we carry with us every day is our separateness from one another. One of our deepest needs, at the core of our being, is to overcome this separateness and leave behind the prison of our aloneness. This is easier said than done. It requires mutual submission and mutual assimilation. This is the art of loving, faithful and continual acts that do the hard work of breaking down the walls of separation that we experience as individuals, groups, communities, societies. The art of loving moves us from separateness to togetherness, tearing down the walls of division as we go. You'll Never Walk Alone.

My, what beautiful battlefields you are. The push and the pull, the back and forth we experience in the struggle of identity, to live from and grow into our own authentic self, this is the great struggle of being. Our struggle for identity and authenticity, the comparison games we play, and our attentiveness to critical difference push us apart, erecting walls of division between one another. We have failed to see the image of God in ourselves, and because we cannot see the image of God in ourselves, we fail to see the image of God in others. We are beautiful battlefields that have been brought together as one, in peace, through grace, because of Jesus. It is in this space that we can push and pull each other, in love, to live from your authentic self.

We are caught up in this great mystery, you and I. We are surrounded by this reality, this hope that we cannot quite grasp, that we cannot quite fully understand but we know in the depths of our being is true. The mystery of Christ permeates every pore of our existence and of this world, but often times we just miss it; we pass right by without any awareness of the Jesus who calls out to us in love, and grace, and peace. The Jesus who has chosen you as his beloved. So often we strive and struggle, we fight and claw to understand the mystery, to grasp this Jesus and hold him tightly in our clutches. But Jesus in his immeasurable grace and love simply says, ‘Come. Sit with me a while.' He bids us to simply be present with him. The mystery of Christ runs counter to our culture, it's not a mystery that requires efforts, but a mystery that requires us to sit and stay a while in his presence.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We're facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It's in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don't need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we're in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into The presence of God. Isaias lives in Santiago, Dominican Republic and is both a pastor at Central Church and an award winning rapper.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We’re facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It’s in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don’t need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we’re in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into The presence of God. Justin lives in Washington DC and is Pastor of Leadership and Spiritual Formation at Christ City Church DC.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We're facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It's in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don't need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we're in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into The presence of God. Justin lives in Washington DC and is the Pastor of Leadership and Spiritual Formation at Christ City Church DC.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We’re facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It’s in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don’t need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we’re in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into The presence of God. Lisa lives Here in Seattle and serves as the University Chaplain at Seattle Pacific University.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We're facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It's in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don't need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we're in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into The presence of God. Lisa lives Here in Seattle and serves as the University Chaplain at Seattle Pacific University.

Try This At Home w/Jay KimSo many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We’re facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It’s in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy.We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don’t need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do.Why? Because we’re in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work.Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into he presence of God.Jay lives in Silicon Valley. He is a pastor and an author. His recently published book is called Analog Church, available on Amazon.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We're facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It's in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don't need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we're in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into he presence of God. Jay lives in Silicon Valley. He is a pastor and an author. His recently published book is called Analog Church, available on Amazon.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We’re facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It’s in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don’t need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we’re in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into he presence of God. Casey lives just south of Chicago. His mission is to create a way of seeing spiritual formation that embraces and welcomes those who feel left behind: by church, by others, even by God.

So many of us are overwhelmed in this season. We're facing waves of uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, fear... this is a season fraught with turmoil. It's in these times of upheaval that we need more prayer, not less; more spiritual practice, not less; more contemplation, not less, so that we may stand in the face of uncertainty and anxiety confident in the presence of our Creator, filled with his love and mercy. We have long sat in the historic practices of spiritual formation as a community. These concrete practices and meditations help us anchor our hearts in something deeper than the news cycle. We don't need more content or ideas, we need to be graciously guided into holy spaces where our Creator can do what only love can do. Why? Because we're in this for the long haul. Without a stronger connection to God our efforts will fizzle out and fade away as our minds, hearts, bodies, and souls break down under the weight of the work. Together, let us try these practices at home. Let us sit with the holy and be guided well into he presence of God. Casey lives just south of Chicago. His mission is to create a way of seeing spiritual formation that embraces and welcomes those who feel left behind: by church, by others, even by God.

On June 11th we hosted an online webinar with 23 churches from around the Seattle-Tacoma area to train people in the ways of non-violent resistance. As we seek to get further involved in the struggle for justice, we want to do this wisely. In this wisdom we want to listen to and learn from the long tradition of non-violent resistance. Non-violent resistance is an active resistance. It steps into the fray wherever the fundamental questions of justice and the welfare of our brothers and sisters are at stake. As we take the posture of love and the work of creating peace seriously, we must be prepared to endure whatever suffering is necessary to stand the force of hatred.We were joined by Taeler Morgan from Gather Tacoma, Jer Swigart from The Global Immersion Project, Carlos Curran a non-violent activist, and Aaron Monts from UNITED Church for this forum and panel discussion.

Empty. We’ve all done it. We’ve allJust say “put it on United’s tab!” ourselves running on empty, nearing burnout and exhaustion. And during this season of COVID, it’s a lot easier to find ourselves in this space... but what if there was a different way of seeing the word “empty” and how it relates to the signs of life that are emerging around us? What if “empty” provided hope and joy and possibility?

Empty. We've all done it. We've allJust say “put it on United's tab!” ourselves running on empty, nearing burnout and exhaustion. And during this season of COVID, it's a lot easier to find ourselves in this space... but what if there was a different way of seeing the word “empty” and how it relates to the signs of life that are emerging around us? What if “empty” provided hope and joy and possibility?

Life wins. But only if we step into the tomb and confront the death that surrounds us, the death that we have become accustomed and numb to. Life wins. But only if we speak up, stand up, and fight to create the change in the systems and structures that we are all complicit in maintaining. Life wins. But only if we confront the deep seed of privilege and racism that is embedded within us all. Life wins… if you want it to.

Life wins. But only if we step into the tomb and confront the death that surrounds us, the death that we have become accustomed and numb to. Life wins. But only if we speak up, stand up, and fight to create the change in the systems and structures that we are all complicit in maintaining. Life wins. But only if we confront the deep seed of privilege and racism that is embedded within us all. Life wins… if you want it to.

Why are the miracles of giving sight to the blind always the most controversial of Jesus’ miracles? Why is doing good for the sake of doing good, even when it falls outside of the boundaries of social norms, always stirring up trouble? There are signs of life all around us waiting to emerge, breaking the rules of what we consider to be normal. As they emerge, Jesus continues to call us to open our eyes to the goodness that is taking place all around us here and now.

Why are the miracles of giving sight to the blind always the most controversial of Jesus' miracles? Why is doing good for the sake of doing good, even when it falls outside of the boundaries of social norms, always stirring up trouble? There are signs of life all around us waiting to emerge, breaking the rules of what we consider to be normal. As they emerge, Jesus continues to call us to open our eyes to the goodness that is taking place all around us here and now.

Walking on water is a good parlor trick, in fact it’s really more David Blaine-esque, but how does walking on the water bring life? What exactly does this signify and how does it reveal a new creation waiting to burst forth? The fifth miracle that John uses to explain what is on the horizon, the new creation that is being birthed before us is one of total transformation, including the physical world around us. The question we must wrestle with, is how far are we willing to go to make this new creation possible? Will you let Jesus in the boat?

Walking on water is a good parlor trick, in fact it's really more David Blaine-esque, but how does walking on the water bring life? What exactly does this signify and how does it reveal a new creation waiting to burst forth? The fifth miracle that John uses to explain what is on the horizon, the new creation that is being birthed before us is one of total transformation, including the physical world around us. The question we must wrestle with, is how far are we willing to go to make this new creation possible? Will you let Jesus in the boat?

The possibilities for what can be done are endless, we simply have to think differently about what we have. The fourth miracle, the fourth sign of life exposes us to the reality that we too are a part of the miracle. Jesus doesn’t do this alone. Despite how much we cannot see the possibilities, Jesus still invites us to think differently, outside of the box, and anew... and we get to participate in the wonderment.

The possibilities for what can be done are endless, we simply have to think differently about what we have. The fourth miracle, the fourth sign of life exposes us to the reality that we too are a part of the miracle. Jesus doesn't do this alone. Despite how much we cannot see the possibilities, Jesus still invites us to think differently, outside of the box, and anew... and we get to participate in the wonderment.

Now is the right time to do what is right. Often times we wait for the perfect moment, or the perfect opportunity—a pandemic— to step up and make a difference in the life of others. However, Jesus shows us otherwise. Now is always the right time to do what is right. Now is always the right time to bring life, to nurture it and help it emerge in our world.