Category: pastor’s notes

Pastor’s Notes 12/19/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
– Luke 2:16

This Sunday we will light the final candle of Advent, love. We will turn to Luke 2:15–20 and the timeless symbol of Christmas: the Nativity. In these final days before Christmas, our hearts center on the scene of Jesus’ birth. It is a scene that has shaped our imaginations, our worship, and our homes for generations.

Luke tells us that the shepherds, having heard the angels’ message, “went with haste” to find Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Christ lying in the manger. 

They encountered God in the most unexpected place, and left glorifying and praising God with full hearts and changed lives. Their story reminds us that God’s love does not wait for perfection but meets us in ordinary places. It is a love that dwells in humble spaces, and invites us to draw near.

On Sunday we will reflect on the Nativity as a symbol of God’s love made visible. Few images speak more deeply to our understanding of Christmas than figures gathered around the manger, the world hushed in wonder, heaven touching earth through a child born for us. We place nativity sets in our homes, we light up lawns with the holy family, and we reenact this story year after year in pageants because it tells us who God is: love embodied, hope revealed, peace born small and vulnerable, and joy shared with the world.

Come to worship on YouTube or in person, ready to stand with the shepherds, to gaze once more into the manger, and to share in the love God has placed at the center of our world. Advent grows short, Christmas draws near, and may Christ’s love find us all.       

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 12/12/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
Isaiah 35:1,2

This Sunday we will continue our Advent journey with the lighting of the Candle of Joy.

Our scripture will come from Isaiah 35:1–10, a beautiful promise that the wilderness will bloom, dry land will rejoice, and weary hearts will be renewed. It is a passage filled with movement, color, and hope. The prophet has a vision of God’s transforming joy breaking into places that once felt barren.

Our main symbol this week is the poinsettia, a flower often associated with Christmas, but also rich with spiritual meaning. According to legend, the poinsettia first bloomed when a child, who had nothing else to give, offered a simple bundle of weeds in love. God transformed that humble gift into something radiant and beautiful.

This week, we will reflect together on what it means to be people who believe that even dry places can flower, even weary souls can sing again, and even small gifts can become something sacred. Joy comes from what we offer, not from what we possess. Joy blooms when we bring our hearts honestly to God.

P.S. Tuesday’s ugly sweater Christmas party was so much fun. Thanks to all of you for your participation and good-hearted willingness to play games and have fun. The random outbreaking of a snowball fight is a memory I will carry with me for a long time!

P.P.S. I also wish to extend an invitation to a Christmas Day Open House that Rev. Trish and I are hosting at our home from 4-7pm. I will have our address and more information in the days ahead!

Many blessings and I look forward to worshipping with you on YouTube and in person on Sunday.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 12/5/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

So (Jesus) came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
–Ephesians 2:17-18

As the season of Advent continues, we gather this Sunday around a powerful and familiar symbol of our faith. The unbroken circle of the Advent Wreath reminds us that God’s love and peace have no beginning and no end. This week, we will reflect on the theme: “Peace that holds us together.” Luke 1:68–79 and Ephesians 2:14–18 will be our core scriptures.

In a world that often feels unsettled and divided, we will pause together and remember that Christ’s peace is a deep, steady peace that surrounds us, binds us together, and restores what is broken. As we light the candle of peace, we will be reminded that God’s presence does not rush or force its way in, but gently encircles us with calm, hope, and healing.

Whether your heart feels steady this week or weighed down with burdens, you are welcome just as you are. Come and be held in the circle of God’s peace. Come and let the light of Christ shine upon, give you peace, and send you forth in love. I look forward to worshipping with you on YouTube or in person.

Also, daily Advent devotionals about our new Chrismons are being sent to your email every morning. Please let me know if you are not receiving them and have an alternate email you would like us to use.

–Brett

Pastor’s Notes 11/28/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
– Isaiah 11:1

A new liturgical year is upon us!

November 30th marks the First Sunday of Advent. Our journey this season will lead us through the symbols of our faith. For many weeks our DWM have been creating Chrismon ornaments to adorn our worship space.

While preparing for our 50th anniversary, a file was found which contained a previous set of Chrismon patterns that were constructed. With the help of the Worship Ministry a small team led by Reva Best, Doris Helvig, and Beverly Bever created a booklet to accompany the new decorations. That set of Chrismons, created in 1988, is gone but the booklet remains.

Every day of this Advent journey, you will receive an email highlighting a different Chrismon symbol. A photo from this season’s ornaments, a description of the symbol, scripture verse, prayer, and a question to ponder will make up the daily email devotional.

It is fitting to use the original description written by Reva Best and The Worship Ministry to lead us into this Advent journey with the symbols of our faith. Many blessings, Happy Thanksgiving, and I look forward to worshipping with you on YouTube or in person this Sunday.

–Brett

THE CHRISMONS

An explanation of the symbols on the Chrismon Tree at the Sun City Christian Church (1988)

The Chrismon Tree originated in the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville, Virginia in 1957. From the beginning, the idea has spread to Christians throughout the world.

Crismon is a combination of two words—CHRIST and MONogram. Hence, a Chrismon is a monogram of Christ.

Chrismons proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ through the use of symbols. Some Chrismons are simple copies of Christianity from its earliest days; others are new explanations of God’s never changing presence in our ever changing world, while others are combinations of several elements, old and new.

All our Chrismons are made in combinations of white and gold—White, the liturgical color for Christmas refers to our Lord’s purity and perfection; God to his majesty and glory. We point to Christ as the light of the World by using tiny white lights on the tree.

Designs will differ in the way that they unite the various elements so that each Chrismon presents its unique message. These symbols are interdenominational and the heritage of all Christians.

We hope these pages will help you understand the truth that the tree proclaims—the story of God’s plan for salvation that, through faith in Jesus Christ, we might all be restored to the Father in a community of love, the Christian Church.

May each of you be blessed with the love and joy and true meaning of Christmas.

–the Worship Ministry (1988 and 2025)

Pastor’s Notes 11/21/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you ay share abundantly in every good work. 
– 2 Corinthians 9:8

As we approach Thanksgiving, we come to the final Sunday in our fall worship series, Living Our Verbs. Over these past weeks, we have explored what it means to be  people who love, serve, pray, and worship.

It feels fitting that “Sharing” is our final verb, because it is the thread that weaves all the others together. When we share our lives, our gratitude, our time, our compassion, and our resources, we embody the heart of Christ. We become living witnesses to God’s love at work among us.

This Sunday, our scripture from 2 Corinthians 9:6–12 invites us into a grace-filled vision of generosity. Paul writes to the church in Corinth as they prepare an offering to support their struggling siblings in Jerusalem. His message is not about guilt, pressure, or meeting a quota. Instead, he reminds the reader that sharing is an act of worship, a response to God’s abundant blessings.

Paul uses simple, earthy imagery: seeds, harvests, sowing, and reaping. When we share with others, the harvest is not merely financial; it is a harvest of gratitude, justice, compassion, and thanksgiving to God.

In a world where scarcity and fear so often dominate the headlines, Paul’s words offer us a different perspective. We live thankfully because everything we have is a gift from God.
We share generously because God first shared generously with us.

This Sunday, we will reflect together on the joy of sharing. We will focus upon how God continues to “multiply our seeds for sowing.” We will also give thanks for the countless ways our lives, stories, faith, and generosity continue to shape our ministry in Sun City.

I look forward to sharing with you on YouTube or in person on Thanksgiving Sunday.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 11/14/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.
–John 4:24

If you grew up in Sunday school, you might remember singing:

“The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,
the church is not a resting place—the church is the people!”

That little song carries a big truth. Worship isn’t about stained glass, pews, or even the sanctuary itself. Worship is about the people. Us. Worship is about those gathered in the Spirit, turning our hearts toward God.

In John 4:21–26, Jesus has a remarkable conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. She asks him where the proper place to worship is, on her people’s mountain or in Jerusalem. Jesus replies that a time is coming (and is already here!) when true worship will no longer depend on location, but on spirit and truth. In other words, worship isn’t about where we stand, but how open our hearts are to God’s presence.

This Sunday we continue our series, “Living Our Verbs” by exploring the word “Worship,” not as a noun, but as an action. Worship is what we do together when we lift our voices, pray, and come to the table. But it’s also what we do when we carry that spirit of truth and love into the world.

Come ready to live your verb and to bring your voice, your story, and your gratitude as we worship together in spirit and truth. Hope to see you on Sunday if not sooner for the big craft fair we are hosting this Saturday!

Brett

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The Lord is near. 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 4:4–7

Remember Bobby McFerrin’s catchy song Don’t Worry, Be Happy? It is almost impossible to listen to this ditty without smiling. Every note of that tune, from the bass line to the whistling, was created using nothing but McFerrin’s own voice. It was the first a cappella song ever to reach number one on the charts, and it carried a simple message that people all over the world needed to hear: don’t let worry steal your joy.

Of course, “don’t worry” is easier said than done. Though it might not hurt to try, most of us can’t just sing our anxieties away. But the Apostle Paul gives us something deeper than a happy tune to hold onto. In Philippians 4  he writes: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Where McFerrin offers a melody, Paul offers a practice: prayer. Through prayer, we turn our worries into words shared with the God who loves us. Prayer keeps our hearts open and connected to the Holy. This connection brings peace beyond understanding and  also leads us to a deeper relationship with one another, as we lift each other in gratitude and care.

This Sunday we will live into our next verb to define Sun City Christian Church, which is pray. We’ll explore how prayer sustains our connection to God and one another. Come ready to rejoice, to pray, and sing songs of praise. I look forward to worshipping with you online or in the sanctuary on Sunday. 

Brett

One of the most visible expressions of our faith: serving

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;”
–Matthew 25:34b

Church family, let me begin with gratitude!

Thank you so much for the clergy appreciation gifts. Your kind words in the card touched me. The love gift is amazing and totally unexpected, and the T-shirt captured my thoughts perfectly! I am the pastor of an awesome congregation, and I can’t wait to see how we put our faith into action next.

This Sunday, we continue our worship series, “Living Our Verbs,” by focusing on one of the most visible expressions of our faith, serving.

It’s fitting that this focus falls on All Saints Sunday, a day when we remember those who have served Christ faithfully before us. There are saints we remember and some we have never known who shaped our congregation and strengthened this church through quiet acts of love and care.

Our scripture comes from Matthew 25:31–40, the separation of the sheep and the goats and more importantly, the compassion that will lead us through the gates one day.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

In this parable, Christ identifies himself with those in need. To serve others is to serve Christ himself. It is a reminder that sainthood isn’t reserved for the few; it’s lived out daily by those who see Christ in the face of another.

On Sunday, we’ll give thanks for the saints who have gone before us, those whose service continues to echo through this community. We’ll also reflect on how we, in our time, can live as saints-in-progress: serving God and others, not for recognition, but out of love.

Brett

Moving from commandment to calling to embodiment

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
–Matthew 22:37-40

Many thanks for your participation last Sunday in working with our Thriving Team to identify the verbs that represent who we are as the living body of Christ. The catered meal was great, and the conversations were thoughtful. All the ideas collected will be used by the Thriving team in the finalizing of our current identity statement, mission, and congregational vision.

I was moved by the blessings you wrote during our final activity. Your words were beautiful and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Not only will they influence the work of the Thriving Team, but we will share them together as spoken benedictions to end our upcoming worship services.

For the next several Sundays we will continue our work of “Living Our Verbs” by highlighting the words that appear most representative of who God is calling us to be right now. This Sunday will center ourselves around loving. Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37-40, and John 13:34-35 will remind us how we are to love.

In Deuteronomy, we are commanded to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.” Jesus later lifts up that same commandment, adding that we are also to love our neighbor as ourselves, declaring that all of God’s law and purpose hang on this. And then, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus takes love one step further: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Through these three texts, we move from commandment to calling to embodiment. Love begins in God, is expressed through us, and becomes visible in our relationships and actions.

As we gather this Sunday, we’ll reflect on how love isn’t just a feeling or a virtue, it is an action that defines who we are and how we live. I look forward to worshipping with you in the sanctuary or on YouTube!  

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 10/17/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’  
– Matthew 28:19-20

This Sunday we’ll be exploring what it means to live the verbs of faith. Our scripture, Matthew 28:16–20, records Jesus’ final words to his disciples and they are words filled with movement: Go… make… baptize… teach… remember.

As preachers Karoline Lewis and Anna Carter Florence remind us, faith is not just what we believe, it’s what we do. The verbs of our lives: how we love, serve, listen, care, and share, become the way God’s story continues in the world through us.

Living the verbs draws us into the energy of our faith story. Focusing on the verbs makes faith a living response rather than a static belief. When we do so, we see ourselves as participants in God’s ongoing story.

Viewing ourselves as an active presence changes how we see church. Instead of defining who we are by what we have (buildings, programs, endowments), we define ourselves by what we do in Christ’s name, love, welcome, serve, pray, grow, forgive, share.

After worship, we’ll gather around tables for a special meal and conversation lead by our Thriving Ministry Team. Together we’ll name the verbs that describe who we are as a congregation and who God is calling us to become. Are we a welcoming, serving, growing, encouraging church? What actions define our shared calling?

Come ready to worship, to move, and to dream together, because the verbs of our faith are still being written in us. I look forward to worshipping with you on YouTube or in the sanctuary this Sunday! 

Brett