Tag: Disciples of Christ

Pastor’s Notes 7/31/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
–Matthew 11:29

Our “Fruit of the Spirt” for Sunday is one of those words that can’t help but be said with an intonation that defines the word.

“Gentleness.”

Anytime we say gentle or gentleness we tend to do so as though we are instructing a toddler who is petting a bunny or chick for the first time… “Gently.” There is a special care and concern that is generated with gentleness.

But gentleness is also a deceptive little gift of the Spirit. The wrong way to interpret gentleness is to understand it as submissive, weak, passive, or subservient.

In worship on Sunday, we will look at three passages of scripture to better help us understand what Jesus and the Holy Spirit have in mind for gentleness: Matthew 11:28-30, John 10:14-18, John 21:15-17.

Jesus declares himself to be gentle and humble of heart. He also refers to himself as the good shepherd. Two hymns we will sing Sunday, “Gentle Shepherd,” and “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us,” identify a certain fragility and care needed when dealing with God’s people.

There is quite a chasm of understanding between a Savior who welcomes children and blesses them or speaks of rescuing a lost sheep stuck in a thicket with a Jesus who curses the fig tree or turns the tables in the temple.

Gentleness is not docile. When dealing with Peter in John 21, he repeats himself 3 ways, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” There must be something more to the act of serving otherwise why would Jesus repeat himself. Our delivery matters, how we love, is important and the fruit of gentleness will remind us of this on Sunday as we worship in the chapel or on YouTube.

Brett

Arizona Disciples WomenFall Retreat

Posted on by Wende Gonzales
Rev. Kelley Dick of Saguaro Christian Church in Tucson is the keynote speaker!

Friday, September 11 – Sunday, September 13

Chapel Rock Conference Center, Prescott

Registration is open! Click here and register! 
 
Enjoy worship, workshops, games, delicious food, singing, meeting friends new and old, nature, a raffle, service projects, and Pastor Kelley’s keynote!

This year’s retreat service project is gathering new/gently used children’s books to distribute throughout Arizona.

There will be a gift card raffle, too.

Sunday’s offering will support the organization Hope Walks, which provides colorfully painted braces to help babies born with club feet recover. (Participants in one of the Saturday workshops will paint some braces, too.)

Register now!

Pastor’s Notes 7/24/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
–Jonah 1:1-3

The next theme in our series is “Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness.” Our question of the day will be: What does faithfulness mean to you? How are you faithful?

If we were to ask the prophet Jonah what it means to be faithful, he would roll his eyes, sigh, and encourage us to read all 4 chapters of his Old Testament book. And as our weekly Bible study group learned, there is more to faith than sitting in the belly of a big fish while reminiscing upon our beliefs and actions.

At the end of the day, Jonah might describe faithfulness as learning to love who and what God loves. And apparently that includes enemies and happenings outside of our personal bubbles.

Jonah would also say faithfulness means accepting that mercy is not just a personal gift. Jonah was all in favor of God’s mercy, for Jonah… But when God showed grace to Nineveh, that was pushing it.

Through sharing all of Jonah’s story Sunday we will better understand faithfulness in deeper ways. Holiness begins with paying attention. Storms reveal more than they punish. God’s grace is always bigger than our boundaries.

I look forward to worshipping with you on YouTube or in the Chapel this Sunday!

Brett

First fruits.

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said: I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. Everyone else gave what they didn’t need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had.
–Mark 12:43-44

First fruits.

When the first sheaves of grain ripened or the first grapes appeared on the vine, Israel was instructed to bring the first of the harvest as an offering to God. This wasn’t because God needed their produce. It was because the people needed to remember where every blessing had come from. It was a way of saying, “God, we trust you with what comes next.” It was a gesture about gratitude, belief, and placing God first in every season of life.

So when we skip ahead to Mark 12:41-44 to go with our theme “Fruit of the Spirit: Generosity,” the story is quite compelling. Surrounded by wealthy donors making impressive contributions, Jesus notices a widow who quietly places two small coins into the treasury. Her gift is tiny by every measurable standard, yet Jesus says she has given more than anyone else because her offering came from trust rather than surplus.

The point is not that God desires poverty or self-sacrifice. Rather, Jesus reveals that generosity is measured by love and faith, not by numbers on a ledger. She offers what she can because her life already belongs to God.

As we continue discovering the Fruit of the Spirit, we’ll see that generosity is much bigger than finances. It is generosity with our encouragement, our forgiveness, our patience, our hospitality, our time, our listening, and our compassion. It is choosing abundance over scarcity, believing there is enough grace to share because God has first been generous with us.

I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube this Sunday.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 6/19/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. –James 5:7

I have a confession to make: both my patience and my gardening skills are, shall we say, works in progress. In fact, my lack of gardening expertise may be one of the reasons my patience for gardening is even worse. When I put a seed in the ground, I want results. Preferably by tomorrow.

Of course, that isn’t how gardens work. Growth takes time. Seeds need the right conditions. Good soil matters. Water is critical. Sunlight needs to be managed. Even when I have done my part in these areas, much of the work happens beneath the surface where we cannot see it.

Yet there is something deeply rewarding about slowing down long enough to pay attention. To breathe in the surroundings. To notice what is happening around us. A gardener learns to recognize good soil from bad, to adjust to changing conditions, and to respond to what the moment requires rather than forcing things to happen on a predetermined timetable.

This Sunday we will explore Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15) alongside the Fruit of the Spirit of Patience. While patience is often understood as simply waiting, biblical patience is much more than passive endurance. It is the ability to remain present, attentive, and faithful while God is at work in ways we cannot yet see.

When we can pause, even for a moment, before reacting, we become better equipped to respond with wisdom instead of impulse, compassion instead of frustration, and love instead of fear. Patience creates space for us to discern what the situation before us truly needs.

Like the sower scattering seed, we do not always control where our efforts land or how quickly growth appears. But we can cultivate hearts that are open to God’s work and trust that growth often happens long before we can see the results.

I look forward to worshiping with you as together we consider what it means to become good soil for God’s love and to cultivate the patient spirit that bears lasting fruit.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 6/12/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace.
–Luke 10:5-6

Social courtesies have always come more naturally to my wife than me. It is a wonder that I every get invited anywhere, Trish is always the one who is mindful that we must offer a small gift upon entering someone’s home.

That practice emerged in ancient societies where hospitality was sacred. Travel was dangerous. Strangers could either threaten the peace of a household or strengthen the bonds of community. So, gifts became symbols of trust and mutual care. To offer a blessing when entering a home was to say, “May goodness dwell here. May this place know safety, rest, and wholeness.”

That gives fresh meaning to Jesus’ instruction in Luke 10. As the disciples go from town to town, Jesus tells them: “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’” The word underneath that greeting is shalom. It is a peace that is not simply the absence of conflict, but deep well-being, harmony, justice, healing, and right relationship. Jesus tells them to enter each home bearing peace as their gift.

And then comes the curious line: “If anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.”

Jesus seems to understand something about the vulnerability of offering peace. Not every home will welcome it. Not every heart will receive it. Not every community will choose reconciliation, compassion, or grace. Yet Jesus tells the disciples not to fear that rejection.

Today, we live in a world where peace often feels fragile. We extend kindness and sometimes receive suspicion. We offer welcome and sometimes encounter resistance. We work for reconciliation and sometimes discover division runs deep. Yet Jesus reminds us that our responsibility is not controlling the outcome. Our calling is simply to keep showing up as bearers of peace.

That may be one of the clearest ways we live as ambassadors for Christ, as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians. We become people who carry peace into the spaces we inhabit. We practice hospitality. We widen the table. We create belonging. We refuse to let cynicism or hostility have the final word.

And even when peace is rejected, we do not lose ourselves in the process. The peace of Christ returns to us, steadies us, and sends us onward again. I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday as we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit and reflect upon the gift of Peace.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 6/5/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
–Luke 15:7

There is a familiar story about a little girl walking along a beach after a storm. Thousands of starfish had washed ashore, scattered across the sand. One by one, she hurriedly picked up those around her and tossed them back into the sea.

An older passerby stopped and watched for a moment before saying, “Why are you doing this? There are far too many. You can’t possibly save them all. What difference does it make?”

The little girl bent down, picked up another starfish, and gently threw it back into the water.

“It matters to this one.”

Some versions of the story say others nearby began to notice too. Instead of dismissing the effort as too small or insignificant, they joined in. And together, they made a difference.

This Sunday we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit with a focus on joy. In Luke 15, Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves behind ninety-nine sheep to search for one that is lost. And when the sheep is found, there is rejoicing. Joy. Celebration. Not because of some grand victory witnessed by the world, but because one mattered.

It is easy to assume joy only belongs to the mountaintop moments of big celebrations, major accomplishments, and extraordinary days. But the joy of the Spirit often appears in smaller places: daily kindness, faithful presence, gentle encouragement, helping one person, growing one more day, bearing one piece of good fruit.

In Luke chapter 6, Jesus also reminds us that good trees bear good fruit. Sometimes simply growing fruit should be enough. Sometimes the quiet work of becoming who God created us to be is already something holy and beautiful.

I look forward to worshipping with you in the Chapel or on YouTube this Sunday as we celebrate the little joys of each of us.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 5/29/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
–Galatians 5:22-23

Do you notice that little phrase above that leads us into Galatians 5:22?

“By contrast…”

It is such a simple transition phrase, and we seem to experience it much more than we spell it out with the turn the phrase in a sentence. Sometimes life feels like a long series of contrasts and contradictions: fear and courage, loneliness and connection, bitterness and grace, death and resurrection.

Paul uses that phrase after describing the ways people and communities can unravel when life becomes centered only on self-interest, division, anger, rivalry, or endless consumption. He speaks candidly about the kinds of behaviors and attitudes that slowly erode relationships and leave people wounded and disconnected from one another.

And then comes the turn: “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

This Sunday we will spend time reflecting not only the contrast Paul saw in the churches of Galatia, but the contrasts we recognize in our own lives, relationships, communities, and world. What does it mean to nurture the kinds of things that bring life instead of diminishing it? How do we become people shaped more by the Spirit than by fear, resentment, or self-protection?

I look forward to worshipping with you in the Chapel at 9:30 this Sunday, or on YouTube as we consider together the fruit God longs to grow among us.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 5/22/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
–Acts 2:1-3

Last Sunday, Luke’s gospel narrated for us Jesus’ ascension from earth. This Sunday, in the book of Acts, Luke leads us alongside the apostles back to Jerusalem. Fifty days after the Passover comes Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit filled the early followers of Jesus with courage, connection, and new life.

Our scripture selection from Acts 2:1–6, 14–17, and 37–43 reminds us that Pentecost was more than a dramatic moment of wind and fire. It was the birth of a Spirit-filled community shaped by worship, generosity, compassion, and shared life together. It  is a day we honor as the birthday of the church (don’t forget to wear red!)

In a fragmented and anxious world, Pentecost reminds us that the Spirit still creates understanding across differences, still connects people in community, and still calls the church to share Christ’s blessing in the world.  

I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday or on YouTube as we celebrate the ongoing movement of the Holy Spirit among us. This will be our last Sunday in the sanctuary until this fall. Starting on May 31, worship will be in the chapel at our normal time of 9:30 am.

Brett 

Pastor’s Notes 5/15/2026

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God. 
–Luke 24:50-53

This Sunday we come to the final week in our series on the endings of the Gospels, and the transition to Pentecost. We have listened closely to how each Gospel writer tells the resurrection story differently.

Mark leaves us standing in uncertainty and tension, with frightened disciples and an empty tomb that asks what we will do next. Matthew turns our eyes outward toward mission and discipleship. John slows everything down around a breakfast fire on the beach, reminding us that resurrection is often experienced through relationship, restoration, and love.

And now Luke.

Luke’s Gospel ends with Jesus lifting his hands in blessing as the disciples watch him ascend. But instead of sorrow, the disciples return to Jerusalem filled with joy. That detail matters to Luke. The story of Jesus does not end in despair or absence. It opens into worship, hope, and a calling that is just beginning.

What makes Luke especially interesting is that he tells the ascension story twice. Once at the end of the Gospel, and again at the beginning of Acts. In the Gospel, the ascension feels like the closing scene of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In Acts, the same moment becomes the opening scene for the Spirit moving through ordinary people. The focus shifts from what Jesus began to what the followers of Jesus are now called to continue.

While the events in Luke 24 seem to happen in one day, Acts follows the arc of the other gospels in identifying the time between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension as 40 days. It is helpful to think about it like a cliffhanger television show season finale (remember the old “who shot JR” season of Dallas).

The writers touched back into the same moment, but with a new purpose and perspective. Luke seems to do something very similar. The Gospel brings Jesus’ earthly ministry to its theological climax, while Acts reopens the scene, highlighting different details, to tell the story of the church.

Maybe that is part of the gift of Ascension Sunday for us too. We are reminded that faith is not only about looking back at what Jesus once did. It is also about recognizing how the Spirit is still moving through people willing to carry blessing, healing, mercy, and hope into the world today.

I look forward to worshiping with you Sunday in the sanctuary or on YouTube as we bring this meaningful series to a close, and perhaps discover together that the story is still unfolding.

Brett