Tag: Lent

Sermon 3/26/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Throughout the Old Testament, an “aroma” is mentioned as something pleasing to the Lord, especially those from sacrifices made before the Lord.

The very first mention of God smelling the aroma of a burnt offering is found in Genesis 8:21. Scholars argue that the importance of the aroma is about atonement and the people of God acknowledging sin, more than the smells themselves. God was pleased with the sacrifice and Noah’s honoring God’s righteousness requirement and in return gave the promise to never again destroy the earth and everything upon it with a flood.

In Leviticus 1:9, a pleasing aroma is mentioned in connection with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. It can be argued that here too, that it is the action rather than the actual smoke of the burnt offering that God favors.

The intent behind the offering is what seems to matter most as God desires authentic devotion and acts of love. Jesus demonstrated this shift in understanding that shift our understanding as disciples away from presenting God with burnt offerings and allowing our lives and actions to become the aroma pleasing to God.

Ephesians 5:2 offers what many claim in identifying Jesus death on the cross as the greatest gesture of love imaginable, “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

This Sunday we will conclude our Lenten journey of worshipping through our senses, by highlighting smell. Aromas intended to be pleasing to the Lord will be discovered in Matthew 26:6-13 where a woman anoints Jesus with an expensive jar perfume.

We will explore the ramifications from this story as well as our own faithful actions as disciples of Jesus.

Sermon 3/19/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Oh, the things I have seen,” Mildred said laughingly during her speech at her 90th birthday party. She went on to recount life as a child during the great depression. She spoke of witnessing the world change in the face of wars, manufacturing advancement, technology, climate change, and culture shifts.

She waxed eloquently before shifting her conclusion, “But, there are so many things I have yet to see.” Mildred went on to share her desire to see wars and violence end. To see the divisions of people based upon race, gender, and sexual orientation to cease. To see the love of Christ be shared by people who call themselves Christian.

“I want to see more of Christ in you and in me and I sure hope it won’t take us another 90 years to figure out how,” Mildred said as she sat down to a standing ovation from her family, friends and church community.

This Sunday we celebrate our sense of sight. May we too wrestle with the “Christ-like” things we have yet to see as his faithful followers. In the text for Sunday, Matthew 20:29-34, Jesus heals two blind men who cry out, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Together in worship we explore the things we might see and do together if we lived into a similar request.

Sermon 3/12/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8

I love food.

I love everything about food, especially how it tastes. Before ever entering my mouth, food has tantalized at least two other senses (most likely sight and smell, if not touch and sound). Taste is the last sense to fire when eating and by the time the morsel finally touches my tongue the anticipation is through the roof. Taste is that final, sealing moment that ties everything together to remind me how amazing it is to eat.

Taste is our theme sense for this Sunday. We will set out like the Psalmist to “taste and see” that God is good. We will also challenge ourselves with other words that Jesus has to say about taste in Matthew 16:24-28 as we continue our Lenten journey to the cross with him.

Sermon 3/5/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

We enter into the second Sunday of Lent remembering that we are on a journey of repentance and reconciliation. It is an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. A common goal during Lent is to experience Holy in ways that we might ordinarily miss.

We have all of the tools necessary to recall an already deep relationship with a loving and compassionate God. When we pray through our senses, we enliven memories and experiences that keep us connected to our Creator and the beloved that God has created.

This week we will focus on the sense of hearing. Sounds can move us to instant memory recall or propel us to another place. One of my favorite sounds is the ocean. The rhythmic cascade of the tide coming in and going out has a way of resetting something inside me. Listening to the waves puts me “in sync”.

And so when I read Matthew 13:1-9, 18-26, I can almost hear what is happening behind Jesus when verse 1 tells us that Jesus sat down by the sea and he taught the people parables. I can hear the sea, just by thinking about it.

I can put myself in the crowd listening to Jesus tell stories in ways that they could understand (well, at least have context and awareness of the illustrations he used even if the message didn’t register right away.)

Pastor’s Notes: 2/22/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

We are entering into the season of Lent. Lent is the 40 days, excluding Sundays, from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. It is a time of preparation and an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God. It is a time for personal reflection that prepares people’s hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.

Three important areas of practice for Christians during Lent are prayer, fasting, and giving.

Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting or doing our best to not repeat the same sins over and over. In return we accept God’s mercy and love,  and are changed by it.

Fasting essentially means abstaining from the distractions and things that tend to distract our focus away from our relationship with God. Hence, many adopt a practice of giving up some regular practice in life in order to replace it with a practice that connects us with God more fully.

Giving money or doing something good for others is a way to respond to God’s grace, generosity and love. For example, some people spend time volunteering or donate money they would normally use to buy something, like their morning coffee.

Spending time during Lent praying, fasting and giving can make Jesus’ sacrifice and teachings that more meaningful to us as we approach Holy Week and Easter.

Ash Wednesday service

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

All are welcome to the multi-church Ash Wednesday service at The Church of the Palms UCC, February 22, 5 pm at 14808 N Boswell Blvd, Sun City, AZ.

We’ll be joined by our other sibling congregations: United UCC and Desert Garden UCC.

Our Regional Minister, Rev. Dr. Jay Hartley will be present along with the Southwest Conference UCC’s Transitional Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Toni Hawkins.