Tag: worship

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

Pastor’s Notes 8/1/2025

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

This next year could be exciting in my house as my wife Trish has made a list of 50 things she would like to accomplish before her next birthday (which, if you guessed, is a milestone year). The highlight will be a vacation to discover a location that has been on our bucket list. Along the way, she plans to be intentional about learning new skills, chasing interests, following passions, and reconnecting with friends and loved ones.

I admire my wife so much, and I know her commitment will rub off on me in positive ways as well. There will be opportunities for self-care, reflection, and improvement as we pursue making the most of our time.

Aging gracefully is very much a mindset. The plan with which we approach growing older will impact how successful we feel about our efforts. The sermon theme for this Sunday is “Never Too Old: Courage and Faith are not Bound by Age.”

Joshua 14:6-15 will be the theme story. Caleb was one of the faithful, who helped Moses lead the people in their wilderness wandering. Now at the age of 85 Caleb stakes his claim to the inheritance that was promised to him and his family, and he proclaims his willingness to work to fulfill his end of the deal.

Caleb never gave up his hopes and dreams and invested in what was necessary for his goals to become a reality. Even the younger leader Joshua looked upon the elder Caleb with respect and appreciation. Age doesn’t limit our faithfulness and together, we too can live with faithful purpose, find joy, and leave an impact on others.

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

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 5/10/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
Luke 1:6,7

This coming Sunday is often celebrated as Ascension Sunday. It marks the moment when Jesus physically left this earthly life. The ascension is the defining event between Jesus’ resurrection and the day of Pentecost that sets up the “God will continue to do new things but now through the followers of Jesus who come together as church” movement.

It really was time for Jesus to go. If he was still with them, his followers would rely upon him- the ascension needed to happen. The disciples needed to let go and so did Jesus. It was time for them to claim their identity, to practice what he preached, to be the body of Christ that would extend the love of God beyond borders.           

Jesus needed to trust that his followers did get the message he was trying to live, breathe, and preach. They may not do things exactly like Jesus did, but they would find their way together. The love of God would be shared. Sunday’s tip for living into the resurrection promise on this earth, calls us to let go. Let go of thinking we have it all figured out and make room for God to work in a way that is appropriate for what is next.

“And while he was speaking, he was lifted up and a cloud carried him beyond their sight.” And in that moment the church starts to take shape and days later when the Spirit descends upon them, the church is truly born but this moment of transition was necessary for them to remember and recognize and claim a path that was carved out for them.

I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday live in person, and/or live streaming through our YouTube channel.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes: 7/30/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20-21.

This weekend begins the General Assembly for our denomination. It is the first time the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has gathered together in person in 4 years. 

Over the last several weeks we have studied together the theme, “Kindom of God: within us, among us.” We are not alone in our faithful pursuits. God is present in so many relevant and revealed ways. It is always good to remind ourselves that we are a part of something more than our personal pursuits. (Please welcome Rev. Dr. Bob Howard as he will remind us of this simple truth from the pulpit this Sunday.)

The reign of God is revealed within our communities. For nearly 50 years we have thrived as the body of Christ in Sun City. Because of our denominational identity as ‘people of the chalice’

And the vision of the region to expand our  witness, we were born. 

As Luke wrote, “the kingdom of God is in our midst.” God is here and is using us to be an extension of love, grace, justice, and peace. We are the embodiment of all Jesus came to be and his hope lives on through us.

I invite you to join our greater collective for online worship together as a church. We are a part of something significant and life giving. May the Holy Spirit bind and remind us of this truth as we prayerfully welcome our inclusion together as a Church.

The link to worship is found at this link.

Nightly Schedule:

SATURDAY, JULY 29
Preacher: Cha. Maj. Owen Chandler
Offering: Pension Fund’s 13th Check 

SUNDAY, JULY 30
Preacher: Rev. Yolanda Norton
Offering: Reconciliation Ministry

MONDAY, JULY 31
Preacher: Rev. Dr. David Anderson Hooker
Offering: Week of Compassion 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1
Preacher: Rev. Terri Hord Owens
Offering: Disciples Mission Fund

Pastor’s Notes: 7/7/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

This Sunday, July 9th, we will begin a new chapter in our worship life together. The location for our weekly worship (still at 9:30am) will now be our beautiful chapel for the duration of the summer. Come and join us for an intimate and casual worship experience. The space is more cost-efficient to cool and since Covid is mostly behind us, being in closer proximity together is less of an issue. Many of you have expressed a desire to utilize this amazing space of ours even more, so here is the perfect opportunity.

According to the memorial pamphlet, The Elsie (Peg) Laybourn Memorial Chapel was dedicated in April of 1987 in loving memory of Peg Laybourn who was a faithful member of our congregation when she died in 1983. Peg had a degree in education and faithfully she had a deep commitment to Biblical Study. She had taken part in and taught the ecumenical, Menninger Bible Course (which is now in its 122nd year of existence). Over 14 years, 321 students learned from her. It was her practice to make this statement to each new class she taught.

“This course is designed to make the Bible its own interpreter, to deal with the Biblical facts and not assumptions. Begin with an open mind- be ready to do away with preconceived ideas about what the text says. When you study- read it as if you had never read it before and most of all prayerfully. And early church leader, Alexander Campbell, said it best: ‘Where the Scriptures speak, we speak and where the Scripture is silent, we are silent.’’

Peg Laybourn was a faithful Disciples of Christ leader, and we look forward to spending time together, worshipping God in the sacred space that was dedicated in her memory. This Sunday we will continue to explore the theme “Kin-dom of God: Within Us, Among Us.” The sermon text is Genesis 11:1-9:

The Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Many blessings and I look forward to worshipping with you in Laybourn Chapel throughout the summer.  The chapel is located in the wing closest to Palmeras Drive so parking under the shade in the back, entering through the library door is convenient. We will continue our wonderful fellowship time in Cobbs Hall following worship. 

Brett

Click here to view this Sunday’s bulletin.