The Table: United Church of Christ of La Mesa

Join us for worship this morning 10 am! Pastor Kelly reflects on Romans 8, Reimagining Generosity, and the Spirit of Christ which is incessantly beckoning us and all creation into connection, relationship, and unity. https://youtu.be/SCLGHThrTQU

Join us on YouTube at 6 pm tonight for Evensong! A chance for music and short reflections on healing and renewal. https://youtu.be/dWTrZb1BUNg

As we await the outcome of the Presidential election, perhaps so tired, and with our hearts in our throats, here is a prayer Pastor Kelly shared at Bible study last night, by Slats Toole: O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, hear us and be near us. We come to you on a day when our anxiety has been high for weeks, months, even years. ... We look to this day for answers, for a sense of what the next four years will look like, but we know that the results of this election will continue to be counted for days, perhaps weeks. We look for relief from this ambiguity and know it probably will not come. But you are our relief. You are our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. Refocus us. Remind us of your presence. Help us, even now, to be still and know that you are our God. We pray for the next four years of the life of our country. In the immediate coming days, give us safety and strength. More than anything, keep us moving forward. Tear down the idols we are so fond of trusting--no politician will save us. Salvation comes from you alone, so work through us to bring about your kin-dom. Make us so vibrantly and viscerally aware of you, your goodness, your grace, your love, and your passion for our lives, that we have no choice but to follow you, our guide while troubles last, and our eternal home. Amen.

Tonight from 6-7 pm, we'll virtually gather for Bible Study blended with some time for prayer and grounding on this election evening. We'll reflect together on Psalm 27, a psalm of gratitude for God's refuge and shelter, and our eternal home. If you'd like to join and don't have the link, comment below with your email and I'll send it to you!

Here are the updated beatitudes Pastor Kelly shared in worship on Sunday. She wrote them in January 2017, but they still have resonance now: Blessed are those who feel paralyzed with worry now, for they will find that one next right thing to do. Blessed are those who stand with the targeted, for they will expose and embarrass injustice. ... Blessed are the ones who protest for their convictions, for they will find hope in those standing alongside them. Blessed are those who feel like they're cruising towards burnout, for they will remember that this labor is about breathing as well as pushing. Blessed are those who burn with righteous anger, for they will keep the prophetic fires stoked. Blessed are the tender-hearted, for they will be our emotional leaders. Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for justice, compassion, and humility, for the world is turningand we get to be part of it.

Join us for All Saints' Worship at 10 am today! Featuring a virtual altar of our beloved cloud of witnesses. https://youtu.be/YObgrywCFy4

Worship begins at 10 am today! See you in a few. https://youtu.be/RYaxlGdTEYg

This Sunday, we'll be reflecting on the vision from the prophetic words of Isaiah of beating swords into plowshares. One instance of that vision being realized in our current moment comes from the Oakland organization Lead to Life. You can learn more about their project and work at leadtolife.org. Check out this short video from one of their gatherings, smelting guns into shovels, with which they plant trees in their neighborhood. ... Isaiah's vision does not just break down weapons, it transforms them from means of death to means of life. https://vimeo.com/278336825

Some shots from our physically-distanced Family Camp this weekend. So wonderful to be around each other in person in COVID-safe ways. Much gratitude to those who pulled this together, and to Camp Stevens for their tremendous hospitality. @campstevens #togetherevenwhenapart @ Camp Stevens

Join us for this special hybrid worship service today! Worship was recorded yesterday evening at Family Camp, and edited together for Sunday morning worship. This is another unique way to be in worship together, even when apart. Pastor Kelly preaches on cultivating love and courage in the face of the fears that are so present these days. https://youtu.be/5Q-TohNmTuc

World Communion Sunday worship begins at 10 am today. Pastor Kelly preaches on Jesus' teaching on a grain of wheat that falls to the earth, and how the breaking open and falling apart can also be how growth occurs in our lives. https://youtu.be/OySR3w6Al7A

As followers of Jesus Christ, we unambiguously say white supremacy is a sin. Below is some of Pastor Kelly's column for October's church newsletter Vision and Voice. Worth sharing here, after last night, just to be really clear about where this church stands. ************...Continue reading

Our Rivers and Roads Sermon Series finishes up with Pastor Kelly preaching on Revelation 22:1-5, and envisioning a hopeful future when the odds feel stacked against you. Don't miss a new original song for this series by Mary Hamer! Link for more info about Chicano Park in comments.... https://youtu.be/6ttNUBcUEv8

Centering wisdom from Fr. Richard Rohr amid so much that has us off-kilter these days. "If you will allow, I recommend for your spiritual practice for the next four months that you impose a moratorium on exactly how much news you are subject tohopefully not more than an hour a day of television, social media, internet news, magazine and newspaper commentary, and/or political discussions. It will only tear you apart and pull you into the dualistic world of opinion and counter-opinion, not Divine Truth, which is always found in a bigger place. Instead, I suggest that you use this time for some form of public service, volunteerism, mystical reading from the masters, prayeror, preferably, all of the above."