This Week in Worship—Meeting in Person!!

We are welcoming Rev. Jeanne back from sabbatical this week in worship. We will be celebrating in person at the William Cann Neighborhood Park in Union City. The theme of the service is "Going Forward, Renewed." This will be a time to begin sharing with Rev. Jeanne some of what you have been up to while she was away, as we reflect on what the Summer of Renewal has meant for us. Kristina will be leading the service. This is also a time to celebrate and say goodbye to Rev. Kathy — it will be fun and a little bittersweet. After the service, we will be sharing lunch together.

In Gratitude for our Summer of Renewal

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

Our Summer of Renewal is winding down, and I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you for making this such a positive experience. As I mentioned last Sunday, I have seen the Spirit moving through you during this time. It has been evident in the Sunday services, in your sharing, and in the way things have flowed. It has been a time of renewal for me as well, as I have enjoyed working with everyone and have tried some new things. Interestingly, since our theme is "What Makes Your Heart Sing," one of the new things for me was discovering songs and vocalists — I had a lot of fun picking many of the prelude and interlude pieces for worship. Another new thing was the Summer Renewal Group; I hadn't tried that format before, and it turned out to be very meaningful. I am so grateful for your support this summer.

As Jackie often says, "It takes a village." Much of this summer's success is thanks to the preparation completed before it began. I am deeply grateful for all the work that went into planning worship participation: to Rev. Jeanne for her input on guest preachers; to Kristina for following up with them throughout the summer; to Laurie for recruiting worship participants; and to Steve for organizing the list of available hymns and music. Rev. Jeanne also sent me a detailed explanation of each part of the service, which was very helpful. I am grateful to all of you who participated in worship throughout the summer. Special thanks to Jennifer, Steve, and Jackie, who led during the sermon time. Also, thanks to Steve for his instruction and patience in helping me with music sharing, and for sharing the music during service, and to Kirk, who filled in when Steve was away. And it was a joy to work with Jackie each week on the Order of Worship — I am always so impressed with the way she finds graphics and pictures to match the message in each part of the service.

It was great working with the Council; Kristina was able to keep us all on task. And it was so helpful meeting with the Pastoral Relations Committee — I really appreciated Kristina, Laurie, and Jackie making the time to meet with me. I also enjoyed being able to participate in the Healing Circle and Lunch Bunch during the summer — I am very grateful to Steve and Roz for keeping those groups running. Throughout the summer, everyone has been open to helping me and responding to questions. It was great to work with Ashley on the Updates and some technical questions. She was such a trooper this summer, as she was on the road for most of it. No matter where she was, she was there on most Sundays to host our Zoom services. She met with the Tech Team from all over the East Coast, from her son's camp, and from a variety of coffee shops. We did increase the Updates schedule a little this summer, and she handled it without a glitch. I know she also did a lot of social media work that, frankly, I'm not that knowledgeable about, which kept our online followers engaged.

I hope that you all found this to be a time of renewal for yourselves as well. Please remember to fill out the survey that was sent out earlier this week, as this information will be helpful in planning what comes next.

I wish you all the best in your journey ahead. I know that you have many resources in your community and trust that you will continue to make renewal part of your rhythm in the time ahead. Blessings to all of you.

This Coming Sunday

Sunday, Rev. Kathy will be preaching on the familiar story of the woman at the well. Jesus tells her and us that he can provide "living water" so that we will not thirst. Of course, there are times that we feel spiritually thirsty. As the Psalmist says, "As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1-2a). How do we access that living water that Jesus also tells us flows from our hearts? We will be looking at water as a symbol of renewal, as the source of what makes our hearts sing. We are about to enter the final week of our renewal summer, which provides us with an opportunity to look back and reflect on what we have experienced and heard over the summer.

Read the story here, and join us Sunday to talk about it.

'Tis a Gift to Be Simple

The farmer, author and poet Wendell Berry passed away this past week at the age of 92. Mr. Berry was an intriguing man. He was a prolific author, having written a number of both fiction and nonfiction books along with over 25 books of poetry. He lived on a farm in Kentucky, and his work often explored the benefits of a simple, land-centered life, which is how he lived most of the time, balancing his farming life with his teaching life at the University of Kentucky. He was an advocate for small farmers and the environment and spoke out against agribusiness and the economy that supported it. In 2011, President Barack Obama presented him with a National Humanities Medal.

I became acquainted with Wendell Berry through his poetry. For years he wrote a series of Sabbath poems that grew out of his practice of walking and paying attention to the natural world. We are going to be reading one of his poems this coming Sunday in worship, The Peace of Wild Things. When I first began attending Circle of Trust groups twenty years ago, one of my favorite poems was The Wild Geese. It includes the closing lines "And we pray, not for new earth or heaven, but to be quiet in heart, and in eye clear. What we need is here." (Full poem is below.)

What we need is here. It is so true and yet so easily forgotten in our consumer culture. But it is how Wendell Berry lived his life. One of the things I find most amazing is that he wrote most of his books in a cabin in Kentucky, by hand and candlelight when light was needed. His wife typed his finished manuscripts on a standard typewriter. He refused to have a computer and did not own a television set. He could have lived anywhere, but in 1964 he and his wife bought a 125-acre farm and started raising sheep, corn and grain crops. The farm he bought was next to his childhood home, which is where he and his wife lived.

Mr. Berry said that returning to the land was a way to ensure he was bound to the truth: "It made a permanent connection between me and my native place," he said. "The landscape was there to check me if I was wrong. I could never go away and make up stuff at cocktail parties about the backwoods of Kentucky. I worked with people here in all walks of life and learned from them. It's been a very rich experience."

What we need is here. We know this. We know that we are fortunate in having safe homes, plenty of food for our tables, solid friendships and strong faiths. I am grateful for the abundance in my life, and other times I struggle to really trust that what I need is here. I confess that before starting this sabbatical fill-in position, I went a little crazy buying books. Now, I have plenty of books. I have a library cart filled with Bibles and commentaries and books from my seminary days. I have poetry books and inspirational essay books. Still, I felt I "needed" more: another few commentaries, some books on spirituality and nature, some books on the dangers of Christian Nationalism, some books on possible Bible studies, some books on staying hopeful in challenging times… some more books. And yes, I did use some of them, and yes, most of them are sitting on the shelf, unopened or merely glanced at.

What we need is here. Wendell Berry is not really talking about material things; he is talking about our emotional needs and our connections with one another. Still, the focus on acquiring more can take our attention away from paying attention to those more important connections in our lives. There is that Shaker song, 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple; its opening line is: "Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free." The more we have, the more energy we expend taking care of it. This means that sometimes we miss the beauty and connections that surround us.

The good news is that we can always stop, pause and notice. We can laugh at ourselves and forgive ourselves for sometimes going a little overboard (speaking for myself here). Yes, there is more and more darkness in our world. And at the same time, what we need is here. Let's remember that.

In gratitude for our shared ministry.

The Wild Geese
by Wendell Berry

Horseback on Sunday morning,
harvest over, we taste persimmon
and wild grape, sharp sweet
of summer’s end. In time’s maze
over fall fields, we name names
that went west from here, names
that rest on graves. We open
a persimmon seed to find the tree
that stands in promise,
pale, in the seed’s marrow.
Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear,
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye
clear. What we need is here.

Why Giving Feels So Good

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

This week I was the recipient of an unexpected gift, which brought a spark of joy into my day. One of the great things about giving is that it is a joyful experience for both parties—the giver and the receiver. It is fun to be able to give a gift, to know that you are making someone happy. And, of course, it is also great to receive a gift. This got me to thinking about both giving and the many gifts that come our way all the time.

Gifts come to us in many forms: physical gifts, emotional support, compassion and forgiveness. This week several of us received the gift of hospitality and connection as we met for Lunch Bunch. We shared our time, attention and stories as we gathered around the table together. Having opportunities to share strengthens our communal ties and lifts our spirits.

I began to wonder why giving feels so good. Scientists suggest that this has to do with our brain chemistry, which releases chemicals associated with pleasure and happiness. They even call it a "helper's high." Research also shows that giving improves our physical health. Studies show that generosity can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and even increase longevity. It appears that our biological system is designed to support giving.

I am currently reading a book called Restoring the Kinship Worldview: Indigenous Voices Introduce 28 Precepts for Rebalancing Life on Planet Earth. The book is a series of dialogues with Indigenous leaders in various fields about the differences in the world view between the dominant Western paradigm and Indigenous beliefs. One of the themes running throughout the book is that Indigenous perspectives grow from a deep connection with the natural world. One of the chapters in the book is about generosity. The authors note that "Giving and receiving emulate the central animating dynamic of life itself."

In general, our culture views generosity as a virtue; it is a good thing to do. For the most part, we tend to give from our abundance: I have enough money to live on so I can donate to causes I care about; I am heading that way so I can give you a ride. We enjoy being generous. While all of this is good, in an Indigenous worldview it would likely be considered the tip of the iceberg. They see generosity as a way of life; it is ingrained into their culture. They give from a sense that it is just part of living. One example of this is that if you were visiting someone and admired one of their possessions, they would probably give it to you.

In many tribal cultures, giving things away is a way of life, one that creates powerful social bonds. And yes, it is not easy; it involves sacrifice. Generosity comes in many forms. To be patient, to listen, to share a smile, a joke or even a tear are powerful gifts. Martin Brokenleg from the Lakota society notes, "The highest expression of courage is generosity, such as when children learned to show compassion for others and to give a higher priority to relationships rather than possessions." In these cultures, sharing is just what is done. It is not about how much you have or don't have; all is to be shared.

While the culture that surrounds us may not value compassion and generosity in the same way as Indigenous cultures, we still have a biological makeup that rewards us when we are generous. It releases those chemicals that make us feel good. And as faithful in people we know the value in sharing and giving. We know that sharing with one another strengthens the bonds of our community. We experience this every Sunday as we come together for worship, sharing our thoughts, our joys and concerns. We have been experiencing this throughout our Summer of Renewal as we have heard a diversity of voices from those leading worship reminding us that our commitment to caring for the world is connected to our commitment to ourselves.

It is interesting to reflect that one of the foundational aspects of our religion is hospitality: welcoming the stranger and sharing what one has with another. We heard about this last Sunday as Rev. Dr. Torgerson talked about the directive in Deuteronomy (15:11): "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land." Rev. Torgerson also talked with us about sharing what we can in the moment. The gift that "Petra" brought to anoint Jesus was valuable and she gave it away with an open heart. May we continue to show this level of generosity in our world, after all, it is the natural way.

Words of Wisdom from St. Mary Magdalene

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

Yesterday, while scrolling through Substack, I came across an article by Jennifer Butler. Its message was not to let the chaos in our country make us angry, but to focus instead on what we can do. Butler described an experience she had a few years ago in Oxford, England. She was meeting with a group of religious leaders strategizing about how to counter Christian Nationalism. One afternoon, when she was feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, she went for a walk and found a church named for Saint Mary Magdalen. In the church was a statue of Mary holding a jar for anointing. It was a reminder that Mary was the first witness to the resurrection—she showed up even amid her fear to do what she could: anoint the body of Jesus. What she found was the risen Christ.

While in the chapel, Jennifer said that the image that came to her was "water." She writes: "Water does not stop to despair over a boulder in a stream. It moves over it, around it, and—given enough time—through it. Water does not need to pretend the boulder is not there. It simply refuses to let the boulder determine where the journey ends. … It is easy in a moment like ours to freeze—to stare endlessly at the boulder or retreat into an upper room. But if we become like water, we can keep moving. We can do the next faithful thing."

The common myth about Mary is that she was a prostitute, but there is no evidence of this, and the Catholic Church officially affirmed this in 1969. In fact, Mary is known as the Apostle to the Apostles. Scholars believe that she held a leadership position in the early church. There is also a non-canonical gospel attributed to her—the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. The full gospel was never found, only fragments of it. I realized I had a copy sitting on my bookshelf and was inspired to find it. Here is a reading from it:

"Attachment to matter gives rise to passion against nature. Thus trouble arises in the whole body; this is why I tell you: 'Be in harmony…' If you are out of balance, take inspiration from manifestations of your true nature. Those who have ears, let them hear."

The opening verse invites us not to get attached to things, or to outcomes. The concept of detachment is difficult to grasp because it seems to mean not caring about anything. In fact, detachment is more about realizing what we are not in control of, rather than manipulating a situation or trying to influence an outcome. One definition of detachment is "loving deeply without needing to possess, control, or cling." Instead, we can focus on what we can do, be like water, and do the next faithful thing.

Another invitation in the text is to "take inspiration from manifestations of your true nature." That is also a little difficult to grasp, but I think it is about reconnecting with ourselves, with what we value, and with the Holy within. I am reminded of the meditation that Steve Holly led this past Sunday, connecting with the "kingdom of God within." I think Mary is inviting us to focus on the gifts we have received from God: the talents, abilities, and perspectives that help us feel joyful—the things that make our hearts sing—and to take inspiration from those things.

We have a choice: freely loving and acting faithfully, or being controlled by fear, attachment, and resentment. If we let ourselves be like water, we can keep moving, keep flowing, and keep sharing. In her article, Jennifer Butler suggests that "the stone is not always rolled away at once. Sometimes it moves one determined inch at a time. But it is moving." She says, "Mary Magdalene did not arrive at the tomb carrying a strategic plan for transforming the Roman Empire. She carried a jar of ointment. She went to perform the next faithful act available to her."

May we all be like water. May we remember what gives our lives meaning. May we celebrate the gift that we are, and find our next faithful act.

This Coming Sunday

This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Marvin Lance Wiser will be in the pulpit. He will be speaking to us about Sabbath. He says, "In the Bible, God consecrated not a place first, but time." Our culture values staying busy, striving for more, and being all you can be. It may seem incongruous to dedicate time to rest and renewal, but one of the commandments asks us to do just that. Rev. Wiser will discuss how Jesus embodied rest and how we can integrate this practice into our daily lives. His sermon title is "The Rhythm, Not the Reward."

Rev. Dr. Marvin Lance Wiser serves as Senior Minister and Executive Director at Eden United Church of Christ in Cherryland, CA, where he leads a vibrant, bilingual congregation deeply engaged in community-based ministry, migrant empowerment, and faith-rooted justice work. Pastor Marvin also teaches at Berkeley School of Theology and lives in the Eden Area with his bicultural, intergenerational family. He is also a coffee roaster who enjoys travel and jazz, and holds a deep appreciation for Mexican culture and cuisine. In 2024, he and Eden Church received the Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Grant.

This Coming Sunday

This Sunday, our own Steve Holly will be in the pulpit. He will be doing a meditation on getting closer to the Divine that dwells within each of us. He says:

If we are God’s creations, this life is a gift of love from the Creator.  Each breath taken is a renewal of that Divine love deserving of thanks for the blessing it is.  Let this gift, the breath, lead us into our bodies to set aside the thoughts of our minds and get closer to the internal Divine spark that animates our lives, the source of calm, peace, and joy, on which we can call at any time. 

Steve will be using a text from Luke reminding us that  “the kingdom of God is within you” and a poem by Rumi. 

As you know Steve leads a monthly Healing Circle group and is a Reiki practitioner. He has been very involved with our summer renewal services, organizing and playing much of the music as well as serving as liturgist. This Sunday, he will be inviting us to reflect on the Holy within and to let go of our thoughts that we are not capable or talented enough. (Note that the Joseph poem reflects this theme as well—yet another visible example of the Spirit moving with us). 

Be sure to be there on Sunday.

No Bad Child

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

The last time I wrote to you, I was talking about Artificial Intelligence; this time I want to talk about Native Intelligence.

I was watching a YouTube documentary by Tommy McGee. He was talking with people inside what has been called the most violent Native American reservation. It was a sobering situation with many of the young men in gangs, rampant drug abuse, broken down neighborhoods and violence. Tommy was interviewing one of the Lakota Native American Elders who said: “There’s not a bad child, there’s just one who hasn’t been reached.”

What a wise and powerful statement! I wish it was the motto of our country. I am always impressed by how connected Native elders are with wisdom and with nature. In this case, they were able to see through all the devastation to the core of the issue: We need ways to reach those on the borders, those we call outcast, those who feel hopeless.

I am particularly sensitive to this issue having read many of the stories of people killed by ICE, those who were shot for essentially no reason and the many more in detention centers where their medical issues were overlooked or ignored.

This week one of the lectionary readings is the familiar story of Joseph—of the “many colored coat” fame. At least that is the story I heard in Sunday School. Yes, his brothers take his coat and throw him in the well, but it all works out in the end. It is a story of how God keeps working in our lives and it is also a sobering and brutal story. 

Steve Garnaas-Holmes, a pastor, musician and poet sends a poem out every day.  And this week he wrote one about the Jospeh story in it are these lines: (full poem below)

The one we would dismiss,
the one we would be done with,
is our sibling.

Yes, our hearts are breaking from the violence and hate and plain meanness we see all around us. And yes, we know we are called to find ways to reach those we might call “other.” It feels overwhelming, and so we pause and breathe and pray.  One thing we can do is to be kind to those we encounter each day. 

This week, I also noticed that the National United Church of Christ is supporting a movement called the United States of Kindness campaign. The concept is simple: To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, do 250 acts of kindness. There are ways to sign up and share online—or we can also just do it!  Let’s be inspired to do what we can to share kindness and compassion in our world.

There is much to grieve in our world, but remember, There’s not a bad child, there’s just one that has not been reached.

In gratitude for this community,
Rev. Kathy

Joseph

The saga of Joseph and his brothers
is not just about an ancient family.
They are us.

The one we would dismiss,
the one we would be done with,
is our sibling.

The enslavers are never the good guys.
The one sold, the one enslaved,
is the story's hero.

                   •

And within: where is my Joseph,
the excellence I'm afraid of,
the grace I seek to banish?

I may sell it away, but it will prevail,
first shame and then tame me,
and save me in the end.

by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

August Observances

Playfulness and humor are essential to renewal.  Below is a list of celebrations for each day of August.  May the list encourage you to find joy, love, and outreach within "ordinary living" which is how the Holy One radiates through us!

Some August Observances

• August 1: National Mountain Climbing Day, Homemade Pie Day, National Water Balloon Day

• August 2: Dinosaurs Day, Sandcastle Day 

• August 3: National Watermelon Day, National Friendship Day

• August 4: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, Assistance Dog Day, 

• August 5: Blogger Day

• August 6: National Root Beer Float Day, Wiggle Your Toes Day, Farmworker Appreciation Day

• August 7: National Lighthouse Day, National Raspberries and Cream Day

• August 8: International Cat Day, International Infinity Day, National Pickleball Day

• August 9: Book Lovers Day, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Garage Sale Day

• August 10: Smithsonian Day, National S’mores Day, World Lion Day

• August 11: Play in the Sand Day, National Face Mask Day, National Hip Hop Day

• August 12: International Youth Day, National Middle Child Day, National Vinyl Record Day, World Elephant Day

• August 13: International Left-Handers Day, World Calligraphy Day

• August 14: Love Your Bookshop Day, World Lizard Day

• August 15: National Failures Day, Chant at the Moon Day, National Relaxation Day, National Lemon Meringue Pie Day, National Back to School Prep Day,

• August 16: Tell a Joke Day, National Roller Coaster Day, National Authenticity Day, National Hawaiian Shirt Day, National Bratwurst Day, World Honey Bee Day* (third Saturday)

• August 17: National Black Cat Appreciation Day, National Nonprofit Day, National Thrift Shop Day

• August 18: Helium Discovery Day, National Couple's Day, National Fajita Day,

  National Ice Cream Pie Day

• August 19: World Photography Day, Orville Wright's Birthday, National Aviation Day, World Humanitarian Day, International Orangutan Day

• August 20: Virtual Worlds Day, National Lemonade Day, National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

• August 21: Poet's Day, National Spumoni Day, National Senior Citizens Day

• August 22: National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, National Tooth Fairy Day 

• August 23: Ride the Wind Day, National Sponge Cake Day, Buttered Corn Day,  Hug Your Sweetheart Day, National Cuban Sandwich Day

• August 24: Strange Music Day, National Waffle Day, National Peach Pie Day

• August 25: National Banana Split Day, National Park Service Day, National Secondhand Wardrobe Day

• August 26: National Dog Day, National Women's Equality Day

• August 27: National Just Because Day, World Rock Paper Scissors Day

• August 28: National Red Wine Day, National Bow Tie Day, National Cherry Turnover Day

• August 29: Individual Rights Day, National Chop Suey Day, More Herbs, Less Salt Day

• August 30: National Beach Day, National Toasted Marshmallow Day, International Whale Shark Day

• August 31: National Trail Mix Day, Eat Outside Day, World Distance Learning 

This Being Human

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

I spent a few of my early childhood years in Hazelwood, Missouri.  We moved to California when I was 9 and one of the things that I remembered about being from Missouri was that it was the “show me State.” I took great pride in this—it was a way of saying “you can’t fool me.”  I was probably reacting to being the “new kid in the class.”  But it was something that stuck with me—I never wanted to be gullible or be fooled or taken advantage of.  I am sure that we all feel that way.  I thought that as I got older and wiser, it would be easier, but these days it is a challenge to find accurate information, especially with the sophistication that artificial intelligence brings to the table.  It can even create a video that claims not to be AI.

There are many concerns about AI:  the jobs it will eliminate; the impact of data centers on a community’s water supply; the reliability of the information it provides—these are just a few.  A few months ago, I was in a restaurant and the people at the table next to me were talking about using one of the AI programs.  It provided some information that the person knew was inaccurate, so they typed that into the program and the response—“I was just fooling you to see if you would notice.”  “Yikes” was what I was thinking—how can you trust that?  It is a question that we will be grappling with for quite a while.

I have been wanting to write about AI, but it is overwhelming, so here are a few things to begin the conversation.

In May, Pope Leo issued his first Papal encyclical which was focused on safeguarding humanity in the age of artificial intelligence.  It is titled “Magnifica Humanitas” or “Magnificent Humanity.”  I have only read about it, but it outlines many of the concerns and impacts that AI will have on people.  He makes several specific recommendations and talks about the need for us to retain our humanity, in the best sense of that word.  He said:

“Humanity— in all its grandeur and woundedness— must never be replaced or surpassed. We can embrace the technological progress that alleviates suffering and unlocks new possibilities, provided that we do not abandon the very essence of our humanity, namely the capacity for relationship and love.”

A couple days ago I saw a post from Krista Tippet, the host of On Being.  She had recently attended a conference entitled, “Trust in the Age of AI.”  One of the realizations she took away from that conference was “we humans will no longer be the most intelligent force on the planet.” She went onto talk about how AI is not just a tool but has “agency”—aspects of it are unfolding in ways that are mysterious to even its makers.  She suggests that in response, we, as humanity are being called to rise to our “most mature selves.”

When I first read this, my heart sank, because we are far from that now.  One of the points Tippet makes is that we have been focused on “survival of the fittest.”  She says: “We have not tended to the whole nature of reality which is becoming even more demonstrable in this age: a web of interactivity, entanglement, and mutual dependency. What if our technologies are calling us to nothing less than a greater understanding of the deepest meaning and purpose of human intelligence?”

This message of our interconnectedness with one another and the natural world has been a consistent theme in the messages we have been hearing on Sunday mornings.  We have talked about: our connection with nature; the ways in which we can reduce stress; our ability to maintain vision and stay hopeful in difficult times; conversation as a metaphor of connectedness; the importance of supporting one another; the language of everyday inspiration. And the conversations continue.

Yes, AI is a big and complicated topic that will be garnering more and more of our attention in the years ahead.  Yes, we will need to learn more about it and at the same time, we know that our call is to keep sharing the themes we have been hearing and to focus on being the best humans we can be.  Stay hopeful, stay connected.

Coming This Sunday: Finding Inspiration

This Sunday, our own Jackie Frietas will be preaching.  You may know that among her many talents, Jackie is a poet and this Sunday she will be sharing a few of her poems with us.  The theme of the service is “Inspiration is Everywhere.”  Jackie will be sharing some of the ways she finds inspiration and encouraging us to consider what we find inspiring.  As she says:  “Life needs inspiration along the way as we journey through various experiences.”  One of the texts she will be using talks about God kindling a light in our hearts.  Allowing that light, or inspiration, to shine through us reveals the glory of God.

Speaking of being inspired, I was inspired to share this post by Carrie Newcomer that was inspired by a picture she saw on a fence in Florida:

Carrie shared a story about a young boy who drew a picture of his mom. She explained that often kids tend to go through stages in their drawings of people.  One of those stages she calls the “blobby-guy” phase, (like the drawing in the photo above.)  The boy she was talking with had drawn a picture of his mom in that style: a blobby middle, stick legs and arms and long hair. She asked him about the picture and he began to tell her about his mother and he began talking about all the things she did for him, make his lunches, comb his hair, work in the garden and then his eyes lit up and he said with excitement, “My mom has fingers” and drew some stick fingers on his picture.

Carrie says:

“What a beautiful moment of wonder and realization. How exciting to see him notice and register something that he hadn't really thought about much— his marvelous mother, who did all kinds of amazing, clever, caring things—had marvelous fingers. Maybe that is why I often comment to people I meet on something I find extraordinary about them or something I really appreciated about how they were interacting with me. I guess I just like to be with the person I am encountering. I love to notice what is marvelous about them because there is always something marvelous about every single person I meet. It is nice to let a person know they are appreciated and it creates in me an ongoing feeling of wonder and revelation— kind of like that little boy who became so alive when he noticed something and then drew his mother's beautiful fingers on his blobby-mom picture.”

When we discover things, when we notice the beauty that is always there, when we pay attention to the moment, that light of God awakens within us.  Carrie reminds us that the good is there, we just need to look for it and to be grateful for the marvelous people in our lives. 

Be sure to join us this Sunday, and if you missed last Sunday, be sure to check out Rev. Gaffney’s sermon from last week where he talked about the challenges we face in seeing the good in others.

This Sunday: Rev. Paul Gaffney on "This Being Human"

The Rev. Paul Gaffney is the Program Manager of the Shaw Chaplaincy Institute of San Francisco Theological Seminary at the University of Redlands. Born and raised in western PA, the son of a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Paul received his BA from Hiram College, where he majored in Sociology/Anthropology and minored in Music. In 2004, he graduated from SFTS with a Master of Divinity degree, and in 2005, Paul became the sole chaplain of the Marin Interfaith Street Chaplaincy, providing emotional and spiritual support to people living outside and in transition.

He will preach on the interconnectedness of being human.

Spirituality, at its core, is about embodiment – honoring the fullness of our humanity, recognizing our interconnectedness with all things, and striving to live together in mutual relation.

For over 15 years, Paul worked with the Street Community in San Rafael and the wider Marin County as a chaplain both with the Marin Interfaith Street Chaplaincy and with the Ritter Center. Paul became the first Shaw Chaplaincy Fellow in the Certified Educator Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and he is currently an ACPE Certified Educator. Paul was ordained into Christian Ministry by the Northern California/Nevada Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Lafayette Christian Church on June 4, 2006. Rev. Gaffney also is a lay-ordained student of Taigen Leighton in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. Paul is married to his wife Annie, a preschool director, and they live in San Rafael, CA with their two rambunctious kittens Maggie and Stella.

Join us for Sunday worship at 10:30am PT on Zoom.

Summer Renewal Group: Listening to Our Hearts

Beginning on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:30 you are invited to join in breathing together, moving together, listening together and sharing together.  We will be combining gentle Chi Gung movements with listening to and reflecting on poetry.  All the Chi Gung movements we will be doing can be done seated or standing.  In addition, if you have limited space or mobility, the movements can be modified to accommodate that.  As my Tai Chi instructor said the important thing is using your attention and intention.

Each group will reflect on a different poem. The poems we will be using will be sent out in advance so that you can print them out before the meeting if you would like to. The group will last for about an hour.  You can attend all the sessions or just a few. More details about the flow of each session and Chi Gung are below.

In our first session we will be doing a special Chi Gung movement celebrating July’s new moon.   In Chinese philosophy new moons are good times for beginnings.  The Lunar New Year begins on a new moon. This July new Moon is in Cancer which emphasizes home, family and nurturing relationships.  Cancer’s energy encourages trusting your feelings and emotional healing. We will also be looking at a poem by Judy Brown called Our Music and closing with a song by Carrie Newcomer entitled Singing in the Dark.

Meeting time and dates: 5:30—6:30pm, Tuesdays, July 14—August 11, 5 sessions

Log into UCH Zoom site to join:       Meeting ID: 424 325 0026

                                                            Passcode: weloveUCH

The Flow of each Session

Opening:  Chi Gung movement.  These are slow simple exercises designed to turn your attention inward to your breath.  They can be done seated or standing.

Listening:  We will use a Lectio Divina approach to listening to a poem.  This is a spiritual practice of listening to a reading, often scripture, several times paying attention to what resonates with you.  We will be using poems from a variety of poets whose themes focus on paying attention to our hearts, accepting what is and celebrating our gifts.

Reflection & Sharing:  There will be time to reflect silently and conversationally with the group.  Sharing will be by invitation, sharing what you want to about what is speaking to your heart.

Closing:  We will close by listening to a song on chant.

What is Chi Gung (also spelled Qigong)? 

In Chinese Chi or Qi means life force or vital energy.  It is a central concept of Chinese philosophy and medicine.  Chi circulates through our bodies and through all life.  Gung or gong means skill, practice or achievement.  When you put the two words together it means “energy work” or “energy practice”—the practice of connecting with and moving the life energy through our bodies.

There are many different styles and versions of Chi Gung. Some are focused on healing the body, others on meditation, others on developing strength for martial arts. We will be exploring styles focused on meditation and healing.  Each week we will do something a little different.  All movements can be done seated.

How are you conversing with God?

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

This past Sunday my sermon centered on how the word “Logos” is translated in the opening of John’s gospel.  We have heard it as “Word” but some scholars suggest “Conversation” would be more accurate.  To be fair, it is daunting to capture God’s incarnation into human form with a single word. Still, I am drawn to the idea that God is in conversation with all of life. After all we are interconnected and interdependent.

Which raises the questions: 

• How do you converse with the Holy?

• If God speaks through all creation, what are you hearing?

When I was younger, I wished that God would talk to me as God does people in the Bible, speaking directly to Abraham and to Moses, sending angels to Mary and those shepherds in the field.  As I got older, I began to understand that God was speaking to me through other people, and through my experiences.  I began to pay attention to synchronistic events—what some might call coincidences.  So, on Tuesday this week I was in a group where we were looking at a poem that opens with these lines:

He said
our music
looks for us.
That which
is our essential
gift, our work,
hungers for us
as much as we for it.

 As I listened to the poem, I was struck by the line that our essential gift hungers for us as much as we hunger for it.  I thought, this is an invitation into conversation. Conversing between the voices “out there” and internally in me.  And I remembered that when I went to seminary, they highlighted a quote from Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  It is easy to think of this as receiving a revelation about what you want your life’s work to be, but I think it is also an ongoing, maybe even daily conversation, what is calling to me and how is my heart responding?   

I would love to hear from you about your conversations with the Holy and the things that make your heart sing.  (By the way, if you want to hear the whole poem come to the Tuesday Renewal Group where we will be exploring it.)

July at United Church of Hayward’s Summer of Renewal

We are having a great summer at UCH. So far, we’ve had a demonstration of “tapping” from Jennifer P. and thought-provoking sermons from Rev. Dr. Monica Cross, Rev. Rhina Ramos, and our sabbatical minister, Rev. Kathy Cramer. We look forward to welcoming Rev. Paul Gaffney as our guest preacher on July 12, our own Jackie F. on July 19, and Rev. Melissa Tumaneng, Northern California Nevada Conference Associate Minister, on July 26. We hope you can join us for any or all of these Sundays.

Rev. Kathy will also start a five-week Zoom group on Tuesday, July 14, at 5:30 pm. Join us for Qigong and experiencing poetry using Lectio Divina. It promises to be an uplifting and meditative experience, so hopefully you can join the group.

This Sunday: Rev. Rhina Ramos on Abundant Grace

We are so glad to welcome Rev. Rhina Ramos to the UCH pulpit this Sunday, June 28.

Rhina is someone who has lived the sermon before she preaches it. Before entering ministry, she practiced labor law on Long Island, recovering owed wages for immigrant workers — the kind of on-the-ground, unglamorous justice work that doesn't make headlines but changes lives. She went on to become a local pastor and church planter of Ministerio Latino, and she currently serves as Associate Conference Minister for our own Northern California Nevada Conference of the UCC.

She's also the author of In My Heart, a Volcano — a memoir about life as an immigrant and queer woman — and if that title doesn't make you want to hear what she has to say on Sunday, we don't know what will.

This week's theme is "the perseverance that gives way to hope," and Rev. Rhina will be preaching on Romans 5:1-8 — Paul's insistence that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Her sermon is titled "Abundant Grace."

You are warmly welcome to join us Sunday as we receive what she brings. We gather on Zoom, with fellowship at 10am PT, and worship at 10:30am PT.

Summer Renewal Group: Listening to Our Hearts

I am offering another way for us to gather during our Renewal Summer.  It will be a group focused on listening to: our bodies; our hearts and one another.  We will be using movement, poetry and music. It will be a time for listening deeply to ourselves and one another.

We will begin with gentle Chi Gung movements—slow, simple exercises that can be done standing or seated.  These exercises are designed to turn our attention inward to our center and breath.

We will then read a poem together in the style of Lectio Divina, an ancient spiritual practice that invites conversation with the Holy.

We will close by listening to music. The group will meet for about an hour.

There is nothing to prepare in advance and you are welcome to come for all the sessions or just a few. In Chinese tradition, new moons are good times for beginning, so we will begin on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:30 pm

Meeting time and dates: 5:30—6:30pm, Tuesday, July 14—August 11 (5 sessions)

Yes, there is reason to hope!

by Rev. Kathy Cramer

I confess that I am a bit of what I will call a click-aholic.  I sign up for Zoom workshops that are recorded so you can watch them later and subscribe to newsletters from people and organizations that I like.  All of which then puts me on other lists of other interesting organizations (and some I could care less about), and my inbox becomes unmanageable.  There is no way that I could actually read or watch all of the things that I subscribe to and I often go for weeks without looking at any of it, but once in awhile my eye catches something that captures my attention.  It happened this morning when I noticed a post from Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation.  This is part of what it said:

Organizer and activist Mariame Kaba reflects on hope as a discipline. 

For me, hope doesn’t preclude feeling sadness or frustration or anger or any other emotion that makes total sense. Hope isn’t an emotion, you know? Hope is not optimism….

The idea of hope being a discipline is something I heard from a nun many years ago who was talking about it in conjunction with making sure we were of the world and in the world, [not focused on the afterlife but the here and now]…The hope that she was talking about was this grounded hope that was practiced every day….

I bowed down to that. I heard that many years ago, and then I felt the sense of, “Oh my God. That speaks to me as a philosophy of living, that hope is a discipline and that we have to practice it every single day.” Because in the world we live in, it’s easy to feel a sense of hopelessness, that everything is all bad all the time, that nothing is going to change ever…. I understand why people feel that way. I just choose differently. I choose to think a different way, and I choose to act in a different way. I choose to trust people until they prove themselves untrustworthy.

I take a long view, understanding full well that I’m just a tiny, little part of a story that already has a huge antecedent and has something that is going to come after that. I’m definitely not going to be even close to around for seeing the end of it. That also puts me in the right frame of mind: that … [what] I’m doing is actually pretty insignificant in world history, but if it’s significant to one or two people, I feel good about that….

When I read this, I reflected on a question that was asked in our service last week, “What can I do?” There are certainly things that we all can do in these difficult times:  write letters; make phone calls; contribute to organizations, stay informed.  As was also shared last Sunday we can do small and caring things for the people around us.  And, of course, we can pray. 

I also believe that staying hopeful is “doing something.”  One of the other posts that I stumbled upon this week was from a Juneteenth sermon delivered by Dr. Lauranett Lee.  She was preaching on the mustard seed text and talked about seeds being planted during the horrendous years of slavery, she said:  “And yet—within that system of oppression, seeds were planted.  Hidden seeds. Seeds of faith.  Seed of resistance and resilience.  Seeds of prayer and possibility.  Seeds of family and a future life in freedom. Seeds of hope.”

Yes, it is true, that there is much to grieve these days, things that break our hearts every day, and the good news is that we can still plant seeds of hope—who knows when or how they may sprout.  But it begins with the planting and that is something we can do now.

Sharing opportunity for July 5 Worship Service: Beauty in Nature

As you know, this year America is celebrating 250 years of independence. Some of you may feel like it should be a day of mourning, rather than celebration. At the same time, it is an opportunity to reflect on what we value and to look at our roots.

In the recent copy of Smithsonian magazine the Smithsonian Secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch II recounts going to the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration. In an essay for the festival program anthropologist Margaret Mead responded to those who criticized celebrating in the aftermath of a recession, the Vietnam War and the resignation of a disgraced president. She wrote: “It is quite true that we are living through difficult times, but life does not stop for difficult times,” Noting the parallels to a 19th century America still divided by the Civil War and in the midst of a worldwide recession, she went onto write “The celebration of our 100th anniversary as a nation also took place in a time of trouble, but taking pride was a good thing we gained strength and looked to the future.”  Bunch adds: “It is more urgent than ever for us to remember that the nation was formed by resilience and shaped by those who believed in its highest ideals.”

Since spending time in nature makes our hearts sing and is one of the ways that we connect to the Holy, you are invited to share a photo of your favorite National Park or wilderness area on that Sunday.  You can share it as your Zoom background and/or add it to the Kitchen Wall (by emailing Ashley).