Faith to Do and Live
Dear Church Family, Friends and Guests,
We're officially deep into the Lenten Season. If you've been following us week-to-week, you may recall that earlier this year we talked about the power of ritual, and tangentially, the importance of remembering. This series borrows from the scriptural record and "remembers" those who have gone before in a way that informs us about our own journey of faith, centered on the person of Jesus. It's His presence with and among us, His life and ministry, His betrayal and death, and ultimately His resurrection and ascension we'll recall as Easter weekend arrives early in April this year.
The biblical text "remembers" as it draws on ancient and very specific genealogies, truncated and redacted stories recalled from an oral tradition that was likely fading, even as these stories were written in text. We might note this "remembering" is never perfect. While there are females mentioned, it's male centric—particularly as the references to women, like Sarah, have to do with providing Abraham a true heir, even though they are both old.
In the current clime of rising numbers of single people, married people choosing to have no children (or one at most), and the very real threat of future population collapse, there's a familiar and ancient, important (if presently disconnected) sense of the importance of progeny and the power of a family's name.
Enoch, the Bible's first missing person story, suggests that Enoch's spiritual journey resulted in translation to heaven without going through death—though it's not an eyewitness to the same. Even so, at the core of it, this chapter isn't about any of this. It's about faith, faith that led people to do and to live.
Today nothing has changed! Faith is still universally applicable. Imagine your own story in this language: "By faith, (your name here) continued to invest in this community, despite the deeply fractured nation, war, corruption, and socially divided times." Or, "By faith, in an era of intolerance and violence against immigrants, (insert your name here) came to this country and sought sanctuary and opportunity in the hopes of a building a better life." It's amazing how this frames your story, right?
On a related note, our Art Ministries team, led by Mae and Michael, have put together another exhibit for us that will run through April. As with last year’s two-month show, it's a community collaboration with Alice Corona and Studio 526, only this time the memories take the form of memorial. Studio 526 has lost artists this past year or so. Burbank and Hollywood Adventist Churches have both lost members and friends of the church this past year too. So I'm excited to see, participate with, and experience this visual and public way to remember and to grieve our collective and personal losses. The fabric of our present church will look different as threads are pulled and new ones woven in. I think you'll find themes evolving in this exhibit until it closes. I hope you'll engage with it!
Please pray for our church, for Hollywood communities, the City and County of Los Angeles, and for our state, nation, and world. Pray for our leadership team as they team-build and seek ways to build a deeper sense of safety in this sacred community we so love over this weekend. Pray that as we interact with our new art exhibit focused on remembering, God will help us through our own pains and losses. Pray for faith, that you and all of us may be found among the faithful.
As always, it's so good to have you with us!
Grace and Peace,
Pr Greg