“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”
~John 3:8-10


How do we speak of a mystery? Nicodemus does not comprehend. Do we? Perhaps it is better to say that the mystery of God, this three-in-one dance apprehends us—like an expansive vista stretched out before us or a helpless infant curled in our arms—drawing us in, harmonizing our lives with creation, our neighbor, or the tasks we are compelled to do, impossible as they are.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

If you have prayers you would like to share, please do so here. These will be shared by email to our St Andrew prayer list so that we pray for what you hold by name. This information is not shared online in a searchable form.

We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. If you are not yet able to join us, thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings. ​

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting...
~Acts 2:2


In these pandemic days when we might reflexively measure a “violent wind” in terms of viral loads, we are grateful beyond words for another image. And what an image!—to join together after such a long absence, and on Pentecost of all days! Fire in our bones and bellies, hope in our hearts at the thought of being together again. The birthing of something new.

There is a danger, of course, that in our return, nostalgia douses the fire that has illumined our current moment with its systems of oppression for some and privilege for others. It is entirely possible that our joy may not be made complete in justice. We have chosen this Sisyphean way before of talk but not real action. Pray, therefore, for something explosive and new. Give yourself to fresh breezes that air out our toxic stagnation and circulate the kind of justice that leads to peace for all of us. 

We are worshipping again in person. If you can't join us, you can watch the service in real-time 10:00am Sunday morning (PST) or view it upon completion by clicking this link. You can also just click on the graphic to the left.

If you have prayers you would like to share, please do so here. These will be shared by email to our St Andrew prayer list so that we pray for what you hold by name. This information is not shared online in a searchable form.

We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. If you are not yet able to join us, thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings. ​

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.
~John 17:15


As we make our way to Pentecost (and a return to worship together in-person!) we are mindful that this gospel did not begin with us. We do not own it. Indeed, we are grateful recipients of a religious fervor and expansive love birthed in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

That we too are called sons and daughters of God is astonishing. It should birth in us extraordinary gratitude and humility, which is, after all, the posture of faith.

On this last Sunday of online worship, enter in with gratitude and grace. Enter into worship.

You can watch all of this Sunday's worship service in a series of linked videos, one after the other, by clicking this link. Just press the button that says "PLAY ALL" and lean in to worship. You can also just click on the graphic to the left.

If you have prayers you would like to share, please do so here. These will be shared by email to our St Andrew prayer list so that we pray for what you hold by name. This information is not shared online in a searchable form.

We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. Thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings. ​

The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles…
~Acts 10:43
 
“It’s funny,” writes Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, “how the nature of an object—let’s say a strawberry or a pair of socks—is so changed by the way it has come into your hands, as a gift or as a commodity. The pair of wool socks that I buy at the store, red and gray striped, are warm and cozy. I might feel grateful for the sheep that made the wool and the worker who ran the knitting machine. I hope so. But I have no inherent obligation to those socks as a commodity, as private property. There is no bond beyond the politely exchanged “thank yous” with the clerk. I have paid for them and our reciprocity ended the minute I handed her the money. The exchange ends once parity has been established, an equal exchange. They become my property. I don’t write a thank-you note to JCPenney.”
 
Gifts, she explains, create ongoing relationships. Were those same socks knitted by her grandmother and given as a gift, she would not only write a thank-you note, but take care of them, wear them when she visits, even if she didn’t like them. She would make her a gift in return on her birthday. “That is the fundamental nature of gifts: they move, and their value increases with their passage.”
 
Jesus says to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” Our human relationships are transformed by our choice of perspective. Their values increase as we enter into more deeply into the invitation of Gospel; our joy is made complete.

You can watch all of this Sunday's worship service in a series of linked videos, one after the other, by clicking this link. Just press the button that says "PLAY ALL" and lean in to worship. You can also just click on the graphic to the left.

If you have prayers you would like to share, please do so here. These will be shared by email to our St Andrew prayer list so that we pray for what you hold by name. This information is not shared online in a searchable form.

We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. Thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings. ​

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
~1 John 4:8
 
Christ Jesus is the true vine…and we are the branches. We are the branches. How easy it is to get this backwards! We spend our days being busy and productive, occupying ourselves with good works, putting ourselves back into the center of the story. We are the branches. And there are other branches.
 
Truthfully, we are later grafts, to the vine. We have more in common with the Eunuch of Acts 8 than Philip the deacon, one of the first to proclaim the Good News outside of Jerusalem. But for the love of God, our lives would be fruitless. But for the life-giving Spirit abiding with us, we would be without hope.
 
Though vine nor fig tree neither
 their longed-for fruit should bear,
 though all the fields should wither,
 nor flocks nor herds be there,
 yet God the same abiding,
 his praise shall tune my voice;
 for while in him confiding,
 I cannot but rejoice.

You can watch all of this Sunday's worship service in a series of linked videos, one after the other, by clicking this link. Just press the button that says "PLAY ALL" and lean in to worship. You can also just click on the graphic to the left.

If you have prayers you would like to share, please do so here. These will be shared by email to our St Andrew prayer list so that we pray for what you hold by name. This information is not shared online in a searchable form.

We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. Thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings. ​