Our Deacons
Dear Pali Pres,
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of joining Pastor Grace and our amazing church Deacons at their annual Deacon Retreat (held at the lovely Bel-Air Bay Club—what a treat!). It was a meaningful time of fellowship, spiritual reflection, and planning for the future of our Deacon Board here at Pali Pres.
As the old saying goes, the only constant is change. With that in mind, I’m pleased to report that our Deacons, under the great leadership of Pastor Grace and Joanna Darvish, have prayerfully discerned how the Holy Spirit is leading them to reimagine some of their ministries to better meet the changing needs of our congregation. You will hear more about the exciting changes our Deacons are planning for their ministry in 2024 and beyond on Deacon Sunday, which will be April 14. Stay tuned!
All this being said, it is so comforting to know that the role of Deacons will not change. Going back to the early church, Deacons have been known as people of love and warm sympathies. The Deacons carry out a service of witness and compassion in the example of Jesus Christ. For anyone who has ever served as a Deacon, or been served by a Deacon, you know that this is indeed a vital ministry to all who are in need, be they sick, lonely, or in emotional, spiritual, or physical distress.
It brings me great joy to know our church is ministered to by such servants of the Lord. Please join me in thanking them and praying for them!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
[From left to right]: Bruce and Vidda Brough, Joanna Darvish (Deacon Clerk), Pastor Matt, Staci Mitchel, Jan Gong, Jan Larson, Joan Kaczorowski, Brendan Kim, Linda Grant, Pastor Grace, Correne Gichuru, Lore Meline, Evelyn Moyer, Marie-Anne Helgeson
God's Love Will Prevail
Dear Beloveds,
A couple weeks ago, we heard of the tragic death of Alexei Navalny, who was a political prisoner in Russia and an outspoken activist. This devastating news powerfully and poignantly reminded us, once again, of the brokenness of our world. Navalny worked toward a cause for which he deeply believed, sought to speak the truth he felt in his heart, and pursued the hope of a different future for his country. He was an example of courage, and a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit.
His death, to me, symbolized a stark example of injustice for the entire world, and we continue to witness oppression and suffering around the world each day. In the light of all the injustice that we see, and when we face such dark news, it can be easy to become discouraged, feel overwhelmed and disheartened. His life, as well as his death, remind us that our world desperately needs justice and those who will speak for it. It is hard to see hope for a better future for our humanity in such times when we hear bad news in the world. But I am convinced that in our darkest hours, we must try to find hope, even when things look so bleak.
We are in a time of mourning and grief in a way, during this Lenten season. We remember the suffering of Jesus and the pain that He endured during these 40 days. His teachings remind us that even in the midst of great pain and suffering, there is the sweet promise of redemption and renewal. As believers and seekers, it is through our faith in God's love and mercy that we can somehow find a glimpse of hope and a way to persevere when things look the worst.
As we look toward Easter Sunday, as we walk in these dark 40 days, we can be reminded that we are on a journey of transformation, and we are called to be changed each day to be made more like Christ; to walk humbly to love mercy, and to seek justice for those who are powerless.
On Ash Wednesday, I was honored to be able to attend noontime mass at Corpus Christi, our neighboring Catholic church in the Palisades. Father Kidney reminded everyone present that there are three things to remember during Lent: to pray, to fast, and to give alms. Part of the way that we can enact these three things during the Lenten season is to continue to lift everything up in prayer; he explained that fasting can mean to give something up in your life to sacrifice, and to give alms means to think of other people, and I believe it can also mean to take action for the oppressed.
May God lead us during this time, and may we hold tight to the knowledge that this is God’s world, and that God’s love will prevail.
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
The Next Time You Pick Up Your Bible...
Dear Pali Pres,
Exactly 569 years ago today, February 23, 1455, something happened that would change the world forever. That is the date that Johannes Gutenberg printed the first Bible using his invention, the printing press. Up until then, every copy of the Bible had to be painstakingly copied out by hand. Artisans in China had been printing books for hundreds of years by that point, but that was not the case in Europe. The Gutenberg Bible (as it came to be known) was nearly 1,300 pages long and was printed on calfskin parchment.
There are many obvious advantages to having books printed instead of copied by hand. The simple fact that the Bible could be mass produced and shared among the larger population was itself a world changing development. However, many scholars and historians agree that without the printing press there likely may not have been the Protestant Reformation (at least not as we know it). In just a few decades after the first Bible was printed, Martin Luther would use the printing press to spread his “95 Theses” throughout numerous parts of Europe. Luther also translated the New Testament into German and sold an astounding (at the time) 5,000 copies in just two weeks. Luther really was the world’s first best-selling author!
Although Luther was not the first theologian to question the Catholic Church, he was the first one who was able to widely publish his message because of Gutenberg’s press. Others who questioned the principles and practices of the Church had their movements easily quashed by authorities because so few copies of their writings were in circulation. But the timing of Luther’s “reformation” was perfectly aligned with the new technology available to him. As Luther once famously said, “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one.”
Just a little something to think about the next time you pick up a book, especially the Bible!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
Lent: Deepening Our Relationship With God
Dear Pali Pres Family,
This past Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, Christians all over the world entered the holy season of Lent. This season is a long-standing tradition of the church, a special time set aside for spiritual preparation in advance of Easter. With our focus being on deepening our relationship with God, we, as followers of Christ, are called to simpler living, reflection, and prayer.
Throughout the next six weeks, Pastor Grace and I will be preaching on Lenten themes and our worship services will reflect the holy and preparatory nature of this season.
That being said, I encourage you to not limit your Lenten spiritual formation to our time together on Sundays. I urge you to think about what you will be seeking after in these 40 days leading up to Easter. How is God calling you to deepen your relationship with him?
I know I’ve shared this with you before, but one helpful exercise that I practice each Lent is to take two pieces of paper, and prayerfully do the following:
· One the first piece of paper, I write down something I want to refrain from because I know it hurts my relationship with God.
· On the second piece of paper, I write down a practice, a devotion, or a new habit that I will commit myself to that will give me joy in my walk of faith.
· Then, I post these pieces of paper in a place where I will see them frequently and be reminded of my Lenten commitments.
I share this practice with you as a possible way for you to deepen your relationship with God during Lent. However you journey through this season, I pray it is one of deep meaning for you as we all look forward to the joy and resurrection power of Easter.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
Black History Month
Dear Pali Pres,
February is Black History Month, a time set aside to celebrate black men and women who made significant contributions in American and world history. This month is an important reminder that our diversity is a gift from God; as it says in the very first chapter of the Bible, we are all made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1: 26). Black History Month is also a valuable time for us to recommit ourselves to the pursuit of racial equality and the end to racial discrimination and racism. This is an ongoing challenge, but one that is worth all our efforts and prayers as sisters and brothers in Christ.
In that spirit, I share with you a wonderful prayer from Rev. Demanya Kofi Akoussah, who is a pastor in the United Church of Canada. Originally from Togo in West Africa, Pastor Akoussah crafted this prayer based on texts from Isaiah, Genesis, and the Song of Solomon. It certainly spoke to my heart, and I hope it speaks to yours too. Let us pray…
It pleases me greatly to know that I am made of soil
and in the end will return to dust.
So why should I be worried
by the contempt of those who pay no heed to this truth
when they insult and discriminate against me
because of the colour of my skin?
Can the potter be ordered about by the pot,
or the clay instruct the artisan kneading it
into a chosen form?
O, my God, how can I not praise you?
I give thanks to you, my Creator,
for you have made me with intelligence and wisdom,
and I am proud to have been created Black.
I thank you, Lord, for my sister, who you made so beautiful,
her skin polished by the sun.
To paraphrase the Song of Songs,
I thank you, O God, for having made us diverse,
for giving humanity such wonderful harmony,
just as many different flowers together create a garden’s beauty.
Lord, I pray for those who harbour hatred for people of colour.
Heal them of their ignorance
that they might realize the vanity of their lives.
For whatever they may be today,
we all shall return to dust.
Lord, empower us to be wise and humble
so that we may love one another
as you have loved us and come to have true LIFE. Amen!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
Welcome Aboard, Mary Fish!
Dear Pali Pres Family,
Well, it finally happened. My wonderful and beautiful wife, a proud Canadian to the core, decided that being married to an American, having two American sons, and calling America home for the past 10+ years was simply not enough. When it came to embracing her love of the good ol’ US of A, only citizenship would do! Thus, after a great deal of prayer and completing a pile of paperwork (and, of course, paying a hefty application fee), Mary officially began the process of going from being a permanent US Resident and Green Card holder to becoming a proud US Citizen.
It all started months ago when she submitted her application and loads of accompanying documentation. Then, a few weeks ago, she received a letter from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (under the Department of Homeland Security) to appear for her naturalization interview. This past Tuesday, January 30th, Mary made her way to the US Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and that’s when things got real!
After a one-on-one interview, Mary successfully passed the required test on American history and civics (I won’t tell you her score, but trust me…almost all of us would miss at least a few of the questions). After swearing an oath of allegiance to the United States it was official: Mary Fish was an American Citizen!
I could not be prouder of my wife, who considers this the single greatest moment of her life (ok, so that might be an exaggeration on my part, but she still considers this in her top 10, at least).
Congratulations Mary! Enjoy voting and jury duty, my dear!
Pastor Matt
Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!
Dear Pali Pres,
Not too long ago I was flipping through the channels and was lucky enough to catch a good portion of the 1984 classic Amadeus on television. It had been a long time since I had seen it and forgot how compelling it is (the film won a slew of awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture). The story, the acting, and (of course) the music make it such an enjoyable and engaging movie.
Watching Amadeus again made me lament how little I know about music, especially classical music. I’ve never been confused for a music aficionado; Mary or Pierre or Anthony will definitely confirm this! However, I do love and appreciate good music when I hear it and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart certainly qualifies.
Tomorrow, January 27, is Mozart’s birthday. He was born in present-day Austria in 1756 and although he only lived to be 35 years old, many consider Mozart’s musical works to be divine. After seeing him perform, the great French philosopher and writer Voltaire is said to have remarked that he had at last seen a miracle. Likewise, the renowned Swiss theologian Karl Barth once wrote, “It may be that when the angels go about their task of praising God, they play only Bach. I am sure, however, that when they are together en famille, they play Mozart — and that then, too, our dear Lord listens with special pleasure.”
Perhaps you too have a passionate love of Mozart, or (like me) are simply moved by his music though you don’t know exactly what to listen for. Either way, I am sure we can all feel thankful for the remarkable, larger-than-life people who have graced this world and contributed something extraordinarily beautiful along the way.
Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
PS—I can’t help but include here one of my favorite scenes from Amadeus.
Out of Love for His Sister
Dear Beloveds,
On Sunday night, my four adult children gathered for dinner in New York City. They sent me a photo of themselves after dinner, and it made my heart so happy to see them all together.
I wake up each morning feeling so blessed to be their mother; they have made me a better person and have taught me so much. I treasure each and every one of them for who they are and what joy they bring to the table.
The one thing that am so grateful for is the love and appreciation they have for one another. Each so different, they bring out the “good” in one another in such different ways. To hear them laugh with one another is one of the happiest sounds that reach my ears as a mother.
I wanted to share with you a memory I had of my two eldest children, Elijah and Hannah, when they were in middle school. As some of you know, our children were raised with music. Each of them studied the piano and also a string instrument, with some flute, guitar, and drums thrown in here and there. Our house was always filled with the sounds of music floating through the air, and we were forever driving to music competitions, national theory exams, recitals, and countless performances.
I recalled one competition where all four of our kids were in, and Elijah and Hannah happened to be competing in the same category. His teacher was extremely confident that he would win that day; his piece was advanced, he had played it with an orchestra, knew it backwards and forwards and played it flawlessly. His teacher was bragging to the other teachers about how well he played the difficult piece. Hannah was a little nervous about her piece, but she was prepared.
The time came to compete, and Hannah was up first. Her nerves got the best of her, and she stumbled a bit in the piece, but she lost her momentum and began to stumble through other places of her music. You could see her face at the piano had turned red, and then ashen white out of embarrassment. After she finished her piece, she returned to her assigned seat completely shaken with her head hung low, ready to cry.
Then it was Elijah’s turn to play; he sat down at the piano and began. It was beautiful—and then, strangely, his fingers began to skip over the notes in the most unusual way, and he too started to stumble. He finished his piece, stood up to bow, but I saw his face had a little grin on it---- odd, for someone who had made silly mistakes on a piece he knew so well.
After the competition was over, all the students gathered together in a group to huddle and to talk with their teachers. Another teacher came to me and said, “What happened to your son today? We thought he was the sure winner!” I walked over to the kids’ circle and saw Hannah and Elijah talking to each other. Hannah was saying, “I don’t know what happened, I just got so thrown when I made the first mistake, and then, it all fell apart!” and Elijah laughed and comforted her and remarked, “Oh, I know! Isn’t it funny? The same thing happened to me, and I just blew my entire piece! Oh well! No trophies for us this time around!” and they had a great laugh together, hugged, and shook it off. I could see Hannah felt a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Later, I approached Elijah, and looked him in the eye. I gently asked him what happened, and wondered how he could have made the peculiar mistakes he did when he knew the piece so well. He looked earnestly at me and said, “Mom, I saw how devastated Hannah was when she blew her piece. She was so heartbroken. I made the mistakes on my piece on purpose so she wouldn’t feel so badly about herself.”
At first, I was shocked; upset he had just thrown the competition out of love for his sister.
Out of love for his sister. I could not be mad at this child.
He followed up quickly with me imploring, “If you ever tell Hannah that I did that, I will deny it. Please, don’t tell her.”
It’s been almost 20 years, so I think it’s ok that I tell this story now. A story of love and sacrifice that God asks us to do daily for our those whom we love, for those in this world who need love. “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you...” (John 13).
My kids make me a better person because they are always teaching me about love.
And I will forever be grateful.
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
Dr. Martin Luther King's Message: Unity in Christ
Dear Beloveds,
This coming Monday, our nation pauses to honor the memory of a man whose life has become a symbol of hope and justice for our world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. truly stood as a testimony of the transformative power and message of Christian love. His message reflected everything that Jesus taught about equality and justice for the marginalized in our world, and his commitment to justice was firmly rooted in the belief that every individual is created in the image of God, deserving of dignity and respect.
Today, sadly, antisemitism, racism, and even daily micro aggressions of racism exist, and we are constantly reminded that the fight for justice and equality must extend beyond color and ethnicity. Dr. King's legacy teaches us that the struggle against injustice is universal, and our clear duty as Christians is to stand in solidarity with those who face discrimination, no matter who they are. The message of the Gospel is crystal clear: we are one body in Christ, and in Him, there is no room for division or hatred.
As we celebrate MLK Day, I hope we can reflect on how we can be part of a commitment to nourishing a more unified community and world. Dr. King's dream was not just about the absence of discrimination, but the presence of true and sincere brotherhood and sisterhood.
More importantly, I hope we can all draw inspiration from the teachings of Jesus, who hoped that we as His followers may be one in both heart and soul. So perhaps we can take a moment to ask ourselves: how can we actively work towards dismantling the walls of prejudice, and how can we support a community where love prevails and the light of Christ shines sincerely among us?
May God's grace and spirit guide us on this journey towards reconciliation and justice and may the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. inspire us to be bold ambassadors of love in a world so desperate for the amazing power of Christ's redeeming love!
Here is an inspiring clip of Dr. King.
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
Reflecting on 2023 & Welcoming 2024
Dear Pali Pres Family,
As we settle into this quiet and calm space between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I invite us all to share in a time of reflection. I encourage you to take the time to look back on these past few weeks and notice all the ways God was active in your life, perhaps opening your eyes (or heart) to something new. Take the time to look back even further, through all of 2023, and see if you can recognize the Holy Spirit in your life at times and in places that you could not see previously. What has God taught you this past year? In what ways has God blessed you and even challenged you to lean more on him?
As Paul writes in Philippians 4:19, “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” As we say “goodbye” to 2023 and “hello” to 2024, it is a good and appropriate time for all of us to take stock of how God has supplied our every need. This is a wonderful week to spend some time acknowledging the faithfulness God has shown us in our lives.
As you will see, this week’s newsletter is a bit shorter than normal. I’m delighted that many of our church staff members are able to take some much-deserved vacation time this week to spend with their families. We have an incredible, hard-working staff here at Pali Pres! Rest assured we will be back with a full News & Notes next week to kick off what is sure to be a year full of blessings for our church!
Happy New Year!
Pastor Matt
Merry Christmas
Good Tidings, Pali Pres family!
As we draw very near to Christmas Day, Pastor Grace and I want to extend to all in our church family the blessings of this most holy season. May the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus Christ fill your hearts this Christmas and always.
From our families to yours, Merry Christmas!
Las Posadas
Dear Beloveds,
After church this Sunday we are celebrating Las Posadas and we hope you will join us!
Las Posadas is a wonderful tradition rooted in Latin America that has a beautiful lesson for all of us during the Advent season; the lessons are rooted in the story of baby Jesus, and it is a wonderful way to teach everyone, not just children, about the Christ child.
Las Posadas commemorates the long journey that Mary and Joseph took as they tried to find shelter in Bethlehem. This holds such theological significance, as it weaves the telling of the nativity with the notion of hospitality and hope in the Christmas story.
The baby Jesus was born in a strange land, as a stranger, and was welcomed into this world by people He would never see again; shepherds, magi, and a host of barn animals. The struggle that Mary and Joseph experienced is reflective of the struggle that all humanity has with the uncertainty of our experiences in life. We all desire a place of refuge and hope, and this applies to us spiritually as well. So as we watch Mary and Joseph try and try again to find a place to sleep for the evening, we are reminded that we, as believers, are called to a divine hospitality, to welcome those in need, to open our hearts and homes to those whom we can help, and to open our hearts to Jesus.
Another very important theological message that Las Posadas holds for us is that we belong to a community of faith. We are not in the world alone, if we can let others into our hearts and our lives. After the baby Jesus was born, a rag tag community assembled and worshipped Him together. This new little family was not left alone in the cold and the dark.
Las Posadas can remind us of these things, and can affect our spiritual lives this season when we reflect on gratitude and a mindfulness in seeing God in all things and all events, big and small. It took one stranger and their decision to open their door to a family who brought the Messiah into the world that night. What a beautiful thing to realize!
I hope that everyone will join us this coming Sunday afternoon for a meaningful and life-giving experience of Las Posadas.
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
The Holy Season
Dear Pali Pres,
It was such a joy to begin the Advent journey with many of you last week in worship. The beautifully decorated sanctuary, the Advent Candle Lighting, the music, the reading of the Annunciation passage…it was a great start to this holy season. As we make our way towards Christmas Day, we mark these days with intentional waiting and hope. In fact, the word Avent comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “coming” or “arrival.” We are, indeed, in a season of hopeful expectation for Christ’s coming.
While we prepare for the Second Sunday of Advent, I am mindful of two important and noteworthy dates that make up this week. First, this past Wednesday (December 6th) was the feast day of St. Nicholas, a 4th Century bishop from what is now Turkey. (Feast days are special days set aside on the calendar for each canonized saint in the Catholic Church in which saints are remembered with special services and prayers.) St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and sailors, who was notorious for his generosity. In many parts of the world, on the evening of December 5th, children put their shoes outside their front doors. During the night, St. Nicholas fills the shoes with presents such as sweets, fruit, and nuts. The character of Santa Claus developed out of this tradition, as did the custom of hanging stockings near the fireplace (instead of braving the cold weather outside).
Also, today marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. This eight-day celebration commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple (“Hanukkah” means “dedication”) by the Maccabees, a small group of Jewish fighters who held out against the larger Syrian army, who had invaded and captured the holy site. As you probably know, the story goes that there was only enough oil to light the temple’s menorah for one night. But miraculously, the oil lasted for eight! You can learn more about Hanukkah by clicking here.
May this holy season be continually filled with joy, hope, and new discoveries for you as you make your way to Christmas and the coming of our Lord!
Happy Advent,
Pastor Matt
Fellowship in this Holy Season
Dear Pali Pres,
“Invite three people.”
That’s what the voice in my head told me as I sat down to write this blog. It was simple and clear: tell the church to invite three people. So that’s what I’m doing!
As we enter this special and holy season, my encouragement and challenge to all of us is to invite three people to one of our many wonderful Christmas offerings—family members, friends, neighbors, parents at our child’s school, the teller at the bank…anyone! Perhaps you want to invite all three people to the same event. Or, you want to invite three different people to three different events. Your choice! What matters most is that we each make the effort to invite someone to our beloved church to feel the love of Christ this Christmas.
Need a reminder of all that’s going on? Here’s a quick summary:
Sat, Dec 2: Pali Pres Christmas Dinner—Good food (and wine) and good ol’ Christmas cheer!
Sun, Dec 3: Communion/St. Andrews Sunday with bagpipes and beautiful Christmas music!
Sun, Dec 10: Children’s Sing-Along in church (so cute!) with a FREE Christmas Recital at 2pm featuring a mix of traditional Christmas classics and contemporary favorites.
Mon, Dec 11: Women’s Cookie Exchange—a delicious dinner followed by a Christmas cookie swap!
Sun, Dec 17: Las Posadas—pony rides, petting zoo, and a festive re-telling of the Christmas story…including costumes. There’s plenty for the kids too!
Sun, Dec 24: Worship in the morning (10am), afternoon for Children and Families (5pm) and evening (9pm).
Just imagine how amazing it would be to see our beautifully decorated sanctuary and Janes Hall filled with church members, friends, AND visitors this Christmas season. Surely such a sight would be incredibly pleasing to God!
Let’s each do our part to make this Christmas season extra special here at Pali Pres by inviting at least three people to church or any of our special events. Let’s make sure our loved ones, friends, and larger community know that all are welcome at Pali Pres as we celebrate the joyous birth of Christ.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Matt
Reflections on Giving Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving Pali Pres!
I pray this blog reaches each of you enjoying a day off with your family and friends, indulging in some leftover turkey and pumpkin pie (or whatever your Thanksgiving delicacies of choice were this year), and feeling thankful for your many blessings. A special blessing for our family this year is that Luke’s birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day! Our little baby is now 5. Where has time gone?!
In pondering what to focus on in this week’s blog, I did some searching for the perfect Thanksgiving quotation or prayer to share with you. Within three minutes of looking, I quickly ran into a problem—there are WAY too many wonderful reflections on the theme of gratitude to pick only one. Therefore, I decided to share with you a few of my favorites in the hopes that they will each speak to you and help make this Thanksgiving weekend even more special.
The first comes from the book of James, and is a simple but important reminder of God’s goodness to us:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”
The following is a line from George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789:
"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."
I really like the way author Jonathan Safran Foer describes the comprehensive nature of Thanksgiving:
“Thanksgiving is the holiday that encompasses all others. All of them, from Martin Luther King Day to Arbor Day to Christmas to Valentine’s Day, are in one way or another about being thankful.”
I also really love this quotation from the late US Ambassador and Presbyterian pastor Henry Van Dyke:
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”
And last but not least, Marcie’s famous line from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving:
“We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown."
With gratitude for all of you,
Pastor Matt
Dedication Sunday
Dear Pali Pres Community,
This coming Sunday is Dedication Sunday, a special day when we as a church family dedicate our 2024 pledges to God. As I put the finishing touches on my sermon and prepare for worship, I feel incredibly grateful for this community of faith. We have so many wonderful programs and ministries that make up our life here at Pali Pres. Our giving is an important way for us to partner with the Holy Spirit and help spread “Abundant Life” both locally and abroad.
As you prayerfully decide on your church pledge for the coming year, I hope you will not do so out of guilt or under compulsion (as Paul warns against in 2 Corinthians 9). Rather, I hope you will consider all of God’s many blessings in your life and offer something back to the church that you feel reflects your gratitude. To quote Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” I sincerely believe that this is what God wants from us—to make a life, abundant life, by giving from the heart.
On Sunday, please bring your completed pledge card with you to church. During worship everyone will have an opportunity to bring forward their pledges and offer them to God as an act of dedication and thanks. If you have already mailed in your pledge card, thank you! You can still fill out a duplicate copy (don’t worry, the church won’t count it twice!) and bring it forward on Sunday morning. Blank pledge cards will be available in the sanctuary. You may also scan the QR code below to submit your pledge digitally. As always, what you pledge will remain confidential.
With joy and thanksgiving,
Pastor Matt
The Gift of Silence
Dear Beloveds,
I had a bad feeling in my Uber on the way to LAX when my driver could not stop coughing and sneezing. Sure enough, after three days’ incubation period, I awoke in Seoul with a high fever, chills, body aches, horribly infected ears, and my throat felt as though a thousand dragons had taken up residence there. I could barely get out of bed to shuffle somewhere to find a bowl of hot soup and then stumbled around to find medicine. I must have been a sight to behold.
I spent the morning willing myself to feel better, and then took the 3 ½ hour journey to get to the prayer mountain for my personal retreat. It took three transfers on subways, trains, and a long taxi ride to finally arrive up at the retreat center, all the while feeling like Typhoid Mary as my symptoms worsened by the hour.
I arrived at night in the dark, and was given a cozy little room at the far end of the dorm. As the prayer retreat house is nestled deep in the mountains, my room was inhabited by all sorts of large insects, varieties that I had never seen; all over the desk, in my bathroom, and on my bed. I would have strange and alien companions surround me for the next few days.
I had a painful night’s sleep, and awoke the next morning feeling even worse, but also so thankful that I was not near anyone, and that no one was allowed to speak at the prayer house. Indeed, it felt as if I was the only one inhabiting the enormous compound most of the time. After a meager breakfast of a boiled potato, I took more medicine and ventured outside to take a prayer walk.
What a joyful surprise awaited me. The prayer retreat center had meticulously crafted a one to two hour prayer walk path modeled after the book Pilgrims’ Progress, an allegorical book written in the 1600’s by John Bunyan, complete with statues of every character enacting the entire story line. Along the way, I “met” Christian and all the lessons he learned on his journey to find the Celestial City. I have never experienced anything like it in my life, and even in my fever-induced stupor, I could feel God’s presence and the lessons that God wanted me to learn while on my walk. I had to stop many times along the way to catch my breath and to rest, but I was so grateful to have made it to the prayer retreat to see God’s face and to learn in this unique way.
Then to task of prayer: back in my room, I pulled out my long list of prayers that I had aimed to lift up to God: our broken and hurting world that seems so fragile right now, our wonderful church and all its people, those who are mourning loss, friends who are battling cancer; I lifted up relationships, people near and far, questions, worries, fears and hopes for our world.
But besides having everything set aside and suspended to create a time for prayer, the thing I appreciated the most was the silence-- total silence. There were no radios or TVs, no sounds of traffic or leaf blowers; not even the sound of other voices. The only sound that would break the silence was the occasional buzzing of large insect wings on my bed and around my ears.
While I was relishing this silent time, the irony was not lost on me that my father struggled with a serious hearing loss the last 20 years of his life. By the time he passed, he was almost completely deaf. He lived in a silent world every single day.
So, as it is with everything, realizing balance is the key. It is a wonderful gift to receive silence in the midst of our busy lives, and in spending time in silence, we can find out what we will really hear. And then, in the same mind, appreciating the gift of hearing—even if it is the sound of an annoying bug.
With great love for you,
Pastor Grace
Recognizing God's Spirit in Nature
Dear Pali Pres,
Now that the calendar has turned to November and Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away (can you believe it!), I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a “Happy Fall!” Of course, given the weather we’ve had this week—with temps in the 80s—it feels like I should be wishing everyone a “Happy Summer” instead!
But even with this heatwave, there are reminders all around us of the changing seasons. This past week Mary and I had a blast carving pumpkins with our boys and taking them trick-or-treating. We also helped our youngest son, Luke, complete a school project in which he needed to collect leaves, twigs, and other items that birds use to make their nests. It was in walking around our neighborhood in search of these items that I felt a strong connection to nature and felt grateful for autumn (albeit a very summer-like autumn thus far).
As luck would have it—or by God’s good timing—the same day I helped Luke collect fallen leaves, I read a poem in my daily devotional about recognizing God’s Spirit in the seasons and in nature. This poem was written by Choctaw elder and retired Episcopal bishop Steven Charleston:
For all the great thoughts I have read
For all the deep books I have studied
None has brought me nearer to Spirit
Than a walk beneath shimmering leaves
Golden red with the fire of autumn
When the air is crisp
And the sun a pale eye, watching.
I am a scholar of the senses
A theologian of the tangible.
Spirit touches me and I touch Spirit
Each time I lift a leaf from my path
A thin flake of fire golden red
Still warm from the breath that made it.
I hope you too will find yourself brought “nearer to Spirit” in these early November days, perhaps during a walk beneath shimmering leaves or while breathing in the crisp air (which will happen eventually). As Charleston puts it so well in his poem, we need not turn only to books to draw closer to God, or to “touch Spirit.” God is revealed to us in the natural world all around us, which is a beautiful and always accessible gift!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Matt
Those Who Came Before Us
Dear Pali Pres,
This coming Sunday I will be devoting my sermon to the topic of saints—those who have come before us and left their mark on our lives. I am doing this in recognition of All Saints’ Day, which is coming up on November 1. While originally a Catholic holiday, many mainline denominations also celebrate this day as a way for us to remember those who have passed and to give thanks to God for the way they have contributed to our lives and our world. It is good, and important, for us to not overlook the gift of the people God has placed in our lives—family members, friends, coworkers, church members, neighbors, etc.—and the lessons they have taught us.
I encourage you to start thinking now of those special people in your life that have died. Take a minute to pull out a picture of them, or to remember the way they smiled or sang a tune, or to call to mind a favorite or humorous story involving them. Take a moment to really think about what you most appreciated about them, or something they said or did that made you thankful and happy.
With the hectic pace of our daily lives it is often the case that we don’t take the time we should to remember the “saints” who have come before us. That is why I am so grateful for this yearly reminder on our church calendar. All Saints’ Sunday is a chance for us to all, as one community, to honor those whom we miss because of the unique way they blessed us and our world.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Matt
Making Sense of Tragedy
Dear Pali Pres,
It seems to be happening more and more frequently—finding myself at a loss for words in response to an unfolding, tragic event in our world. The October 7 attack on Israel took place while I was on a mission trip in Mexico with very limited access to world news. It was not until I returned home, late on October 9, that I was able to catch up on all the horrific news. My heart broke as I read articles, watched videos, and saw photos of the terrorist attack. I was overwhelmed with grief as I struggled to process the brutality, hatred, and loss of life.
The situation in Israel and Gaza has only continued to escalate, and hope for a peaceful end to this conflict seems lost. Like so many people, I am frustrated, confused, sad, and angry. I struggle with wanting to do something—to say something—that, in some small way, might help make sense of things.
One thing I am certain of is that as God’s people we are encouraged to pray and communicate to God our distress and solidarity with those who are experiencing unthinkable trauma and loss. I recently discovered a prayer by the editor and publisher of the Presbyterian Outlook, Teri McDowell Ott, that has spoken to me and has helped me share with God what is on my heart right now. I offer it to you, Pali Pres family, in hopes that it will also help you share what is in your heart with the Lord as we all continue to struggle with what we are seeing and hearing.
Eternal God,
You know our history of complicated conflicts, tense polarization, and situations so politicized that we are afraid to say or pray anything. Yet we know you grieve the violence of war and condemn acts of terrorism. We know you grieve the historical suffering of Jews and Palestinians. May our prayers for peace be uttered out loud for all to hear, our prayers for diplomacy, and for difficult, yet faithful conversation to resume.
God, we groan in grief over the news of this war in Israel and Gaza. Pave a path toward peace in this age-old, tragic conflict. Protect the innocent wherever bombs of destruction fall. Be with those who are captured and the families of those who are captured. Offer a way out for those who are trapped. Awaken us to our common humanity, our common human needs, no matter the walls we build.
Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt