Seventh Sunday After Epiphany

Our Mission: "We are an inclusive Open and Affirming faith community reaching out with love, compassion, and justice."

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Thursday, February 17, 2022

A Message from Our Pastor and Teacher

The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany - February 20, 2022 ~ "Spiritual Giants: Thich Nhat Hanh"

Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

Thich Nhat Hanh says, “To love our enemy is impossible.”

Are these Christian and Buddhist teachings at odds with one another? Or can these two great spiritual teachers, Jesus of Nazareth and Thich Nhat Hanh, lead us to a deeper love for all, including ourselves?

Sunday's Scriptures

Luke 6: 17 – 23

February 13, 2022 ~ Communion and the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Prelude:.Spiral Lament by Ian Clarke..............................Val McGlasson, flute & ........................................................................................Sophia Ohanian, piano

Welcome and Announcements:..........................Rev. Dr. Jill A. Kirchner-Rose

Responsive Call to Worship:..............................................................Nan Root

Opening Hymn:. Old Time Religion by James Burklo

Opening Prayer:................................................................................. Nan Root

Childrens' Circle:........................................................................Susi Jacobsen

Joys and Concerns:............................................................. Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Silent and Pastoral Prayer:...................................................Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Special Music: Ebenezer Heather Sorenson............................Covenant Choir

Scripture: Luke 6: 27 – 36.................................................................Nan Root

Message: “Spiritual Giants: Thich Nhat Hanh”.......................Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Offertory: If Tomorrow Were Your Next Life Ching-Ju Shih

.......................Shing Lin, Tenor; Val McGlasson, flute & Sophia Ohanian, piano

Doxology:.................................................................................,Sophia Ohanian Prayer of Dedication...........................................................................Nan Root

Closing Hymn: # 569 Touch the Earth Lightly (vs 1, 3, 4)

Benediction: ..........................................................................Dr. Kirchner-Rose

Time of Reflection: Reflection through Hang Drums ...............Sophia Ohanian

COVID UPDATE

Because the COVID situation continues to improve, our congregation can now return to the COVID protocols approved by the Board last fall. We're currently in the red risk tier, which means that, while the congregation will still wear masks, the worship team (which includes the choir and any speakers) may take off their masks while singing or speaking, if they have been vaccinated and have had a recent negative COVID test. (The complete COVID protocol is on the church website.)

Thank you for your love and understanding as we navigate these challenging times together.

Mary Fung

President

Prayers for family and friends of Melissa, friend of Beth Welsh, who passed from life to Life.
Sue Hammond requests prayers for her sister-in-law, Linda, who will begin her bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma cancer.
Prayers for John Michael Rudik who is hospitalized in Loma Linda with breathing and heart related issues.
The Celebration of Life service for Marilyn Richter-Bradley will take place on Saturday, February 26^th at noon in the Sanctuary.
Prayers for Cid Breyer who fell and broke her femur in several places. She would welcome calls and cards! You may send cards to her home.
Prayers for Nan Root who is recovering from cataract surgery.
Jennifer Brainerd requests prayers for her father, Gary, who is in the hospital with extreme confusion and agitation. Cause unknown.
Prayers for the family and friends of Marilyn, sister of Norma Erickson, who passed from life to Life.
Kenneth Lee requests prayers for his mother, Melinda, who has had complications following surgery.
Beth Welsh requests prayers for her mother, Maggie, who has been diagnosed with COVID
Debra Van Engelen and Mark Janz request prayers for grandson, Johnathan, who is in the army stationed in Germany during this time of Russian build-up outside Ukraine.
Prayers for Maegan Hill who faces challenges with MS.
Val McGlasson requests prayers for her sister and nephew who are in need of housing.
Prayers for Kate Rhodes, daughter and granddaughter of friends of Carol Robb, who is recovering from a severe allergic reaction. The doctors have determined that it was caused by a virus.
Prayers for Cynthia McGuigan who faces complications with her chemotherapy treatments. Cynthia and medical staff are determining next steps.
Jolene Barrow requests prayers for her mother, Karen Barrow, who has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and is in significant pain.
Rosemary Tuohy requests prayers for her friend Holly, who is recovering from surgery.
Prayers for Beth Welsh as she recovers from a back injury.
Prayers for Eleanor Kemp who broke her hip and is recuperating at Mission Commons.
Cid Breyer requests prayers for her sister in law, Karen, who is going through chemo and radiation for blood / bone cancer.
Prayers for Carole Beswick who is recovering from partial knee replacement surgery.
Prayers for Marcia Taack who is recovering from knee replacement surgery and has been diagnosed with cellulitis.
Prayers for Glenda Bates, friend of Gretchen Andrews, who has been diagnosed with operable pancreatic cancer
Prayers for Carole Wesson who is currently in the Health Facility at Plymouth Village.
Nan Root requests prayers for her brother Gary who has dementia and has placed on hospice.
Prayers for Richard Ault who broke his hip and is now home recovering.
Prayers for Bob Sheets who is recovering from eye surgery.
Prayers for Eber, brother of Lara Urrutia, who is undergoing tests for a mass in his neck.
Prayers for Lisa, friend of Beth Welsh, who is recovering from emergency surgery.
Johanna Ballard requests healing prayers for her dear friend, Lana.
Sue Hammond requests prayers for her sister-in-law, Linda, who is receiving treatment for multiple myeloma.
Prayers for Burt, family member of Johanna Ballard, who is facing severe health challenges.
Eliza Ames requests prayers for her brother Coyne who is hospitalized and is very ill.
Beth Welsh requests prayers for her brother, Michael, who is recovering from surgery following a work accident.

Ongoing Concerns:

Joe Adcock, family member of Mary Mortensen

Anden, nephew of Michelle McNevin

Jerry Andrews

Jeff Bonadiman

Les Budai

Burt, family member of Johanna Ballard

Diane Campbell

Diane, Sister-in-Law of Heather King

Dave, brother of Johanna Ballard

Carol Chaney

Caroline, mother of Karen Blad

Claudine, grandmother of Paul & Dantae Welsh

Precia Gwenhwyfer Courtney-Hveen

Cousin of Rick Cruz

Norma Erickson

Michael Flores

Betty Gayle

Emma Grimauld

Katia Hage

Beki Hill

Jody Hoelle

Harriet Holt, Beki Hill's mother

Mark Alan Johnson, friend of Nancy Hotaling

Susi Jacobsen

Kim Johnson, friend of Gretchen Andrews

Jenny, Sister of Jules Rattray

Emily Jones

Hank Kirchner

Amber McGuigan

Sara Montez

Bill McIntyre

Maria Montana

Carmen & Jim Neafsey

Ryan and Evan Paul

Rick Peetz, Sr.

Kristin Farmer Preslica

Nancy Rojas

Adolph Romero

Joan Roth

Spencer, friend of Stacey Greene

Miguel Sewer

Doris Stockton, Kathi Roth's Grandmother

Heather Tee

Arika Torres

Rosemary Tuohy

Vasquez Family

Special note regarding the Prayer List: Please review the list for any prayer requests you made that are outdated or that may be removed. Please notify both [email protected] and [email protected] of any changes that are needed. Thank you.

Reflection of the Week from the Racial Justice Team

O God,

On this Racial Justice Sunday, we confess that the sin of racial hatred and prejudice distorts your divine plan for our human lives. You created us in divine likeness, diverse and beautiful. In every person, every race is your image. But too often we fail to recognize your image in all. Forgive us.

Forgive us: Open our eyes to distinguish good from evil. Open our hearts to desire good over evil. Strengthen our wills to choose good over evil, so that we may create among us your beloved community.

Hear the good news: God’s gift of grace in Jesus Christ forgives us and sets us free to live full human lives in community. We may go forth confident of the grace to see with new eyes beyond racial prejudice; to imagine with renewed fervor justice and mercy for all, and to create with a new will a community where all are given access to God’s abundant life.

Thanks be to God!

Amen!

From the Environmental Justice Team

Justice at the Heart of Climate Activism

“What comes to mind when hearing the word ‘environment?’ A vast stretch of old-growth forest? A secluded mountain waterfall? Perhaps one of the 423 national parks of which the United States is so proud? The trouble with these visions of the environment—and the traditional environmentalism that earnestly tries to protect them—is that the environment is made up of so much more.

Awe-inspiring trees, yes, but also the branching underground networks of fungi they use to share nutrients and communicate. Instagram-worthy animals, yes, but also scores of microscopic organisms they coevolved to support them in the soil, the water, and their own guts. The environment includes the air, the land, the flora, the fauna, and yes, people, along with everything that comes into contact with

them—our cars, our construction projects, and our trash. Indigenous communities and ancient cultures have always known this. And in contrast with earlier iterations of environmentalism, the environmental justice movement of today focuses on a similarly holistic understanding of what constitutes the environment.

‘The environment is not a place that is somehow separate from ourselves. It’s not some faraway place in nature where you travel to get away from home,’ says Vivian Huang, incoming co-director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. ‘The environment is home. It is our workplace. It is the schools that we’re in. It’s our relationship to one another. It’s our communities. It’s us.’ Modern environmentalism is ‘understanding the interconnectedness of people and the planet.’”

This lens, or way of thinking and seeing environmentalism, includes an active role in defining and fighting for environmental justice, rather than only serving as preservers of the splendor of the natural world. And so we look at housing access, gender equity, racial justice as essential as protecting clean air and water.

Important to know that ‘this way of thinking about environment is not new. The environmental justice movement really came together around this idea of an environment being very much rooted in people and in communities,’ says Huang.

Everything is interconnected. What happens to our planet also happens to the people on our planet, and those interactions are never equal, because of ‘systemic racism, white supremacy, the patriarchy—all of these are interconnected with a lot of environmental harms.’ (Kiana Kazemi, of Intersectional Environmentalist, a nonprofit founded in 2020.)

Some say that expanding the scope of environmentalism like this makes it unwieldy or far too big to solve. At the end of the day, ‘true climate justice will come from affirming the rights of political, economic, and cultural self-determination for all peoples’ (Huang), all beings on the planet…and the planet itself.

(An excerpt from “Justice at the Heart of Climate Activism” in Yes Magazine, by Breanna Draxler, environmental editor at Yes! )

Link: https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/a-new-social-justice/2021/11/15/justice-at-the-heart-of-climate-activism

Link: https://orionmagazine.org/article/guardians-of-nature/

Seekers Resume Meeting This Sunday, February 20

Seekers Adult Study Group will resume meeting this coming Sunday, February 20 at our regular time of 9:15 in the Founders Room and continue our discussion of "The Power of Myth." I'm sure we will need to do some review since it's been so long since we met, but we only have 2 more sections to finish the book. Then we should be able to move on to our next book by March 6th,

Jill will be preaching on Thich Nhat Hanh this Sunday and perhaps we might be able to entice some new or returning people to our small group, since he is featured in our next book which is "We Walk the Path Together; Learning from Thich Nhat Hanh & Meister Eckhart" by Brian J Pierce, OP. I think most of us may already have a copy of the book, but if not please try to get a copy in the next few weeks.

I'm so looking forward to seeing you in person. It will be so good to be together again.

Peace,

Nan Root

Our first discussion session for the 1619 Project is coming up! Monday, February 28 at 5 p.m., online.

We will discuss the section entitled “Church.” This section is a very manageable length and it also concludes with two beautiful and inspirational poems which we will read closely together.

RUCC has copies of this book which you can borrow: contact [email protected] if you would like to borrow a copy.

If you have any questions, or would like to help with this project, please contact [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]

Scrip Update

Scrip/Gift Card Program – When you purchase gift cards to pay for your day-to-day expenses or provide as gifts, RUCC receives a rebate that helps fund our missions. It’s an easy way to raise some money for RUCC. Hundreds of retailers participate, including grocery stores, gas stations, home improvement stores, department stores, online retailers, and much more.

Gift Cards in Stock – We carry a limited supply in stock of some of our more popular gift cards, available for purchase after worship with cash or check. Current stock includes:

Stater Bros - $100
Stater Bros - $25
Target - $25
Amazon - $25

Physical Card Order Deadlines – Currently, physical cards are once per month. If the demand increases, we can add a second order each month. Place orders after worship this Sunday, Feb. 13, and the cards will be available to pick up the following Sunday. Here is the ordering schedule for the next few months.

February 14 – available for pickup on February 20

March 14 – available for pickup on March 20

April 11 – available for pickup on April 17

eCards – Remember that you can buy eGift cards, available to you immediately, to use for online or in-person shopping or to send as a gift. Every time you buy, RUCC gets a small rebate. Place orders through the RaiseRight app or at www.shopwithscrip.com.

Use the RaiseRight app or ShopWithScrip.com website – the easiest way to place orders, whether for eCards or physical cards, is to use the RaiseRight app or ShopWithScrip.com website. Login is the same for both the app and website.

Please contact Jennifer at [email protected] if you need help placing an order or want to learn more about the program.

Looking ahead: RUCC Lenten Series begins Wednesday March 9

Overview of the first session:

Our first Lenten Series meeting will be held online Wednesday March 9 at 6 p.m. (Subsequent meetings may take place in person, but this first meeting will be held online.)

Our discussion leader will be Rick Sforza, who will guide us through an exploration of the mystic Howard Thurman and lead us in activities which will bring us closer to the spiritual legacy of this famous mystic.

This year for Lenten Series we are using a book as our starting point: The Mystic In You: Discovering a God-Filled World by Bruce Epperly.

Each week will involve a combination of discussions and activities which will bring us to a greater understanding of one of the mystics in Epperly’s book.

If you would like to borrow a copy of The Mystic in You, please contact [email protected].

Also, please note: THIS IS AN INTERGENERATIONAL ACTIVITY! We encourage families to attend with their children as we learn and pray in fellowship together.

RUCC Lenten Series is for Kids Too!

Kids: please join us for our “Mystical” Lenten Series this year!

Our first session will be held online on March 9 at 6PM.

Adults and kids will begin the meeting together for the first few minutes—then kids grades 6 and below will go into a breakout room with Miss Susi. (Youth in Grades 7 and above will remain with the main group.)

Please join us as we have fun together while we learn about what it means to be “mystical”!

What do we have planned for the 2022 RUCC Family Nature Fair on March 12?

Lots of fun activities for kids of all ages:

Provide a habitat for local Bewick's wrens: decorate a wren house to take home with you to place in your own yard or patio.
Learn about snakes with a live demonstration.
Learn what we can do to help our native bees survive and thrive.
Janet Chaney from Opposum Love-Rescue and Rehabilitation will be on hand to share information and show us a live opposum.
...and much more!

The event is free, but pre-registration is required so we make sure to have enough materials on hand. Invite your friends to join us!

Follow this link to register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rucc-family-nature-fair-registration-237896503847