This Wednesday: Modern Worship Collective @ 6:30 pm

Dear Friends,

When the church supported me in taking my sabbatical to explore peacemaking and my spiritual roots, I had hoped to rekindle friendships and continue conversations about ministry in the real world. But the reunions and new meetings and rich learnings were more than I could have imagined. The journey of re-engaging with individuals and communities who helped me gain a fuller understanding of what it means to be a part of Jesus' ministry of working for shalom filled me to overflowing with many blessings. 

Over the past few months, I've tried to share a bit of what I've learned back to all our community here at SVPC. But there's no substitute for meeting the folks I've encountered and hearing their stories directly. I'm so grateful that some of them have agreed to come together with us this weekend, and I hope that you'll be a part of our Sunnyvale community that will be learning from and with them. 

And these folks from Ireland and Korea will also be helping me to lead in worship on Sunday. We'll have a very different kind of worship that will center on more conversation and mutual learning. All of it directed at increasing our connectedness to God's desire for peace in the world. I hope you'll come worship and seek that spirit of peace alongside us!

Faithfully, 

Hardy 

Please join us immediately following the Sunday service for our peacemaking reception in Trinity Court!

(Coffee hour will be available online via Zoom).

bit.ly/SVPCCoffeeHour

Theme for Sunday

History says, Don’t hope

On this side of the grave.

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme. 

Seamus Heaney, "The Cure at Troy" 

Isaiah 11:1-9 CEB

A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;

a branch will sprout from his roots.

The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,

a spirit of wisdom and understanding,

a spirit of planning and strength,

a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

He will delight in fearing the Lord.

He won’t judge by appearances,

nor decide by hearsay.

He will judge the needy with righteousness,

and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.

He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;

by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.

Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,

and faithfulness the belt around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;

the calf and the young lion will feed together,

and a little child will lead them.

The cow and the bear will graze.

Their young will lie down together,

and a lion will eat straw like an ox.

A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;

toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.

They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.

The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, just as the water covers the sea.