Sermon for Sunday, May 17

Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21

In today’s Jesus story, Jesus continues his long good-bye to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion.  Because he knows he will physically leave them, he promises to send the paraclete, a Greek word meaning “advocate.”  Later, on the day of Pentecost, it becomes clear Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit.  Jesus further informs the disciples: You know the Spirit because the Spirit abides in you, and the Spirit will be in you.  Our Lutheran baptismal liturgy echoes Jesus’ promise that the Spirit would reside in the disciples.  Indeed, one of the gifts of Holy Baptism, as understood by Martin Luther, is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the baptized by which we receive gifts and talents to be used in service to God and God’s people.  But in Greek, the preposition we translate here as “in” may also be translated as “among.”  Jesus not only promises the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individual followers but among the whole people of God.  Instead of embodying the Holy Spirit only in our individual acts of love and service, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit is embodied among us, in the ministry we do together. 

That may not sound at all noteworthy.  You may wonder why I even bring it up.  Of course, the Holy Spirit is embodied among us.  But consider our culture, our common stories, our beloved heroes.  Superheroes like Superman and Wonder Woman.  Civic heroes like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth.  Arts heroes like Virginia Woolf and Wendell Berry.  Everyday heroes like police officers, first responders, nurses.  We celebrate and lift up these heroes who give of themselves for the sake of the common good, whose work benefits each of us, whose influence pervades our society.  We do so quite rightly.  Not only do we celebrate our heroes, it feels good to be a hero.  A family friend of mine is a lineman for his local electric company in the Midwest.  After tornados, thunderstorms, and ice storms, when his community doesn’t have power, he is the one to climb up telephone poles and fix them, restore power to furnaces and A/C units, to refrigerators and medical equipment, to bring power and with it, safety to his community.  He loves being the hero, not because he is self-centered.  The very opposite, in fact.  He loves it because he loves to help and serve and do something truly useful for others. 

In a culture that celebrates heroes and among people who love to serve in hero roles, we sometimes fail to remember that no one works alone, that we need multiple hands and ideas and talents for any project, that the Holy Spirit equips and empowers the whole people of God for shared ministry that is impossible to do alone.  Each of our heroes and each one of us are a product of many people on whose shoulders we stand, a product of parents and other loving adults who nurtured us, a product of teachers and pastors and coaches who challenged us to grow.  Certainly, our individual acts of service are the building blocks of ministry together, but we do nearly all work, nearly all ministry together, not individually, no one hero claiming all the glory.  

Just as an example, consider the ministry of GLOW, Grace Lutheran on Wednesdays, an evening meal and study.  After two months of not meeting, GLOW seems a distant memory, but I can still call to mind the many people who make GLOW work.  Marlene does the meal planning and makes the shopping list.  Evalyn buys the groceries and later counts the GLOW offering.  Donors donate the money for GLOW, and periodically, I write grants for it.  Lori, Chris, and Alex receive food donations throughout the week in the church kitchen and document each donation.  Adrienne and office volunteers send thank you notes for the donations.  Marlene, Lori, Devalyn, Ann, Ron, and sometimes others cook the food.  Come 5:00 pm on Wednesdays, Sheila, Fran, Carol, Emily, and others arrive to serve the meal and wash the dishes.  Vicar Beth and I decide on a theme for the Bible study and spend time over a number of weeks inviting guests and preparing powerpoints.  Finally, on Wednesday at 5:15, the doors open, and Ray or Brian or someone else sits with us at the welcome table to sign people in.  I lead announcements and prayer and dismiss tables.  We all eat together, all who have gathered giving of themselves in conversation, building relationships for the sake of the community.  Then, Vicar Beth and I lead the study.  Ray operates the powerpoint.  Fran plays piano as we sing.  Everyone asks questions and shares insights.  The Holy Spirit is among us.  Yes, we all utilize our individual gifts and talents, and those individual gifts and talents shared add up to a whole ministry.  No one has to do everything.  You don’t want me to cook for a crowd or count the offering, and you will never catch Devalyn leading a Bible study.  But we don’t have to do those things…because other people with the appropriate gifts will.  We each receive gifts from the Holy Spirit and get to use them for the sake of the common good.  The Holy Spirit is among us, not just in us.

As Jesus says his long good-bye to the disciples, the promise of the Holy Spirit at work among the twelve of them—and not simply in each of them—shines with good news.  They didn’t know it that night, but the disciples were about to embark on an adventure.  Jesus would die and be raised and ascend into heaven.  In the wake of Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit would fill the disciples on the day of Pentecost.  The Spirit would call them to establish the Christian church on earth, to heal people and feed them, to forgive sin and baptize, to establish and nurture Christian communities throughout the known world.  Regardless of the Spirit’s presence in them, the multitude of these tasks and relationships would be too much for any one person.

So too for us.  When we look to our heroes or our mentors or just people we admire, we may wonder: how do they do it?  How could so much talent and energy and passion live alongside such organization and focus and dedication?  The answer to that question is almost always that they didn’t do it alone.  The Holy Spirit comes among us as, together, we do the work of God.  If we feel stuck today, unable to do the things God is calling us to do, even with the help of the Holy Spirit, perhaps God is inviting us to ask for help, to include others in our vision, to admit what we don’t know and learn from others.  For truly, the Spirit not only dwells in each of us but abides among us for the sake of the common good.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

“If we feel stuck today, unable to do the things God is calling us to do, even with the help of the Holy Spirit, perhaps God is inviting us to ask for help, to include others in our vision, to admit what we don’t know and learn from others. ”

Covid-19 Update

People of Grace:

Even though I long for us to be together in person and even though the governor has allowed businesses to reopen across the state of Arizona, we continue to meet virtually only.  The reason is that, according to the CDC and other scientists working to understand Covid-19, the risks of gathering groups of people for an extended period of time inside a building are simply too great right now.  Those most vulnerable are people over the age of 60 and anyone with underlying health conditions.  Because of what I have read by epidemiologists and other scientists, I fear that we will see a huge spike in the number of deaths from Covid-19 in the coming weeks, and because meeting for worship in person is one of the most risky situations we could participate in in terms of virus transmission, we cannot meet.  For me, this is a matter of loving our neighbor--and specifically, one another.  The death of a member of the Grace community—due to Covid-19—would devastate us.  So, please be patient and hopeful in this time when we must refrain from gathering.  We--the Grace community guided and loved and strengthened by God--will get through this together!

Re-Opening Plan

Guided by the CDC recommendations and the recommendation of our synodical bishop Deborah Hutterer, the Grace congregational council will decide at what point we will hold in-person gatherings at Grace. When they do decide to move forward with re-opening, we will do so in 5 steps.

1. Small groups begin to meet in person if they wish, including KnitWits, Bells of Grace, Praise Band, Prayer Group, and Council. When people are ill or otherwise susceptible to virus transmission, they will be encouraged to stay home.

2. Small rental groups begin to meet in person if they wish, including The Trunk Space, Native Elders, and New Life in Christ Fellowship.

3. In-person worship, Grace Time Bible Study, Kaleo, and Native American Urban Ministry (NAUM) resume with significant protocol changes; see below for a partial description of changes. When people are ill or otherwise susceptible to virus transmission, they will be encouraged to stay home.

4. Pancake breakfast, Kaleo meals, NAUM meals, fellowship, and Grace Room distribution resume with significant protocol changes.

5. Everything resumes, including regular office hours, Trevor’s Vision, and heat respite—but likely with caps on the number of people and significant protocol changes.

In-Person Worship Changes

As we wait and take good care of ourselves and our community, you may wonder what worship will be like when we return to in-person worship. We will not know for sure how long these changes will persist, perhaps until there is a vaccine for Covid-19. Also, please note: we will continue to live stream worship on Facebook at least until there is a vaccine and perhaps indefinitely.

We will worship at either one or two services, most likely both services in the Sanctuary. Every other pew will be designated for sitting in order to ensure six feet between all worshipers, with the exclusion of families sitting together.

Because singing is the most risky activity in terms of virus transmission, we will not be singing but instead inviting everyone to read the words of hymns or songs as the music is played by Brandon or the praise band. If you have your own percussion instrument (e.g. tambourine), please bring it with you, and if you play a string instrument, please contact our organist Brandon or praise band leader Chad to figure out how you could contribute to worship music.

Even choral reading—all of us speaking at the same time—is risky, so our unison reading will be cut down.

If you have your own mask, we will ask you to wear it to worship. For those who do not have a mask, we will provide one for you and will ask you to wear it the entire time you are on the Grace campus.

Hand sanitizing stations will be provided, and every person will use sanitizer as they enter the building. We will not pass the offering plate but instead invite people to bring their offering forward to a plate in a central location. Bulletins will not be handed out but set out a few days prior on the pews. Hymnals and other materials will be cleared out of the space; words to hymns and songs will be printed in the bulletin.

These and other changes will be made for the well-being and safety of us all—and the well-being and safety of everyone else with whom we come into contact. Because it will be vitally important that everyone honor these changes in our life together, when someone is not following these protocols, we will ask that person to comply with them. If they do not, we will ask them to leave immediately.

I hope we are over-reacting! Because of the nature of the pandemic, if we take good care of our community and do not see the transmission of the virus in the Grace community, it will look like we over-reacted. But in fact, it will mean we made the best choices for the health and safety of us all.

Of course, I hope that we will be able to move rapidly through these steps and get on the other side of this pandemic. We all hope for that! In the meantime, we nurture our connection with God through a variety of spiritual practices, love one another, and serve our neighbors.

With so much love for each of you,

Pastor Sarah

Free Exercise Equipment Available

By the grace of an individual and his family who used to rent space at Grace, we have a few pieces of exercise equipment to share with anyone in the Grace community who would like them.

The following are available: 2 elliptical machines, a stationary exercise bike, a beam scale, boxing gloves, jump ropes, and exercise balls.

If you or someone you know would put any of these items to use, or you would like to receive pictures of particular items available, please contact officemanager@graceinthecity.com.

May Celebrations

During the month of May, we celebrate with members & friends of Grace.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Brenda B.

Cyndy H.

Joey L.

Owen L.

Sheila P.

Sylvia S

Trish T.

Adam W.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Ken & Evalyn

Ricki & Phyllis

Sherwood & Jeanne

Ruth & Patricia

Sara & Chad

Thank you, people of Grace!

For the past two years, Emma Fernandez has worshiped with us and played bells as part of Bells of Grace. Now graduated from ASU with a degree in journalism, Emma moves on to the next phase of her life. We wish her well and God’s blessing on all that is to come!

Emma writes:

Thank you for being my church home for the last four years. Thank you for being so welcoming and loving. You could never know how much it meant to me. I wish our time together could have ended differently, but Grace will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you, people of Grace!

Thank you, Emma, for joining in community with us!

The GLOW SHOW: Episode Five

People of Grace,

In this and the next few episodes of The GLOW SHOW, we explore the theme of friendship. We hope that these episodes might inspire you to reach out and make new friend connections or deepen your existing friendships. Click the play button below, and you will hear two stories of friendship from our friends at StoryScope. You can learn more about StoryScope at www.storyscopeproject.com.

Leave us your comments and questions right here on the blog! We’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

With love,

Pastor Sarah and Vicar Beth

Sermon for Sunday, May 10, 2020

Perhaps, like me, you have been reaching out to the people you love more intentionally than ever before.  Facebook, emailing, texting more frequently.  I hate talking on the phone, but I’ve succumbed to it, hour-long conversations with friends I would normally meet for lunch.  Zoom coffee meetings with my dad, FaceTime conversations with my niece, showing her the 3-week old baby chicks in my backyard, a Mother’s Day celebration today with the help of technology.  Striking up conversation with my neighbors, them on their porch, me on the sidewalk.  Even waving at and greeting complete strangers during my morning runs.  And of course, I don’t think I have ever been in so much digital communication with all of you, so many one-on-one contacts.  In the past eight weeks, the following truth has come into focus for me: In this moment, we have nothing else but one another and God.  In times previous, we may have deluded ourselves into thinking we could rely on something else: money or employment, health or intellectual prowess, prestige or power.  Turns out, each of these can all too easily end. 

Some of us already knew this, knowledge hard won.  Some of us—or dearly loved people in our lives—have endured accidents or medical conditions that resulted in months in the hospital, rehab, or isolation at home.  Some of us have experienced abuse or trauma.  Some of us have fought in wars or otherwise given of ourselves through military service.  Some of us live in bodies who by their very demographic leave us particularly vulnerable to prejudice and even violence, like Ahmaud Arbery who was shot and killed during his regular daily jog this past February in what appears to be a racially motivated crime.  These close-up experiences of uncertainty, fragility, and vulnerability have taught many not only the value of relationships with God and one another but the slippery nature of relying on anything else.  Now, we all live in a time of vivid uncertainty, fragility, and vulnerability, conditions difficult to avoid in this pandemic.  But if we allow them to, this uncertainty, fragility, and vulnerability can profoundly teach us what is real.

Today’s Jesus story sets us in the middle of Jesus’ long good-bye to the disciples after three years of ministry together.  In the gospel of John, though Jesus references his upcoming crucifixion and death, as usual, the disciples don’t get it.  They no doubt assume his glorious kingdom come will look like a political and even a military victory in a Roman occupied Israel.  But just prior to today’s story from John 14, in John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and shares that one of them will betray him and that Peter will deny him.  Immediately after, Jesus begins today’s story saying: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled’ and then assures the disciples he is preparing dwelling places for them in the place where he too is going.  Hearing of betrayal and denial from among their own ranks and of Jesus’ imminent death, the disciples face the uncertainty of their own and Jesus’ future, the fragility inherent in life, and the vulnerability of God’s kingdom come.  Do not let your hearts be troubled?  Jesus’ words seem almost comical.  What could possibly soothe troubled hearts now? 

When Jesus references the dwelling places he will prepare for them, he is not necessarily talking about heaven or a physical place.  Rather, the root Greek word used here is meno which means “remain” or “abide,” a verb used many times in the gospel of John.  The dwelling place to which the disciples will find their way is a relationship with God, and a “way” there is a relationship with Jesus. 

Almost three years ago, I embarked on a journey to Iowa for sabbatical.  The middle of the first day, I dropped off Richard, who is now my spouse, in Colorado with his bike and continued on my way.  For a month, I visited old friends from childhood, college, and seminary.  I sat for hours in a screened Iowa porch and wrote liturgy and about liturgy.  Most days, I ate meals alone, biked alone, walked alone, wrote alone.  I lived out of a suitcase.  Don’t get me wrong: I was perfectly content, delighted to be back on the campus of my alma mater, reveling in the green grass, largely pollution-free air, and cool evenings.  At the end of the month, I got back in my car and retraced my route through Colorado.  In a small town near Durango, I picked up Richard with plans to hike at a national park.  Together, we traveled to Utah, a place I had never been but is, I am convinced, the most gorgeous place on earth.  You all need to go!  It’s amazing!  I had never been there before, and I was still living out of a suitcase.  But I found myself at home, with Richard, at home with much laughter, lively conversation, and shared experiences.  Like falling into a deep armchair at the end of a hard day or being transported back to a memory of love through a particular smell.  Loving relationships include challenges for sure; this particular one for me includes much debate and discussion about an endless variety of topics and the occasional misunderstanding, miscommunication, or even disagreement.  Despite that, loving relationships provide safe space to be who and how we are, a jumble of silly and serious, wise and foolish, tearful and joyous.  We dwell in our most important relationships, or to borrow a cliché that in this case is true: Home is where the heart is.    

Today, Jesus says: In my father’s house, there are many dwelling places.  I go to prepare a place for you.  Or in other words, there is a home for us in the love of God.  A God who sees all of who we are and rejoices in us.  A God from whom we cannot hide a thing and forgives us.  A God on whom we may call at any time in prayer.  A God present with us in every difficult and joyous moment.  A God who comforts us in times of grief and challenges us through the Holy Spirit to use our gifts for the common good.  A God whose love for us does not end.  Not only that, through baptism and the life we share in Christian community, we are at home in our relationships with one another and all those who care for us tenderly in the jumble of our human experience.  Even though life in the present moment is uncertain and fragile, and even though we may feel vulnerable, the relationship we have with God and the relationships we have with one another sustain us.  Here and now, in this present moment, we love and are loved, and that is enough. 

The crisis we have endured and will continue to endure—because dear friends, this is not over—this crisis might teach us what has always been true, what has always been real: that our relationships with God and one another are all we have, but, thanks be to God, they are enough!  Amen.

Sermon for Sunday, May 3, 2020

I invite you later today to open your Bible and read in one sitting John 9:1 through John 10:21.  Read silently, it takes but a few minutes.  Read aloud, it would consume a good chunk of our time this morning.  To read John 9:1 through John 10:21 is to radically change how we hear the good news of our Jesus story this morning.

In John 9, Jesus encounters a man born blind, a man assumed a sinner because of his disability, a man cast out from community, a man who begged every day for food to eat.  In short order and on the Sabbath to boot, Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, rubs it on the man’s eyes, commands him to wash in the pool of Siloam, and the man sees—for the first time in his life.  Then begins a comedy as the neighbors and the Pharisees try to make sense of the man’s sight and the One who granted it.  Both the neighbors and the Pharisees question the identity of the man born blind.  They question the parents of the man born blind.  They question who Jesus is and dismiss the man’s answer: that Jesus is a prophet.  They question all that the man says because he does not agree with them.  As a result, the neighbors and Pharisees drive out the man born blind; whereas he had always been socially marginalized because of his supposed sin, now he is physically distanced from community, not allowed in the presence of others.  When Jesus goes to find the man, Jesus reveals he is the Son of Man who comes to bring sight to the blind and to blind those who see, and the man worships him.  The man born blind, ironically, sees, sees who Jesus is.  To conclude the comedy, the Pharisees who overhear their exchange ask: Surely, we are not blind, are we? 

Jesus continues in the presence of the Pharisees and the man born blind: Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit…I am the gate for the sheep…Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 

Jesus is the gate for the sheep, the One who determines who comes in and goes out, the One who holds the boundaries of the community.  The sheep go in and out, in for shelter and out for pasture, and Jesus the gate opens and closes the community to keep safe the sheep and also to grant them freedom.  When the man born blind used to sit and beg each day that he might eat, when the people of his community walked past him without seeing him, when he was but an object of pity without a name, the man born blind could not get through the gate of his own community.  After he receives his sight and testifies to the One who has granted sight to him, the people of his community literally drive him out.  And then, Jesus proclaims the good news: I am the gate.  Not the Pharisees, not the neighbors, not even religious tradition that defines right from wrong, that distinguishes sinner from saint.  I am the gate, Jesus says, and he swings open for the man born blind.   

At this particular moment in our life on this planet, gates or, more literally in the Greek, doors play a vivid role in daily life.  When the doorbell rings, before we open the door, we put on a mask.  Before we step out of our car and walk across the parking lot to the grocery store, we put on a mask.  Before we open the door of our home, wherever we are going, we wash our hands.  When we come through the door of a new place, we wash our hands.  Right now, closed doors keep us safe. 

But we know that doors or gates play a vivid role in our lives not only now but always.  Our locked doors stand between us and those who wish to harm us; gated communities allow in only those who belong there.  Here in Arizona, we know our southern border as gate.  The first poet laureate of Arizona, Alberto Rios, in a poem entitled The Border: A Double Sonnet writes: The border has always been a welcome stopping place but is now a Stop sign, always red…the border is a locked door that has been promoted…the border is mighty, but even the parting of the seas created a path, not a barrier. 

Rios, who incidentally, has worshiped here at Grace a few times because of a family connection, grew up in Nogales on the US side of the border.  His words paint with startling clarity how Jesus functions as gate.  For while we close our borders, our gates, our doors perhaps out of fear for what lies on the other side or because we seek to define community in a particular way, “even the parting of the seas created a path, not a barrier.”  Rios captures our biblical imagination when he references the story of Exodus chapter 14.  In Exodus, the Israelites have escaped slavery in Egypt but with the Egyptian army on their heels.  Through the leadership of Moses, God parts the Red Sea on the shores of which the Israelites stand, and they walk safely through the sea to freedom on the other side.  The sea border, in the story of God’s people, becomes not a closed gate or a locked door but a path to freedom. 

So too for the man born blind.  Instead of a closed gate or a locked door, Jesus swings open the gate to create a path to freedom.  Instead of begging every day for food to eat, instead of waiting on the charity of others, instead of perpetually sitting just outside the gate, the man born blind is welcome among God’s people, restored to community, health, and fullness of life.  He is welcome to come in and go out, as Jesus spoke of sheep coming in for shelter and going out for pasture. 

In this season of Covid-19, we define our boundaries more vividly than ever, personally, at businesses and airports, at churches and schools.  Who may enter a particular space and who may not shines with clarity, but we know that most homes, most communities, most nations have long both implicitly and explicitly defined their boundaries—and sometimes for good reasons like health and safety.  In the church, the body of Christ, Jesus defines and holds our boundaries.  Not me the pastor, not the council, not us the congregation, not the neighbors, not even our religious tradition that defines right from wrong, that supposedly distinguishes sinner from saint.  Jesus holds the boundaries of our community.  Jesus is the gate and thus the only one who gets to answer the question: who belongs here? 

And while I would like to tie up this sermon with a clear and certain answer, I do not believe our Jesus story allows this.  All I can say is this: Jesus swings open the gate for the man born blind, and the open gate surprises the Pharisees, the religious leaders.  When Jesus answers the question: who belongs here? in our own community, I think we too will be surprised for Jesus sees the world differently than we do.  Whoever we are, whatever position we hold, whatever authority we think we possess, the good news that brings us freedom and the challenging truth that surprises us is this: we are not the gate.  Jesus is.  Thanks be to God!  Amen. 

The GLOW SHOW: Episode Four

People of Grace,

In this episode of The GLOW SHOW, we move away from the theme of Confounding Expectations and move towards another theme: Stories For This Time. Click the play button below and you will hear from Caleb Winebrenner, a gifted story teller and regular guest at GLOW. Caleb shares the story of one of the Bible’s most beloved characters, Ruth.

Leave us your comments and questions right here on the blog! We’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

In Faith,

Pastor Sarah and Vicar Beth

The GLOW SHOW: Episode Three

People of Grace,

In this episode of The GLOW SHOW, Pastor Sarah and Vicar Beth confound our religious expectations by discussing what it means to be a Lutheran. Click below to hear the cultural distinguished from the theological when defining Lutheranism, the particular theological lens through which Lutherans interpret the Bible and finally how we relate to other Lutherans from around the world.

Leave us your comments and questions right here on the blog! We’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

In Faith,

Pastor Sarah and Vicar Beth

Stages of Grief

Our whole world has sustained a loss: a loss of freedom, a loss of health, a loss of physical touch, maybe even the loss of a job, home, or business. We must grieve this loss. Below are the stages of grief most people go through when they mourn. You may find yourself in one of these stages, and in doing so, may better understand your own emotional and spiritual process. Though these stages are numbered, a person does not necessarily go through these stages in this order or only go through each stage once.

1. SHOCK & DENIAL
You will probably react to learning of the loss with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Shock provides emotional protection from being overwhelmed all at once. This may last for weeks.

2. PAIN & GUILT
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, and not hide it, avoid it or escape from it with alcohol or drugs.  You may have guilty feelings or remorse over things you did or didn't do with your loved one. Life feels chaotic and scary during this phase.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay unwarranted blame for the loss on someone else. Please try to control this, as permanent damage to your relationships may result. This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion.  You may rail against fate, questioning "Why me?" You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair ("I will never drink again if you just bring him/it back").

4. DEPRESSION, REFLECTION, LONELINESS
Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. This is a normal stage of grief, so do not be "talked out of it" by well-meaning outsiders. Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage of grieving.  During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, reflect on things you did with your lost one, and focus on memories of the past. You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair. 

5. THE UPWARD TURN
As you start to adjust to life without your dear one, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your depression begins to lift slightly.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again, and you will find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by life without your loved one/without whatever you have lost. You will start to work on practical and financial problems and reconstructing yourself and your life without him or her.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE
During this, the last of the seven stages in this grief model, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, untroubled YOU that existed before this tragedy. But you will find a way forward.  You will start to look forward and actually plan things for the future. Eventually, you will be able to think about your lost loved one without pain; sadness, yes, but the wrenching pain will be gone. You will once again anticipate some good times to come, and yes, even find joy again in the experience of living. 

Vicar Beth and Pastor Sarah are available to listen if you would like to talk through your own process of grief.

Ways to Give

At this time of instability and uncertainty, many in our community are in need of food, baby formula, diapers, and wipes. If you would like to give, here are a few ways.

1) Grace is accepting donations of packaged granola bars, bags of nuts, snack crackers, and citrus from your trees. These donations are put out in a self-serve fashion for anyone who needs them each morning, Monday-Sunday, 9:00 am-12:00 pm. Call Adrienne in the church office (602-258-3787) or Pastor Sarah (602-318-6876) before you come to drop off donations. Thank you!

2) Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) is in great need of baby formula, diapers, and wipes for their foster families and families that utilize their Family Resource Centers. The address for the Phoenix LSS-SW office is 2502 E University Drive, Suite 125, Phoenix, AZ 85034, and the drop-off times are Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00 am- 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm.

3) St. Mary’s Food Bank is open and in need of donations, both food and funds. To give food, go to this link to find your nearest drop-off location and their hours.

https://www.firstfoodbank.org/give/food/

Monetary donations can be made online at their website.

https://www.firstfoodbank.org/

Complete the 2020 Census!

The 2020 Census continues. Every ten years, the census counts everyone who lives in the United States which helps direct billions of dollars of funding for public projects like roads, schools, and emergency services. Everyone counts! Please fill out the 2020 census by going to 2020census.gov, completing the form sent to you in the mail, or by calling 844-330-2020. Then, invite your family, friends, and co-workers to do the same—through social media or simply by calling or emailing them. A possible social media post:

There’s still time to shape the future for your community. You can complete
the #2020Census now online, by phone, or by mail. Visit 2020Census.gov.

Thank you for tending your call as a community member!