This week’s devotion from Jay McKenney:
SPIRITUAL TRAINING – Joyless Christians
Ever met one? Ever been one? I could answer yes to both of those.
One of the first things to go when you lose hope, is laughter and your sense of humor. Children so easily laugh, so easily giggle, so easily dance. What happens to us? Seriously. I go to some church business functions (not Sunset’s of course J) and wonder, who died? And really, we are supposed to be the ones who know our future, know our hope, experience mercy and grace. That reality should fill us with a sense of joy despite our earthly trials.
This week in our worship gathering the worship team is going to be talking about the spiritual discipline of celebration. You can’t celebrate without joy, and you can’t have joy without hope. Has your laughter died? Are you losing your sense of humor? Are you losing hope? Have you forgotten how to celebrate?
Joy and gratitude go hand in hand. Every moment of life is a gift. Whenever I read verses like the ones I read today in 1 Peter 1, I always get this sense that if I could truly grasp this, truly comprehend it and if the words could break through to my soul, that it would fill me with hope and joy and gratitude and lead to celebration.
Read these verses and try not to have hope — I dare ya. J
1 Peter 1:3-7: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
SPIRITUAL TRAINING – Joyless Christians
Ever met one? Ever been one? I could answer yes to both of those.
One of the first things to go when you lose hope, is laughter and your sense of humor. Children so easily laugh, so easily giggle, so easily dance. What happens to us? Seriously. I go to some church business functions (not Sunset’s of course J) and wonder, who died? And really, we are supposed to be the ones who know our future, know our hope, experience mercy and grace. That reality should fill us with a sense of joy despite our earthly trials.
This week in our worship gathering the worship team is going to be talking about the spiritual discipline of celebration. You can’t celebrate without joy, and you can’t have joy without hope. Has your laughter died? Are you losing your sense of humor? Are you losing hope? Have you forgotten how to celebrate?
Joy and gratitude go hand in hand. Every moment of life is a gift. Whenever I read verses like the ones I read today in 1 Peter 1, I always get this sense that if I could truly grasp this, truly comprehend it and if the words could break through to my soul, that it would fill me with hope and joy and gratitude and lead to celebration.
Read these verses and try not to have hope — I dare ya. J
1 Peter 1:3-7: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Coming in January . . .
A new gathering time for Sunset!
A new gathering time for Sunset!
Sunday evenings at 5pm, in the gym, beginning January 11th
This will be a unique experience in both feel and location. Our time together will be more informal and more intimate. This gathering will offer a relaxed, more acoustic mix of worship music with the same teaching as the morning. The music will reflect a blend between the NINE and The Eleventh Hour.
We are so excited that Laura Vandergiessen will be the primary worship leader! If singing or playing for this gathering interests you, she would love to hear from you! Please email Laura at lvandergiessen@yahoo.com. If you like serving behind the scenes, email Janet, our Director of Production, at janetfraser@sunsetpres.org.
There will be tons of other ways you can plug in! If you have a desire to help create community and connect people for this new gathering email Eric Venable at ericvenable@sunsetpres.org.
This will be a unique experience in both feel and location. Our time together will be more informal and more intimate. This gathering will offer a relaxed, more acoustic mix of worship music with the same teaching as the morning. The music will reflect a blend between the NINE and The Eleventh Hour.
We are so excited that Laura Vandergiessen will be the primary worship leader! If singing or playing for this gathering interests you, she would love to hear from you! Please email Laura at lvandergiessen@yahoo.com. If you like serving behind the scenes, email Janet, our Director of Production, at janetfraser@sunsetpres.org.
There will be tons of other ways you can plug in! If you have a desire to help create community and connect people for this new gathering email Eric Venable at ericvenable@sunsetpres.org.
Sunset Election News From Pastor Ron
Pastor Ron recently sent a News & Views email with Sunset’s election results on leaving PCUSA. Here’s a portion of what he said:
I thank all of you who voted for our leaving the PCUSA and joining with EPC. We have known for years that the PCUSA has been drifting theologically, and our Session came to the conclusion that now is the time for us to depart. Here are the results of the voting over the three Sundays:
Total MEMBER Votes: 1080 – Yes 32 – No
% of Sunset’s membership who voted: 59.7%
% of voting membership with Yes vote: 96.9%
% of voting membership with No vote: 2.9%
Total ATTENDER Votes: 348 – Yes 8 – No
% of voting attenders Yes/No votes: 98% - Yes 2% - No
Our petition to leave PCUSA will be voted on at the Presbytery of the Cascades and is scheduled on the agenda for 10:45 this coming Saturday morning. Please pray our petition would be granted.
Pastor Ron recently sent a News & Views email with Sunset’s election results on leaving PCUSA. Here’s a portion of what he said:
I thank all of you who voted for our leaving the PCUSA and joining with EPC. We have known for years that the PCUSA has been drifting theologically, and our Session came to the conclusion that now is the time for us to depart. Here are the results of the voting over the three Sundays:
Total MEMBER Votes: 1080 – Yes 32 – No
% of Sunset’s membership who voted: 59.7%
% of voting membership with Yes vote: 96.9%
% of voting membership with No vote: 2.9%
Total ATTENDER Votes: 348 – Yes 8 – No
% of voting attenders Yes/No votes: 98% - Yes 2% - No
Our petition to leave PCUSA will be voted on at the Presbytery of the Cascades and is scheduled on the agenda for 10:45 this coming Saturday morning. Please pray our petition would be granted.
Opportunities to Serve
For more ways you can serve in Worship & Creative Arts, check out our ministry blog!For other ways to serve throughout Sunset and our community, be sure to check your weekly bulletin.
Administratively gifted? Love to work behind the scenes?
We are looking for volunteers who will be willing to commit between 2 and 4 hours to input data into Fellowship One. We will be inputting information that people have given us regarding their spiritual gifts, occupation, skills and spiritual development.
When: Input going on at the times below and lunch will be provided!
Tuesday, Nov 18: 10-12 11-1 12-2
Wednesday, Nov 19: 10-12 11-1 12-2
Thursday, Nov 20: 10-12 11-1 12-2
If you’re interested, please contact Carrie Peeples carriepeeples@sunsetpres.org with your name, and when you are able to serve. Please let her know if you have a laptop that has wireless, which you could bring to use during this time.
We are looking for volunteers who will be willing to commit between 2 and 4 hours to input data into Fellowship One. We will be inputting information that people have given us regarding their spiritual gifts, occupation, skills and spiritual development.
When: Input going on at the times below and lunch will be provided!
Tuesday, Nov 18: 10-12 11-1 12-2
Wednesday, Nov 19: 10-12 11-1 12-2
Thursday, Nov 20: 10-12 11-1 12-2
If you’re interested, please contact Carrie Peeples carriepeeples@sunsetpres.org with your name, and when you are able to serve. Please let her know if you have a laptop that has wireless, which you could bring to use during this time.
Upcoming Events List
If you have questions about any of these events, please contact Dan Larson at danlarson@sunsetpres.org.
All To Jesus – Praise Night is Thanksgiving Eve!
A great way to kick off your Thanksgiving weekend is to join us Wednesday, November 26th for a night of worship and praise! We’ll spend some time thanking God and praising Him for His amazing goodness!
November 26 – Praise Night on Thanksgiving Eve 7pm
December 5-6 – Evening in December, Orphans Overseas (looking for ladies to host tables, if interested contact laurahildenbrand@orphansoverseas.org)
December 14 – Christmas Concert 6pm
December 15-20 – Food & Toy (if interested in volunteering, checkout www.sunsetpres.org/go/foodandtoy)
December 24 – Christmas Eve Services
If you have questions about any of these events, please contact Dan Larson at danlarson@sunsetpres.org.
All To Jesus – Praise Night is Thanksgiving Eve!
A great way to kick off your Thanksgiving weekend is to join us Wednesday, November 26th for a night of worship and praise! We’ll spend some time thanking God and praising Him for His amazing goodness!
November 26 – Praise Night on Thanksgiving Eve 7pm
December 5-6 – Evening in December, Orphans Overseas (looking for ladies to host tables, if interested contact laurahildenbrand@orphansoverseas.org)
December 14 – Christmas Concert 6pm
December 15-20 – Food & Toy (if interested in volunteering, checkout www.sunsetpres.org/go/foodandtoy)
December 24 – Christmas Eve Services
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