Worship Update 3/20

Jay's Devotion
An exciting story

I just came back from the men’s retreat last weekend and I’m fired up! Donald Miller spoke and he talked about the fact that what makes a story or a movie compelling are the same things that make our life compelling. That’s because God created us uniquely to respond to story. In every good story there is a character that wants something and is willing to go through conflict to get it. In every weak story, there is no desire, no goal, and therefore no reason to put up with conflict of any kind.

We all want to be part of an exciting story, don’t we? We gravitate towards people who are exciting, or causes that are exciting, or communities that are exciting. We want to be part of a goal and we want something on the horizon that we are moving towards. If we can be a part of something like that we will embrace the challenge and conflict that comes with the pursuit of the goal.

With that in mind, I want us to take a look at our goal in Worship & Creative Arts this year. It’s wrapped up in the phrase ―"We choose to be real"; real with each other… real with God… and real in our worship.

What does ―"real" look like? We are each longing for and learning about the reality of who we are in Christ. Part of being ―"real" is allowing that process to play out in real time and in real life. I’m not talking about perfection; I’m just talking about being genuine. How do we do this? We do it together, we do it humbly, and we do it covered in God’s grace and love. We do it knowing that being real is sometimes scary and vulnerable, but it is also filled with freedom and hope. On a very practical level, being real can start by finding one or two people that you begin to share your story with (even the messy parts)… because our story is always more exciting in the context of community. An isolated story is a boring story.

So, where are you along the journey of being ―"real"? Is anyone at Sunset getting to know more of your story? Have you been looking for or have you connected with one or two people at Sunset with whom you’re willing to share your story? What about letting one or two people know you are interested in hearing more of their story? We still have a lot of time this year to pursue being real together. And until God comes back we have time to write a more exciting story… a story that happens both within our community at Sunset and in the larger community where God has placed Sunset.

Easter is coming fast…
It’s April 12th and the planning has already begun. We’re excited about the services and about what God will do in the hearts of those who come that day! The service times for this year are:
Easter Services
(blended) Saturday Apr 11th 4pm, Sunday April 12th 9 & 11am
(modern) Saturday Apr 11th 6:30pm

Infant to pre-K programming at all services; K – 5 Sunday

Opportunities to Serve

IMMEDIATE Student and/or Family Opportunity
On March 8th we began a sermon series titled ―God’s Design for the Next Generation‖ and we’d love to have students or families do the prelude each weekend. If you are willing to serve in this way OR could recommend a musician/artist in our church family, please contact janetfraser@sunsetpres.org.

Are You Musical?? We are always on the lookout for talented musicians with a heart to serve on the team. Whether you play the electric guitar or the Swedish bagpipes, we want to hear you play!
Come April 5th, 1pm in the Sanctuary. Please rsvp to Tyler at tylerbraun@sunsetpres.org asap and we will get you more info on how you can prepare.

Upcoming Events
April 9 – Maundy Thursday
April 12 – Easter
April 24 – Family Unity Night (FUN)
May 10 – Mother’s Day