Views from The Ridge 7.5.2023
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week…
Wednesday, July 5, 7-8:30pm Youth group at the Stirmans’
Saturday, July 8, 9:30-11:30am Second Saturday
Sunday, July 9
9:15am Life groups, children’s Roots gathering, teen gathering (see website for more info)
10:30am Worship (There’s Still Room - Luke 14:15-24)
4:30pm Chapel worship
Tuesday, July 11, 9:30am Storytime on the lawn & Taco Tuesday at One Another Coffee
Upcoming…
Sunday, July 9 - Friday, July 14 Middle school at MPulse (ACU camp)
Wednesday, July 19 Story Swap, Sunset Worship & Teen Night
Saturday, July 22 Young Adult night at Top Golf
Weeds, Revisited
Chelsea Stirman
Last week, I heard a sentence I never thought I would hear from one of our teens. It was day four of our week of service projects around our community and our city, and we were all a little exhausted. When I had asked our friends at Camelot Elementary what we could do to serve them while the kids were not in school, they requested that we come and plant a garden in a small, unused patch of dirt where kids often walk by and pull some weeds in the amphitheater area of the school – but only after summer school had let out for the day.
So, at the hottest part of the day in the middle of June, I find myself directing some kids to a slab of concrete to pull up so many more weeds than I could have fathomed (you heard that this wasn’t my idea, right?). They were definitely more gracious about this task than I probably would’ve been. That’s when one of them said it:
“I’d like to revisit that sermon Riley preached.”
Now, you all know how great a preacher Riley is, but for the most part, I think anyone who preaches hopes that the listeners retain a story, maybe poignant detail or alternate perspective. But this teen was not referring to a funny anecdote or video clip, they were referring to the content of the scripture we had talked about from a number of weeks back – the parable of the sower.
If you recall, the sower spreads his seeds all over; a few grow, but some get choked by weeds, some get eaten by birds, and some land on the path, where we all know that nothing can grow. This is the fact that we all wanted to dispute that hot afternoon, crouched over the concrete, glaring at the tufts of green poking through every six inches.
Have you ever found weeds in your life cropping up where you didn’t expect, threatening to choke out goodness and light? You know that your flourishing involves pulling up by the roots jealousy or petty arguments, but suddenly you find that you’re drowning in the minutes that turn to hours staring at your phone or that the stressor at work is strangling your peace. Weeds aren’t supposed to grow on concrete, right?
In these moments of clarity, it seems like the easiest thing is to do what we did, get what we could for a bit, and then douse everything else in a healthy shower of Roundup.
But I think at times, these weeds need closer attention. Sometimes, I need to lovingly examine the contents of my life and ask, where did these weeds come from? Why does my phone receive so much attention? How might this new weed look like an old weed that I thought was gone years ago? How am I tending even the concrete of my soul in a way that leaves it vulnerable to infiltration?
When we talk about the word of God landing where it can grow, it’s a continual process. There are so many ways the seeds can be diverted from taking root and changing us. So this week, let us together tend to what chokes life from us – through the dirt and the cracks in the concrete alike.
Around the Community
Our first service camp, Bear Week, was amazing last week! We spent time serving alongside our ministry partners CAM, Agape, and Camelot , as well as doing work around our own campus and for our community. We are so grateful for the ways our teens served selflessly and built stronger relationships through our time together.
Prayers & Praises
Anthony Scalercio, Glennie’s grandson, continues treatment for cancer.
Thank you to our awesome hosts, parent helpers and sponsors who served and supported our teens this past week. YOU helped make our youth service week more “bearable”.
Do you follow us on Instagram? Find our Daily Bible Readings in our stories, and updates throughout the week in our feed.
God, we gather in gratitude, thankful for the ways you seek to revive us! Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts work together to praise you in this hour. Grant your Spirit to move our hearts and inspire each of us to share your steadfast love with all whom we encounter. Help us to join in giving only what is good, not only today, but every day. Amen
