Views from The Ridge 3.11.26
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week’s Scripture: Nehemiah 4:6-9
Wednesdays
There is no Wednesday night programming this week, March 11, due to Spring Break.
Sundays
Worship
9 AM, Chapel, Acapella
11 AM, Sanctuary, Instrumental
10:15 AM, Bible Class & Discipleship for All Ages
Fellowship Hall
Between the Words: A gathering between our community’s two worship times where we unfold the facets of weekly Scripture together. Join us from 10:15 - 10:45 each Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. Each week stands on its own; come as you’re able. Adults and teens welcome.
BEMA Podcast Discussion group
Room 220
BOYS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Bryan Wolfe
GIRLS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Den Slater
Roots: Children’s Discipleship through Godly Play
Bible Story Focus this Week: Jesus' Desert and Discovery Experience
Key Verses: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1-13
Room 102, PreK - Kindergarten
Room 122, 1st - 2nd Grade
Room 209, 3rd - 4th Grade
Sunday Setlists
What if worship started before Sunday morning? Listening to these songs during the week can help build familiarity and allow the words to begin forming our hearts before we sing them together.
This Week’s 11 AM Worship Setlist
All 2026 Songs
Community Connections
Holy Week & Easter
Easter draws near, and there are several ways to walk through this sacred season with us. Beginning Sunday, March 29, our chapel lawn along Brees Boulevard will be home to an interactive Stations of the Cross installation throughout Holy Week—large wooden cross sculptures, each displaying artwork by Illustrated Ministries, inviting you to pause and reflect on Jesus' journey to the cross at your own pace. On Easter Sunday, April 5, we'll gather for brunch, followed by our Easter service and baptisms—a tender moment in which the whole congregation welcomes those entering new life in Christ—and then an Easter egg hunt at 12:30 pm in Charis Park.
Upcoming Community Events
Every Saturday, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Saturday, March 14, 9 AM - 1 PM, Second Saturday Market, Charis Park
Saturday, March 21, 9 AM - 1 PM, Community Garden Work Day, Charis Park
Friday, March 27, 8 AM - 12 PM, Moral Injury in Combat Veterans Conference, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, March 28, 5:30 - 9 PM, Sprouts School Pasta Party Fundraiser, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, March 29, 5th Sunday: The children’s ministry will move to the sanctuary to share in our worship! The nursery will remain open, and we will still offer a class for children in Pre-K and Kindergarten.
Sunday, April 5, 10 - 11 AM, Easter Brunch, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, April 5, 11 AM, Easter Service & Baptisms, Fellowship Hall
Beyond Sunday
Are You Lonely…?
Dick Ihfe, DMin, Trustee, Sunset Ridge Church
I am an Elvis Presley fan. Always have been. Always will be. Years ago, when Elvis was at the top of the world, he said he wanted three things out of life: to be rich, to be famous, and to be happy. He got the first two. But just weeks before he died, when someone asked, “Are you happy, Elvis?” he answered, “No. I’m as lonely as hell.”
That always stops me in my tracks.
If a man surrounded by screaming fans, flashing cameras, and Graceland itself could be lonely, what does that say about the rest of us? Elvis wasn’t an isolated case. Loneliness has quietly become one of the great pastoral challenges of our time. Surveys tell us what we already suspect: many Americans feel deeply alone. And here’s the uncomfortable part — that includes people sitting in our pews every Sunday.
We gather for hymns, Scripture, sermons, and sacraments. We pass the peace. We shake hands. We say, “How are you?” and often answer, “Fine,” whether we are or not. It’s possible to worship in a crowded sanctuary and still feel completely unseen.
Scripture tells us something important right from the beginning: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). That was before sin entered the world. Before brokenness. Before church ministry meetings. God Himself declared isolation “not good.” Why? Because we are made in the image of a relational God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We were built for connection, to live in community.
The early church seemed to understand that. Acts 2:42 tells us they devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. They shared life, not just pew space. Their faith wasn’t a weekly event; it was a shared existence. Hebrews 10:25 urges believers not to neglect meeting together, but to encourage one another. Not observe one another. Encourage one another. The Beloved disciple says we are to “Love one another.”
Beware that somewhere along the way, church can drift into becoming a well-organized event rather than a lived-in family. We can run excellent programs and still miss each other’s pain. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one member suffers, all suffer together.” That only works if we actually know who is suffering.
Loneliness isn’t the absence of people; it’s the absence of meaningful connection. You can be surrounded by noise and still feel invisible. The Psalms give us permission to say that out loud. David prayed, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16). Even Jesus experienced abandonment — His friends slept in Gethsemane, and on the cross He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Our Savior knows what loneliness feels like.
But the gospel doesn’t stop at sympathy. It calls us to action. Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). That love looks like bearing burdens (Galatians 6:2), practicing hospitality (Romans 12:13), and actually slowing down long enough to listen.
If we’re honest, sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is invite someone to lunch.
Church doesn’t need to be bigger to fight loneliness. It needs to be closer. Smaller circles within larger gatherings. Honest conversations instead of polished performances. Older saints mentoring younger believers (Titus 2), and younger believers reminding older ones that hope is still alive. Shared meals. Shared prayers. Shared tears.
And here is the good news: loneliness may be widespread, but it is not stronger than Christ’s love. The Lord promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Proverbs reminds us there is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). We are never abandoned by Him — and we are called not to abandon one another.
Maybe the question isn’t just, “Are you lonely?”
Maybe the question is, “Who around you is?”
And perhaps the holiest thing we can do this week is notice and act!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayers of the People
A memorial service will be held for Barbara Edens on Saturday, March 21st at 1 PM in the Chapel, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.
