Views from The Ridge 07.31.2024
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week
Sunday, August 4
9am Worship in the Sanctuary (Riley Stirman preaching: Exodus 16)
10:15am Formation time for all ages
Adult class series: Practicing The Way
Teen formation: The Chosen
Children’s formation: Godly Play
11am Worship in the Chapel (Mae Czarnecki, Communications Coordinator: John 6:24-35)
Watch previous sermons here, and listen to this month’s worship inspiration here.
Upcoming
Tuesday, August 6, 9:30am Storytime on the lawn
Wednesday, August 7, 12pm Monthly Men’s Assembly in the Fellowship Hall
Saturday, August 10 Second Saturday in Charis Park
Sunday, August 11, 10am Farewell Brunch for the Stirmans in the Fellowship Hall
Around Our Community
This summer, we have seen a variety of young faces around campus helping out the community in a number of ways. We are especially grateful for Whitney Webb and Lily Burke, who have interned for the family ministry for the past two months, and who have done everything from storytime to camps to cleaning out the building and so much more. This is Whitney’s last week in the office and we will miss her cheerful attitude and fun spirit as she starts school soon!
The Nearness of God
Riley Stirman, Preaching Minister, Sunset Ridge Church
"The point of I Corinthians 13 is that love is not our duty; it is our destiny. It is the language Jesus spoke, and we are called to speak it so that we can converse with him."
N.T. Wright - Surprised By Hope
Our culture has the fascinating tendency to predict we are hurtling towards two polar opposite futures. On the one hand, alarmists predict that humans are past the point of no return - that climate change, overpopulation, famine, and war will make this planet uninhabitable and that humans won't be around much longer. This is where we get such fun post-apocalyptic works of fiction.
On the other hand, there is a contingency of people who believe strongly in the idea that as we go, we just get better. These people believe that the more we learn about the universe and the more we can develop technology, the more the world becomes a better, safer, happier place. In short, utopia is inevitable.
The Christian worldview, however, sort of has a foot in both camps. To the first group, Christianity does agree that there is something fundamentally flawed with creation, but it's not humans. It's the rampant powers of Sin and Death. And to the second, Christianity agrees that there is reason to be optimistic for the future, but it's not because human ingenuity or resourcefulness will save the day. God will.
I really like this quote by N.T. Wright where he says that love isn't a duty but our destiny. I think he's managed to put his finger on something very important about the faith we profess. In short, there is a future that we believe is certain. Yet it's not one in which humans are at the center. It is a future where the God of all love is seated on his throne, reigning over the New Heavens and the New Earth. It is a future where all of creation is restored. It is a future consisting entirely of love.
The love of God is the inevitability, not destruction or chaos or even human progress. Love is the defining characteristic of the world that is to come. Love is the language that we'll speak, the garments that we'll wear, and the air that we'll breathe.
At this very moment, all of creation is hurtling unceasingly towards the end that God has designed for it. As Paul boasts, there is absolutely nothing in all of creation that could ever separate us from his love. So it's time that we root ourselves - and root ourselves strongly - in this love. Because along the way there will be challenges. Obstacles. Distractions. And even suffering. All that may give the impression that the plan has gone off the rails.
But there is no denying or escaping it. God will not be denied the ending he has written. Perfected love is our future. And with diligent work, we may even make it our present.
A Liturgy for Rain
Adapted from The Book Of Uncommon Prayer by Steven L. Case
There is no sound like rain, God. Rain on a roof, rain on the ground, it’s all good. There is a sense of relief in these waters, God. There is a sense of second chances. It brings new life. It brings hope. We need these things, too, God. We need new life. We need hope. Wash away all that covers us, God. Make us new. Thank you for the newness of life around us, and the sound of the rain. Amen.
