Views from The Ridge 02.21.2024

Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.

This Week

Sunday, February 25

9:15am Life Groups, children’s Roots gathering, teen gathering
10:30am Worship in the Sanctuary (By Our Love - Matthew 5:38-48)
4:30pm Worship in the chapel
6-7pm Parent Group: Every Season Sacred
6-7pm Youth Group

Wednesday, February 28, 10am Women’s Wednesday Fellowship
Join for card-writing & lunch together

Upcoming…

Sunday, March 3 Supper Church
Wednesday, March 6 Monthly Men’s Assembly
Saturday, March 9 Second Saturday

Stay up to date with all church events here.
Curious about what’s happening on campus at large? Check out Sunset Ridge Collective’s calendar here.

Around Our Community

We finally got to enjoy spending time on our beautiful front lawn last Sunday for Outdoor Worship. This gathering is so special to our community.

Moment of Silence

-Riley Stirman, Preaching Minister of Sunset Ridge Church

My freshman year of college, I was in a class that centered around the New Testament, and my professor was . . . different.

He only assigned homework once in a blue moon, which many people liked. But when he did assign homework, you knew to buckle up. It was going to be a tough assignment. Not in the typical "write a research paper" kind of tough. His homework assignments were always focused around forcing us to practice the teachings of Jesus, many of which revolved around the Sermon on the Mount.

In small increments, we were actually graded on our ability to at least try to live like Jesus. Let me give you an example:

One particular challenge came from the passage on divorce and oaths that we discussed Sunday morning. The assignment was to go one entire day without speaking. Not because Jesus instructs us to go mute for the rest of our lives. The purpose was to help us see how flippantly we use our words, how little meaning they really have in a culture that, frankly, just never seems to shut up.

As the day went on, I found it to be enormously challenging. There were little inconveniences along the way, sure. Ordering lunch in the cafeteria was tricky. Silently waving hello to people felt weird. I got very tired of mouthing "It's for a class!" to my friends who were asking what was going on.

But I learned some things about myself along the way. One of the hardest things for me throughout the whole day was biting back some sarcastic or mocking remark I wanted to make. I desperately wanted to make jokes, get the big laugh, and be the center of attention. Or when someone had a question that I knew the answer to, I couldn't chime in immediately to show them how smart I was! And it was driving me crazy!

It had never occurred to me how often I use my words to try to alter people's perceptions of me. I had never thought about how I used words to distort, to persuade, or even to tear down. And I absolutely wasn't prepared for the loss of identity I felt - even in a single day! - without the ability to try to shape reality with my words.

We had to turn in a one-page reflection on our day of silence. And one question to guide our reflection really stuck with me. How often would you have spoken today if you spoke only what love required of you? To put this another way, how often would you really speak if you used your words as a person of immense integrity who is living the Jesus way?

I'm guessing your answer would be similar to mine. I probably wouldn't be saying much of anything. I definitely wouldn't be talking nearly as much as I do now.

This is the point when Jesus talks about the commitments we make to each other and to God. Our words have power. Our words shape reality. And our words help reveal whether we are truly a person of integrity or not. If we want to be honest people, the path to get there is not to keep using more and more and more words to convince people that we are honest. To be a person of honesty, we say what we need to and nothing more. And every word is filtered through the same question: "What does love require?"

I don't know if you're in a place where I can give you a similar piece of homework. It's definitely not easy to make it a day in complete silence. But I encourage you to begin paying close attention to the words that come out of your mouth. Pay attention to the little lies we tell. Pay attention to the ways we spare feelings by bending the truth. Pay attention to the commitments we make that we have no intention of keeping. Maybe more importantly, pay attention to the words we use to belittle, to mock, or to tear down.

Maybe this week you can pause and ask the question before you speak. What does love require of me? This may be how God forms us into people of integrity.

From Our Leaders

We are excited to share a construction update for Charis Park. Our team has nearly completed the grading of the land and are planning for a delivery of topsoil donated by our community partner, Compost Queens. The hardscape elements of the park are nearing completion and electrical installation will begin next week, including the light poles. The City of San Antonio has purchased 30+ new trees as a donation for the park, which will be delivered in the next several weeks and planting is slated to happen early April. If you are interested in a naming opportunity at this very special park, please contact Taylor Bates at taylor@sunset-ridge.org.

Praises And Prayers

Bethany Hill is home recovering from surgery.

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