Views from The Ridge 03.13.2024

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

This Week

Sunday, March 17

9:15am Life Groups, children’s Roots gathering, teen gathering (see website for more info)

10:30am Worship in the Sanctuary (Do Unto Others - Matthew 7:1-12)
4:30pm Outdoor worship
Youth group and Parent group paused for Spring Break

Upcoming…

Sunday, March 31 Easter Sunday Potluck Brunch, Combined Worship (see Around Our Community below), and Easter Egg Hunt

Interested in what’s scheduled for our campus at large? Please consider subscribing to Goodness Weekly.

Around Our Community

On Sunday, March 31st, we will have an Easter Brunch Potluck at 10 AM in the Fellowship Hall. We are asking for volunteers to bring Breakfast Casseroles, Breads/Pastries, and/or Fruit. Sign-up sheets are available in the Fellowship Hall and Foyer (or email sean@sunset-ridge.org).

The Brunch will be followed by a combined worship service in the Sanctuary at 11 AM and Easter Egg Hunt at noon.

Please bring pre-filled Easter eggs to the Fellowship Hall between now and Easter Sunday. No chocolate or nuts, please.

We enjoyed a beautiful Second Saturday last weekend! It was such a special time for our yoga-goers and families. photo

Last week our Deputy Director Taylor Bates and Good Acres Founder Sarah Woolsey hosted a cohort of Eden Fellows, including graduate students and professors, on a Missional Imagination Trip from Abilene, TX. The purpose of their trip was to stretch their imaginations for what being on mission with God can look like—to think outside the box and to follow the Spirit's guidance to be good news wherever they go, including in their local churches and neighborhoods. The group toured our campus and heard the story of the vision for our church and community, as well as the work in which we have partnered with Good Acres, an organization that helps faith leaders across San Antonio to reimagine how the church can be a good neighbor. It was energizing and affirmational to spend time in conversation with this group.

What A Day

-Riley Stirman, Preaching Minister of Sunset Ridge Church
Full disclosure: I'm usually the last person to take my own advice, especially when I preach.

This Sunday, I preached on Jesus's head-scratching command not to worry, but instead to imitate nature - the birds, the flowers, etc. - as it exists fully in the present moment for the glory of its Creator. It wasn't very long at all before I had the chance to practice what I preached.

I had a free hour in mid-afternoon. I decided to try to finish up some reading I'd been putting off. And because my dog kept whining at the back door, I decided to go sit outside on our back deck, something Chelsea is usually much more likely to do than I am.

I did my best to read, but I was struggling. It seemed I was barely moving through the book at all. Eventually, though, I realized I wasn't moving slowly for the usual reasons. My mind wasn't wandering, I wasn't distracted by stress or worries. I wasn't making much progress because after seemingly every sentence I read, my mind was returning to the same thought:

"What a day!"

I put the book down and started to pay attention. The sunshine was on my face, but it wasn't blinding. The world was that perfect temperature where you couldn't actually feel the air one way or the other. My dog was proudly trotting around our yard, tail wagging, with what I could swear was a smile on his face. And the birds were chattering happily, hidden in the trees that surrounded us. It felt like this perfect moment that God had orchestrated just for the fun of it. Just because he delights in our delight. Just because he adores the goodness of his own creation.

I cannot imagine how many moments like this I've missed over my lifetime. I couldn't shake the thought that if I had done what I usually do with a free hour - shut my eyes, scroll on my phone, tackle a chore or two, turn on the TV, or just stare at the wall and do nothing - I would have let that precious moment go by without even realizing it.

Here's one of the beautiful things about our God, though. Whether we stop to pay attention or not, the symphony of nature goes on. The birds of the air and the flowers of the field will still exult in praise for the God that made them even if they have no audience. There's a reason Jesus told his disciples to just go and look, just go and experience nature for a while. Everything with which God has filled the earth sings an unbroken refrain of worship to God. It's up to us whether we'd like to join or not. It's up to us to become like them: unburdened by concerns for the future, but wholly attentive to God's presence in the current moment.

Go find a window. Step outside if you can. Listen to the calling of the birds. Look at the way the wind rustles the leaves on the tree like they're dancing. Observe the steady-footed grace of the stray cat or the erratic scampering of the squirrel. Feel the air fill your lungs. God made all of these and more. Not from obligation or necessity, but out of pure delight.

Every moment is full to bursting with the presence of God the Creator. If we're diligent, if we're careful, and if we're lucky, we may just get to experience this every now and again. All for his glory.

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Foundation Update

The Sunset Ridge Church of Christ Foundation is designed to extend the ministries of the congregation beyond its routine operations. The Foundation will accept requests for funding through Thursday, April 4, 2024. Please note that requests made to the Foundation must be specific to the religious, charitable, or educational purposes of the Sunset Church of Christ; no other requests will be considered.

To apply, you must pick up a 2024 Application in the church office (application forms will not be mailed, emailed, or faxed). After completing the Application, follow the submission instructions listed on the Application form. Application forms from prior years will not be accepted.

Praises & Prayers

Kathy George is recovering from hip replacement surgery.

Remind Me of Your Steady Power

From Guerrillas Of Grace by Ted Loder

O God,

this is a hard time,

a season of confusion,

a frantic rush

to fill my closets

my schedule,

and my mind,

only to find myself empty.

Give me hope, Lord,

and remind me

of your steady power

and gracious purposes

that I may live fully.

Renew my faith

that the earth is not destined

for dust and darkness,

but for frolicking life

and deep joy

that, being set free

from my anxiety for the future,

Imay take the risks of love

today.

Amen.

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