Views from The Ridge 12.17.25
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
Worship
Sunday
9 AM, Chapel, Acapella
11 AM, Sanctuary, Instrumental
Weekly Scripture: Luke 1:57-79
Formation
Sundays through December 21st, 10:15 AM, Advent Formation Class, Fellowship Hall | We invite you to join us for this Teen & Adult gathering. These four weeks are a special season of reflection and anticipation—we’d love to share them with you!
Roots: Children’s Discipleship through Godly Play
Bible Story Focus this Week: Advent 3, The Shepherds
Key Verse: Luke 2:10
Room 102, PreK - Kindergarten
Room 122, 1st - 2nd Grade
Room 209, 3rd - 4th Grade
Community Connections
Night One at the Holiday Night Market
Last Friday’s first Holiday Night Market truly blew us away. The turnout from our community was incredible, and Charis Park came alive as friends, families, and neighbors gathered under the lights to shop local and celebrate the season together.
Our vendors were met with so much support, and shoppers left with beautiful, sustainable holiday gifts in hand. From handmade goods to seasonal treats, the market was filled with music, laughter, conversation, and the kind of joy that comes from being together in a shared space.
If you missed the magic last week—or if you’re ready to soak it in again—join us this Friday for another evening of holiday fun. Same time, same place, with a mix of returning favorites and new vendors to explore. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the park.
2026 Budget Review
Our 2026 budget is now posted and available for review outside of the sanctuary across from the children’s Roots 1 & 2 room.
If you have questions on the budget please contact the trustees via email at trustees@sunset-ridge.org. The annual budget vote is open to church members and will take place Sunday, December 21st at 10:00am in the Chapel.
Poinsettias
If you designated a poinsettia this year, please pick yours up directly after services this Sunday.
Upcoming Community Events
Friday, December 19th, 5 - 9 PM, The Holiday Night Market at Charis Park
Every Saturday, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sunday, December 21st, 5:30 PM, Longest Night Service, Chapel | A quiet, reflective service for anyone carrying grief or heaviness during the holiday season.
Wednesday, December 24th, 5:00 PM, Christmas Eve Service, Sanctuary
Wednesday, December 24th - Friday, January 2nd, Church office closed for Christmas & New Year’s
Beyond Sunday
On Holiday Tears and Crying
Dick Ifhe, Trustee, Sunset Ridge Church
This time of year triggers tears and brings about sorrow, grief and suffering for many in our faith community. By that I mean a type of suffering that is brought on by seemingly happy events such as family gatherings. For instance, you can’t see happiness in the memory of the initial grief brought on by the trauma of the death of a spouse or a child. Tears prevail. Happiness evaporates. However, there can be moments of great joy in the midst of the worst suffering. I have seen that over and over in my participation in a community of well ripened widowers (that means old guys). In our widowed community, little bits and pieces of spontaneous laughter somehow burst forth each week. Tears dissipate. Happiness returns. Laughter is such a good medicine for easing sorrow and raising spirits even for a moment.
Let’s talk about shedding tears for a moment as we widowers experience them nearly every meeting. I am convinced that tears are an appropriate response to reality. I think they always will be, yet I don’t equate that with a view that crying is a sign of weakness. Crying is the acceptance of circumstances irrespective of our wishes, that we cannot change. It is a powerful nonverbal signal of vulnerability which can evoke empathy, support, and caregiving behaviors from those in our community. Strangely, that part of us which surrenders to the notion that the reality of death and its partner, grief, suck, can usually find a glimmer of light in our common suffering because the visible suffering of others unleashes compassion in us. Remember, God is always present in reality as it is, not merely as it should be. When we meet people who can smile in the presence of sadness and sorrow, there’s a brightness about them—a clarity, a truth, and a freedom. One of the magical things about a faith community is its ability to smile and laugh in the face of grief, sorrow and loss.
I once read on Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation that “Those who have suffered in the past and worked their way through it, find that the suffering carves a space out in your heart. In that wide open space, you can feel not only your pain but the pain of others and the pain of the world. You are quick to tears for the rest of your life. But, that same space also holds joy. The people I know who’ve really faced suffering and tragedy are the quickest to tears, but also the quickest to laughter, and the quickest to joy.”
I believe when we share our individual sorrows and grief we will, through God’s Holy Spirit, give rise to hope. We’re able to say to one another, “I will help you carry your pain and sorrow. I will listen with you.” We don’t love sorrow, pain and loneliness, but we have the grace to tolerate them. Not with resistance, but with yes. That doesn’t come in a moment. It comes with time and maturity.
Blessings, Grace and Peace,
Dick Ihfe
You are warmly invited to The Longest Night service on Sunday, December 21st at 5:30 PM, held on the winter solstice. This quiet, contemplative gathering offers space for grief, tears, remembrance, and hope—without pretense or forced joy. Through music, scripture, candlelight, and silence, we will sit together in the darkness and trust that God meets us there, just as we are.
All are welcome.
Prayers of the People
We express sympathy to the Fry and Booker families on the death of Novelene Booker, Melanie Fry’s grandmother and Ron Booker’s mother. Services will be held in Houston.
