May 07, 2025
- College Heights
- May 10
- 3 min read
Dear Beloved Community,
I am grateful for each one of you that steps up to keep the life of the church going, and gives me the opportunity to take some time off and be with my family. We had such a wonderful time in Mexico. At the same time, I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday, and I am ready to get back to work.
Now this Sunday I will preach on John 10: 22-30. I will reflect on how sometimes we experience suspense as a time of excited waiting and expectation. It’s the suspense of receiving and opening a gift, the suspense of going on a trip, the suspense of a grandchild’s birth. Yet, that’s not the kind of suspense we hear about in this upcoming Sunday’s gospel, and it’s not the kind of suspense I will be talking about. I will be talking about the other kind of suspense: the suspense of waiting for something to happen and the uncertainty about what is next, times when we are doubtful or undecided, circumstances that leave us anxious or apprehensive about what will or will not happen. They are times of ambiguity and not knowing. We feel ungrounded and untethered. Our life is suspended, on hold, in limbo. I will ask us: When have we experienced that kind of suspense? What parts of our lives are in suspense today?
I hope to see many of you this Sunday, and as I mentioned already. I am looking forward to embracing each one of you this Sunday.
Peace and blessings!
-Jorge
P. S. May's Giving Sunday offering is for the California Clubhouse. They provide social and vocational rehabilitation programs for individuals living with a mental illness.
The Church Council recently clarified what monies in the collection plate go to our Giving Sunday recipient each month. On the first Sunday of the month (the "Giving Sunday"), the whole plate goes to the designated nonprofit. Any other time during the month you can contribute by way of a check with the name of the nonprofit in the memo line.
Recent sermons
Check out our YouTube page to see recent sermons. Go to our archive of slides to see bulletins and slides used during recent services.
Recordings of our Taize services are also on the YouTube page.
Upcoming services and events
Thursday Discussion Group: Thursday, May 8, 7pm on Zoom. Read Chapter 7 of Armstrong's "The Battle for God."
Taize Service: Friday, May 9, 7:30 pm. Also on Zoom. Our monthly hour of chant and prayer. We will be joined by Thomas Wade and his clarinet.
Instant Choir: Sunday, May 18, 9am. Rehearse before church and sing for the worship service. All are invited.
Men's Retreat: May 23-25 (Memorial Day weekend) at Pacific Grove. Talk to Roy Gesley for more information.
Monthly Potluck: Sunday, May 25 after worship. Bring something to share.
Book Group: Sunday, May 25, 7pm on Zoom. Reading "Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life" by Agnes Callard. Read chapters 3 and 4. We are spending several months on this book.
Congregational Meeting: Sunday, June 1 after worship. Vote on new Executive Council.
Women's Retreat: Aug 22-24 (weekend before Labor Day) at Pacific Grove. Talk to Polly for more information.
Links and resources
Quote of the week
“The blues demand of theology a prophetic criticism that contests all arbitrary uses of power or coercion, that challenges individual acquisitive materialism, that repudiates any and every attempt to undermine humanity’s very humanness, and that cherishes the lives of ordinary everyday children and women and men of all cultures and races.”
- M. Shawn Copeland, Uncommon Faithfulness: The Black Catholic Experience
Weekly events
• Meditation group: Wednesdays at 7:30 am.
In person at the church building
• Sunday worship: 10 am
In person at the church building
• Church Office Hours: Thursdays 2:30pm-5:30pm, in person at the church building.
To schedule an appointment please call or text 510-754-6796 or email xicanominister@gmail.com.
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