Trinity Blog

“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.” Exodus 23:10-12

This is my last Trinity newsletter article for a few months. Why? I’m taking a three-month sabbatical this summer. August 11 will be my seventh anniversary at Trinity, and the church’s policy is to give pastors a three-month  sabbatical after six years of service.

There are many reasons for such a thing. Practically speaking, the research shows that pastors get pretty worn out by six years and they tend to stay at churches much longer when they have periodic opportunities to “re-establish healthy rhythms of life.” Another practical reason is that the stress that comes from being “on call” all the time and not usually getting weekends takes a toll on people over time.

But there’s a theological reason too. There seems to be something important about seven years. It comes up again and again in the Bible – including in the passage about Sabbath at the top of this page. According to God’s Law as given to Moses, slaves were to be released after seven years, debts were to be canceled. Even the land itself got a break after six years of production. I’ve heard seven years described as “make it or break it” time for churches.

Looks like God had it right ☺: because this is turning out to be a perfect time for me to take a break. I have loved following Jesus Christ with you and seeing what God has done among us as we’ve worked together for the Kingdom.

You have blessed me (and my family) in all kinds of ways. And at the same time, some things have been difficult – saying goodbye to friends, resolving crises, organizing and administration… You get the idea.

It is my heartfelt desire to stay in ministry at Trinity for the long haul. I believe God has much more for us to do together. As I take the sabbatical, the church and I are committing to a minimum of another year of ministry together so those who have been worrying about that – never fear! Still, I will need to learn some new habits and ways of doing ministry so that I don’t end up this tired again! Please pray for God’s guidance for me this  summer so I may learn what I need to learn.

Finally, we will be in town most of the sabbatical time. When we meet this summer, I’ll be happy to see you and hear how you’re doing but please do not tell me about what’s going on at the church. That’s what I need a break from (not you ☺). Then we’ll see each other again in September!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve

Debbie Johnston, Trinity’s Director of Congregational Support

We have just had a series of services discussing Spiritual Warfare.  During a time of trial it is especially important to remember to whom we belong.  We have the Lord of the Universe on our side even while we must occasionally battle the prince of this world.  However, our battles are never with or about other human beings.  Instead, our enemies are some facet of our broken world; either the result of some person’s as yet unhealed sin nature or some aggravating negative spiritual force.  This means we can absolutely hate the sins perpetrated against us while still loving the perpetrators.  This is the secret to living a victorious and peaceful Christian life.

No matter WHAT happens, we belong to Christ, & nothing will ever be able to separate us from his love (memorize Romans 8:37-39).  As I said last month, we may think we have chosen him, but in fact, He has chosen US from the foundation of the world and will be faithful to guide us through every challenge of our lives till we are safely established in our heavenly home.

Isaiah 43.1: “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, [O Jacob] he who formed you,[O Israel]: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”  (As Christians, we are included in the ‘chosen people’ of our forefathers ”Jacob” and “Israel.”)

Isaiah 49: 13-16 “13Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. 14But I [Zion] said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.’ 15Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I [God] will not forget you. 16See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” ["Zion" is another name for God's chosen children (which originally meant those dwelling in Jerusalem) but now includes all Christian believers.]

John 15:16 “16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”

I cannot promise you there will be no storms or even downright tragedies that you may be asked to endure in this life, but I CAN promise you your ultimate future and purpose are certain in Christ Jesus.  You are SAFE in his everlasting arms.

Yours on the Journey, Debbie

When the road is hard and the night is dark, God offers us new life.

As I write this, our church has just had its first “quinceañera” – a worship service and celebration where a 15-year-old girl dedicates herself to following the Lord and where the church recognizes that she is now a young woman.  With her church family, she looks ahead to the new life she’ll live.

At Xanath’s celebration on Saturday, as part of the worship and party, we looked at the symbol of the butterfly – a long-time favorite here at Trinity.  The butterfly starts its life as a caterpillar.  Then, as it begins its transition to a new life, it has to spend some time in a chrysalis.  If you look at the chrysalis from the outside, it looks dead.  You might think, “Awww, that poor caterpillar died.”  But the story isn’t over yet.  As you know, the best part of the caterpillar’s life is yet to come!  It gnaws a tiny hole and then struggles to escape from the chrysalis.  Only then can it spread its wings and fly!

As teenagers and young adults, many of us go through a process of dying to what we were so that we can become the person we’re meant to be.  And that kind of experience isn’t limited to teens or to a particular time of life.  We all go through times of trial.  We experience times in our lives that look and feel like death, but they are not death!  They’re an opportunity to lay down what we used to rely on – or even what we used to be – and to trust God more as we move into new life!

The promise of Easter is that Jesus, who died and rose again, leads the way for us.  He invites us to experience new life – not just life after death, but life right now!

The caterpillar gets its chance at new life.  Xanath will experience new life as she continues to walk with the Lord.  And you and I can also receive the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.

Could you use some new life today?  I know I can!  In March, we’ll be looking at the meaning of Easter, and in April, starting with Easter, we’ll be exploring how we can receive the new life that Jesus Christ offers to us.

In the meantime, don’t give up!  The chrysalis is not the end.  It’s a doorway to new hope and life.

Living in Hope with You, 
Pastor Steve

P.S. I’d especially encourage you to join us during Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday) so you can experience the chrysalis as well as the butterfly this Easter season.  It makes you appreciate the butterfly soooo much more.  Check our church calendar at www.TrinityWestSac.org/calendar for times and details.

Dear church family,

I am so thankful for the opportunity and trust you have placed in me over the past two years.  It has been my joy and my honor to serve as the Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries.  I have learned and grown tremendously through the experience! While I am a little bit sad that the position has been eliminated at least for the time being, I know that I couldn’t do it right now anyway. (And thanks for all of your prayers – as I write, Marv is nearly one third of the way through chemo and we’ll find out soon whether the tumors are responding, so please keep those prayers coming!)

I am so grateful for those who have “stepped up” to fill in – and many have already added personal twists that remind me that we are ALL meant to share in God’s ministries.  (I’m learning that sometimes we need to step back to allow others to serve.)  It is truly OUR church, not the pastor’s or the office staff’s, but OURS with God leading the way.

Another one of the things I’ve learned in the past two years is that church ministry can be a thankless job.  I hope you will make a point to share with the pastoral staff both the things you are concerned about at the church, but that you’ll ALSO share the good things that are happening in your life as God works through Trinity and in your life. Wouldn’t it be neat if during this Lenten season, we all focused on what God is doing and has done in our lives and if we shared that with those who work so tirelessly in ministry?! Please know that I am writing this NOT because I ever felt unappreciated, but because I know how hard it can be to sustain your energy and commitment when you only hear the stuff folks are upset about.  I also know that when one person leaves, the work falls onto someone, so I know my bowing out has added burdens to the loads of others.  An encouraging word can go a long way to sustaining a servant’s heart!

I look forward to rejoining the ranks of the volunteers at some point, but for now, I am incredibly touched and grateful for the many, many ways Trinity has supported me. My prayer is that we all move toward Easter and beyond with a new awareness of the many incredible things God is doing at Trinity and in our individual lives, and with a grateful heart for all of those who take on the risk of leadership.  I hope that our church family AND the staff are as much a blessing to you as they are to me!  Peace to you at Easter time!

In His Love,

Sue Goodwin

What if I really want to go to church, but I keep not getting there?

Often I run into someone around town and they seem uncomfortable…  uncomfortable because they haven’t been to church in a while.  I think they feel guilty.  It’s like they’ve been caught by the church police.  But the surprising part is that most people I meet in that kind of situation tell me that they’d really like to come to worship.  They say that they feel peace and love when they come.  Those with children tell me that their kids want to be there, but life just gets in the way.

What if I really want to go to church, but I keep not getting there?  That’s a tough question.  I’ve been there myself.  In fact, to be honest, if I weren’t the pastor, I’d probably still be struggling with getting to church each week!  Why?  I sure wanted to be there, and I felt better when I got there.  But like so many of us, I work hard during the week, and Saturday ends up being really busy too.  So it can be really tempting to find a couple of extra hours in the week by not going to worship on Sunday.  Paul writes about his own struggles in his letter to the church in Rome:  “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19 NLT)

So how can we overcome that?  Well, when I was a young adult, I had the same challenge, and one thing made the difference.  I found a way to get involved.  Then, instead of making it to church every few weeks (and feeling really guilty about it), I was able to go every week!  Having a responsibility that others were counting on me for gave me that extra push.  I started by joining the choir.  You might want to help in the kitchen, be a greeter, do the sound or media, volunteer to lock up, teach Sunday School, help in the nursery or preschool, play in the band, work with teens, help count the offering, or one of many other possibilities!

You’ll find that a little job not only makes a difference by helping others to worship and feel welcome, it may be that extra little push you need to get to church and feel blessed by worship and fellowship with God’s people!

If you’d like help finding a little Sunday job, contact any of our staff or just call or email the office.  We’ll hook you up!

Excited about Worshiping with You,

Pastor Steve

Have you ever seen a movie where someone has amnesia?  The person with no memory often spends the whole movie looking for clues so they can reclaim their past.  But usually (if it’s an interesting story anyway), they find out that being free of their preconceptions has allowed them to do and become things they could never do or be before!

Or maybe you’ve read about the studies where teachers are told which students are the “gifted” students and which ones “need extra help” – except that they just choose them randomly.  Guess what?  The students’ performance tends to go along with what is expected of them.

OK.  Why am I telling you this?  I think that the members of our church family are selling themselves short!  To use John the Evangelist’s* language,

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. – 1 John 3:1-2

There are plenty of people around us who don’t understand who God is, what God wants, and what God can do.  If we let them limit us, we will always end up as less than what we are called to be.  We are children of GOD! We don’t even know what we will be yet – it’s too amazing for us to understand.  What we do know is that God has called us to walk in the light.  As Eric Price reminded us at our stewardship celebration luncheon in November, our church has a mission.  We are called to bring light and love and peace to our community by serving them in the name of Jesus Christ, by loving them with the love of Christ and by sharing with them the Good News of the gospel.  If we shrink from our calling, who’ll do it?

I think most of us would agree that, as Christians, we share the calling I just described.  Still, we make excuses like, “We just don’t have the resources” or “I don’t have a good enough relationship with that person to tell them about the Gospel” or “I’m sure God will reach them through someone else.”  I know.  I’ve told those things to myself before too.  But those statements are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how God works and who we are!  When we say those things, we’re limiting God!

In fact, if we refuse to do our mission because we can’t figure out how God will provide the means to carry it out, we deny who we are in Christ.  God tells us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  Do we believe that?  Or do we believe that we can only do things that make conventional sense and leave a comfortable buffer?  God tells us that we are called to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  (Matthew 28:18-20)  We’ve been doing that!  Now – when people need God the most – is not the time to back off!  We need to continue to live out our call even though it may mean we have to deal with financial unpredictability and last-minute rescues.  But along with those, we’ll also get to hear God tell us “Well done!” in the end.  And we’ll see transformed lives!  We’ll watch children and youth grow up in Christ.  We’ll see people conquer addiction.  We’ll feed and clothe the needy.  We’ll bring hope to the hopeless.

Can we agree that God is calling us to become something that has not yet been revealed?  If so, can we agree that what God has in mind for us will be – as for the amnesiac in the movies – something much better than what we could be if we stayed within the comfortable limits of what we’ve always been?  I know that’s the church I want to be part of!  It’ll be an exciting God-adventure!  Are you with me?

Risking to Live in Christ with You,

Pastor Steve

* “John the Evangelist” is another name for the author of the Gospel of John, the Letters of John, and the book of Revelation.

“A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God…  Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - Isaiah 40:3,5

At first glance, there’s not a lot of glory around these days, but I don’t have to tell you that!  If you haven’t been directly affected by our economic climate, you know people who have.  Foreclosures continue, furlough Fridays make paying the bills tough (if you have work at all), but the bills keep coming and even going up!  And the economic problems have seeped into everything else in our lives.  It’s a pretty gloomy time.

This isn’t the first time in history when things have looked bad, though.  In fact, the climate was similar for the people of Israel around the time that Jesus was born.  Tax collectors were taking far more than they what was legally prescribed, they were under an oppressive Roman government, and even the leaders of the Temple were corrupt!  It was pretty hard to make it under those circumstances, and the people were looking forward to the coming of a “Messiah” – the king God would send who would rescue the people from their oppression.  They expected a military ruler who would throw out the Romans and reclaim the land for God’s people.

That was the world Jesus was born into – a world with great need.  But it was also a world that wanted a particular kind of savior.  And Jesus wasn’t what they were looking for!  Jesus wasn’t born into a palace; he was born among the animals.  He wasn’t born into a family of privilege; he was born into a working-class family.  His revolution wasn’t a military one; it was a spiritual one.  Jesus offered people release from captivity and the provision and care of Almighty God.  His solution was better than a political or military takeover.  The salvation that Jesus offered didn’t depend on the people’s circumstances at all!  He had the power to free and provide for people no matter what was happening around them.

Jesus is still in the freedom business.  The peace and joy that he offers are available to us today – in the wilderness that we live in!  It’s not what most people in our culture are looking for, but once you find it, your life is never the same again.

The prophet Isaiah wanted everyone to prepare to see the glory of God.  “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God…  Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.” The Christmas Season is a wonderful time to prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in and for us.  We’ll be spending extra time in prayer, and on Sundays, we’ll be looking at how to be “Ready for Christ, Ready for Christmas.”  I invite you to join with our church family in the preparation and the celebration.  The rest of this newsletter is full of ways to come together and get ready.

When times are tough, it always feels like we don’t have the time and energy to do “one more thing” and we don’t necessarily want to have to deal with other people, but God wants us to see His glory together!  So let’s join together, support each other, serve together, and get ready for the amazing event we’ll celebrate on Christmas Eve – the birth of Jesus!

Getting Ready with You,

Pastor Steve

“…Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
– Ephesians 5:19-20

You’re probably expecting an article on thankfulness this month, and that’s always a good idea.  Every one of us has blessings to thank God for.  But this year, I want to talk about singing.

Sometimes I use the Episcopal Church’s morning prayer liturgy, and it includes a prayer that says, “Let your people sing with joy.”  That warms my heart.  Singing has always been part of the way that God’s people worship.  As far back as the second book of the Bible (Exodus), we find songs of praise.  The whole book of Psalms was probably a songbook.  The New Testament encourages us to sing to the Lord!  The book of revelation describes angels and humans who spend their time singing God’s praises too.  And of course you know that we spend a lot of our time in Sunday worship singing.

So why do we do it?  Well, Presbyterians are good at using our minds to study the Bible and ideas about God.  Sometimes it can be more challenging to involve our hearts in worship.  Yes, it’s a stereotype, but men can often find that heart-centered worship more difficult too.  Words are great, but song touches a different part of us.  There’s something about music – and I think God designed it this way – that makes it easier to feel something.

One of our church members recently reminded me of the power of singing in my devotional time – the time I set aside each day to spend with God.  Singing can connect us with God in a powerful way.  In fact, sometimes I’m so bogged down with things to do, worries, tiredness, and concerns that I find it difficult to pray.  What can you do when you don’t feel like you can pray?  Sing!  Well, sometimes I sing.  Other times, I let someone else do the singing.  I put on a CD and listen to some Christian music.  Usually, that lifts me up enough that I can talk to God.

Sometimes people tell me that they’re bad singers and so they just listen when they come to worship.  I think we all miss out on something when people do that.  The Psalms talk about making a “joyful noise” to God.  What matters isn’t the quality of our singing but what’s in our hearts.  I helped lead the music at Last Call last week, and I was surprised to see how many were just listening.  Sure, there’s a time for that, but I’d sure prefer to see/hear more of us making a “joyful noise.”  Give it a try.  Nobody will hear you!  You can also sing to God in the car or in the shower, or out on a walk when nobody’s listening.

Just in case you think I’m making too big a deal about this, you might want to see what the Bible has to say on the subject.  There are just a few places in the Bible that talk about singing to God.  (And I didn’t even include angels, animals, or inanimate objects singing   Look ‘em up and join in the song!

Romans 15:9, 1 Corinthians 14:15, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, James 5:13, Zechariah 2:10, Zephaniah 3:14, Jeremiah 20:13, Isaiah 42:10, Isaiah 12:6, Exodus 15:1 & 21, Judges 5:3, 1 Chronicles 16:9 & 23, Psalms 5, 7, 9, 13, 18, 21, 27, 30, 33, 47, 51, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65-68, 71, 75, 81, 89, 92, 95, 96, 98, 101, 104, 105, 108, 119, 135, 138, 144, 145-147, 149.

I hope you’ll join my in the pray that God’s people will sing with joy – today, in Sunday worship, for the rest of our lives, and then in heaven together!

Singing with Joy with You,  

Pastor Steve

The Really Good News: Trinity’s ministries are lean and mean, but God has been doing amazing things through them. You may not know that over 30 teens now regularly come to youth group on Wednesdays. You may not know that people’s hearts and lives are being changed at Alpha. You may not know that 7 people were baptized at the church retreat.  You may not know that there are teen Bible studies meeting every week at the Nugget shopping center near the new high school. You may not know that people tearfully describe the difference our “Out of the Box” food ministry has made in the lives of individuals and families. You may not know that three new families participated in the summer music and drama program. You may not know that people routinely comment that Sunday worship at Trinity gives them peace in the present, hope for the future, and tools for life. Or that people regularly come on Sunday nights after Last Call for prayer and compassion. We don’t have enough space  to list every way that God is changing lives through the people of Trinity. Some very, very good things are happening.

The Challenge: Those of you who have been around the church the last few weeks have heard about the tough financial times that Trinity is facing. At the end of June, we were only down a relatively small amount for the year. Expenses and income were close. But in July, we took a big hit and were down
almost $9000. That’s most of our savings! Then Esther, our treasurer, reported that August had started off even worse and we were in danger of using all of our savings by early September. Ouch! Rob Armijo, the chairman of the church’s stewardship team (the group of people who help the members of our church share their money and their time and talents) addressed the congregation. In response, we received three gifts above people’s normal giving, totaling $2500. Because of those gifts and increased giving by the rest of the congregation, we only fell short another $1300 or so in August. Some have lost jobs, State workers took a big pay cut, and some church members have moved so we don’t really know what the new giving rate will be yet. We have already cut expenses this year by over $5800 from the budgeted amounts, and we continue look for ways to save, but one of two things will probably have to happen – or maybe a combination of both.

Some Possibilities: Possibility 1 is that people who have financial resources will choose to give more to take up for what others can no longer give – at least in the short term. That one would let us keep our staff and program budgets. Possibility 2 is that we will have to make dramatic cuts – probably mostly in staffing since that’s where the dollars are. Pastor Tina’s half-time position is paid for with grant money and we have a two-year contract for that so the Latino Ministry is safe. But Karla, Joe, Sue, Debbie, Dan, and I (only Karla and I have more than 20 hours/week) receive our paychecks from your giving. We don’t have a lot of staff for our size so any cuts in staff would require a new level of giving from the congregation’s time and talents. The congregation would have to step up and pick up the ministry coordination tasks that are currently being done by staff. Personally, I’d love to see increased giving and increased service. Can you imagine what God could do through our church with the staff intact and a big group of Christians using their gifts for God’s glory? I don’t know what God’s plan is, but I don’t think it’s God’s will to let our ministries drop. Too many good things are happening. Too many would be harmed if we didn’t do what we do. Maybe you have another idea? Let your me or session know!!! And please don’t forget to pray.

Learn More: We have a congregational conversation coming up on October 4 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Trinity Café. I’ve heard a lot of confusion and concerns lately so we’re going to try to address those.  Come and hear why we have made the decisions we’ve made over the last couple of years. Ask the session members questions. Discuss the possibilities with others. Please plan to come!

Trusting and Serving God with You,
Pastor Steve

Times are tough.  And even with economists declaring the end of the recession, recovery will take time.  Many of us are feeling scared, and one of the natural reactions people have is to pull back and “circle the wagons.”  It really seems like it will help.  But I’m going to claim that pulling back isn’t the most helpful thing we can do.  Keeping to ourselves definitely doesn’t help the community, and as it turns out, it doesn’t help us either.  I’m going to share a few passages from the Bible with you to help us figure out how to approach the challenges we face.

[Jesus said,] I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NRSV)

One of the reasons we pull back is that we want to consolidate our resources to face the challenges ahead.  The assumption is that we will use our own strength to survive and being part of (or even serving in) the church community will dilute our ability to deal with our own lives.  Jesus tells us the opposite.  He says that he is the source of our strength.  He tells us that those who abide in him, those who live in Jesus will bear much fruit.  That means being part of the Body of Christ and serving him together!  Apart from Jesus we can do nothing.  We can’t face a “global economic crisis,” fight addiction, survive problems in a marriage or family relationship, make it through a health crisis, live without a loved one, or face some other painful struggle – we can’t do any of those things under our own power.  We’re so much better together, empowered by the Risen Christ, than we are alone.

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25, NRSV)

The author of Hebrews was expecting the second coming of Christ soon.  The Bible describes some messy things that would happen just before Jesus returned in glory.  Personally, I’m in the camp of people who believe that we won’t be able to predict when that day will come (after all, Jesus didn’t know while he walked in his earthly body) – rather, we should be ready all the time.  But this advice from Hebrews 10 about how to act as we see that day approaching works pretty well as we see other challenges coming.

The prescription for tough times is to provoke others to love and good deeds – provoke them.  We’ve got to keep pushing each other to show love and to do good things instead of circling the wagons, instead of pulling back.  It then says specifically, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.”  That’s for sure!  Lots of us want to avoid worshipping together and even seeing other people when times are tough.  As we see it, it uses up our free time and puts us in potentially awkward situations.  But we see it wrong.  It’s God’s design for us to come together to worship, to encourage each other, and to serve in promoting Jesus Christ’s agenda in the world.  We’re called to “encouraging one another,” not to leaving each other alone.

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. (Romans 12:5, NRSV)

We are one body.  How long do you think a liver can survive on its own?  And how well will the body do without the liver?  We need each other.  And our community and world need us to band together and serve them so that people won’t have to live without food or without help or without hope.  Spend some time talking to God about it.  I look forward to seeing how well we can do together – empowered by Jesus himself through the Holy Spirit.

Gathering Together in Christ with You,

Pastor Steve