March 2023

I cry out to you from the depths, Lord—my Lord, listen to my voice! – Psalm 130:1

Dear Gatherers,

While we’ve spent Lent in the Psalms, I’ve been preaching for a Disciples of Christ church on Chicago’s North Shore. They’ve been in John’s Gospel, working through very complicated narratives like the Samaritan woman and the man born blind. It’s not surprising that the Psalms and Gospels comment on one another. And digging into these passages has been a special blessing to me.

The Gospel stories are all about transformation. The woman at the well is transformed when Jesus gives her living water. The man born blind is transformed when Jesus gives him new sight. In the background to both stories, we find a grumpy group of Pharisees who seem always upset about something Jesus has done.

Meanwhile, the Psalms are all about forgiveness from sin—texts that the Pharisees surely knew by heart but somehow lost sight of. (Jesus actually accuses them of blindness in the healing story.) And that’s got me thinking lately about ways we may have become blind to forgiveness. What is that experience like—to be forgiven? The writer of Psalm 130 compares it to be lifted from the darkest depths to watch for morning light. That’s a magnificent image we’ll explore more deeply this Sunday on YouTube. For now, let’s take some time and work with that: God has forgiven us, is forgiving us, will always forgive us. What does that mean for us? How does it feel? Let it lift you!

See you on Sunday at 5pm on YouTube!

Peace,

Giving News
We’re grateful for everyone who faithfully offered tithes, monthly contributions, and gifts to sustain Gather’s ministry. Together we gave $5,569, enabling us to meet our expenses and put some in reserve to prepare for our move into a settled space. If you’re not a regular Gather supporter, we encourage you to join in.

If only you would listen. – Psalm 95:7

Dear Gatherers,

During this season of reflection, many of my morning devotions have me playing longtime favorite songs: Carole King’s “I Think I Can Hear You” (https://youtu.be/c49cLWnsei0) or Amy Grant’s “All I Ever Have to Be” (https://youtu.be/JWcU5t0VRw8). Aside from their greatness as musicians (and people), what I love most about Carole and Amy’s music is how honest they are. In both songs, they’re unabashed about letting God know what’s on their minds, and they sit quietly to hear God’s reply. These are not burning bush revelations. They’re not even still, small voice whisperings. What both singers discover comes from deep inside them—something they’ve probably known a long time, but haven’t taken the time or made the space to hear.

As I’ve said so many times, prayer is not a customer service line. It’s a conversation and for it to work in a meaningful way, we have to insert some silence to hear what the Spirit wants us to know. Prayer is, in every way, a mystical practice that we habitually try to normalize into something sensical. But prayer is sensory. It’s a way to examine our feelings and enable our Creator to offer truer ways of being. I don’t think either of these music icons would call herself a “prayer warrior” and yet they both have great insight into what praying is for and what it can accomplish. Click on the tunes. Sing along. Pray. Listen. Learn.

Peace,

Pastor Tim

PS: And watch for a FB link later this evening to our weekly Lenten prayer video. D’Angelo Smith will be leading us in a prayer experience that will bless us all!

Giving News

We’re grateful for everyone who faithfully offered tithes, monthly contributions, and gifts to sustain Gather’s ministry. Together we gave $5,569, enabling us to meet our expenses and put some in reserve to prepare for our move into a settled space. If you’re not a regular Gather supporter, we encourage you to join in. This is a pivotal time for us, and consistent giving will enable us to live into everything God desires for us as a community and individuals.

I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it. – Mark 10:15

Dear Gatherers,

I believe childhood is to life what spring is to the seasons—a time of warming up to the world, of fresh thoughts coming to life, new feelings and experiences taking root in one’s spirit. Once summer arrives with its heat and fall ushers in the chill, much of that freshness gets lost if we don’t protect it.

Jesus loved children because youth enabled them to see clearly. Jesus loved to learn from them because children are natural born teachers. Perhaps that’s why Jesus often speaks of repentance as a return to childhood. Repentance calls us back to the humility and joy that accompany youthfulness. Last week Angela Tarrant gathered a group of young ones for a little call-and-response prayer service. She’s sharing that with us this week as our second Lenten Prayer exercise. Let yourself repent to childhood days of singing and praying. Enjoy!

Peace,

Pastor Tim

Giving News

We’re delighted to add a new stewardship channel to Gather. We’re now on Givelify, enabling us to use a church-friendly app for easier giving. This is in response to several folks who were frustrated by not having a third option. Take a moment to scan the Q-R code and register. God is good to all of us, and it’s a blessing to share together in this work!