Today, November 1st is All Saints Day, the day set aside in the church calendar to remember all the faithful followers of Jesus (saints) who have died. In English, the traditional name for All Saints’ Day was All Hallows Day. The vigil or eve of the feast, October 31, is still commonly known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween
 
The testimony of the faith of those who are now in heaven is an encouragement to us and spurs us on! The day was established originally to honor the many martyrs who died for their faith but has also come to be an opportunity to call to mind the heroes of Christian history, those whose example has been inspiring, who form our “internal chorus” or “cloud of witnesses” whose lives, or teachings or example has influenced our faith.

Which beloved ones can you give thanks for today? Whose lives told of God’s unfailing love and grace? These saints speak from the past and are whispering at this moment…

"God is faithful."
"The Lord is good. Trust Him."
"His grace was sufficient for me in my trials and is sufficient for you today."

So many beautiful friends of Jesus have formed my faith and influenced my life with God. I say their names to God today in gratitude for their obedience, sincerity and authenticity of faith: Randy, Beth, Phil, Doug, Mike, Julie, Robert, Pete, Steve, Erik, Allene and Elmer, Nancy and Warren, Ellen, Roland…

 Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

. . . you have brought us out to a spacious place.

—Psalm 66:12 RSV

I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

—Psalm 31:7–8 NIV

God has brought us out to “a spacious place,” the psalmist says in Psalm 66—also translated as “a wealthy place,” “a watered place,” “a wide open place,” or “a place of abundance.” I love that phrase, “a spacious place.” In our English Bibles, it’s used also in Psalm 31 (though the Hebrew words are different).

This word, merchâb—“spacious place” or “large room”—is also found in 2 Samuel 22:20, Psalm 18:19, Psalm 118:5, and Hosea 4:16, where it denotes a place of openness, safety, and freedom.

Whenever I feel like crying out "Enough!", whenever I feel pressed down by circumstances, I picture in my mind a wide-open space and myself standing smack-dab in the middle of it, to remind myself that in Christ, there is freedom, there is freshness, there is an infinitely wide ground to stand on. However constricted we might feel in the moment, we must remember, as our spiritual forebears have testified in scripture, that our huge God leads us out of constriction and into a spacious place. Our circumstances might not change, but our spirits, through the Spirit, can know rest and relief.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

“Therefore pray in this way: ‘Our Father who are in Heaven, hallowed be your name, let your Kingdom come, let your will be done also in the earth, just as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)

The Lord’s Prayer is well known as the way that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, but what does it mean? Some Christians take Jesus’ teaching of the prayer to be literal and believe it is to be memorized and repeated in a rote manner. Others believe he meant it merely as an example of how to pray, taking into account its structure, flow of subject matter and emphases. Suppose for a minute that there is a deeper meaning within the text that Jesus was trying to get across to his disciples. 

One of the customs that was around during Jesus’ time was the recitation of a Jewish prayer called the Kaddish. What is particularly interesting about the Kaddish is that it bears a striking resemblance to the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. The language between the two prayers is similar with parallels between the reverence of God’s name, the kingdom, and his will being highlighted. It is said that both the Kaddish and the Lord’s Prayer “spring from the same source,” and so the “essence” of both prayers is the same. The similarities are more than linguistic and support the theory that the Lord’s Prayer begins as an adaptation of the Kaddishthat the disciples were familiar with, but has been modified to deal with current issues.

Here is the text of the Half-Kaddish for comparison with the text of the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-10) above: “May his great name be magnified and made holy (amen) in the eternity which he created in his will. And may he establish his kingdom in your lifetime and during your days and in the lifetime of all of the House of Israel, swiftly and soon. Now say Amen. And may His great name be blessed for ever and ever. May He be blessed, praised, beautified, exalted, lifted up, adorned, raised up on high, and worshiped, Blessed be He. Over all blessings, songs, and praises and sorrows declared on earth. Now say Amen.”

Why use the Kaddish when teaching the disciples a new way to pray? For hundreds of years the Jews had been petitioning God, in this prayer, to establish the coming kingdom during their lifetime, but it wasn’t until Jesus introduced the Lord’s Prayer that the coming kingdom took on a new meaning.

In teaching the disciples a new way to pray, Jesus revised the Kaddish they were familiar with to show the Jews that the kingdom was indeed coming soon and it was going to happen in their lifetime. He not only gave us an example to follow, but he showed them the answer to the prayer the Jews had been praying for hundreds of years.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

It’s easy to blow through our day without a word of prayer. Life does not seem to be kind to those just trying to survive, and it may feel like prayer is a luxury. Prayer takes time, sometimes we don’t know what to say, and it can feel like prayer takes more out of us than we get from it. But luxuries are those things that adorn our walls, garages, and closets that have no bearing on our survival. Prayer, on the other hand, is the very lifeline for our existence. Esther’s extraordinary halting of assured genocide began with fasting and prayer. Jesus’ own ministry was directly out of a daily routine of dawn-greeting prayers; to the very end he was in prayer, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 24:36). Prayer— the audacity of bringing our poverty to the extravagance of God— roots us in the reality of God, and keeps us upright in the gale forces of popular opinion, self-preservation, and desperation. Let the Lord’s Prayer guide your questions, concerns, hopes and dreams.

“Our Father in Heaven…”. You’re our dad that loves us; we are in your hands. “Hallowed be your name…” You are set apart in every way. The very best in every way. “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” give us a holy imagination that sees the way things are ordered and flourishing in heaven so we can see it here on earth. “Give us this day our daily bread…” Lord, we need whatever it is that will get us through this moment. “And forgive our debts as we have forgiven our debtors…” Help us look at the other and see what you see—forgiven fixer-uppers that need to be reminded of their dignity and worth. “Lead us not into temptation…” No shortcuts, God; we want to go on the road marked by your footprints. “And deliver us from the Evil One…” Because of you, Satan has no purchase on us, and we will not give a square inch of our attention to his lies; we find rest in your hands. “For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.” This is all for you, from beginning to end; we are all for you. Forever. “Amen.” Amen.

Grace and peace,

Steve Wong
Lead Pastor

Our Father in heaven Everlasting Father of the fatherless, Heaven is Your throne and the earth is Your footstool. The heavens declare Your glory, and the sky above proclaims Your handiwork. O Father in Heaven, 

Hallowed be Your Name From the rising of the sun to its setting, may Your Name be praised and be great among the nations! Let Your glory be over all the earth! Let heaven and earth praise You, the seas and everything that moves in them. 

Your Kingdom come May all the ends of the earth remember and turn to You, and all the families of the nations worship before You. For kingship belongs to You; You rule over the nations. You are the strength of Your people – the saving refuge of Your anointed! Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be our Shepherd and carry us forever! You are our King, O God! You are the King of all the earth! Your throne is forever and ever. 

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Make us to know Your ways, O Lord. Teach us Your paths. Teach us to do Your will! Let your good Spirit lead us on level ground! Not our will, but Yours be done! 

Give us this day our daily bread. You, our God, will supply every need of ours according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Give us neither poverty nor riches; feed us with the food that is needful for us, lest we be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest we be poor and steal and profane the name of our God. Satisfy us with righteousness. 

Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. We confess our iniquity; we are sorry for our sin. Have mercy on us, O God. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin! For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon our guilt for it is great. 

Lead us not into temptation…but Deliver us from Evil We do not ask that you take us out of the world, but that you keep us from the evil one. Restore us; let Your face shine, that we may be saved. For the glory of Your name, deliver us and atone for our sins, for Your name’s sake! You are our steadfast love and our fortress, our stronghold and our deliverer! 

For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever.

(Scriptures compiled by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog)

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Why do we read Scripture together in our Growth Groups? New Testament scholar NT Wright compares Scripture to a five-act play, full of drama and surprise, wherein the people of God are invited into the story to improvise the final act. We enter the narrative to see how our stories interact with the epic drama of God’s redemption of the world. Every page of the Bible offers us an invitation—to ask questions, to wonder about why Jesus does what he does, to seek to know the mind of the Creator and Redeemer. And all biblical devotion is to allow us to be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:17). At PasCov, we are committed to being captivated by God’s Word together!

As Rachel Held Evans wrote in her final book, Inspired,“God is still breathing. The Bible is both inspired and inspiring. Our job is to ready the sails and gather the embers, to discuss and debate, and like the biblical character Jacob, to wrestle with the mystery until God gives us a blessing. If you’re curious, you will never leave the text without learning something new. If you’re persistent, you just might leave inspired.”

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

While our eyes are trained on the news reports that give us updates about the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian that has battered and destroyed much of the northern Bahamas, we pray to the Lord:  

Pray for those in need of rescue that it will come swiftly.

There are many who are in need of miracles.  That teams would arrive an hour sooner, that dogs would catch a faint scent amidst the stench of death, that the right piece of debris would be moved.  For all the training and effort that the courageous rescue teams put in, at this point they need miracles more than anything else. And for those seeking to expedite relief and humanitarian aid to the unimaginably traumatized areas--- may they be safe and effective in getting supplies to survivors despite the destroyed infrastructure.  

 Pray for the rescuers – safety, rest, encouragement, in the midst of horror and unrelenting pain.

The job that the rescue teams face is completely overwhelming and they will fail many more times than they will succeed.  Rescue teams suffer great personal trauma and often become suicidal months after an event.  Pray for these courageous men and women now and after they return from the ravaged areas with countless grieving survivors.

Pray for families that have witnessed the unthinkable, are worried about loved ones, and fearful for their own safety.

The aftermath of this catastrophic hurricane will be months and years of emotional trauma, staggering challenges for rebuilding, and recovery of a deep sense of hope for people whose lives have been upended and amputated from what they were last week. 

Lord have mercy!

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

In their book Groups That Thrive, Joel Comiskey and Jim Egli researched 4800 small group participants across four continents. They asked the question "Why are some small groups dynamic, attractive, and breathe the life of Christ? Why do other groups stagnate and close?" They discovered that in a thriving group people feel loved, accepted and embraced. The meeting is like a gathering of good friends with the presence of Jesus in their midst. Each member is a participant, so there is an "our group" mentality, with no one on the sidelines. Facilitators are not Bible teachers but gentle guides who encourage the asking of open questions and honest discussion. Thriving communities require a supernatural mix of prayer and Spirit-led anointing that makes a way for everyone to participate, for the healing presence of God, and for vibrant life that blesses others. And these groups remain committed to multiplying and expanding, to inviting friends, to keeping a chair open for guests to be included.

Our PasCov October rollout of Growth Groups will follow this sort of thriving group model with inductive Bible study and conversation, perhaps after a meal. These formational groups will be hosted in various locations throughout the San Gabriel Valley and will be places of deep connection, where we can listen to the Word and each other as we seek to follow Jesus.

Watch the church lobby for the Growth Groups board to appear on September 8th for sign-ups. Until then, please join us in praying for many to be stirred by the Spirit to draw nearer to God!

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

A friend told me that he thinks of our lives with God as an orchestra. He reminded me of that moment before the concert when the concertmaster asks the oboist to sound an A. At first there is chaos and noise as all parts of the orchestra try to align themselves with that note. But as each instrument moves closer and closer to it, the noise diminishes and when they all finally sound it together, there is a moment of rest, of homecoming.

That is how it feels to me. We are always tuning in the orchestra of followers of Jesus. Somewhere deep inside there is a sound from God that is ours alone to hear, and we struggle daily to hear it and tune our life to it. Sometimes there are people and situations that help us to hear our note more clearly; other times, people and situations make it harder for us to hear. A lot depends on our commitment to listening and our intention to stay coherent with this note. It is only when our lives are tuned to that note that we can play life's mysterious and holy music without tainting it with our own discordance, our own bitterness, resentment, agenda, and fears. 

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to pay attention to the present moment?”   —Luke 12. 54-56

In this 500-channel, multi-sensory, hyperactive world, what do you give your attention to? Do you follow your favorite team? Watch the weather? Track the stock market? Keep tabs on movie stars? Or are these things you ignore for other matters? 

Do you fasten your attention on fear and anxiety, or do you keep your eyes peeled for grace? Is your radar tuned to people's judgments, or do you attend to the love of God within you? Do you fill your consciousness with past mistakes, fears of the future, things you regret or dread or the way you wish things were—especially the way you wish things were— or do you pay attention to the present moment? 

What do you see? What is true in you and around you right now? What is happening this moment? How is your breathing? Start there. Stay there. Pay attention to the present moment. Be available to the grace of God that is hidden in what is around you. Simply be present. You'll be surprised how lovely it is.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation