January 15, 2023

Words of Welcome

Pastor Amanda Miller Garber

Nomofomo

  • Ordination Candidacy Meeting TODAY. Our very own Abby Butler-Cefalo has discerned that she is being called to full time ordained ministry! She has begun the process in the UMC, and we need to have an official RISE meeting to approve her candidacy. So, please plan on joining us for the meeting upstairs right after worship. The entire meeting should last 15-20 minutes tops.

  • New Year Worship Schedule. We are trying out a new rhythm for our worship gatherings in the New Year. On the first Sunday of each month, we will be meeting for brunch upstairs in Suite 203. On the other Sundays we will be meeting at Pale Fire.

  • JUST BE: Be open. Be brave. Be transformed. A new course for those age 15-25, meeting Sunday afternoons beginning January 29.

    These are challenging times, and we all have a lot of questions. Your friends at RISE get it, and we want to journey together and explore God, the Bible, church traditions and so much more. Think of this as “confirmation” - but without the obligatory membership stuff and other (sometimes) questionable parts. This will be journey that leads to self-discovery and growth. Rites of passage matter. Milestones matter. Questions (in community) really matter!

    This experience is open to all persons ages 15-25. We are asking that all participants commit to regular weekly attendance. We get it - our lives are full, but we hope that you will create space in your schedule to “just be” and be transformed. Let’s be honest - showing up matters!  We will meet on Sunday afternoons from 2-4 pm (often at the Ice House).  We will not meet over Spring Break or on Easter Sunday. Pastor Amanda will lead many of the sessions, but other amazing leaders may show up sometimes too!

    Our first gathering will be on January 29th from 2-4 pm. We will meet 10(ish) times throughout the semester, and there may be a couple of other gatherings along the way, too. We will celebrate our journey together in a significant way in late April. DM us or email Pastor Amanda at ajmgarber@gmail.com if you want to know more. We hope you’ll join us!

  • Requests for care and/or prayer can always be sent via e-mail to cares@riseharrisonburg.org, texted to 833-803-0868, or submitted online via our RISE Cares form.

  • Connect:

    • If you would like to connect more deeply with RISE, you can start by submitting this short form to Get Connected!

    • Sign up for texting services:

      • Text “RISE” to 833-803-0868 to join the primary list and receive weekly community updates and alerts

      • Text “RISEcares” to receive prayer requests, care needs, and community concerns and celebrations

    • Please continue to check social media/the website for all updates and information!

SONG

James Sattva

“Noah’s Dinosaurs”

THEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION

Amanda Miller Garber
Christine Jones

SHARE YOUR Thoughts and QUESTIONS OR TEXT THEM TO 833-803-0868!

  • Let’s talk about a word or concept that definitely needs to be reclaimed - sin. When you hear this word, what images, etc come to mind? What sort of reaction does it elicit? And (here’s the big question - WHY?)

  • As you reflect on your journey, how has this word or concept been used to cause harm? Has sin ever been used in a way that is “sinful?”

  • Is there a more life-giving/less harmful way to understand the idea of sin?

  • Do we “need” the concept of sin and a way to talk about/understand it? What could happen if we didn’t “speak of” or have the concept of sin?

Matthew 4:1-11 (CEB)

1 Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. 2 After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.”

5 After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, 6 “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”

7 Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.”

8 Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written, You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.] 11 The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him.

  • There are several questions here. This occurs at the end of the period when Jesus is in the wilderness - he’s hungry, dehydrated, alone and vulnerable. Why was this whole scene necessary? What are we supposed to learn from this?

  • What does this say about Jesus - and about us as humans?

  • What does it say about the relationship between temptation and sin? 

  • How could we reclaim this story and hear it in a way that is more hopeful and life-giving?

SHARE YOUR QUESTIONS OR TEXT THEM TO 833-803-0868

COMMUNION

SONG

James Sattva

“Cure for Pain”

~Jon Foreman

I'm not sure why it always goes downhill
Why broken cisterns never could stay filled
I've spent ten years singing gravity away
But the water keeps on falling from the sky

And here tonight while the stars are blacking out
With every hope and dream I've ever had in doubt
I've spent ten years trying to sing these doubts away
But the water keeps on falling from my eyes

And heaven knows... heaven knows
I tried to find a cure for the pain
Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do...
It would be a lie to run away

So blood is fire pulsing through our veins
We're either riders, or fools behind the reins
I've spent ten years trying to sing it all away
But the water keeps on falling from my tries

And heaven knows... heaven knows
I tried to find a cure for the pain
Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do...
It would be a lie to run away
A lie to run
It would be a lie
It would be a lie to run away

It keeps on falling
It keeps on falling
It keeps on falling
It keeps on falling
The water keeps on falling from my eyes

And heaven knows... heaven knows
I tried to find a cure for the pain
Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do...
It would be a lie to run away
It would be a lie to run away
It would be a lie to run away

FINAL BLESSING

Abby Butler-Cefalo

“Beloved is where you begin”

~Jan Richardson

If you would enter
Into the wilderness,
Do not begin
Without a blessing. 

Do not leave
Without hearing
Who you are:
Beloved,
Named by the One
Who has traveled this path
Before you.

Do not go
Without letting it echo
In your ears,
And if you find
it is hard
To let into your heart,
Do not despair.
That is what
This journey is for.

Amen.