This week we continue on in the Narrative Lectionary and move into a key event with the family of Abraham, Father of our faith and of God’s chosen people. God chose this one man and his household to be the focus of God’s blessing and even of God’s discipline. This story today is a disturbing story of a threat to what seemed like a done deal: God’s promise fulfilled. Abraham had a son who had been promised to he and his wife Sarah for years in their old age after years of waiting for a family. And all of a sudden, Abraham hears God asking him to do an impossible thing: to sacrifice this child and let him go. How do we handle such calls to sacrifice? How can we discern when it God calling us as opposed to other voices from our world and our culture?

In acknowledgement of our Jewish brothers and sisters who just celebrated their high holidays, I highly recommend you learning more about this powerful story that we share with them (which they call the akedah) through a resource created by many of their wonderful leaders. It is called The Akedah Project and shows many commentaries and sermons on this complicated story at the root of our faith.

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This week we return to the fourth and final year of the Narrative Lectionary cycle, a schedule for reading the Bible that begins with the Old Testament in the Fall, Gospels in Lent and the New Testament until summer. The goal of this reading schedule is to help us connect the dots between our stories and the larger Story of God’s love for all of humanity. We begin at the very beginning this week: Genesis 1. Our creation story. Did you know there are actually two different creation stories? Three, if you count the introduction to the Gospel of John! We are going to consider what it means that God created everything we see, stood back and took time to rest and look at it all and call it all “good”. Also, what does it mean that this Genesis chapter talks about God creating in community (“let US make humankind in OUR image”)? Let’s dive back into the Bible together this Fall! All are welcome!

This also is such an exciting day for our church every year because it is the Sunday when many of our programs restart for the Fall season. In the coming weeks, look for more information about FUN-Day School for kids, nursery for little kids, Adult Sunday School and other small groups. Today we celebrate coming back together with an outside picnic after the worship service hosted by the Deacons and featuring our contemporary band playing music. Again ALL ARE WELCOME!!

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This week is very special and bittersweet for COA because it is the last day for Mike Jarjoura as Assistant Music Director after 21 years of wonderful work for our community. Included in this service is a special video tribute to him from various members of the congregation who love him so dearly. That can be found towards the end of the service.

Also this is the final week of our summer sermon series “Never Stop Growing”, and this week we come to the final Fruit of the Spirit of Self-Control. So many of us associate this with mundane, everyday things like weight loss, but it is much larger than that. What does it mean for us to order our choices, our energy, our emotions and our relationships such that our world around us most benefits? This last Fruit is intimately connected with the first Fruit of Love. It has been a wonderful journey with you all through all nine flavors of this Fruit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

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This week we come to the most misunderstood Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness. Gentleness is not weakness or passivity. Gentleness is actually one of the greatest strengths we have, embodied by Jesus Himself who invited us all to come to Him because “I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. Doesn’t so much of our harshness and meanness come from carrying the pressures of life and feeling without help? Jesus offers us a different way of life. Let’s learn about this Fruit and pray to keep growing it together.

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This week, we come to a Fruit of the Spirit that we call faithfulness. We typically only hear that someone is “faithful” in reference to a romantic relationship, and it connotes the bare minimum of not straying outside the relationship. There is no sense of positive action or devotion or loyalty. And yet that is what Faithfulness can mean when we think about it in reference to our relationships with all other people (romantic as well as friends, families, coworkers, etc), our relationship with God and even our relationship with ourselves (who God created us to be). This week, ponder with me how God is calling us to grow in Faithfulness in everyday ways that make a big difference.

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