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The Apostle Paul (formerly called Saul) has one of the most dramatic conversion stories imaginable, going from persecuting Jesus’ disciples to becoming one, all in the span of a single scene. This Damascus Road Moment is noted for Saul’s change of heart, but I’ve always been fascinated by the change of vision that so heavily influences this particular narrative.
Saul is blinded by Jesus’ appearance on the road – a term used both literally in his present and figuratively for his past. Although Saul, by his own account, was quite accomplished in Judaism, he came to view his zealousness for the Law as being incomplete without an accompaniment by God’s grace shown in Jesus Christ. For him, he had been blind in his early life, but now, when touched by Ananias and filled with the Holy Spirit, the scales had fallen from his eyes and his sight was restored.
Have you ever had such a moment? A moment of clarity that jarred you or made you reevaluate your prior thinking?
To be a part of a community of faith is to be invited (or sometimes dragged) into moments when our vision can change – so may God help us, so that just like with Paul, the scales may fall from wherever our vision might be obscured.
Pastor Brittany
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(CALM) helps vulnerable members of our community, including those hit hardest by the pandemic. One such person we recently helped was “Angelica” (name changed to protect her privacy). Angelica loved her job, working with patients in the state prison system. Unfortunately, she caught Covid on the job. She quickly exhausted her limited number of sick days and was left with no income while she recovered, forcing her to use her credit cards to pay her bills. Angelica reached out to CALM, and with our assistance (which was made possible through your donations to Trinity), she was finally able to make real progress toward wiping out her debts. Angelica wrote, “Words cannot express how grateful I am for this assistance…I will be forever grateful for all that [Trinity] has done for me.”
We'll be praising God for His love and justice at our Racial Justice Advocacy Group's next meeting on Thursday, May 12, at 7:00 pm. All are welcome! Join us as we discuss the 3rd chapter of “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones. We meet the second Thursday of every month and there's no need to have read any previous chapters. Contact sabinedwon@yahoo.com or debkemper0404@yahoo.com to get the Zoom link.
The Session has voted that masks will continue to be required in the Sanctuary and on the upper level of the church building at all times, due to the higher number of people present and research regarding the generation and spread of respiratory particles when singing. This decision was recommended by the COVID Task Force. Masking in other areas is optional; however, at scheduled events where young children are present, masking will continue to be required until children of all ages have an opportunity to be vaccinated.
Redwood High School even exists and is located on Old County Rd, just south of Brittan? The school is part of the Sequoia Union High School District and is a continuation school for those students who are not on track for graduation and/or need a smaller learning environment to succeed? -COMT
Please join us in our sanctuary Sunday at 10am. Trinity is committed to providing a safe environment and to ensure a welcoming and inclusive worship experience for all.
