Swell, inspired by Luke 2:22–40

December 18, 2020

by Sara Are

You know that feeling when you fall in love?
Time-stands-still and moves too fast.
You’d give up sleep just to talk all night,
Because there’s so much to say and not enough time.

It’s that full to the brim,
Over the stars,
Living is dreaming,
Too-good-to-be-true Kind of feeling?

I imagine that’s how Simeon and Anna felt
When they saw Jesus that day.
I imagine it was that full to the brim,
Over the stars,

Living is dreaming,
Too-good-to-be-true
Good news kind of feeling.

I imagine it was love.
And I imagine that that good,
good news Swelled to the tip of their tongues
Until they could not keep silent.

So may we know what Simeon and Anna knew,
Which is that some dreams we hold close to our chest,
For ourselves to cherish and never forget.
But other dreams must be spoken out loud—
Dreams of justice and love and hope, here and now.

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The Longest Night

December 15, 2020

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The Longest Night
A Service of Remembrance and Grief

Monday, December 21, 7:00pm via Zoom

There’s an Advent tradition within Western Christianity of inviting people to come together for the Longest Night, a night around the time of the winter solstice—where that are more hours of darkness than light—a time to come together for prayers and laments, to mourn the losses and griefs of the year, to let the tears flow for the hurting places in our lives, as well as for our country and our world. Following a year of such great loss, grief, and despair, we invite you to join us for a Longest Night Service on Zoom.

If you are lonely, grieving, depressed, and/or just want to give full attention to the shadow side of the season, join us on Zoom for a deeply meaningful service of liturgy, music, and ritual.

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Categories : Uncategorized, Worship

DCC Camp Caz Virtual Campfire 2020

October 22, 2020

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We had a great time earlier this month at our Virtual Camp Caz campfire! It was a fun hour that included dancing (our favorite Chicken Dance!), TNT (skits & music), and an awesome slide-show of DCC Camp Caz memories. In case you missed it, you can view it here!

https://youtu.be/8R4bvvRMExg

We also mentioned (and showed a piece of) a Camp Caz video created earlier this summer by Brian Wetzel. If you would like to view the whole thing (about 11 minutes), you can view it here.

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A Back-to-School Blessing for 2020

August 18, 2020

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This prayer was adapted by the Prayer of St. Francis by DCC member Jenn O’Neal and prayed over everyone involved in returning to virtual school, Sunday, August 9, 2019.

Congregation prays:

As your church, we will lovingly support you through our prayers and active encouragement. We stand by you as you enter into this unique — and sometimes overwhelming — school year. We hope more than anything that you will be graced by the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Creator, Mother Father God, as I begin this unique school year please help me remember the following:

When I am frustrated, please give me patience

When I feel joy, let me shout out the good news

When I feel lonely, please help me seek out connection

When I am confused, please give me guidance

When the internet goes down, please help me find chocolate

When I am stuck, please help me think outside the box

When I am all done with my work for the day, please help me rest my mind, body and spirit and help me do it all over again tomorrow.

Amen.

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Categories : Children's Ministries, Youth Ministries

Tags : BACK to school

DCC in recent July 4 “Streaming Parade”

July 7, 2020

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DCC was one of the entries featured in the 2020 Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley July 4 Streaming Parade. You can watch our entry here.

Thanks to Chris Rauen for coordinating and creating our entry in the parade!

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Categories : Church Family

Becoming an Anti-Racist Church

June 18, 2020

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Many people in our congregation have reached out expressing a desire to participate in anti-racism work that has emerged from a surge of action across the country following the murder of George Floyd. As a community of people who strive to be God’s love in the world, we invite community members at DCC to join in this work.

One of the first steps in this learning journey is gathering a group of people who feel called to join in this work to serve as leadership in this journey. We invite anyone who feels called to join in this work, no matter where you are in your learning journey, to fill out this form indicating your interest in being part of this leadership group, and explaining why you feel called to this work and what your strengths are that you wish to share with the team.

To emphasize, this is a space to create plans for how to advance anti-racism work in our community, and to learn, but this is not a space to debate the existence of racism. In being part of this team, there is no expectation that you will start with all the answers, nor that you need to be at the same point in your learning journey as the other team members, but you do need to be committed to un-learning systems of white supremacy, to compassionately hold space for others, and to be vulnerable and willing to question your own internal biases.

Through a commitment to this learning journey, to be God’s love in the world, and a long term vision, we can make our community a safer and more loving place for all. If you have any questions, wonderments, and would like to learn more feel free to reach out to Fiona Klassen, Pastor Eric, or Pastor Todd.

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Categories : Anti-Racism

Tags : anti-racism, anti-racist church, black lives matter

DCC Netflix Party

June 18, 2020

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DCC is hosting a Netflix Party viewing of Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th. To join us, register here. [To watch 13th without a Netflix account, you can watch it for free on YoutTube.]

Want to join our Netflix Party? Here’s what you need to know.

Requirements:

a Netflix account
a Chrome browser with the Netflix Party extension installed
Note: This only works with a Chrome browser—not Safari or Firefox or anything else and not through a streaming box, except ChromeCast devices.

How to join:

Install the Chrome plug in on your browser.
Click the link to the Netflix Party we will send you, which will open Netflix on your browser. Log in if you’re not already.
Then click on the NP button next to the address bar, and you should automatically join the party.

Then you can interact with other folks watching the film in the chat box.

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Make a Spirit-Catcher Pinwheel!

May 28, 2020

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Our Holy Moly lesson on Pentecost invites us into an activity that can help us think about the Holy Spirit in a fun way! By making a Spirit-Catcher Pinwheel and holding it in the wind, we can think of the Holy Spirit as the wind catches our pinwheel! This activity was designed for our younger friends but is suitable for all who are “children at heart.”

Have fun with your pinwheel—and remember to bring it with you this Sunday!

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Categories : Children's Ministries

Tags : holy moly, pentecost

Oração Pelos Jovens (Prayer for Young People)

May 16, 2020

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The Pastoral Prayer for Sunday, May 17, included the Prayer for Young People by Luiz Carlos Ramos, translated by Paulo Gustavo França.

God, we thank you
for the young people we have now and for the young people we once were;
for the youth we see now and for youth we once had;
for the young [people] in our midst and for the young [person] that still lives within each of us.

We thank you
for the ongoing transformation of the world the youth foster
and for the constant transformation you cause in the life of each youth.

God who makes all things new,
keep these young people from conforming to this present age;
that they may not be formed by the media, by today’s trends or bad habits;
but that they may be transformed by the renewing of the mind
and by the gift of their bodies as a living offering, holy and pleasing to you.

That these young men and women may not be merely happy, but joyful;
that they may not be only healthy, but mindful;
that they may not be just strong, but open-minded;
that they may not be only intelligent, but that they may become wise;
that they may not be youthful in their look, but in their essence;
in a word, that they may not be the child of this present culture,
but [children] of the Living God,
so they may embody the Love,
work for Peace,
and may practice Justice.

We pray
in the name of Jesus Christ,
the young person who not only revolutionized the world with his ideas, but also saved humankind with his love.

Amen

Photo by Nooralbdeen Ahmad

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Categories : Church Family, Youth Ministries

Tags : graduates, prayer, young people

Don’t let your hearts Stay troubled…

May 11, 2020

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Time with Children, Sunday, May 10, 2020, by Pastor Todd

I wonder if anyone in this Zoom has ever experienced their hearts being troubled. What do you think that means? For your heart to be … troubled?

[Invite a moment to share.]

Maybe our hearts are troubled because we couldn’t go back to school. Or because our graduation ceremony isn’t going to happen in the way we’d always imagined.

Maybe our hearts are troubled because we’re worried about our grandparents being alone. Or because we fear getting sick or someone we love getting sick.

Maybe having to wear masks or hearing grown-ups talk about the news troubles our hearts.

The part of the Bible that Mary-Marie read for us this morning happens before Easter, back before Jesus died. Do you remember the time when Jesus was gathered with his friends for a meal—that time he washed their feet and told them about the bread and the wine?

So after that happened, Jesus was talking with his friends, his followers. There in that room, they had some difficult conversations, especially Judas and Peter. Jesus began to explain to them what was going to happen to him. That ultimately he would be leaving them.

This news “troubled their hearts.”

Made them feel sad, afraid, anxious.

They began to worry about what was going to happen next, what might happen to them.

And do you know what I think?
Jesus knew this.

Because Jesus was human just like us, he knows that everyone feels sad, afraid, anxious, or worried sometimes.

And he didn’t want his friends to feel bad for how they were feeling.

But Jesus didn’t want them to stay feeling bad.

He wanted them to know that even if they were feeling those feelings, they could think of him, and how much he loved and would always love them.

That they could remember how much God loved them as a way to start feeling better feelings, to have less trouble in their hearts.

To our young friends, and to our friends who are young at heart:

It’s ok to feel what you are feeling right now.

It’s ok to say it, to name it, to talk about it with someone we trust.

But when your heart is troubled, try to remember that God loves you, that Jesus promises to be with you.

And maybe, close your eyes and imagine Jesus saying to you,

I understand how you are feeling.
But don’t let your hearts stay troubled.
Believe in God. Believe also in me—that I am always with you.

Let’s pray together…

Dear God,
Thank you for this day.
Thank you for Jesus.
Help us remember,
when our hearts are troubled,
that you love us and,
that Jesus has promised to be with us.
Help us remember we are not alone.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

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Categories : Children's Ministries

Tags : children's moment, children's sermon, John 14, John 14:1, let your hearts not be troubled, pastor T, time with children, troubled hearts