Christmas at Silverlake Church: Food Pantry: 22nd 5:00pm, Worship: 24th 6:00pm, 11:15pm and 26th 10:30am

Silverlake Church is a community of people who pursue a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  We are in different places in that journey.  We gather together at different times and different places for different purposes.  We worship, we serve, we pray, we ask questions.  We do so with all sorts of mixed and diverse motives.  But the whole reason for our existence is the idea that in Jesus Christ a new kind of relationship with God is possible.  Through Jesus Christ we are surrounded by God.

Christmas is important to us.  It is a moment when the past, the present and the future come together in one celebration.  We remember when the wise men came “from afar” seeking the one who had been born King of the Jews.  We see ourselves in their faces.  The story from the past in the gospel of Matthew becomes a story of our present.  We too are seeking the one who has been born King of the Jews.  We join the wise men in worshipping the Christ child.  Our minds move from the present to the future.  We long for the day when the good will of God, expressed in the birth of Jesus, and the peace with God, evinced through Easter, become everything in the return of Jesus.  Jesus is our past, our present and our future.  O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

This Christmas season we find ourselves bundled in the warm blanket of God’s love.  We celebrate by serving others in our food pantry.  We celebrate by surrounding Christmas day with worship on the night before and the day after.  We celebrate by sharing gifts with one another.  The more, the merrier!  Join us!

(artwork:  His Star – Duncan Long)

 

 

Aroma: The Bacon, Eggs and Coffee of Christianity…………Sundays at 10:30am

The church stinks.  It doesn’t have to stink. As a matter of fact, it often hasn’t stunk. The church always has the potential to be a wonderful aroma like bacon, eggs and coffee. The church is meant to be a joy to inhale…even if you aren’t hungry.

Many in our community have been hurt by the church.  Some of us have been involved in a congregation and experienced pain and disillusionment. Others of us have had just enough of a taste of Christianity to support the stereotypes of church as judgmental, harsh and divisive.  But at Silverlake Church we are experiencing something else. Our church smells different!

The words of one of the earliest Christians are starting to make some sense to us. Fourteen centuries before the Sufi mystic Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili ran across the coffee bean in Ethiopia, a man wrote a letter to a church in Greece, saying  ”…we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ…”  (2 Corinthians 2:15a)  Could this be what God is brewing among us at Silverlake?

Over the next three Sundays we are going to talk about the essence of this aroma.  It is an aroma of security and rootedness, not judgment.  It is an aroma of the whole hearted pursuit of love instead of self-promotion.  It is the aroma of truly desiring to work out our differences rather than divisiveness.  This is the aroma of Christ.  This is what God is “cooking up” in our midst.

I look forward to dialoguing with you over the next three Sundays!  But feel free to comment now on this site or on the Silverlake church facebook site.  Let the conversation begin because God already has!

Easter at Silverlake: April 1, 7:30pm. April 2, 11:15pm. April 4, 9:30am.

“Easter is a pre-Western, pre-modern, festival which began almost 2,000 years ago.  Since that time Christians from every continent on the planet have celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection at one time or another.  Now it is Silverlake’s turn and you are invited!

On April 1 the community will gather at 7pm for Maundy Thursday.  “Maundy” is a Latin word, meaning “command”.  Jesus once said, “A new command I give you; love one another.”  So, on the eve of Jesus’ death we will gather to remember Jesus’ love and work together to love our community as Jesus loved us.

On April 2 the church will open at 11:15pm for a time of self-guided meditation.  In the darkness of that night we will consider Jesus’ death.  We will have opportunity to look into the darkness of the world.  We will reflect upon our own death. The church bell will toll at midnight and we will leave in silence.

On April 4 we will gather again at 9:30am for breakfast.  At 10:30 we will move to the sanctuary to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and to consider the implications.  If Jesus died and rose again, our death is no longer a threat.  Now it is another step into the eternal love of God.  Our celebration will continue after the service with coffee on the patio and an easter egg hunt for the kids.

Whether you are a regular part of our church family, a follower of Jesus, or you aren’t sure what you think of all of this, you are welcome to join us in considering the nature of love, the reality of death, and the joy of new life.  This is an opportunity to be part of something that transcends any barriers.  It is a chance to experience an ongoing story that is bigger than any of us.  Join us!

.

.

.

Silverlake Church is a community of people committed to living out our beliefs, dreams, and  faith in Jesus Christ. We are not simply about words, promises or rules.  We are about experiencing the transforming power of Jesus Christ in our lives and relationships. In an urban area where people are often anonymous, Silverlake is a place where you can know and be known while moving forward in your spiritual journey.

Silverlake Community Church is located at 2930 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027.  The church office is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-3pm.  Our phone number is 323-663-3151.

We gather for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30am. On Wednesday nights we study the Bible together starting at 7pm.  Child care is available at both gathering.  All are welcome!

Also,  join our developing on-line community using the link listed under blogroll at the bottom of this page.