Hello Church!
We look forward to worshiping together this Sunday morning at 9:30 am. Click here to view our live stream.
If you’d like to follow along with the order of service, click here for the bulletin.
To join us in singing, find the hymn texts on our music sheet.
We wish you a blessed and restful Sabbath!
August 16, 2020
“these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer”
-Isaiah 56:7
I spent some time in Western Montana last week and was reminded that the mountains are a spiritual, holy place for me to encounter God. Specifically, I am renewed when I encounter rivers or streams in the forests and mountains. There is just something about the sound, the crystal-clear waters, and sense of peace that I find in these places.
In our reading this Sunday from Isaiah, God is welcoming back the Israelites who were exiled in Babylon for generations and are returning to their land. God declares in the Isaiah 
reading above that God’s holy mountain will be a place of prayer and of joy. I find it interesting to read this after my recent experiences because when I have read these, or similar words about God’s “house of prayer” I have always jumped to thinking about the church building. However, in this text and other like it, there is no building that God is talking about, but rather creation itself is the place of prayer. During this time of limited gatherings in our building and legitimate concerns about gathering in groups, perhaps these words of ancient scripture can inspire us to find new “houses of prayer”, not just in our beautiful sanctuary, but also out in the world we live.
Where do you like to pray?
Where do you feel renewed and refreshed by the Spirit of God?
Where is it that you find joy in the midst of the chaos of the world?
May you find a new “house of prayer” this week, whether it’s simply looking out a different window or trying a new space, where you can pray and encounter the Spirit that sets us free and refreshes all of God’s people.
In God’s Grip,
Pastor Ellery