12/17/2020
Our beloved United Methodist Church, especially our California Nevada Conference, is offering a table of connectional diversity through our very rich cultures that our children are witnessing and growing with in their journeys of life and faith. Ethnic churches have confronted and are still facing the challenge of ASSIMILATION[1] into the dominant White culture. But as our UMC is very much engaged in “DISMANTLING RACISM,” we are also helping and teaching our children to be engaged and learn the...
12/10/2020
December 10, 2020 Children’s Ministry Prayer Challenge Week 6 Focus: Undocumented Immigrant[1] Children and Families by Catharine Morris, Ellen Dizon and Fel Cao Children’s Ministry Task Force December 13, 2020 is the Third Sunday of Advent. We, Cathy, Ellen, and I (Fel), on behalf of the Task Force on Children’s Ministry,[2]are coming to you in the connection of our California-Nevada Conference of our beloved United Methodist Church, that during this time of the Advent Season to pray for ...
8/11/2020
written by Haniel Garibay, Site Manager at Waller Center Luke 23:46 Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit." And when He had said this, He breathed His last.” Breathing, or the lack of it, is a matter of concern for people today, so that in the passage above, it seems that the last 4 words resonate more than Jesus’ own last words on the cross. “He breathed his last.” That’s precisely what happened to George Floyd after he said his last words,...
8/7/2020
I wrote this sermon manuscript as a contribution to our Children’s Online Worship which fell on the Lectionary reading and worship on August 9, 2020. I was asked to work on the theme, “Being Courageous to Follow Jesus,” based on the gospel lectionary reading found in Matthew 14:25 -29. “And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. 27 But ...
7/24/2020
I love the parables which of course Jesus used to teach the people and the crowd about life. Yes, Jesus used the parables according to the gospel writers to teach people about how to live in their own context and locations of where they lived. We’re borrowing them now and we may have several sets of lenses in understanding them and interpret them fairly or with justice. We should remind and warn ourselves not to manipulate the parables. I love the parables because it helps me to see myself and...
7/10/2020
Young People, you are the church. Young people, you are the community. Young people, you are the transformed SOWERS. Our 40 SECOND HOMILY is focusing on the theme, “JOIN THE SOWER’S STRUGGLE.” You and I are being invited to use new sets of lenses to re-read the parable by shifting our attention to the very rich offering of the metaphor instead of feeling good about ourselves in the meaning of the allegory that through the history of the church in its evangelistic effort has been too ...
7/2/2020
Our 40 SECOND HOMILY is focusing on the theme, “CARRYING BURDENS TOGETHER.” This is based from Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I follow the lectionary and July 5, 2020 is Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. You and I are joining the Christian churches around the globe who are following the lectionary in the use of the lectionary readings particularly the gospel reading in Matthew. I immediately thought of the powerful ...
6/19/2020
40 SECOND HOMILY this time focuses on the theme, “Fathers, Confronting Original Sin.” I was invited to preach by way of providing a video of a sermon in the celebration of Father’s Day Sunday worship at Evergreen United Methodist Church-San Jose online worship on June 21, 2020. My appreciation to the Rev. Sunae Cho, resident pastor of Evergreen UMC.
6/19/2020
Greetings! Today is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in the congregation of Evergreen UMC-San Jose. I am very glad to be with you in your Father’s Day worship service we’re doing virtually. I thought of using the basketball game as an analogy.
6/12/2020
Lesson 3: LOVE Using the curriculum, "CONFIRM," by Abingdon Press, I made adaptations to our ministry settings during the time of COVID-19 pandemic and the social unrest due to racial injustice committed to some of our Black American brothers and sisters.
6/12/2020
The lectionary gospel reading is from Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them." (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)
6/11/2020
Yesterday was the 10th day of the nationwide protests rallies, marches in the US which were led by young people who are crying out, “NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE.” World news also reported there were protests in London, Canada, Melbourne
6/6/2020
The Confirmation Class is the right place to talk about living together in a community that God loves. And yet, even though people say, or I should say we say that we are children of God, we live with our sin of racism.
6/5/2020
Our 40 SECOND HOMILY is RESISTANCE. The slides are in black that symbolizes grief, mourning, sadness and lament.
5/29/2020
40 SECOND CONFIRMATION, Lesson 1, Traveling with Jesus is more than 40 Seconds when the second slide is played with video. We use our resourcefulness in acquiring or producing our curriculum to teach and mentor our confirmands to become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. I am using the CONFIRM curriculum by Abingdon Press and I am adapting it into our context of diversity and multi-cultural setting of community and ministry. I commend the pastors, staff and volunteers that are conducting ...
5/29/2020
I worked on the completion of 40 SECOND HOMILY: ENABLED on Friday, May 29th during the time that several protest rallies were happening in Minneapolis, Washington, New York, Atlanta and San Jose.
5/22/2020
40 SECOND HOMILY: ONE One of the things we have in common, I think, is that, we like to read Sojourners Magazine. I read Jim Wallis article entitled, "When Will the Monstrous Become Unacceptable." It is a very prophetic article in challenging us that we need to decide, to take the risk of doing what is right.
5/15/2020
Anyone can draw. While sheltering in place, with our practice of physical distancing that helps save lives, drawing or sketching becomes an avenue of expressing what we feel and our drawings become a gesture of prayer.
5/15/2020
40 SECOND HOMILY: JESUS SAVES I used to draw with a pencil, crayons, pastel colors on drawing pad or paper. Now I’m learning how to use my iPad with a stylus and uses different apps. But I need more tools to utilize them and create beautiful images, artwork as expressions of preaching the Word centering on the work of God in Jesus of love, liberation, justice and peace.
5/7/2020
40 SECOND HOMILY is designed to come in a series every week for the purpose of providing a resource for youth and young adults in engaging in biblical-theological reflection through small group discussions and any form of group sharing.
4/1/2020
My reflection this week after the Fifth Sunday in Lent and before Palm Sunday is a witness of admiration to the people on the frontline serving, risking their lives, battling the war on the coronavirus pandemic. I remember them in my prayer as a practice of my spirituality which has been formed in me as a disciple of Jesus. As a clergy, I observe faithfully the practices in the Lenten Season. I've been watching news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in several channels (local, cable and ...
