West Hills Friends

A family settles in for dinner, but they are interrupted by a knock at the door. One of the three children of the household goes to answer it and finds a beggar on the other side. How does the child respond? Kevin brings us a parable of sorts and invites us into wondering about gifts and charity.

A few weekends ago Kristine was feeling completely overwhelmed. She put on an album by the Quaker singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer and was immediately soothed by the words "You Can Do this Hard Thing." What does it look like to follow a leading and what happens when that leading feels like a bit too much?

Ruba brought the message, based on Isaiah 25: 6-8 and Jesus’ parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15-24), where God is the host/hostess who invites everyone willing to come to the feast to come to the table and find what their heart is most hungry for.

For the message, Heather P. talked to us about her experiences of fasting, and led us in wondering about the ways our experiences of hunger can spur us towards more compassion.

"All violence requires an Other as its target, and the shifting boundaries of our own identity are what contours that otherness.” Mark reflects the story of his own shifting identity and the hope for a community that can create space for complexity

Greg found himself sitting in front of two strangers on a train in Portland. He couldn't help but ovehear their conversation...

David P. brings us a message about the journey of identity.

For First Word, Kay Ellison read James 1:2-6 and shared her journey through some things akin to trials and tribulations. When she shares her difficulties with others, she receives help, gains perspective and opens the door for others to share their journeys. After reading John 16:33, Kay added that she still has goals for herself, even while she sees the good things stemming from life's challenges...

Julie Peyton, self-proclaimed "Christian scientist", gave the message for Evolution Weekend (formerly called Evolution Sunday). Scripture readings were 1 John 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:6. Comparing religion and science, Julie reasoned that both trust in a supportable outcome. There are laws, with space for theories toward those laws. Both seek a truth that can be tested. She cited George Fox, who afte...

Kevin tells us a story about a lone astronaut lost in space and the complexity of faith.

For the message, Stephen read from Acts 9 and the story of the blinding of Saul on the road to Damascus. He read a Rumi poem using the metaphor of boiling a chickpea and the time it takes to bring soak in all of the flavors. Nelson Mandela provided an example of someone who did not answer racism with racism. Like the chickpea, transformative change is possible in this world and our lives. Queries:...

Elijah Walker came out to visit from Indiana! For the message, he read John 14:6, 16-20 and reflected on his personal commandment to use Jesus as a role model. He encounters a living Jesus, an experience that to him sounds radical; he frames it another way by asking, “What sacred relationship resonates with you?” He hopes this approach will inspire us to do God’s work, to love and live radically....

Erica gave First Word, reflecting on the synchronicity of finding a new friend through a text message to Griffin through his old phone number. God’s grace sometimes comes to us from the most unexpected places.

Using Jesus’ words from Luke 17, “The kingdom of God is in your midst,” Mike’s last message to West Hills Friends as our pastor was full of blessing. He invited and challenged us to trust our imaginations when we seek to hear God’s leading. We might think that the paved sidewalk is the safest path to follow, but the new green shoots of God’s kingdom, which persistently grow through the cracks, are...

For the message, David P. read Philippians 2:1-7 and reflected on our potential relationship with Sierra-Cascades Yearly Meeting of Friends. David was a WHF Elder while our meeting was under the disciplinary process of NWYM Elders. Experiences like that help David understand why some people feel a pull toward complete independence. However, David feels a call to gather with other in humility. As w...

For the message, Jen S. read Luke 25-35 and told a story about people who lived in a divided city. Those on the west side of the dividing chasm needed resources from the east. However, the divide prevented good communication between the sides and those who lived on the east kept acting on their misperception of expressed need. Finally, the need for authentic communication drove a group of young pe...

Kay E. brought First Word, reflecting on an experience she had while distributing material to encourage political action: She was able to reach inside people’s cars because of her skin color and perhaps her age. Kay has come to a point of hope about her own privilege. Having hope that comes from love gives her power — power that she can use for good. How will we use our power for good in 2018?

For the message, Mike read Matthew 5:43-46 and told a story about a Baker, a Printer and a Quaker who decided to wait by the fireplace for Saint Nicholas to appear. The saint arrived with gifts for each of them: The Printer received ink, the Baker received flour and butter, and the Quaker received conflict. Why *don’t* we see conflict as a gift? If who you are in conflict is who you are, who do yo...

For the message, Mike read Matthew 7:13-14 and told a story about people searching the empty landscape for "wide" and "narrow" paths. Dispute and mutual irritation drove most searchers further and further apart. Maybe we walk a narrow path when we simply walk together. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and Levite needed a "wider path" to walk around the victim of robbers. What is the...

For the message, Aaron P. read Luke 10:29-37. About a year ago, Aaron and his family returned from two hours of skiing to discover that someone had stolen their car. As Aaron told this story, he was surprised by the sense of violation he heard from others. Ultimately, Aaron stopped telling the story. From his perspective, the number of people who went out of their way to help (11 strangers and "gr...

For the message, Derek read from Psalm 42 and Romans 7. After traveling among among Friends in Burundi and the United States, Derek has concluded that our worship activity is taught and modeled. Expressions of worship are learned behavior. How do we use our time on worship? Jesus had things to say about prayer (which is like worship), but we still have some decisions to make: What do you hope to f...

For the message, Mike read Luke 5:36-39 and reflected on why everyone hates "organized religion." Being organized makes us more effective, and no one wants religious bullies to be more effective. Rather than see themselves as bullies, "organized religion" is usually trying to defend something held in great value. According to John’s Gospel, the chief priests and Pharisees killed Jesus in order to...

For the message, Mike read Mark 10:46-52 and told a story about empathetic marmots. It turns out that empathy can be dangerous! Empathy is prompt toward questions like: If I was in that situation, how would I feel? If that happened to me, what kind of help would I want? Empathy is a way of projecting our imagination onto someone else’s situation. But empathy is not the same as listening. Using our...

For the message, Eric M. used the Book of Esther as a frame of reference for the topic of privilege. Eric pointed out that privileged always get to talk, even when apologizing for that privilege. We are very attuned to our own pain and suffering; in that state, it's hard to understand that of another, especially if it means setting aside our own condition. Jesus challenges us to sacrifice to take...

Paloma brought a First Word about how beginning to use the name "Paloma" with her Latino friends is reconfiguring how she has experienced her name since childhood. Although some past discomfort is attached to the name "Dover," choosing the associated Spanish word ("Paloma" = "Dove") as a name is helping her create new ways to make peace in the world -- and, like Noah's dove, to actively seek out a...