You are invited to the in-person Sunday Service on April 14 at 10 am. The bulletin for this Sunday is available for viewing HERE.
You can worship live on ZOOM by clicking the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9658816441 Meeting ID: 965 881 6441
You can also watch Sunday services at your convenience by going to our website “watsonville1stumc.org” and click YouTube or Facebook. Each Sunday worship will be uploaded on Sunday afternoon for your viewing.
Native American Ministries Sunday
on Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 14, 2024, 10 am
Sunday, April 14th, is a special Sunday in the United Methodist church calendar when we officially honor our Native American brothers and sisters with generous gifts toward supporting ministries of Native American communities across the US. Our Native American siblings are an essential part of ministry in California-Nevada. Thank you!
You are invited to a special lunch prepared in honor of Nathaniel Abenoja’s birthday
by the Estioko/Abenoja Family in the Social Hall following worship.
Children’s Time “Have You Ever Eaten Cicadas?” Pastor John
Special Music: Thunderbird by Brandon & Trisha Kett
Written and composed by Brandon Kett
I was inspired to write this song in the spring of 2020 during the pandemic when the whole country was in lockdown. I researched the meaning behind the symbolic thunderbird that is found in Native people’s art and jewelry throughout North America. It basically means change, based on how hawks and eagles are often seen flying on rising air currents before incoming thunderstorms.
Message Darkness and Light: Rev. John Song
Part 2) “What Cicadas Teach Us”
Up to a trillion cicadas are about to emerge in the United States after being burrowed in the ground for 17 years at the end of April. To put into perspective just how many of these bugs could emerge, one trillion cicadas, each just over an inch long, would cover 15,782,828 miles if they were placed end to end. That cicada train would reach the moon and back 33 times.
In keeping with the theme of the post Easter sermon series “Darkness and Light,” we will take this opportunity to learn about cicadas and what they teach us about darkness and light, process of transformation and risen life. We will also learn from the Onondaga Nation (one of the five original nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands) known as the “People of the Hills” and their special relationship with cicadas.
Reverence and Relationship with the Earth
“The earth is not broken, but our relationship to the earth and
one another is broken. Restoring the earth without restoring
our relationship with the earth is an empty exercise.”
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass
“Relationships start with respect—caring and taking care of a relationship. Caring stirs our responsibility for restoring the earth and the essential key: Reciprocity with the earth. The current emphasis of ‘sustainability’ remains focused on, ‘How much can we take?’ Reciprocity, on the other hand, asks ‘How much can we give to the earth?’ The earth is Source, not mere resource. It is through respectful and enduring relationships that healing and a restored land become possible. We get to choose how we relate to the earth. Our most challenging and inspiring work lies in restoring a relationship of respect, responsibility, reciprocity – reverencing Life and Love.”
~ the Onondaga Nation (one of the five original nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands) known aa the “People of the Hills”
I thank You God for most this amazing day
For the leaping greenly spirits of trees
And a blue true dream of sky
And for everything which is natural,
which is infinite, which is yes
~ ee cummings
