A Message from Pastor Kaji
Click here for Pastor Kaji’s sermon playlist
Dear Church:
This week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to see the image of God. We can see it in one another, in the world around us, and sometimes in places we least expect. Scripture tells us that we were made in the image and likeness of God. That truth, found in Genesis 1:26–27, invites us to see the divine reflected in every human face.
As you prepare for worship, take a quiet moment to read that Genesis passage alongside this week’s text: Luke 18:9–14, the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Together, these texts reveal something profound about how we see ourselves and how we see God.
Study Guide
1. When you read the creation story in Genesis 1:26–27, what does it mean to you to be made in God’s image?
2. In Luke 18, how do you recognize the divine image in people whose lives or choices differ from yours?
3. How might humility open our eyes to see Christ more clearly in the world around us?
This Sunday’s reflection will turn toward the mystery of that divine image…and the grace that teaches us how to recognize it.
Pax Christi,
Pastor Kaji
Town Hall: Sunday, November 9 after worship
All members are encouraged to stay after worship for our Town Hall. This gathering allows the Ministry Council to present the 2026 Vision and Budget Framework, including:
– ministry investments and goals for the year ahead,
– plans to strengthen development and stewardship,
– continued commitment to justice, education, and worship, and
– proposed cost-of-living adjustments and staffing restorations.
The Town Hall is an open conversation, not a vote. This will be a time to listen, ask questions, and share in the vision for our next chapter.
Congregational Meeting: Sunday, November 16 after worship
The following Sunday we’ll hold our official Congregational Meeting to:
– vote on the 2026 budget,
– affirm the nominations slate for church leadership, and
– celebrate the faithful work that has carried The Park into this new season!
Your presence matters. Each voice, each prayer, each vote is part of how we discern God’s call together.
Scripture:
Luke 18:9–14 (Year C, p. 334)
9 Jesus also told this parable to certain folk who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised everyone else: 10 Two persons went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, was standing by himself praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—thieves, crooks, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I acquire.” 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not raise his eyes to heaven, rather was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this one went down to his home, made righteous, rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.
