Stonewall United Church

04/27/2026

Look closely…
beneath every face
is the same longing
to belong, to be at peace,
to love and be loved.❤️

04/13/2026

04/03/2026

I wonder if she remembered his first steps
while she stood beneath his last

If the sound of the hammer
echoed like the rhythm
of his little feet running toward her

Mama, look

I wonder
if she thought about the first time
he said her name
soft and small
before the world ever called Him Savior

Before crowds
Before miracles
Before the weight of the cross

He was just her boy

The one she carried
The one she held
The one she kissed goodnight

And now—

Now she stands
with empty hands
watching the same hands
that once reached for hers
stretched out on wood

Pierced

I wonder if her heart whispered
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go

Or if somewhere deep within her
she knew…

This was exactly
why He came

Because He was never only her son

He was her Savior too

The same voice that once said
Mama
now speaks forgiveness over the world

The same hands she once wrapped
in cloth
are now bearing the weight
of every sin

And still—

He looks at her

Not just as a King
Not just as a sacrifice

But as her son

And I wonder
if in that moment
her heart broke in two directions

Grieving the boy she raised
and worshiping the God He is

Because what kind of mother
watches her child die
and still calls it holy

What kind of love
stands at the foot of suffering
and doesn’t turn away

Mary did

She stayed

Through the pain
Through the questions
Through the silence of heaven

She stayed

And maybe that’s what love is

Not understanding
Not fixing
Not rescuing

But staying

Even when your heart
is being nailed to the cross
right alongside Him

And I wonder
through tear blurred eyes
if she whispered

That’s my son

and at the very same time

That’s my Savior

03/07/2026

Our hearts are heavy as we hear reports of intensified airstrikes across the Middle East. Overnight, the United States and Israel intensified joint air attacks, with explosions reported in both Tehran and Beirut as the conflict enters a new and volatile phase.

We hold in prayer all those living in fear, those forced to flee, and the countless families affected by violence. We continue to pray for peace, for the protection of civilians, and for international leaders to pursue every possible path toward de‑escalation and just resolution in accordance with international law.

May compassion prevail over fear and may every step toward de‑escalation be encouraged and amplified.

Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayer.

[Image credit: KeithBinns / iStock]

03/05/2026

"While You Are Waiting"

03/02/2026

What we sing on Sunday should shape how we love on Monday. 🤍 The real testimony isn’t just raised hands... it’s patient words, gentle responses, and kindness when no one is watching. It’s how we treat the waiter, the stranger, our family, and even those who disagree with us. Let your faith travel with you beyond the church doors. Live it softly. Live it consistently. Live it with love. ❤️

02/21/2026

We’ve misunderstood her. The woman in Proverbs 31 was never meant to exhaust us. She was never meant to be a checklist. She was never meant to make mothers feel like they are constantly falling short.

She is not praised for perfection. She is praised for faithfulness. “She fears the Lord.” That’s the foundation.
Not flawless homemaking, spotless house, gourmet meals and matching outfits. Not never losing patience.

Faithfulness.

Faithfulness looks like getting up when you didn’t sleep.
It looks like apologizing after you raised your voice.
It looks like folding laundry while praying over the little shirts in your hands.
It looks like choosing gentleness when your flesh wants control.
It looks like showing up again tomorrow.

Proverbs 31 isn’t about productivity it’s about your heart posture. Her heart was anchored in reverence for God. And from that reverence flowed diligence, kindness, wisdom, generosity. The fruit came from the root.

We live in a culture obsessed with perfect motherhood… curated feeds, milestone comparisons, pressure to “do it all” effortlessly. But Scripture never commands perfection. God asks for faithfulness.

Faithfulness in the unseen. Faithfulness when no one claps. Faithfulness when you feel ordinary. The world rewards performance. He rewards obedience.

Mama, your worth is not measured by how seamless your days look. It’s measured by who you are becoming in Christ while you live them. The Proverbs 31 woman wasn’t superhuman. She was surrendered.

And that kind of faithfulness will echo longer than perfection ever could. 🤍

02/20/2026

Lent asks us: what are you holding onto that's keeping you from God? These 40 days are your invitation to open your hands and let go. 🖤

02/18/2026

In a time when so much is crumbling, is burning, I don’t want to romanticize the ashes that come with destruction and devastation. As we approach Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, I do want to keep asking what the Holy One can do with dust, and to keep looking for how I can be part of that. So many blessings to you, beloved ones, as the new season arrives.

BLESSING THE DUST

All those days
you felt like dust,
like dirt,
as if all you had to do
was turn your face
toward the wind
and be scattered
to the four corners

or swept away
by the smallest breath
as insubstantial—

did you not know
what the Holy One
can do with dust?

This is the day
we freely say
we are scorched.

This is the hour
we are marked
by what has made it
through the burning.

This is the moment
we ask for the blessing
that lives within
the ancient ashes,
that makes its home
inside the soil of
this sacred earth.

So let us be marked
not for sorrow.
And let us be marked
not for shame.
Let us be marked
not for false humility
or for thinking
we are less
than we are

but for claiming
what God can do
within the dust,
within the dirt,
within the stuff
of which the world
is made
and the stars that blaze
in our bones
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge
we bear.

—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
janrichardson.com/books

Image: “Ash Wednesday Cross”
© Jan Richardson
janrichardsonimages.com

02/12/2026

Our hearts are broken by the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, in British Columbia. We hold all the community of Tumbler Ridge in our prayers, especially those killed, and surround their loved ones, classmates, and community with God's compassion. We pray urgently for the wounded, for those who care for them, and for the first responders and witness carrying the weight of this tragedy.

In this time of shock and sorrow, may we renew our commitment to a world where such violence never takes place. Please join us in praying for healing, courage, and peace.

[Photo credit: TanteTati/Pixabay]

Pacific Mountain Regional Council of The United Church of Canada

12/26/2025