Emmaus Blog

Saturday, February 21, 2026: Join the Emmaus Community for our celebration tomorrow – Sunday, The 22nd of February, 2026 Everyone is welcome to our table. Please join us in person at Christ Church United Methodist, Classroom 8 in Santa Rosa. We begin our celebration at 1:45 with a welcoming and then liturgy (the work of the people) – Steve Lyman, Pat O’Connor and all of us at 2:00.  Join Zoom Meeting using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=82705164138 Passcode: 1234 Or open Zoom on your browser and use this Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Join us by Phone:  Dial  +1(669) 900 6833,,5193158573# US (San Jose) +1(669) 444 9171,,5193158573# US Emmaus Liturgy February 22nd, 2026 The First Sunday of Lent:   THE NATURE OF GOD IS LOVE  Pat: Ring the Singing Bell:  Moment of Silence for us to Arrive WELCOME/INTRODUCTION:  Pat: Creating a Lenten Sacred Space:  Steve: Introduction to Today’s Liturgy  OPENING SONG:  HE’...

 Friday, February 20, 2026: That Constitution is founded in values, American values. We treat people with dignity and respect. Retired US special forces officer, Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar A retired US special forces officer, Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar (Ret), has revealed to the BBC why he resigned from his work with US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centers. 'I witnessed war crimes' in Gaza, former aid worker tells BBC "I witnessed the Israeli Defense Forces shooting at the crowds of Palestinians," Anthony Aguilar told the BBC. He added that in his entire career he has never witnessed such a level of "brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population". Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar (Ret.): “After 25 years of service in the United States Army, I hung up my uniform, but I did not hang up my oath. My oath is to the Constitution of the United States. That Const...

Thursday, February 19, 2026: anything can be solved at a table with a good meal, along with a slice of apple pie the way you like it warm from the oven From Calling Humanity to the Table by Brenda Bishop In the old ways, power was never loud. It did not scream or demand allegiance. Power lived in hands that knew how to feed others. Power lived where fire was tended and ingredients were honored. My grandmother once said that anything could be solved at a table with a good meal, along with a slice of apple pie the way you like it warm from the oven smelling of cinnamon and vanilla, hearty foods. Not erased. Not forgiven. But softened enough to be faced. Hunger sharpens fear. Nourishment lowers defenses. When people eat, they remember themselves. So, the table becomes sacred space.  The pot becomes a cauldron. The recipe becomes a spell passed down, not written. Butter Bean Curry is made for winter nights when the world feels brittle and split at the seams. Creamy coconut milk holds ...

Wednesday, February 16, 2026:  Lent: a lengthening; a leaning and a stretching. A pull towards a better kind of light. A Blessing by  John O'Donohue: Blessed be the longing that brought you here and that quickens your soul with wonder. May you have the courage to befriend your eternal longing. May you enjoy the critical and creative companionship of the question  "Who am I?" and may it brighten your longing. May a secret Providence guide your thought and shelter your feeling. May your mind inhabit your life with the same sureness with which your body belongs to the world. May the sense of something absent enlarge your life. May your soul be as free as the ever-new waves of the sea. May you succumb to the danger of growth. May you live in the neighborhood of wonder. May you belong to love with wildness of Dance. May you know that you are ever embraced in the kind circle of God.   Meditation on Lent and Light: I’m observing Lent for the first time in twenty years, tent...

 Sunday, February 15, 2026, Wisdom from the Outside:  “Go and sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.”    CAC Dean of Faculty Carmen Acevedo Butcher takes inspiration from the desert Christians of the fourth century. These men and women fled to the deserts of Northern Africa and elsewhere to practice their faith apart from the Christianity of empire.   Around 313 CE and the Edict of Milan, Christianity became yoked with empire. [1] A lot of people who wanted to have a genuine experience of living out the promises of Christ left the empire, so to speak. They went out into the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia. There were women and men, rich and poor. Some of them had been working in royal courts, and some had been murderers (see Black Moses below). Some were people of high esteem in society while others were viewed by society as scoundrels. The Christians who went to the desert sought an interior martyrdom. That’s how they thou...

Saturday, February 14, 2026: Please Calendar This Upcoming event &  RSVP:  Becoming More Fully Alive: The Spiritual Practice of Aging Well: With Parker Palmer Our final video in the series presented by the Education Committee is the last of the of the 4-part series: It will be shown, followed by a lively and thoughtful discussion:   Wednesday, March 11th at 1:00PM Location: Nancy and Bob’s: at 2404 Marilyn Circle, Petaluma, CA 94954  Please RSVP to Nancy at (707) 773-0904 Or Via Email at rnmcfar1938@yahoo.com What if aging isn't about decline-but about becoming more fully alive? In this session, beloved teacher Parker Palmer invites us to reimagine aging as a season of depth, resilience, and possibility. Drawing from his lived experience and signature gift for storytelling, Parker explores how to stand in "the gap" between the world as it is and the world as it could be-without turning away from the sorrow or joy of being human. Together, we'll reflect on what it...