SUNDAY GATHERINGS
We meet weekly starting at 10:00 am to worship God, read and discuss the Bible, pray for each other, and hang out.
Starting at 9:30am we’ve got coffee, treats, and time to connect.
Contact us for directions or more information:
contact@trellisvineyard.com
(509) 961-2556
A committed community creating space to be transformed by and for the love of Jesus.
Weekly Practices
Weekly Practice 3/9/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Prayer For the Third Week of Lent
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“I am glad prayers like this begin to make their appearance in the middle of Lent. By the time we make it to the third week, our initial enthusiasm has started to wane. The excitement of fasting and renewed commitment to God has started to waver. We are still too far from Easter to be excited about the celebratory end of the fast, and we are too far from the beginning to remember our initial repentance. We can’t keep ourselves from straying without God’s grace. Much of the Christian life is found in this middle place, between initial joy and final consummation.”
—Esau McCaulley, Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal
Scripture
Psalm 37 NLT
Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
The lowly will possess the land
and will live in peace and prosperity.
The wicked plot against the godly;
they snarl at them in defiance.
But the Lord just laughs,
for he sees their day of judgment coming.
The wicked draw their swords
and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
to slaughter those who do right.
But their swords will stab their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the Lord takes care of the godly.
Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.
But the wicked will die.
The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
they will disappear like smoke.
The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
but those he curses will die.
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
For the Lord loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will die.
The godly will possess the land
and will live there forever.
The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.
The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.
But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.
The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.
Practice
Daily Silence & Solitude
This week, dedicate time each day to be quiet and alone with God. Maybe a few minutes is your cap at this point. That’s totally fine. Embrace where you’re at, not where you think you should be.
One suggestion: Try to spend this time without any inputs (phone, music, reading materials, other people). If you want to read Scripture, begin your time with it, and then set it aside to just be with God.
Silence and solitude is hard, no matter who you are. Our minds can be loud and preoccupied and obnoxious. That’s normal. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, God is doing something in you during this time. If you need to, remind yourself to “be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.”
Weekly Practice 3/2/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Prayer For the Second Week of Lent
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Scripture
Luke 15:1-7 MSG
By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.
“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
Practice
Go After the One
Esau McCaulley says that Lent is, among other things, a time for “the reconciliation of those estranged from the church.” A time for welcoming and pursuing, for embodying God’s love for those far from him. Jesus says that God is elated by a single, rescued life.
This week, consider the “one” (or “ones”) in your life. If you need to, ask God to highlight who this is for you. Commit to praying for them on a regular basis, that they would return to Jesus or know him for the first time. Ask God to give you his heart for them. If you feel nudged to do so, reach out to them in whatever way you sense God is asking you to.
I can’t remember if I shared these songs before. Honestly, I don’t care. They’re that good.
All Ye Refugees, Sandra McCracken
Kingdom of God, Jon Guerra
One True Vine, Mavis Staples
Weekly Practice 2/23/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Prayer For the First Week of Lent
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Scripture
Matthew 4:1-11 MSG
Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”
Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”
Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”
For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
Practice
Memorize Scripture
Weakened by extreme hunger in the Judean wilderness, Jesus resisted the Devil’s temptations and half-truths with Scripture. He didn't argue. He didn’t trade barbs. He let the truth of Scripture do the talking. Maybe he was on to something.
This week, take time to memorize (or begin memorizing) a piece of Scripture. Any verse will do, but perhaps pick one that is especially important to you. Or find one that addresses any area of temptation for you. For example, if you find that you are impatient with others, maybe something like this fits the bill:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV)
Or if you’re a chronic worrier, you might memorize a portion (or all?) of Matthew 6:25-34:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? …”
Jesus used memorized Scripture to fight his own temptations. If it was good enough for him, well….
Sonnets!
Three poems and reflections by poet-priest Malcolm Guite:
Weekly Practice 2/17/26
Make every effort to do or reflect upon this week’s practice with others.
Scripture
Psalm 51 MSG
Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
Practice
Repent
The season of Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday, a day when many receive ashen crosses on their foreheads as a reminder that, because of sin, we’re all going to die: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. However, “the ashes are not just a reminder of our great failure; they remind us of God’s victory over sin and death through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son” (Esau McCaulley).
This week, take time to repent. Repentance begins with humility, acknowledging your shortcomings with honesty. As you pray, ask God to show you what is true about yourself. What are the things that you still need healing and freedom from? Offer them to God.
Repentance ends in love. Receive God’s love and forgiveness. If you need some convincing, meditate on Ephesians 1:3-8:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
As one loved and forgiven, ask God if he would like you to respond in any way. Fasting is common during Lent. Do you sense God is inviting you to give anything up? Or maybe he’s asking you to pick something up. Share and pray with others about what you sense God is inviting you to do. Lent starts tomorrow, but there’s no need to rush. Keep praying and listening and let the Holy Spirit lead you into this season of repentance and renewal.