Dear Family and Friends of First UMC of Torrance,
Summer is finally here—longer days, warmer weather, and perhaps a little more time to relax. Vacations, family barbecues, beach trips, and lazy afternoons fill our calendars. It’s a season when everything seems to slow down, and rightly so. We all need rest and renewal. But even as we breathe in the rhythm of summer, our faith does not take a vacation. The call of Christ continues, inviting us to follow Him not only in the busyness of our schedules but also in the ease of our summer days.
In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us a vivid picture of what the Kingdom of God looks like. It’s not a distant, abstract place—it’s right here, among us, wherever love is active and compassion is alive. He says:
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…” (Matthew 25:35)
These words challenge us to stay spiritually awake, even in a season that invites us to coast. Christ calls us to grow continually—in prayer, in generosity, in the work of justice and mercy. And that work does not pause in the summer months. Perhaps you’ll find more time for quiet prayer, or for listening deeply to what God might be saying to you through Scripture or the needs of those around you. Maybe you’ll meet someone new—a stranger needing welcome, a neighbor needing encouragement, a family needing help. The beauty of this passage in Matthew is that it reminds us: every act of kindness is an encounter with Christ.
This summer, let’s be a people of both prayer and action. Let’s nourish our inner life with God and express our faith outwardly in ways that reflect Christ’s love—feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, standing with the weak, advocating for the marginalized. In the small and simple ways we choose to love, the Kingdom of God grows among us.
I encourage you: take rest, enjoy creation, and find joy in life’s slow rhythms this July. But let us also stay alert to the Spirit’s movement and be ready to answer Jesus’ call in Matthew 25. The world still hungers for grace. The Kingdom still beckons us to build.
With you on the journey,
Pastor Jacob