I am recovering well from my sinus infection and will be back to my usual self in time for Curtis “Andy” Anderson’s memorial service. You will not get this newsletter until after the service, but I know you are praying for Linda and for their family as they go through this difficult time. I know Linda is grateful for this church and for the love and care we show to each other.
I am hoping that the sermons from Father Richard Rohr’s books are meaningful to you. I want to be relevant to you and to what is happening in your lives. I also want to avoid putting you to sleep😊 If you have any topics you want to know more about, please let us know. It is important to Max and me that we are preaching about the things that matter to you, along with the things God leads us to preach.
This Sunday, February 4, 2024, is All Council Sunday right after church. If you are on a church committee, please plan to attend. If you are not on a committee, show up and we will find a place for you to serve. We will be talking about 2024 plans and our 2024 budget.
I pray you have a peaceful week, enjoying the few days of sunshine and moderate temperatures. My love to all, Mary
This week we discussed the Parable of the Mustard Seed. The kids knew exactly what a mustard seed is; last year they each received one.
They were amazed to realize that this tiny seed could grow into a tree that is 8 to 10 feet tall.
Sometimes we imagine the kingdom of God as being a time and a place in the future. Jesus said God’s kingdom is here on earth right now!
Jesus encouraged his friends then, and us today, to make sure we are all working to bring about God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom comes into being with tiny and almost invisible things — a tiny, almost invisible, seed turns out to have an enormous effect.
Do something this week to show someone God’s love. Make a pay-it-forward gesture that shows God’s love through you. You could do something nice for a friend or a neighbor or do something to show appreciation for a member of your church. By loving others, you show God’s love through you.
We hope to see you in church Sunday. We will review the most important thing — that you help someone feel cared for.
John 15:12-13 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
1 Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. Refrain
3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Refrain
1. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
2. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.
