Pastor Joel's mid-week reminders for 8/23/2011
This entry was posted on 8/23/2011 11:32 AM and is filed under Mid-Week Reminders.
'Those
who
want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose
their life for
my sake will find it.' St Matthew 16.25
I
really do not like losing things. My mentality is firmly
guided by the
old saying, "A place for everything and everything in its
place." If
my keys or wallet or glasses are not in their accustomed
places, my
patience wears thin and I get annoyed. Life can't be wasted
looking
for things. But you know, it's I who misplaces those
things, so who is
there to blame but myself?
Jesus spoke these words at the top of this page long ago,
and people
have wrestled with their meaning for many centuries. There
is deep
mystery about them, yet also a profound truth. Who wants to
die
feeling that his / her entire life has been misplaced?
Lost? The the
true meaning of life somehow has escaped them? As Jesus
goes on to
say, "What will it profit them if they gain the whole
world but
forfeit their life?"
This coming Sunday I'm going to spend a fair amount of time
talking
about someone who 'lost' his life for the sake of
Christ...and in the
process found his life. The selfish voice within us pushes
us to get,
to acquire, to serve the self first. Yet Jesus tells us to
lose our
life for his sake. What does that look like in real life?
I think
you'll be blessed and challenged as you worship this
Sunday. Am I
being mysterious? Perhaps a little, but here's a hint:
Baptism.
Ponder St Paul's words in Romans 6: "We have been
buried with
Christ by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was
raised form
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk
in newness of
life."
REDEEMER
YARD SALE: On
Saturday, September 3,
we're
holding a big Yard Sale here on our campus. Lorene
Bartell
is
organizing it, so please contact her, offer your assistance,
and then
rummage through your unwanted items for stuff that you can
contribute
to our sale! Bring your donated items to the church as soon
as
possible, so we can get them all organized in time. All
profits will
go towards expenses for finishing our
upstairs "Redeemer Community Room". And thanks so much for
participating in this event!
PASTOR JOEL'S ADULT
SUNDAY CLASS: I'm currently leading a
Bible study that
focuses on the assigned readings from the Bible for each
Sunday. Together we discuss the riches of our new life in
Christ as we grow in our understanding of how we can live in
such a way
that we witness the joy and hope of being Easter Christians.
Join us
in the Commons Room each Sunday from 8:50 - 9:45am. Coffee
and
refreshments are available.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
WORKSHOP:
Sunday, October 16, right after worship and potluck. Please
let Jonet
Schutz, our Faith Community Health Minister, know if you can
attend
this 90 minute workshop led by Arlene Janssens, former
Deaconness at St
John Lutheran Church. Look for more details in forthcoming
issues of
the Spirit Call newsletter.
FOOD WAGON: We are
most
grateful for your generosity in bringing food items to
church. Place
them in the read food wagon, and someone will take the items
to Marion
Polk Food Share for distribution among the many poor and
hungry
families in the Salem area.
DATES
AND
EVENTS TO NOTE ~
August 28,
Sunday........Congregational Meeting
right after worship
Sept
3-7...................Pastor and
Diane out
of town
Sept
6......................Redeemer
Preschool
1st day of class
**Please see the weekly
bulletin, Spirit Call, and
master
calendar for a complete listing of dates and
events.
