Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 9/77/2011
This entry was posted on 9/28/2011 5:49 AM and is filed under Mid-Week Reminders.
'Whatever
gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because
of Christ.
More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the
surpassing
value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I want to know
Christ and the
power of his resurrection...' Philippians 3.7-8, 10
St
Paul had an eye-popping list of credentials that would
impress anyone.
But the life-changing, life-transforming encounter he
experienced with
the risen Christ one day while he was on the way to Damascus
to round
up more Christians for imprisonment turned him completely
around in
every aspect of his life. His conversion to faith in Christ
came from
that transformational moment.
>From that time on, Paul realized that his human
credentials no longer
were that important. Instead, he saw all of life from the
perspective
of the crucified and risen Christ. And so it can be for us,
who call
Christ Lord and desire to follow him with our entire lives.
Barbara
Brown Taylor, a contemporary theologian, puts it this way:
"Before any experience of the risen
Christ, we try
to squeeze what we are told happened on Easter morning
into our
understanding of the world and how things work in the
world.
Afterward, it's the other way around. How we understand
the world has
to fit into the reality of a love more powerful than
death, of a love
that conquers all, even the power of death itself."
For most of us, this different way of looking at life comes
gradually
as we grow in our understanding that the pivotal,
all-encompassing
event of Jesus' resurrection now shapes our lives
accordingly--our
relationships, our values, our attitudes, the way we look at
the world,
our whole way of life. What a journey of discovery!
REDEEMER 50TH
ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE: This is a call
for
volunteers to help plan a celebration event marking the 50th
anniversary of Redeemer Lutheran Church. If you would like to
be part
of this group, please contact Jan Shearer (congregational
President),
Fred Gargiulo (head Elder), or Paul Schutz.
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
issue of
the Spirit Call newsletter. There will also be a Sign Up
Sheet posted
on the main bulletin board.
FALLEN OFF
THE EMAIL
LIST? Occasionally some names are
randomly eliminated by our computer server from the
congregational
email list. If you are no longer receiving regular emails
from the
office (including prayer requests, Midweek Reminders, etc.),
please
call the office. Otherwise, we have no way of knowing who is
and who
isn't receiving our emails.
10
MOST WANTED FOODS FOR MARION POLK FOOD SHARE:
Thank you
all so much for continuing to bring food for the enormous
amounts of
hungry people in our Salem area! Please remember the 10
most basic
foods MPFS asks for: soup...chili...mac
and
cheese...cereal...peanut
butter...tuna...canned fruit...canned
vegetables...pasta sauce...pasta. Bring your
food items to
worship with you and place them in the red wagon by our
worship area.
Also, thanks for your contributions to our own small food
pantry, under
the direction of Kathy Lisle. There is a separate and clearly
labeled
green bin for the same foods for our food pantry.
DATES
AND
EVENTS TO NOTE ~
Oct 3 -
6................Pastor and Diane
out of
town
Sunday, Oct
16..........Congregational potluck
followed by Disaster Preparedness
Workshop
Oct 18 -
20.............NW District All
Workers
Conference, Seaside
Sunday, Nov
6..........All Saints and
Veterans
Recognition Sunday
Sunday,
Nov 20.........Thanksgiving
Sunday
Looking ahead
to the holiday season:
Sunday,
Nov 27..........First Sunday
in Advent
Wednesdays:
Nov 30, Dec 7 and
14....Midweek
Advent Vespers
Saturday,
Dec 24........Christmas Eve
Sunday,
Dec. 25.........Christmas Day
**Please see the weekly
bulletin, Spirit Call, and
master
calendar for a complete listing of dates and
events.
