May 2007
From the Pastor:
It's interesting how the church finishes one celebration and goes on to prepare for the next. Not only have we just celebrated Easter, but we have experienced the gift of music through our Jazz Sunday, and Confirmation Sunday. So what's next?
In May we will celebrate Mother's Day and Youth Sunday, along with Graduation Sunday, and Pentecost. Pentecost is one of those Sundays people generally don't look forward to unless something special is planned. You might ask adults what the day means to them, but if you get a response, the answer is usually, "I don't know. On yeah, red."
We Presbyterians are very good about telling others about the Holy Spirit. Most adults aren't quite sure what the Holy Spirit is. They know it is mentioned in one of those confessions we read on communion Sundays. They know it is part of the Doxology. But apart from that, most adults don't get the Holy Spirit.
During the months of January and February our confirmation class discussed the Holy Spirit. The class even got to go on field trips to talk about how the Holy Spirit works in the world. Finally they turned in faith statements that articulated what they finally understood the Holy Spirit to be. It was quite impressive to see some of the statements first hand.
I would encourage us to do as the confirmands did and ponder the following questions in order to formulate our own confessions of faith. So who is the Holy Spirit to you? And what does the Spirit do in the life of the church? Why do we need the Holy Spirit, anyway?
When Jesus was ready to ascend to His Father, He reminded his disciples that although He was going, He would not leave them orphaned. Jesus said that He would send the Consoler, the Advocate, to be with us. So we can say that the Holy Spirit is Christ's presence in the world, a presence that comforts and empowers us to be the church.
The second thing we could say is that the role of the Holy Spirit is manifested in us through your gifts. In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. But what are these spiritual gifts?
Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, speaks of the spiritual gifts. Some of the gifts he mentions here are the utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, various kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. But he doesn't end there. In his letter to the church in Rome, chapter 12, verses 6-8, Paul mentions prophecy, ministering, teaching, exhortation, generosity, diligence, and cheerfulness as other gifts. In Ephesians 4, verses 1-16, the gift of being an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher are also mentioned. Finally, in 1 Peter, chapter 4, verses 7-10, the author mentions the word grace as being a gift that is given to us as well.
So why are all these gifts important? They are essential for the well being of the church. The other reason they are so important is because through Christ you and I were created to do good works. But we can't do good works if we don't have gifts to serve.
The gifts we receive by the Holy Spirit equip us for servanthood. But we cannot serve unless we are willing to explore the gifts God has given us.
One of the questions I asked the confirmands in order to prepare them for their examination before the Session was, "What gifts do you bring to the church?" Some weren't sure what I was asking, but understood when I led them through gifts I saw in them. It was then clear to them that they too had been gifted by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, was working in and through them. My task was to help them discover what they had been gifted with.
It is my conviction that the role of the church is to celebrate the presence of the Spirit in its midst and to help those around us claim their gifts.
So how do we discover those gifts? Begin by asking yourself, "What am I good at? And, what is it that I do that brings joy and passion in my life?” The reality is there may be lots of things I could be good at, but where joy and passion lie is where I need to be. That's where I should develop my gifts. If your passion lies in building things, then build things and lift them up to the glory of God. If you are a gymnast, then do gymnastics for the glory of God. If you are an organizer, then help us messy people stay organized. The gifts you have been given are precious. Develop them and celebrate them on the day of Pentecost. For it was on that day that the Spirit of God descended on His church to equip it for building the Kingdom of God.
In love and peace,
Pastor Mara
Worship for the Month of May
May 6, 2007
Fourth Sunday of Easter
9:00 a.m. Worship with Communion by Intinction
Readings: Psalm 148 and John 13:31-35
Sermon Theme: Jesus told his followers that the world would know they were Christians because of their love for one another. Why is it, then, that we sometimes fail to recognize each other?
______________________________________
May 13, 2007
Fifth Sunday of Easter
9:00 a.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 67 and Acts 16:9-15Sermon Theme: A high percentage of women today fear a life of destitution, despite good jobs and healthy bank accounts. The cure for this condition might be more spiritual than financial.
_______________________________________
May 20, 2007
Youth Sunday/ Celebration of Graduating Seniors
9:00 p.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 8, Proverbs 8:1-9, and Romans 5:1-5
Sermon Theme: Today our worship service will be led by our youth. Our preacher for this morning is Ethan Hollenberger. Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors.
_________________________________________
May 27, 2007
Day of Pentecost
9:00 a.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b and John 14:8-17 (25-27)
Sermon Theme: In a world where Hallmark holidays abound, Pentecost gets no love in the greeting card rack.
LAMPLIGHT LIBRARY
"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105
THE BIBLE on cassette
With Bible listening, you can listen to God's Spoken Word almost anywhere and at any time - driving to work, at the office, at home, or at play. Almost any minute of the day can be used for effective Bible study. Just half a tape per day will get you through the entire New Testament in only three weeks and through the entire Bible in three months. Even times, that would be impractical for reading are ideal for Bible listening. Dramatically increase your time in God's Word with the Bible on Cassette.
Pentecost Offering: for children at risk, youth, and young adults
We will celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 27th. Pentecost is an amazing, life-giving day in the faith community. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to transform human life and all of creation. Through our participation in the Pentecost Offering, we will be helping to bring the transforming love of God to children at risk, youth and young adults.
This year’s offering theme, “That very Spirit!” is from Romans 8:16. The passage describes the Spirit of God’s persistent proclamation to us that we are God’s children. With that assurance, we can know that God’s love and care for us know no bounds!
The Pentecost Offering is a tangible way to demonstrate that Spirit within us. It gives us the opportunity to use 40 percent of the amount we receive to minister in our own area on behalf of children at risk. Through General Assembly ministries, the Pentecost Offering also makes an astonishing impact as it guides and nurtures the faith of Presbyterian young people, calls forth a new generation of church leadership and advocates for children at risk on a national level.
A message from Joan Gray, 217th General Assembly Moderator, expresses it this way….”What a precious gift young people are. Yet, in today’s world, may live without hope for the future or support to meet daily needs. What better place could there be to make spiritual and financial investments than in our children and youth?”
Please prayerfully consider a generous gift to the Pentecost Offering.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING UPDATE
As of Sunday, April 15th, the total receipts for the OGHS Offering were $894. Thank you to all who contributed. We exceeded the total for last year by about forty dollars.
PRESBYTERIAN COFFEE PROJECT
During Fellowship Time, following the jazz service, we introduced Fair Trade coffee to support small farmers, their families and the environment. Several persons asked about purchasing coffee for personal use. That opportunity will be made available later in the year. Stay tuned for more information in future issues of the Bridge and minutes for mission during worship.
It's interesting how the church finishes one celebration and goes on to prepare for the next. Not only have we just celebrated Easter, but we have experienced the gift of music through our Jazz Sunday, and Confirmation Sunday. So what's next?
In May we will celebrate Mother's Day and Youth Sunday, along with Graduation Sunday, and Pentecost. Pentecost is one of those Sundays people generally don't look forward to unless something special is planned. You might ask adults what the day means to them, but if you get a response, the answer is usually, "I don't know. On yeah, red."
We Presbyterians are very good about telling others about the Holy Spirit. Most adults aren't quite sure what the Holy Spirit is. They know it is mentioned in one of those confessions we read on communion Sundays. They know it is part of the Doxology. But apart from that, most adults don't get the Holy Spirit.
During the months of January and February our confirmation class discussed the Holy Spirit. The class even got to go on field trips to talk about how the Holy Spirit works in the world. Finally they turned in faith statements that articulated what they finally understood the Holy Spirit to be. It was quite impressive to see some of the statements first hand.
I would encourage us to do as the confirmands did and ponder the following questions in order to formulate our own confessions of faith. So who is the Holy Spirit to you? And what does the Spirit do in the life of the church? Why do we need the Holy Spirit, anyway?
When Jesus was ready to ascend to His Father, He reminded his disciples that although He was going, He would not leave them orphaned. Jesus said that He would send the Consoler, the Advocate, to be with us. So we can say that the Holy Spirit is Christ's presence in the world, a presence that comforts and empowers us to be the church.
The second thing we could say is that the role of the Holy Spirit is manifested in us through your gifts. In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. But what are these spiritual gifts?
Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, speaks of the spiritual gifts. Some of the gifts he mentions here are the utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, various kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. But he doesn't end there. In his letter to the church in Rome, chapter 12, verses 6-8, Paul mentions prophecy, ministering, teaching, exhortation, generosity, diligence, and cheerfulness as other gifts. In Ephesians 4, verses 1-16, the gift of being an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher are also mentioned. Finally, in 1 Peter, chapter 4, verses 7-10, the author mentions the word grace as being a gift that is given to us as well.
So why are all these gifts important? They are essential for the well being of the church. The other reason they are so important is because through Christ you and I were created to do good works. But we can't do good works if we don't have gifts to serve.
The gifts we receive by the Holy Spirit equip us for servanthood. But we cannot serve unless we are willing to explore the gifts God has given us.
One of the questions I asked the confirmands in order to prepare them for their examination before the Session was, "What gifts do you bring to the church?" Some weren't sure what I was asking, but understood when I led them through gifts I saw in them. It was then clear to them that they too had been gifted by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, was working in and through them. My task was to help them discover what they had been gifted with.
It is my conviction that the role of the church is to celebrate the presence of the Spirit in its midst and to help those around us claim their gifts.
So how do we discover those gifts? Begin by asking yourself, "What am I good at? And, what is it that I do that brings joy and passion in my life?” The reality is there may be lots of things I could be good at, but where joy and passion lie is where I need to be. That's where I should develop my gifts. If your passion lies in building things, then build things and lift them up to the glory of God. If you are a gymnast, then do gymnastics for the glory of God. If you are an organizer, then help us messy people stay organized. The gifts you have been given are precious. Develop them and celebrate them on the day of Pentecost. For it was on that day that the Spirit of God descended on His church to equip it for building the Kingdom of God.
In love and peace,
Pastor Mara
Worship for the Month of May
May 6, 2007
Fourth Sunday of Easter
9:00 a.m. Worship with Communion by Intinction
Readings: Psalm 148 and John 13:31-35
Sermon Theme: Jesus told his followers that the world would know they were Christians because of their love for one another. Why is it, then, that we sometimes fail to recognize each other?
______________________________________
May 13, 2007
Fifth Sunday of Easter
9:00 a.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 67 and Acts 16:9-15Sermon Theme: A high percentage of women today fear a life of destitution, despite good jobs and healthy bank accounts. The cure for this condition might be more spiritual than financial.
_______________________________________
May 20, 2007
Youth Sunday/ Celebration of Graduating Seniors
9:00 p.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 8, Proverbs 8:1-9, and Romans 5:1-5
Sermon Theme: Today our worship service will be led by our youth. Our preacher for this morning is Ethan Hollenberger. Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors.
_________________________________________
May 27, 2007
Day of Pentecost
9:00 a.m. Worship
Readings: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b and John 14:8-17 (25-27)
Sermon Theme: In a world where Hallmark holidays abound, Pentecost gets no love in the greeting card rack.
LAMPLIGHT LIBRARY
"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105
THE BIBLE on cassette
With Bible listening, you can listen to God's Spoken Word almost anywhere and at any time - driving to work, at the office, at home, or at play. Almost any minute of the day can be used for effective Bible study. Just half a tape per day will get you through the entire New Testament in only three weeks and through the entire Bible in three months. Even times, that would be impractical for reading are ideal for Bible listening. Dramatically increase your time in God's Word with the Bible on Cassette.
Pentecost Offering: for children at risk, youth, and young adults
We will celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 27th. Pentecost is an amazing, life-giving day in the faith community. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to transform human life and all of creation. Through our participation in the Pentecost Offering, we will be helping to bring the transforming love of God to children at risk, youth and young adults.
This year’s offering theme, “That very Spirit!” is from Romans 8:16. The passage describes the Spirit of God’s persistent proclamation to us that we are God’s children. With that assurance, we can know that God’s love and care for us know no bounds!
The Pentecost Offering is a tangible way to demonstrate that Spirit within us. It gives us the opportunity to use 40 percent of the amount we receive to minister in our own area on behalf of children at risk. Through General Assembly ministries, the Pentecost Offering also makes an astonishing impact as it guides and nurtures the faith of Presbyterian young people, calls forth a new generation of church leadership and advocates for children at risk on a national level.
A message from Joan Gray, 217th General Assembly Moderator, expresses it this way….”What a precious gift young people are. Yet, in today’s world, may live without hope for the future or support to meet daily needs. What better place could there be to make spiritual and financial investments than in our children and youth?”
Please prayerfully consider a generous gift to the Pentecost Offering.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING UPDATE
As of Sunday, April 15th, the total receipts for the OGHS Offering were $894. Thank you to all who contributed. We exceeded the total for last year by about forty dollars.
PRESBYTERIAN COFFEE PROJECT
During Fellowship Time, following the jazz service, we introduced Fair Trade coffee to support small farmers, their families and the environment. Several persons asked about purchasing coffee for personal use. That opportunity will be made available later in the year. Stay tuned for more information in future issues of the Bridge and minutes for mission during worship.
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11:58 AM
