2025 Bazaar and Basket Raffle

2024 Basket Raffle and Bazaar

Basket Raffle & Fall Bazaar September 30th

Epiphany – Let Your Light Shine

Epiphany is the day we remember the visitation of the Magi to the Christ Child, and celebrate the manifestation of Christ in this world. The Magi followed the bright star to find the child, and then they had an “Aha” moment of recognizing the Truth of God in this world.

In the United States we had one of the darkest days in our history, another day that will sadly live in infamy. As the police and military were beginning to take back our capitol, Spirit and I went to the church to ring the bell. My prayer was that as people heard that bell ringing out over this community they would take a moment to wonder why the church bell was ringing out on a weekday afternoon, and then their thoughts concerning a church bell would lead them to pause for a moment of prayer for this nation. After more than 10 minutes of ringing the bell, and as the sun was setting in the sky, light began to dawn with the news that the insurrection was over. As I write this the leaders of our nation have gathered again inside the Capitol building.

What began as a dark day overflowing with violence, hatred and despair has now become a day of hope – hope for this nation, hope for our future, hope that we will become a country of peace and compassion. May God bless this country. May He fill us with compassion and concern for others, and change the hearts that are hardened with so much hatred and prejudice and violence. May God make His presence known. May the people of the United States of America have a true epiphany for the need to reconcile with one another.

God bless and be with our leaders as they work together to bring this country forward from this dark day.

O MY GOD!!!!! WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!

Lord God, have mercy on us. Fill our hearts with peace not chaos, love not hate, hope not despair. Lord God… we can’t even pray. Words fail us as our heart breaks with what we are seeing, yet not believing, not here, not in the United States of America. O my God, have mercy on us, have mercy on us.

And Jesus Wept

Who could imagine we would live in a country in so much turmoil, and that the country we live in is the United States of America. Somewhere along the line of hats with USA blazoned across the front we seem to have forgotten the words those letters stand for. I am honestly not sure how long it has been since I remember a UNITED States of America. This dis-unity has been going on for years. The rhetoric of hate, the words of disrespect, the actions of racism, and feelings of white superiority have been spewed from the mouths of young and old, male and female, everyday citizens and political leaders. This must stop! Why must we be filled with so much hate? Why can’t we find a way to work together, to work for justice and peace and equality for all? My goodness, we can’t even work together to keep everyone safe from contracting COVID 19! Shouts of “I’m never wearing a (expletive) mask,” “Only the old die from this, who cares,” and volumes of other horrible, disrespectful, self-righteous remarks have bombarded us for weeks as we try to navigate through this deadly virus. Where is the Unity? Where is the respect for one another? Why must we be in such conflict? Messages of hope fill the TV screens as famous people plead with us to remember that “We are all in this together.” Why can’t we realize that is true? We really are all in this together – the COVID crises and the racism crisis. George Floyd was our brother. Breonna Taylor was our sister. What happened to them was wrong, absolutely unequivocally WRONG! And we should be angry at the injustice of their deaths. We should be able to protest police brutality where it occurs, and, at the same time, support good, caring police officers who put their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe. We must stop transferring the despicable actions of a few onto all the others who live lives of honesty and decency and compassion. That applies to police officers and to all people. Prejudice and self-righteousness is rampant in this country. We need to return to a belief that all lives matter, that we are all brothers and sisters to one another, that we are better and stronger when we work together than when we try to do it on our own, and that we truly are in this together – whether “this” is COVID 19 or fighting injustice. We are the UNITED States of America, and its about time we stop listening to the nasty, critical, prejudicial and self-righteous rhetoric coming from powerful voices. And we need to get on our knees and pray. And Jesus wept.

Sewer Work Has Begun….oh my!

The church parking lot has now joined the rest of us who feel a bit “hollowed out” during COVID.  Great group of guys from Lyons and Hohl are taking care of the project and each other (masks in place …photographer included 😊)

Easter 4 – Good Shepherd – Psalm 23

This picture behind our altar carries such a powerful and comforting message.  There have been many times when my heart is overwhelmed with sadness or concern during a worship service, such as on All Saint’s Sunday as I read the names of all our dearly beloved members and friends who have died in the past year, that I look up to that picture and find peace and comfort for my soul.  I also have given little stuffed lambs to folks as they are facing their last days on earth as a reminder of this beautiful picture and the message that Jesus is cradling them in his loving arms as they face their own valley of the shadow of death.   Jesus our Shepherd loves us and cares for our every need.

The 23 Psalm is an amazingly comforting passage, and many of us can recite it by heart in the King James version.  I am amazed as I have presided at funerals and find that many folks who are not even “churchy” folks actually have most, if not all, the 23rd Psalm memorized.  That is one of the great benefits of always using the same translation, The reparation of the same words leads to committing them to memory. The problem with always using the same translation is that the words can become commonplace and ones we do not think about or reflect upon as we say them.  How many times have we all done just that with our liturgy or the Lord’s Prayer?

Many years ago I came across a unique translation of the 23rd Psalm in a book called Psalms Now, published in 1973 by Concordia Publishing House (ISBN 0-570-03230-x).  I am sharing it below, not as a replacement for the cherished King James version, but as a new way of sharing the message of that beautiful passage. My prayer is that these words will speak to your soul and that you will feel the peace and strength of the Lord.  As we go through this time of COVID and social distancing, may you know that you are never alone.  The Shepherd loves you and cares for your every need.

The Lord is my constant companion,                                                                                           There is no need that He cannot fulfill.                                                                              Whether His course for me points                                                                                              to the mountaintop of glorious ecstasy
       or to the valley of human suffering,
   He is by my side,
   He is ever present with me.
   He is close behind me
       when I tread the dark street of danger;
       and even when I flirt with death itself,
    He will not leave me.
When the pain is severe, 
      He is near to comfort.
When the burden is heavy,
      He is there to lean upon.
When depression darkens my soul,
He touches me with eternal joy.
When I feel empty and alone,
      He fills the aching vacuum with His love.
My security is in His promise to be near me always,
       and in the knowledge that He will never let go.

 

Luke 24:13-35 The Road to Emmaus

Two followers of Jesus in Luke’s gospel are on their way to Emmaus.   This is not a fancy town, not an important place. It just is not “here.” Imagine how they felt.  They believed Jesus was the Messiah, the hope for Israel. They listened to his words, saw his actions and felt his love. They left everything to follow him.

They were there as the crowds pressed in as they followed him.  They were there as fed all those people, there as he taught and prayed.  They were among the people who shouted “Hosanna!” as he entered the city of Jerusalem. They watched with pride as he cleared the Temple.  Yes, this is The Messiah, the Son of God!

Suddenly everything was different.  They watched in disbelief as Jesus was arrested and taken to the Romans. They huddled in fear as the crowd around them shouted, “Crucify Him!”  They were heart-broken as he was beaten, spit upon and mocked.  They were numb with horror as nails were driven into his flesh, and as they watched him die.

All their hopes died with him.  There was nothing left for them in Jerusalem, so they headed back home.  They were despondent, grieving, fearful and as they walked along they shared their grief with one another.

A stranger asks what they are talking about, and they can’t believe that someone doesn’t know what has been going on.  They share the story, including that the women said they saw the risen Christ that morning.  They didn’t really believe the women.  They didn’t see  the risen Lord.  Their grief was too overwhelming.

They did not see the risen Lord that morning, and they could not see him now as they walked along with him.  They were too overwhelmed by their grief and pain that they did not recognize Jesus in their midst.

And so it is with us.  Too often we are preoccupied with our selves, focusing on our worries and fears, feeling scared that we can’t see who walks beside us, can’t hear who calls our name, can’t see the Lord. Just as on road to Emmaus, Jesus comes to us in our time of need, offering us strength, comfort and love to get through the trying times.   Those folks on the road to Emmaus did not need to see the Resurrection, they needed to experience the Resurrection. And so do we.

In life we face challenges that we cannot fully understand.  We face times of suffering, loneliness, grief, stress and are consumed by the burdens of this life.  Just as with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus comes and makes his presence known.  Too often we do not see him, like the disciples we are blinded to his presence.  Yet God is always there, whispering in our ear, loving us, wanting us to see him, wanting us to listen to him, to spend time with him, and to let him into our life and into our heart. And with that we truly experience the Resurrection!

 Can you see who walks with you ?

             Can you hear who speaks your name  ?

                              Listen – and your life will never be the same.