Hello, Friends. There is much going on at Reconciler these days.
First, we want to congratulate Rev. Jane Schmoetzer. She has received and accepted a call to serve in Montana. Though we are more than saddened to have her go, it is great new for her and her family. Please keep Jane and the entire Schmoetzer clan in your prayers. And keep Reconciler in your prayers as we seek to fill Jane's position on the pastoral team.
To that end, we do have a couple of possible applicants. Due to the unusual nature of our congregation, the two interested parties we have will be visiting with us from time to time over the next few months. There is funding possible through a "Mustard Seed" grant from the diocese to support such a position. Keep your eyes peeled. Be hospitable. It should be quite exciting.
In other news, Holy Week approaches. And, as we have already shared, Reconciler has been asked to work with Immanuel Lutheran this year. Larry will be preaching on Maundy Thursday. Tripp will be singing with the choir and serving as cantor from time to time. Kate will serve as a reader at the Great Vigil. Immanuel has been very generous with us. This is no so much an invitation to join them in worship, but an opportunity for our two communities (with St. Elias) to worship together. God be praised!
The Holy Week schedule is as follows:
4/13 Maundy Thursday: 7:30pm
4/14 Good Friday: 7:30pm
4/15 Easter Vigil: 8:30pm
On Easter Sunday, Reconciler will hold its usual worship service at 6pm. In stead of the standard eucharist service, however, we will have an evensong eucharist. We are hoping that it will be a quiet way to bring Holy Week to a close and usher in the Easter season.
This is a good plce to remind everyone that in the Easter season we will be using a Baptist hymnal. For the first couple of weeks it may be the older hymnal that North Shore Baptist Church was so kind to donate. But eventually, we will purchase a newer hymnal for our use. With that in mind, some interest in forming an actual worship committee has been expressed. Please e-mail or see me after service if you are interested in serving on that committee.
As a final note, I will not have office hours on Wednesday evenings again until after Easter. I will be rehearsing with Immanuel Lutheran's choir on Wednesday evenings. I am very excited.
Peace and all good things,
Tripp Hudgins
The Pastoral Team
The Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler
Tuesday, March 28
Monday, March 27
Sermon: Fourth Sunday of Lent
I think that my sermon went well. Sadly, it was one of those noteless sermons...well, almost noteless. I brough the odd little musings that are posted below with me. Some day soon we will be able to record our sermons so we can podcast them. In the mean, I'll try to give a quick summary.
I seem to be taking this route a lot lately, but grace can only be found in relationship...relationship with Christ and with one another. Paul seems to agree with me.
The passage (Ephesisans 2:1-10) is the first half of a brief theology of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God and to one another through grace. So, I spoke of being reconciled to God through grace. I know, to many this may be too obvious a line to take. I find it a worthy challenge.
Grace is hard to pin down for many people. Is it like karma? Somewhat...in that it is an understanding an undergirding of our relationships with one another, yes. But otherwise it is nothing like karma.
Is it something that is worth personifying? Yes, but only initially. I like U2's song a great deal. And I used it in my sermon, but only to start us off. If we are going to speak about grace, we cannot get cought up in an image, a metaphor. There are too many limitations in even the best metaphor. U2's Grace is no different. In fact, it can be sexist if we are not careful. It can be used to suggest that a man cannot be gracefull...that it is not a quality of being a man. But the nurturing that is understood, the strength that is suggestedin U2's metaphor...that is worth holding on to.
I also spoke of my struggles in this ecumenical endeavor. Some in our congregation understand grace as something that can be received within the litugy. Communion, the church year, prayers for healing...these are vehicles for grace. I am always reminded of my baptistness in my relationship with these traditions. I need grace to uphold me as I participate in them. Liturgy, as much a s I have studied it and come to love it, as much as my "tastes" lean toward a high liturgy, is still like walking in a foreign land for me. It still feels like something extra. I think that this is because of how I relate to and understand grace. Yes, grace is a gift. Grace is something given to me. Right on, Paul. But I take it with me into worship. This seems to be a baptist particular.
Or, maybe it is just me.
Grace is found in a person. This is true. The metaphor that U2 provides is dead on with this. But grace has a name. He carries the world on his hip. It is my relationship with Christ that is grace-filled. It is how I am who I am. It is how I am created (John 1:1-18). I am created in and through grace. I am saved by Grace. Jesus, who is grace, saved me. Any evil action I may commit is actually a denial of my creation. It is a denial of who I am. If there is any condemnation to be had by my deeds it is found in that truth...the denial of my gracefull existance in God who created me in and through Grace.
If you were at Reconciler last night and heard this sermon, please comment. I want to know what you heard in the sermon as well. I know that I did not get it all down.
I seem to be taking this route a lot lately, but grace can only be found in relationship...relationship with Christ and with one another. Paul seems to agree with me.
The passage (Ephesisans 2:1-10) is the first half of a brief theology of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God and to one another through grace. So, I spoke of being reconciled to God through grace. I know, to many this may be too obvious a line to take. I find it a worthy challenge.
Grace is hard to pin down for many people. Is it like karma? Somewhat...in that it is an understanding an undergirding of our relationships with one another, yes. But otherwise it is nothing like karma.
Is it something that is worth personifying? Yes, but only initially. I like U2's song a great deal. And I used it in my sermon, but only to start us off. If we are going to speak about grace, we cannot get cought up in an image, a metaphor. There are too many limitations in even the best metaphor. U2's Grace is no different. In fact, it can be sexist if we are not careful. It can be used to suggest that a man cannot be gracefull...that it is not a quality of being a man. But the nurturing that is understood, the strength that is suggestedin U2's metaphor...that is worth holding on to.
I also spoke of my struggles in this ecumenical endeavor. Some in our congregation understand grace as something that can be received within the litugy. Communion, the church year, prayers for healing...these are vehicles for grace. I am always reminded of my baptistness in my relationship with these traditions. I need grace to uphold me as I participate in them. Liturgy, as much a s I have studied it and come to love it, as much as my "tastes" lean toward a high liturgy, is still like walking in a foreign land for me. It still feels like something extra. I think that this is because of how I relate to and understand grace. Yes, grace is a gift. Grace is something given to me. Right on, Paul. But I take it with me into worship. This seems to be a baptist particular.
Or, maybe it is just me.
Grace is found in a person. This is true. The metaphor that U2 provides is dead on with this. But grace has a name. He carries the world on his hip. It is my relationship with Christ that is grace-filled. It is how I am who I am. It is how I am created (John 1:1-18). I am created in and through grace. I am saved by Grace. Jesus, who is grace, saved me. Any evil action I may commit is actually a denial of my creation. It is a denial of who I am. If there is any condemnation to be had by my deeds it is found in that truth...the denial of my gracefull existance in God who created me in and through Grace.
If you were at Reconciler last night and heard this sermon, please comment. I want to know what you heard in the sermon as well. I know that I did not get it all down.
Immanuel Lutheran
This is a picture of the exterior of our host congregation. I have posted a few more images on my personal Flickr account. I think it may be time for us to get our own account. What do the rest of you think? And, if I recall, someone mentioned that we should get a myspace account as well. I agree entirely. Who wants to do that?
I have to be honest and say that the chapel is feeling more and more like home. At first I thought it might be a mistake for us to not try harder to find another coffee shop or somthing like that, but it seems that God has given us something special in this. Our relationship with Immanuel Lutheran is promising...a campus for discipleship in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Lovely.
If you live in Chicago and stop by the blog every so often to check in, I hope you will swing by one evening. We would love to have you. All are welcome.
I have to be honest and say that the chapel is feeling more and more like home. At first I thought it might be a mistake for us to not try harder to find another coffee shop or somthing like that, but it seems that God has given us something special in this. Our relationship with Immanuel Lutheran is promising...a campus for discipleship in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Lovely.If you live in Chicago and stop by the blog every so often to check in, I hope you will swing by one evening. We would love to have you. All are welcome.
Wednesday, March 22
urban shrine
What is it about urban Christianity that puzzles people so? This has always been the case. Even in the first centuries of the church, people puzzled about urban life and how Christianity might be possible within it. O Temptation! O Distraction! These were the concerns of then and they are the concerns of now.
What do you think? Are there peculiarities to urban life that make Christianity more difficult to practice? Are the distractions and temptations that great and many?
We would be curious to know.
Fell free to post a comment.
What do you think? Are there peculiarities to urban life that make Christianity more difficult to practice? Are the distractions and temptations that great and many?
We would be curious to know.
Fell free to post a comment.
Tuesday, March 21
without the flash
Last night I had office hours at Kopi. It is a little coffee shop in Andersonville. I try to get there every Monday night, but am not always successful.
Larry and I had some time together to discuss changes that face Reconciler. There are many good things coming down the pike for us. No, it will not be easy, but we have an advocate with Immanuel Lutheran Church. North Shore Baptist continues its support. And, finally, Larry was able to get an opportunity to speak before the student body at North Park. We hope for many positive things from that relationship as well. Would we like to have a seminarian pitching in? You bet!
God is generous.
Larry and I had some time together to discuss changes that face Reconciler. There are many good things coming down the pike for us. No, it will not be easy, but we have an advocate with Immanuel Lutheran Church. North Shore Baptist continues its support. And, finally, Larry was able to get an opportunity to speak before the student body at North Park. We hope for many positive things from that relationship as well. Would we like to have a seminarian pitching in? You bet!
God is generous.
Thursday, March 16
Weekly Update
We are now well into the season of Lent. Lent though is observed with a varying degree of emphasis in our denominations. I personally grew up knowing about Lent. The Sunday bulletins always indicated the season of the church year we were in and the Covenant Church did and still does distribute a Lenten daily prayer and meditation guide. I think we had purple felt banners that went up, but beyond these little signs it took spending time among Roman Catholics and Episcopalians for Lent to take on much more than a passing significance.
My hope is that Lent is more than something we pass through. However, it perhaps means understanding what Lent is for, and what spiritual disciplines like fasting and meditation and prayer are for. Through the year we can get caught up in things and forget, forget who we are. Lent begins with remembering that we are dust and to dust we will return. Why is remembering our mortality so important if Christ came to bring us eternal life? This memory is important because we are on our way to the perfection God intends for us. And even in the end we will always have had a beginning. We remember so that we can truly celebrate the triumph of God in Easter, so that we can be ready to walk the way of the cross in Holy Week. We remember so that the way of the Cross and the triumph of Easter may be more firmly planted in us as we live our life and seek after God. Lent reminds us hopefully where we can grow in our faith and how we live out our faith. We set asside a period of time in which our patterns of fiath will allow God to reveal our sins (hidden or obvious) so that we may be renewed in our faith and relationship to God. Of course God doesn't necesarily need Lent to work this way in our lives but Lent is the way the Church lives out corporately a pattern of life that encourages growth in the life of faith.
As we began lent worshiping with Immanuel so will we conclude Lent with Immanuel in what is called the Triduum, the three days of Holy Week which concludes with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. The Triduum begins on Maundy Thursday, where we remember the Last Supper where Jesus washed the disciples feet, and continues with a Good Friday service, a solemn service where the crucifixion of Jesus is commemorated. The Easter Vigil iswhere we pass from Lent and the commemoration of God's Saving works in history to the celebration of God's ultimate triumph in the Resurrection.
Our joining with Immanuel in these services is the beginning of what is an evolving relationship with our host church. Immanuel wants to be involved with us and for us to be involved with them. We thank God for not only Immanuel's continued hospitality but their desire to work with us in the proclamation and living out of the Gospel. Pray that God continue to make known to us God's will as we grow together with Immanuel Lutheran Church.
In Christ,
Larry
The Pastoral Team
My hope is that Lent is more than something we pass through. However, it perhaps means understanding what Lent is for, and what spiritual disciplines like fasting and meditation and prayer are for. Through the year we can get caught up in things and forget, forget who we are. Lent begins with remembering that we are dust and to dust we will return. Why is remembering our mortality so important if Christ came to bring us eternal life? This memory is important because we are on our way to the perfection God intends for us. And even in the end we will always have had a beginning. We remember so that we can truly celebrate the triumph of God in Easter, so that we can be ready to walk the way of the cross in Holy Week. We remember so that the way of the Cross and the triumph of Easter may be more firmly planted in us as we live our life and seek after God. Lent reminds us hopefully where we can grow in our faith and how we live out our faith. We set asside a period of time in which our patterns of fiath will allow God to reveal our sins (hidden or obvious) so that we may be renewed in our faith and relationship to God. Of course God doesn't necesarily need Lent to work this way in our lives but Lent is the way the Church lives out corporately a pattern of life that encourages growth in the life of faith.
As we began lent worshiping with Immanuel so will we conclude Lent with Immanuel in what is called the Triduum, the three days of Holy Week which concludes with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. The Triduum begins on Maundy Thursday, where we remember the Last Supper where Jesus washed the disciples feet, and continues with a Good Friday service, a solemn service where the crucifixion of Jesus is commemorated. The Easter Vigil iswhere we pass from Lent and the commemoration of God's Saving works in history to the celebration of God's ultimate triumph in the Resurrection.
Our joining with Immanuel in these services is the beginning of what is an evolving relationship with our host church. Immanuel wants to be involved with us and for us to be involved with them. We thank God for not only Immanuel's continued hospitality but their desire to work with us in the proclamation and living out of the Gospel. Pray that God continue to make known to us God's will as we grow together with Immanuel Lutheran Church.
In Christ,
Larry
The Pastoral Team
Tuesday, March 14
Sermon Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 17:1-7:15-16
Psalm 22:23-31
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
“And God appeared…” As I prepared for this sermon I could not get beyond those words “And God appeared…” Even as we have left Epiphany the appearing of Christ and entered Lent God still appears, theophany. We are still asked to sit with God’s appearing. What does it mean for God to appear? What happens and what is demanded of us when God appears?
Last week Tripp encouraged us to see theophay, the appearance of God, in each person we meet and know. The Kingdom of God comes near and God appears. However, there is a problem, and it is summed up in Jean –Paul Sartre’s saying, “Hell is other people.” Actually the problem is that it is both true that “Hell is other people” and that Christ appears in other people. We as human beings are as likely to manifest all that is opposite of and opposed to God as we are to be the place of theophany. This problem is part of what Lent is about.
And so God appeared to Abraham. This is not the first or the last time God appeared to Abraham. In this instance God appears in the midst of a hell Abraham and Sarah created for themselves as they tried to make God’s promises happen. As you may be aware in Genesis 16 Abraham and Sarah see themselves getting old and Sarah beyond the age of child bearing so Sarah tells Abraham maybe he should sleep with her servant Hagar and by that way get the heir God has promised. Abraham agrees, and then all hell breaks loose, as there is tension, jealousy, resentment, and a child Ishmael who is in that impossible situation of being neither simply legitimate nor illegitimate- an unwanted wanted child. God appears in the midst of hell and Abraham falls down on his face. This appearance of God overwhelms him in the very least. God appears in our own hell and the self melts away, that self that asserts itself in the effort to accomplish God’s will ourselves.
And God appeared… in flesh and blood as the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
God appeared and spoke unpleasant words. “I will die as a criminal and those who follow me smut carry there own implement of execution like every common criminal and murderer.”
God appeared and spoke this riddle: If you seek to save yourself you will have lost yourself and be without life- you will die. But if for Christ and God you give up yourself as though dead you will live and find true self-possession.
God appeared and was executed as an enemy of the state, religion, and humanity.
God appeared and Abraham fell on his face.
God appears and says “I choose you, I love you.”
God appears and says “Follow me”
God appears and says “You don’t know the difference between life and death: that which you think is your death is life and that which you think is your life is death.”
God appears and the world is rearranged
God appears and we wonder in the desert.
God appears and we cross rivers and seas on dry ground.
God appears and divides the world in two: the world of sin, death, exclusivity, and grasping for self power and wealth and the Kingdom of God, where what is nothing become what is and what names itself as being becomes nothing.
God appears and we meet life- no we meet what is beyond life.
God appears and there is a choice; to turn away from God choosing to preserve our life as we know it or to face God and die passing through to that which is true life, eternal life.
The question is put before us this Lent and always; do we chose a life we give ourselves that will eventually slip through our fingers like so much sand or do we lay ourselves down submitting to that life his is in quantify and quality tare life? God appears and we know life and we die. God appears again and again and we die and rise again. God appeared and died and rose again that ee may know life. God appeared to Abraham and he died and in faith Chris is his heir. We are Abraham’s heirs when in faith we die to ourselves and come to know the life beyond life.
God appears and bids us come and die that we may have life. This is the meaning of Lent and every spiritual discipline: through death, the loss of our fragile selves, we come to know life and our true selves are returned to us. Through dieing we know God who is our life and the life of everyone we meet.
God appeared: Fall down on your face in faith. Let yourself melt away before God and you will find yourself in God’s embrace.
Psalm 22:23-31
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
“And God appeared…” As I prepared for this sermon I could not get beyond those words “And God appeared…” Even as we have left Epiphany the appearing of Christ and entered Lent God still appears, theophany. We are still asked to sit with God’s appearing. What does it mean for God to appear? What happens and what is demanded of us when God appears?
Last week Tripp encouraged us to see theophay, the appearance of God, in each person we meet and know. The Kingdom of God comes near and God appears. However, there is a problem, and it is summed up in Jean –Paul Sartre’s saying, “Hell is other people.” Actually the problem is that it is both true that “Hell is other people” and that Christ appears in other people. We as human beings are as likely to manifest all that is opposite of and opposed to God as we are to be the place of theophany. This problem is part of what Lent is about.
And so God appeared to Abraham. This is not the first or the last time God appeared to Abraham. In this instance God appears in the midst of a hell Abraham and Sarah created for themselves as they tried to make God’s promises happen. As you may be aware in Genesis 16 Abraham and Sarah see themselves getting old and Sarah beyond the age of child bearing so Sarah tells Abraham maybe he should sleep with her servant Hagar and by that way get the heir God has promised. Abraham agrees, and then all hell breaks loose, as there is tension, jealousy, resentment, and a child Ishmael who is in that impossible situation of being neither simply legitimate nor illegitimate- an unwanted wanted child. God appears in the midst of hell and Abraham falls down on his face. This appearance of God overwhelms him in the very least. God appears in our own hell and the self melts away, that self that asserts itself in the effort to accomplish God’s will ourselves.
And God appeared… in flesh and blood as the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
God appeared and spoke unpleasant words. “I will die as a criminal and those who follow me smut carry there own implement of execution like every common criminal and murderer.”
God appeared and spoke this riddle: If you seek to save yourself you will have lost yourself and be without life- you will die. But if for Christ and God you give up yourself as though dead you will live and find true self-possession.
God appeared and was executed as an enemy of the state, religion, and humanity.
God appeared and Abraham fell on his face.
God appears and says “I choose you, I love you.”
God appears and says “Follow me”
God appears and says “You don’t know the difference between life and death: that which you think is your death is life and that which you think is your life is death.”
God appears and the world is rearranged
God appears and we wonder in the desert.
God appears and we cross rivers and seas on dry ground.
God appears and divides the world in two: the world of sin, death, exclusivity, and grasping for self power and wealth and the Kingdom of God, where what is nothing become what is and what names itself as being becomes nothing.
God appears and we meet life- no we meet what is beyond life.
God appears and there is a choice; to turn away from God choosing to preserve our life as we know it or to face God and die passing through to that which is true life, eternal life.
The question is put before us this Lent and always; do we chose a life we give ourselves that will eventually slip through our fingers like so much sand or do we lay ourselves down submitting to that life his is in quantify and quality tare life? God appears and we know life and we die. God appears again and again and we die and rise again. God appeared and died and rose again that ee may know life. God appeared to Abraham and he died and in faith Chris is his heir. We are Abraham’s heirs when in faith we die to ourselves and come to know the life beyond life.
God appears and bids us come and die that we may have life. This is the meaning of Lent and every spiritual discipline: through death, the loss of our fragile selves, we come to know life and our true selves are returned to us. Through dieing we know God who is our life and the life of everyone we meet.
God appeared: Fall down on your face in faith. Let yourself melt away before God and you will find yourself in God’s embrace.
Sunday, March 12
Jane was interviewed.
Our Episcopal priest, Jane Schmoetzer, has been interviewed by the good people of RevGalBlogPals. It is a quick little profile, but I think it is a good way to begin to get to know her online.
Saturday, March 11
Blessed are the peacemakers.
CPTnetThat our sword may become ploughshares.
10 March 2006
CHICAGO/TORONTO/IRAQ: We mourn the loss of Tom Fox
In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain. Tom Fox's body was found in Baghdad yesterday.
Christian Peacemaker Teams extends our deep and heartfelt condolences to the family and community of Tom Fox, with whom we have traveled so closely in these days of crisis.
We mourn the loss of Tom Fox who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone.
We renew our plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember. Each of our teammates has responded to Jesus' prophetic call to live out a nonviolent alternative to the cycle of violence and revenge.
In response to Tom's passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done. In Tom's own words: "We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies. We hope that in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening nonviolently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation."
Even as we grieve the loss of our beloved colleague, we stand in the light of his strong witness to the power of love and the courage of nonviolence. That light reveals the way out of fear and grief and war.
Through these days of crisis, Christian Peacemaker Teams has been surrounded and upheld by a great outpouring of compassion: messages of support, acts of mercy, prayers, and public actions offered by the most senior religious councils and by school children, by political leaders and by those organizing for justice and human rights, by friends in distant nations and by strangers near at hand. These words and actions sustain us. While one of our teammates is lost to us, the strength of this outpouring is not lost to God's movement for just peace among all peoples.
At the forefront of that support are strong and courageous actions from Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world for which we are profoundly grateful. Their graciousness inspires us to continue working for the day when Christians speak up as boldly for the human rights of thousands Iraqis still detained illegally by the United States and United Kingdom.
Such an outpouring of action for justice and peace would be a fitting memorial for Tom. Let us all join our voices on behalf of those who continue to suffer under occupation, whose loved ones have been killed or are missing. In so doing, we may hasten the day when both those who are wrongly detained and those who bear arms will return safely to their homes. In such a peace we will find solace for our grief.
Despite the tragedy of this day, we remain committed to put into practice these words of Jim Loney: "With the waging of war, we will not comply. With the help of God's grace, we will struggle for justice. With God's abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies." We continue in hope for Jim, Harmeet and Norman's safe return home safe.
Tuesday, March 7
Weekly Update
(Mark 1:15)
This Sunday's sermon was a reflection on this primary declaration of Christ. Sometimes we come to realize that these words, words that can be so familiar, have lost meaning for us. The elementary teaching is misunderstood, neglected or simply overlooked. To believe in the good news, one must meet Jesus...the person, and not the idea.
Take the opportunity to read Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I hope you find this book as enjoyable and as helpful as I did.
Our time in Lent continues. In worship we will be using the Hymnal 1982 from the Episcopal Church. It is a rich resource. And we hope that those who are unfamiliar with its service music and hymns will find learning enjoyable.
Kate Kamphausen is leading us in a study of the Gospel of John during Lent. This coming Sunday we will be studying chapters 3-6. Yes, this is a huge section. We know. But the dialogue will be lively. We hope you join us at 5:30 before the service.
We are in conversation with Monte Johnson, the pastor of our hosts Immanuel Lutheran, about how we might share together the Holy Week services. As an ecumenical venture, we constantly seek opportunities to open ourselves to shared worship of our Lord with other groups. Ash Wednesday was tremendous. Be certain to ask any who attended about the experience. We will let you all know what arrangements are made for Holy Week. There is great interest at Immanuel for a greater relationship with Reconciler. Keep this relationship in your prayers.
Take time this week to seek out the eyes of Jesus. You will find them in the eyes of those you meet on the street, on the bus and "L." By the Word and through the Word, all things were created. In each of us is the Word. Pray that those who are looking with you will find in your eyes the love of Christ. May all that you see reflect the Love of God.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
(Psalm 22:25-26)
-Tripp Hudgins
Pastoral Team
Wednesday, March 1
Weekly update
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer)
Last Sunday after Epiphany is also known in some faith traditions as the Feast of the Transfiguration. We remembered that mountaintop experience, and Peter's eagerness to preserve the moment, in scripture and sermon. We discussed the universal tendency we all seem to have, to want to live in those "mountaintop moments;" and the necessity to take strength and encouragement from them, and move on to the work we have to do, in Jesus' name.
This week that work for us has included setting out plans and goals for the future of the congregation. Last Monday night we finished outlining our 1, 3, and 5-year plans for growth and evangelism, as requested by various denominational leaders. We've also continued to welcome new visitors, and are glad to note that some have decided to make the Reconciler their church home.
This week we celebrate Ash Wednesday in conjunction with the worshippers at our host church, Immanuel Lutheran. We continue to be grateful for their welcoming hospitality. And we look forward to the Bible study, led by Kate Kamphausen, that will begin next Sunday at 5:30 pm, before worship at 6:00. Please, join us!
As we progress toward the cross this Lenten season, we pray that all are able to live into the repentance to which we are called, and to feel God's grace and mercy in the forgiveness that all are promised.
Last Sunday after Epiphany is also known in some faith traditions as the Feast of the Transfiguration. We remembered that mountaintop experience, and Peter's eagerness to preserve the moment, in scripture and sermon. We discussed the universal tendency we all seem to have, to want to live in those "mountaintop moments;" and the necessity to take strength and encouragement from them, and move on to the work we have to do, in Jesus' name.
This week that work for us has included setting out plans and goals for the future of the congregation. Last Monday night we finished outlining our 1, 3, and 5-year plans for growth and evangelism, as requested by various denominational leaders. We've also continued to welcome new visitors, and are glad to note that some have decided to make the Reconciler their church home.
This week we celebrate Ash Wednesday in conjunction with the worshippers at our host church, Immanuel Lutheran. We continue to be grateful for their welcoming hospitality. And we look forward to the Bible study, led by Kate Kamphausen, that will begin next Sunday at 5:30 pm, before worship at 6:00. Please, join us!
As we progress toward the cross this Lenten season, we pray that all are able to live into the repentance to which we are called, and to feel God's grace and mercy in the forgiveness that all are promised.
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