Wednesday Words for August 1

Wednesday Words for August 1, 2012
from Pastor Carrie Smith
Thought for the Day:

Abba Doulas, the disciple of Abba Bessarion said, “One day when we were walking beside the sea I was thirsty and I said to Abba Bessarion, “Father, I am very thirsty.” He said a prayer and said to me, “Drink some of the sea water.” The water proved sweet when I drank some. I even poured some into a leather bottle for fear of being thirsty later on. Seeing this, the old man asked me why I was taking some. I said to him, “Forgive me, it is for fear of being thirsty later on.” Then the old man said, “God is here, God is everywhere.” 

—Abba Doulas on Abba Bessarion, Orthodox writing

In our prayers: Gerda Kristensen; Scott Bouchard, in the hospital with a leg infection; Michelle Skinner, preemie great-grandchild of the Zoellicks; the Tanzania Trippers; Mission Save a Smile; all those who are struggling against cancer; all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones.

This Sunday at Bethany: This will be Pastor Paul’s first Sunday with us! Pr. Paul’s spouse, Kirstin, will also be here, but she will then have to return to the Twin Cities to continue school on Sunday afternoon. I hope you will make them feel most welcome!

Thanks to all who contributed to the Pantry Shower for Paul and Kirstin. A shopping cart full of food will be wheeled down the aisle to surprise them on Sunday. What a way to say “we’re glad you’re here!”

Monday will be the first day in the office for our new Sunday School superintendent, Barb Buczek. Look for updates on this year’s Sunday school program soon!

An update from Tanzania: “Pat and I, and the whole Northern Illinois Synod group are constantly amazed and enlightened by what we have been seeing for the first time and for the second (or more) time but anew through other people's eyes. Yesterday it was worship and fellowship at two Arusha Lutheran churches and the Tumaiani University at Makumira (especially the student performers and Randy Stubbs in the music department. Today it was in Monduli at the Moringe Sokoine Secondary School and the Maassae Girls Lutheran Secondary School (where Rachel taught English for two years), and back, closer to Arusha at Peace House Secondary School (for students orphaned by AIDS). The discussions are often very intense, but we also laugh a great deal, especially on the bus. By the time we finish supper in the evening, we are beat and crawl into our beds. Love, Ron”

Save the date! Sunday, August 26 will be an Outdoor Worship Service at 10 am, followed by a church picnic. There will be one service only that day. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets. If you don’t have any chairs—come anyway! Many of us will bring our extras to share. The picnic lunch is “bring your own”. We will provide old-time Gospel tunes, guitarists, a casual atmosphere, and games for the kids! To be held at Nunda Township Park—check your Sunday worship bulletins and MemberConnect for a map.

Entertaining angels unawares: Last night I hosted a complete stranger at my home: a young man from Britain who stopped by the church asking for a place to stay. He is biking from Seattle to New York this summer on just $10 a day. You might hear more about this in Sunday’s sermon…

Help Pastor Paul move in: I have a nice group of Bethany members who have offered to help Pr. Paul and Kirstin unload on Saturday. If you think you could help, please email me at carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

Have you checked out the church offices lately? Many Bethany saints have been working hard to get things cleaned and freshened up for the arrival of our new staff members. Come and see for yourself!

This week’s texts: 13th Sunday after Pentecost

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
2The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’“ 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’“
13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

Psalm 78:23-29 (Message Version)
But God helped them anyway, commanded the clouds
     and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven.
  He rained down showers of manna to eat,
     he gave them the Bread of Heaven.
  They ate the bread of the mighty angels;
     he sent them all the food they could eat.
  He let East Wind break loose from the skies,
     gave a strong push to South Wind.
  This time it was birds that rained down—
     succulent birds, an abundance of birds.
  He aimed them right for the center of their camp;
     all round their tents there were birds.
  They ate and had their fill;
     he handed them everything they craved on a platter.

Ephesians 4:1-16
4I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” 9(When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

John 6:24-35
24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”
28Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Peace,
+ Pastor Carrie Smith
carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

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Carrie Smith

Birthday Card Shower for Pr. Linstrom

On August 10 our Pastor Emeritus, Robert Linstrom, will be celebrating his 85^th birthday.  You can help to honor this special occasion with a Birthday Card Shower. Let’s fill his mailbox with birthday greetings!

 

  Please send your cards to arrive by his birthday to:  

 

Pastor Robert Linstrom

1200 Ridgeway  Court

Elgin, IL  60123

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Kelly Efken

[Announcement] August 2012 Bethany Newsletter and Calendar

This announcement is from Bethany Lutheran Church

August 2012 Bethany Newsletter and Calendar

The August 2012 newsletter and calendar are now available for reading on MemberConnect.   A link to the newsletter is on the home page of our MemberConnect site. Simply click on the link and you will be able to read the newsletter WITHOUT logging in.    However, we still encourage you to log in and check out the calendar and other areas of MemberConnect!   Paper copies of the newsletter are also available at the Information Desk in the Gathering Area.

[ MemberId=815575 OrgId=1184 GroupId=37121 ]

Wednesday Words for July 25

Wednesday Words for July 25, 2012

From Pastor Carrie Smith

Thought for the Day: 

Young people say, ‘What is the sense of our small effort?’ They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action in the present moment. But we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes.

-- Dorothy Day

***

In our prayers: We pray for the family of John Larimer, a Crystal Lake resident who died in the movie theater shooting in Colorado. We pray also for the shooter and his family, and for all those who survived but whose emotional and physical wounds will take time to heal.

We lift up in prayer Baby Michelle Skinner, first great-grandchild of Jim and Corrine Zoellick, who was born Saturday, 11 weeks early, at 3 lbs 4 oz.

We pray for continued healing for Kaylie Quindel, who had a brain tumor removed last month;  for Fred Becker, who continues to have heart issues; and for Gerda Kristensen, who is having cataract surgery on Thursday.

We give thanks to God for the ministries of Pr. Erik and Pr. Angela, and pray for them both during this time of transition.

We pray for the Tanzania Trippers, who leave for their trip tomorrow, and for Mission Save a Smile, who will travel to Panama next week.

We pray for our new brother and sister in Christ, who will be baptized this Sunday at 10 am: Joseph Karl Navta (grandchild of the Bromans and niece of the Bernhards) and Alexis Hope Neeble (whose dad, Mike, was confirmed here at Bethany.)

This Sunday at Bethany: It’sChristmas in July! All month long we have been collecting items for our local aid agencies. After all, our neighbors have needs all year long, not just at the holidays! Come prepared to sing Christmas carols—maybe it will keep us cool...

We will celebrate the baptisms of Alexis and Joseph at 10 am, and will bless the Mission Save a Smile Team and say “Farewell” to Pastor Angela at both services.

Pantry shower: August 5, 2012  Please help us stock the pantry of Pastor Paul Cannon and his wife, Kirstin. A list of registry items can be found in the Sunday bulletin or in the Documents section of MemberConnect. Please bring your donations to Bethany July 22 - August 3.  Paul & Kirstin’s first Sunday at Bethany will be August 5. Please return the completed registry form to the church office to avoid duplications.  Thanks!

Do you want to show your thanks for Pastor Angela’s ministry? This Sunday is Angela’s last day with us, and she is still looking for a permanent call as pastor of a congregation. If you have appreciated something about her ministry here, one of the best ways you can support her is to write a letter, a card, or an email that we can send to Bishop Wollersheim as well as her bishop in Ohio. Let’s spread the news that she has gifts to share! Letters can be emailed to me at carrie.smith@bethanylc.com  or can be collected in the church office. We will send all the letters in one mailing.

Thank you to all who attended the program with the delegation of Lutheran youth from Palestine. We had a nice crowd of about 70 people, including a whole table of Presbyterians, as well as Congregational, Catholic, and Jewish friends.  The stories we heard were powerful. I urge you to share them with your friends and neighbors. You can make a difference!

Mark your calendar: Sunday, August 26^th will be an outdoor worship service. Please watch for more details in Wednesday Words and in your worship bulletins.

This Week’s Texts: 9^th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Kings 4:42-44

⁴²A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” ⁴³But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” ⁴⁴He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

 

Psalm 145:10-18 (Message Version)

^10-11 Creation and creatures applaud you, God;
      your holy people bless you.

   They talk about the glories of your rule,
      they exclaim over your splendor,

 ¹² Letting the world know of your power for good,
      the lavish splendor of your kingdom.

 ¹³ Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;
      you never get voted out of office.

   God always does what he says,
      and is gracious in everything he does.

 ¹⁴ God gives a hand to those down on their luck,
      gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

 ¹⁵ All eyes are on you, expectant;
      you give them their meals on time.

 ¹⁶ Generous to a fault,
      you lavish your favor on all creatures.

 ¹⁷ Everything God does is right—
      the trademark on all his works is love.

 ¹⁸ God's there, listening for all who pray,
      for all who pray and mean it.

 

Ephesians 3:14-21

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, ¹⁷and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. ¹⁸I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

John 6:1-21

6After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. ²A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. ³Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. ⁵When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. ⁷Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” ⁸One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” ¹⁰Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹²When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” ¹³So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. ¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. ²⁰But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Peace,

+ Pastor Carrie Smith

Carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

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Carrie Smith

TUESDAY: Meet 6 Lutherans from the Holy Land!

Come hear what it's like to be YOUNG, LUTHERAN, and PALESTINIAN!

WHEN: Tuesday night at 7 pm

WHERE: Luther Hall at Bethany Lutheran

Desserts provided

Palestinian olive oil and olive wood items will be available for purchase 

Please come to welcome these young people who have traveled all the way to Crystal Lake from the Holy Land!

SEE ATTACHED POSTER for more information

--and feel free to forward this to your friends!

 

Peace,

Pr. Carrie

Attachments:

Palestinian Youth.pdf

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Carrie Smith

Wednesday Words for July 18

Wednesday Words for July 18, 2012

From Pastor Carrie Smith

Thought for the Day: On the occasion of Woody Guthrie’s 100^th Birthday

“I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling.

I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work.

And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you.”

-Woody Guthrie, folksinger, July 14, 1912-October 3, 1967

***

In our prayers: We continue to pray for the Priesz family who are grieving the loss of Connor; for Linda Hewins, who broke her arm last week; for our Vacation Bible School campers and volunteers; and for all those who are travelling this summer.

Tonight at Bethany: It’s ice cream social time! Even if you didn’t purchase a ticket, it’s not too late. Just come at 6:30 and buy a ticket at the door. See you there, rain, shine, or blazing hot—we will be there!

Sunday at Bethany: Pastor Erik will be preaching, as I will be in Wisconsin co-hosting a retreat for the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene at the Holy Wisdom Monastery. I wish some of you could have joined me, but I’ll bring back a report, and I hope to get a few of you with me on the next retreat!

Social Action needs new volunteers: If you are interested in helping to coordinate our efforts to feed the hungry, help the poor, send quilts to Africa, support PADS, and plant the community garden (among other things!), please think about joining the Social Action committee. You can simply show up on Tuesday, August 7^th at 7:15 pm in Luther Hall to try it out. No commitment—just come to find out more! Youth members are welcome!

Garden Update from Pam Bock: Even with the drought our garden is looking FANTASTIC.  Thank you to Darrel Gavle for going out to water and weed on the 4th of July (and other days too!) I know there have been others out there weeding too. I think this is the most weed free garden we have ever had - it looks marvelous. We have also been harvesting and delivering to the Food Pantry. We have already delivered over 200 pounds of produce. (If you are a deliver person, please be sure and let me know the # of pounds delivered so that I can keep track). Some our friends the deer and rabbits have been nibbling on our plants - I am sure they appreciate the green, rather than brown to eat! I have not scheduled any work days as we seem to be maintenance and harvesting mode. To date we have two groups of harvesters for Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additional harvesting is done on the weekend as needed. But, I will be making some phone calls to ask people to go out and water as that is a big concern with the drought. If you are working in the garden PLEASE record your hours in the book that in the container with the green lid. This helps us to see what has been done and helps us determine volunteer hours. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. In Christ, Pam Bock

A little more Woody Guthrie for your listening pleasure: One of his best folk songs! Jesus Christ

What is it like to grow up as an Arab Christian? Come to Luther Hall on Tuesday, July 24^th at 7 pm to meet 6 young Palestinian Christians. They are bringing olive wood carvings, Christmas decorations, and Palestinian olive oil for purchase as well. Desserts will be provided. See you there! Here are a few short bios of the teens who will be visiting:

EMAD: Hi.  My name is Emad Nabil Younan.  I am 15 years old, and I live in Amman, Jordan.  My father is an engineer who runs his own contracting business.  My mother is a Human Rights supervisor for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).  I am the youngest in my family.  I study at the Latin Patriarchate School, and will begin the 11^th Grade this fall.  I love my school, especially math class.  I have many hobbies, including listening to music, swimming, playing football, and cooking.  I also love to watch football matches.  I play bass guitar, too, but I’m not very good so far.  I’m a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman, Jordan—one of the six congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).  I love my church, and go to worship every Sunday evening.  Thanks for reading, and I look forward to meeting you soon. 

 

GEORGE: Hi!  My name is George Tannous, and I am 15 years old.  My family lives in Ramallah, a city just north of Jerusalem in the West Bank.  My dad owns a company in which he works as an Engineer in Ramallah.  My mother is a teacher at St. Joseph’s Girls School in Ramallah.  I have three older sisters, and one younger sister; I’m the only boy!  My eldest sister just graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Biomedical Engineering.  My second-to-eldest sister is studying film at Cyprus University.  My third sister is closest to me in age, and is just finishing Tawjihi (her final year of high school).  And my youngest sister is in elementary school.  As for me, this fall I will enter the 10^th Grade at the Ramallah Friends School, which offers English-immersion education.  That means I have been studying all of my subjects—except Arabic language studies—in English since kindergarten.  I enjoy playing both basketball and soccer, but basketball is really my passion.  When I graduate from my International Baccalaureate Program in three years I hope to go on to study Engineering in university, like my father.  I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope in Ramallah—one of the six congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).  In fact, members of my family were founding members of the congregation in 1954.  You can often find me helping the Sunday School leaders with lessons during church and playing basketball with my friends after church.  I am also a member of the Sahiroon Youth Leadership Program of the ELCJHL.  I look forward to meeting you all when I come to the USA in July!  George

 

MARYAN: Hey!  My name is Maryan Ateek.  I am 16 years old.  I live in Bethlehem.  My father is a mathematics teacher at my school, Dar al-Kalima, and my mother is speech and language pathologist at the Ephpheta Paul VI School in Bethlehem.  My father is one of my favorite teachers.  I have two sisters and one brother.  My eldest sister attends university in Jordan.  My two younger siblings attend Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School.  This fall I will begin my Tawjihi year at Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School in Bethlehem—one of the four k-12 schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).  Tawjihi is the final year in our school system, and it’s very difficult.  But what is even more difficult to think about is that after next year I will have to leave my school.  I’ve been enrolled at Dar al-Kalima since I was three years old!  I appreciate my teachers so much; they have played such a big role in my life.  I love my school and I love the people in it.  Although I didn’t grow up Lutheran, the ELCJHL has played a large role in my life, beginning with my time at Dar al-Kalima, and continuing through the Sahiroon Youth Leadership Program, in which I was invited to participate.  Through Sahiroon I have developed my leadership skills and been given the opportunity to meet other youth like me from around Palestine.  My hobbies include reading, writing, playing table tennis, and watching television shows like Dr. OZ and The Doctors.  In fact, I enjoy watching medical shows so much, I am thinking about studying medicine at university.  I love meeting new people and learning about other cultures.  After I finish Tawjihi I hope to be able to travel, especially to India and Japan.  Inshallah (God willing) I will be able to do these things.  Loyalty, honesty, and trust are very important to me. 

 

***

This Week’s Texts: 8^th Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 23:1-6

23Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. ²Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. ³Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. ⁵The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Psalm 23

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

²He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

³he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Ephesians 2:11-22

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³²And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 

⁵³When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, ⁵⁵and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Peace,

+ Pastor Carrie Smith

Carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith

A Plea for Help for Vacation Bible School!

Dear Sisters and Brothers of Bethany,

Below is a plea for help from your trusty VBS coordinators! Please help if you can! Send a note to Debbie Batliner at dbatliner45@hotmail.com if you can lend a hand!

 

"We have found that we added almost 20 kids this week alone, and are now in desperate need of more volunteers and craft supplies as well.  We have tried our best to make sure we have enough support for the different sites, but we really could use some more help as crew leaders.  Even if it was only certain days, we could certainly use the help.  We are also still in need of empty shoe boxes for one of the crafts, if anyone might have some sitting in their closets that they could let us use."

Just let us know - thank you very much!!
Debbie, Joanna, and Lindsey

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith

[Announcement] Arrangements for Connor Priesz

This announcement is from Bethany Lutheran Church

Arrangements for Connor Priesz

Dear Bethany Sisters and Brothers,   With great sadness, we mourn the passing of Bethany member, Connor Priesz, age 18.  Connor passed away yesterday, July 11, at 11:30 a.m., after a drowning accident on Monday.    Arrangements are as follows:   Visitation:  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Davenport Family Funeral Home       419 E. Terra Cotta Avenue, Crystal Lake   Service:  4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Bethany Lutheran Church    At this time, we understand there will be a meal after the service.  Details to follow.

[ MemberId=815575 OrgId=1184 GroupId=37121 ]

[Announcement] Arrangements for Connor Priesz

This announcement is from Bethany Lutheran Church

Arrangements for Connor Priesz

Dear Bethany Sisters and Brothers,   With great sadness, we mourn the passing of Bethany member, Connor Priesz, age 18.  Connor passed away yesterday, July 11, at 11:30 a.m., after a drowning accident on Monday.    Arrangements are as follows:   Visitation:  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Davenport Family Funeral Home       419 E. Terra Cotta Avenue, Crystal Lake   Service:  4:00 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church    At this time, we understand there will be a meal after the service.  Details to follow.

[ MemberId=815575 OrgId=1184 GroupId=37121 ]

[Announcement] Arrangements for Connor Priesz

This announcement is from Bethany Lutheran Church

Arrangements for Connor Priesz

Dear Bethany Sisters and Brothers,   With great sadness, we mourn the passing of Bethany member, Connor Priesz, age 18.  Connor passed away today, July 11, at 11:30 a.m., after a drowning accident on Monday.   Services are currently pending and may possibly be held Saturday, July 14, at Bethany.  More information will be released as soon as possible.   Please keep the Priesz family in your prayers.   May God grant Connor eternal rest and peace.

[ MemberId=815575 OrgId=1184 GroupId=37121 ]

Wednesday Words for July 11, 2012

Wednesday Words for July 11, 2012

from Pastor Carrie Smith

Thought for the Day: A Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

***

In our prayers: We pray for Connor Priesz and his family. Connor (who graduated high school in May) suffered from a near-drowning accident on Monday, and is (at this writing) gravely ill.

We also pray for Don Barkley at the death of his mother, Mona; for Mike Bagby at the death of his mother, Peggy; for Betsy Baldwin as she recovers from knee surgery; for Kaylie Quindel, who is home now after brain tumor surgery; and for Alice McDonald.

Sunday at Bethany: This week’s prescribed lectionary readings are, shall we say…ODD. I am just not eager to preach on the beheading of John the Baptist this week! Therefore, come to worship Sunday for a message that speaks to the difficult questions with which we struggle, especially: Why do young people suffer and die? How can we trust God in light of the tragedies we’ve seen in our own community recently? I don’t promise all the answers, but I hope we can together look to Scripture and the promises of God for the way forward.

Next week at Bethany: It’s VBS time! Bethany will be teeming with children between the hours of 9 am and noon next week. Pray for the children—and the volunteers!

It’s also ice cream time! Next Wednesday, July 18^th at 6:30 pm is the Annual Ice Cream Social. Tickets are available in the church office. We will be celebrating Pr. Erik’s 9 years of ministry that evening as well.

(For those who are wondering, Pr. Erik suggested this date and event for his ministry celebration, and it fits well into the Bethany schedule for a variety of reasons. Please come out to help celebrate!)

 

Come to hear what it’s like to be Young, Palestinian, and Lutheran! A group of 6 teen members of the Sahiroon Youth Leadership Program from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land will be here on Tuesday, July 24^th at 7 pm. Please plan to join us in Luther Hall for their program, followed by desserts and time for conversation with the youth. Learn what it’s like to grow up as a Christian in the land where Jesus walked!

To learn more about a few of the students who will be joining us, check out these short videos:

Bio: Maryan                   Bio: Phoebe 

 

And…An excellent sermon on fear, if you need a little extra inspiration this week:

Nadia Bolz-Weber on Fear, Self-Centeredness and the Storm at Sea 

***

This Week’s Texts: July 15, 2012, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost

In case you really did want to read about the beheading of John the Baptist, here is the appointed Gospel lesson for the week:

Mark 6:14-29

¹⁴King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

¹⁷For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. ¹⁸For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, ²⁰for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. ²²When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” ²³And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” ²⁴She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” ²⁵Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, ²⁸brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

***

But here are a few other texts I’m working with, which may make it into the sermon for Sunday:

Isaiah 43:1-3

Restoration and Protection Promised

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.

 

Psalm 90

God’s Eternity and Human Frailty

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling-place
   in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You turn us back to dust,
   and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’
For a thousand years in your sight
   are like yesterday when it is past,
   or like a watch in the night.

You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
   like grass that is renewed in the morning;
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
   in the evening it fades and withers.

For we are consumed by your anger;
   by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
   our years come to an end like a sigh.
The days of our life are seventy years,
   or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble;
   they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of your anger?
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.
So teach us to count our days
   that we may gain a wise heart.

Turn, O Lord! How long?
   Have compassion on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
   so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
   and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands—
   O prosper the work of our hands!

 

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
   as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
   passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
   a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
   neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
   all the wealth of one’s house,
   it would be utterly scorned.

 

Peace,

Pastor Carrie Smith

carrie.smith@bethanylc.com

This email sent by:

Carrie Smith