Wednesday Words for February 27, 2013
from Pastor Carrie Smith
Thought for the Day: Fr. Mychal's Prayer
"Lord, take me where You want me to go,
let me meet who You want me to meet,
tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of Your way."
-- Fr. Mychal Judge, NYC Fire Chaplain
(Fr. Judge was the first official victim of the 9/11 attacks)
***
In our prayers:Bill Kohl; Bruce Johnson; Kathy Sukel (pancreatitis); Dick Schwebke (who had stents put in this weekend); Linnea Becker (in rehab); Carol Stupar (happy to finally be in rehab!); John Therrien (now at home)
Tonight at Bethany: Take some time for a soup supper with your church family at 6 pm and a short contemplative prayer service at 7 pm. HS student Christopher Vito will be our cantor. I hope to see you there!
Saturday at Bethany: It's a Pajama Party at church! Join us for family fellowship AND help children in need.
WHEN: This Saturday, March 2
TIME: 6-8 p.m.
WHERE: Luther Hall
Wear your pajamas and bring a new pair of children’s pajamas (any size) and/or a new book to benefit the Pajama Program of IL. Enjoy games and light snacks. For more information, contact Lindsey Patterson at patterlinds@gmail.com
Sunday at Bethany: It's already the 3rd Sunday in Lent! The lessons this week are all about repentance and turning back to God. As you prepare for worship, ask yourself: "What do I work for, and spend my money on, that does not satisfy?"
The Sonshine Singers will provide special music at 9 am and the Bethany Choir will grace us with a special selection at 10:45 am. You can expect to sing an old southern tune, "Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty" as well as "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me." During Holy Communion we'll sing a hymn that has become a modern favorite, "Taste and See". I will be preaching this week and next week.
Lubbock or Leave It! My quick weekend trip to Texas to see my family was unexpectedly extended when we were hit with an "Historic Blizzard" on Sunday and Monday. When you receive this e-mail, I should finally be on the way home. I am so grateful to have had the chance to be with my dad as he received an award for his efforts to improve the arts in his community. Thank you to the Bethany staff for stepping in for me the last few days!
Welcome, New Members!Sunday at noon we will be honoring many of the nearly 100 new members who have become part of the Bethany community in the last year with a luncheon. I give thanks to God for each of them, and ask that if you have not taken the time to greet them, that you would send them a note, call them, or simply introduce yourself on Sunday morning when you see an unfamiliar face. It's exciting, in this 90th year of ministry, to see Bethany Lutheran as alive as ever (and far from becoming a museum!)
President Bethany of Bethany! For probably the first time ever, we have a Bethany Council President who is also named Bethany! Last week at the first meeting of the 2013 Council, Bethany Gola was elected President and Joel Thoreson was elected Vice President. Bethany is an artist and the mother of 3 children. She is married to Walt, a high school teacher. She has been involved with the E-Team, the Green Team, the Liturgical Arts Team, and many other ministries of the church. Joel is the chief archivist for the ELCA, and has been involved in Scouts, the Worship and Arts Team, the Christian Education team, and serves as a Sunday School teacher. He is married to Aimee, who home-schools their 2 children. Thank you, Bethany and Joel, for accepting this leadership opportunity!
Meeting Our Muslim Neighbors, Session 3: On Sunday at 4 pm, please plan to attend session 3 of this special educational opportunity. Dr. Steve Young, a new member of Bethany and a professor at MCC will be our presenter. The topic is "Christianity and Islam: Not What They Used to Be."
News you can use: If you haven't visited the ELCA website, you may be surprised at what you can find there. There are stories of what Lutherans are doing around the world, Bible study resources, and opportunities to get involved. Click here: ELCA
***
The Texts this Week: 3rd Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 55:1-9
55Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalm 63: 1-8 (Message Version)
God—you’re my God!
I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.
I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
10I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. 6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.
Luke 13:1-9
13At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” 6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
Peace,
+ Pastor Carrie Smith
