In this issue: Praying Like Jesus / RCL Notes / Christmas List
WHO'LL TAKE THE SON? / NOVEMBER 2018
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Read more .

Author unknown  
Submitted by Tim Schaefer / Theological Council Member
Show your teacher or class how much you appreciate them with the perfect stocking stuffer! For great ideas, check out Crossways International's  Christmas List !
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SHARING GOD'S GOOD NEWS
Harry Wendt
REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY NOTES

" It is a noteworthy fact that the Jewish historian Josephus (who wrote most extensively on the Roman-Jewish War) reports that Jewish defense strategies were motivated by religious hopes as much as by military aspirations. What gave many Jewish people the hope to fight against all odds was a deep-seated conviction of the imminent coming of the Messiah. “Prophets” predicted messianic intervention throughout the war and messianic deliverance at the peak of the final battle over the Jerusalem Temple. ” 

Read the Rev. Dr. Wendt's November 2018 Revised Common Lectionary Notes .
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John 13:12-17

12   After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13   You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am.  14   So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15   For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.  16   Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.  17   If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. (NRSV)

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore prayer in a refreshing and spiritually enriching manner with Praying Like Jesus the Messiah .

This course shows how Jesus completely redefined the conventions of his day regarding prayer, and taught his followers that we could pray intimately to our heavenly Father.
Learn what Jesus reveals about Himself and His Kingdom in Luke’s gospel with The Astonishing Jesus: Through the Lens of Luke DVD.

This DVD features four lectures from renowned New Testament scholar Dr. Kenneth Bailey.
Grace your table with our Table Prayer Card or Wall Hanging .

This delightful meal-time table prayer is available in the form of a wall hanging or an easy-to-carry card, shown here.
A PRAYER TO SHARE
Great, gracious and forgiving God, we thank You for granting us the joy of being able to speak with You in prayer. Through Your Holy Spirit, inspire us to speak with You constantly as we make our pilgrimage through life in this world. Sustain within us the sure and joyous hope that when life is done, we shall enter into Your presence and sing Your praises to all eternity. Amen. (From Praying Like Jesus the Messiah leader's manual)
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