Reflections from your Co-Pastors March 1, 2021
Welcome to the decade of change, at least that’s how I’m thinking about it this morning. A confounding change in our culture: A golden statue of a man most of us have deep negative visceral feelings about was paraded at CPAC.
The golden calf immediately came to my mind and I was shocked at this repetition of Biblical history where Aaron acquiesces to the people and they construct a golden calf to worship. It is written that this happened when Moses was on the mountain with God and this Sunday Jesus was on the mountain with God with Peter, James, and John witnessing a transfiguration of humanity to divinity.
How easy it seems for some of us (us as the human family in which we all are) to turn to an object, because of fear and vulnerability, that we can touch and see, that offers no challenge and no life. In 2021, this object is an icon of confident self-centeredness that seems to tell the simple story that children want to believe, that ‘everything will be ok.’ Isn’t that what Julian of Norwich finally believed, that “All will be well.” You can see the conundrum here.
However, the simple desire that all will be well if we just turn to this golden icon does not seem to apply to our complicated and quickly changing world. We are seeking the abundant life, a life of meaning and fulfillment, not a quick illusionary fix.
The core of our belief and ethics, the Word we read, study, and contemplate along our experience of God as individuals makes the mandate to “Love your neighbor as yourself” very ambiguous at this time. “Yes!” We say, love your neighbor. But does it depend on who our neighbor is, what their beliefs are, how they voted, what’s acceptable and not acceptable within our world view or someone else’s different world view.
Love your neighbor as yourself…not as you love yourself because God knows hard it is for us to love
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ourselves sometimes, instead to love our neighbor as we want to be loved. Can we live with the ambiguity of this life? Can we touch that touchstone every day that says “All will be well” in the sense of Julian?
2Corinthians 6: 1-10 may help:
“As Christ’s co-workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For God says through Isaiah, “At the acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation. We take pains to avoid giving offense to anyone, for we don’t want our ministry to be blamed. Instead, in all that we do try to present ourselves as ministers of God, acting with patient endurance amid, difficulties and distresses, beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleeplessness nights and hunger. We conduct ourselves with innocence, knowledge, patience and kindness in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, with the message of truth and the power of God, wielding the weapons of justice with both right hand and left – regardless of whether we are honored or dishonored, spoken of favorably or unfavorably. We are called imposters, yet we are truthful, we are called unknowns, yet we are famous; we are said to be dying, yet we are alive; punished, but not put to death; sorrowful though we are always rejoicing; poor, yet we enrich many. We seem to have nothing, yet we possess everything!”
In humility, we join with Peter, James and John on the mountain, reverence the Holy One who sent the Christ, and go forward down the mountain in ambiguity to Love more today than we did yesterday.
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Lenten Opportunities this Week |
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Join us
Tuesday at 10 am or Wednesday at 9 am during Lent
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Our co-pastors are offering a Lenten study using the Daily Catholic Devotions from Living Faith booklet sent to each member.
Explore and reflect on the scriptures and share thoughts and insights with each other. Join us every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. or Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. for the five weeks of lent via Zoom. The link below will the same for the five weeks of study.
Meeting ID: 846 7486 0646 Passcode: Lent
Call-in Audio Only - +1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 846 7486 0646
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**Please note - Daily prayer session will NOT be held on Thursday, March 4th**
Lenten Daily Prayer
Join us for daily prayer, week days at 4:30 p.m. (Monday through Friday) This 15 min prayer time will include contemplative practices prayer, sharing prayers for our own Lenten journey.
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GOOD NEWS! Sanctuary Open for Silent Prayer
We are pleased to announce that the Sanctuary at 301 East Stuart will be open every Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00 pm for silent prayer.
We are still limited to only 10 people within the space at one time. Please wear a mask and remain at least 6 feet apart. Hand sanitizer is available at the church.
This brings us a step closer to gathering in person as time, vaccinations, and safety permit. Thanks be to God!
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Wednesday Night Lenten Soup Supper - 301 Faith Partners
Trinity will host a weekly Lenten Fellowship for the 301 Faith Partners followed by an Evening Prayer. We are encouraging everyone to make a soup each week.
Wednesdays during Lent
- February 24, March 3, 10, 17, & 24
- 6:30 pm Fellowship
- 6:45 pm Lenten Drama w/Holden Evening Prayer
Meeting ID: 894 3735 9149 | Passcode: 408538
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Recordings and Prayer Requests |
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Service Recordings
View the 301 Faith Partners Service here (Celebrating with St. Paul's and Trinity) - Second Sunday in Lent February 28th - Feast of the Transfiguration. Here is a printed version to assist with prayer.
The video recording of just the children's homily by Pastor Rick Reiten (Trinity Lutheran) and homily by Laurie Gudim (St. Paul's Episcopal) is available here.
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Charles Drew: As a researcher and surgeon, Dr. Drew revolutionized our understanding of blood plasma. In 1940, he was the first African-American to get his doctorate from Columbia University and became the world’s leading authority on blood transfusions. His work might have saved the world from Nazism, since battlefield blood storage and transfusions didn’t exist before he managed two of the largest blood banks during WWII. Millions of lives are saved annually due to techniques he established for collecting, processing and managing blood donations for hospital use.
Katherine Johnson was a physicist and mathematician who helped launch the use of digital electronic computers at NASA. She initially worked in a pool of Black women who all performed complex math calculations. But it was Johnson who was plucked out of the pool to work with an all-male flight research team, who helped calculate the orbit for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, co-authored 26 scientific papers for NASA, and whose pioneering work still inspires women to pursue careers in science.
As we finish Black History Month of 2021, imagine our history without the likes of activists Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Ida B Wells or Martin Luther King Jr. Yet, much work remains to be done to combat racist oppression. Today, let us gratefully hold African-American influencers in our hearts and prayers.
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Prayer Requests
Healing prayers for Jeff, Erin and Levi - members. For Lisa Moos - member, Joanne Gallagher - member, and for her sister, Dr. Barbara Immroth. For Aidan - grandson of Mother Kae. Prayers for Lisa McCann - member, for personal challenges.
For Jim Berry - member, for his new journey to chaplain. For Lauren Roob - friend of Rosanna Bateman.
Healing prayers for Dianna Padilla, sister of Lisa Jones, who underwent surgery for cancer. For Liz and Ken Zornes and family, friends of Sandra and Dick Life, whose daughter is struggling with addiction. For Michael Keefe, son of member Yvonne Keefe.
For Dona Bosse - community member and Rosemary - Fr Michael's mother.
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For Dani - niece of the Cloyds and Mary Crosby – parishioner. For Ruth Parker, sister of Dori Carroll. And Leo Six – father of Michael Six, Mike Gudim, Suzanne King, Robert Browell
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For the peaceful repose of souls for those who've passed and comfort for the families.
For Clint Wisdom - brother-in-law of Joan Chapman-Smith. For Leon - father of Mother Cynthia. For Marietta Ricke - sister of Jim DeMuth and for Kristin - daughter of ECC priest Scott Jenkins. For Joan Kneeland - sister-in-law of Bill Kneeland.
For Rita Ortiz, friend of Deacon Rosean, and for Margie Weitz - member. For Chris Bachman, friend of Lisa Jones.
For Bob, husband of Joyce Dehaven -
friend of Cathy Engel
For David Heyman - member,
Teri Kent - member,
Bill McClellan - Father of Jennifer Pfeister,
Father of Julie Shoenbauer, member, and
Edwin White - brother in law of Pastor Jane
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For all bulletins, reflections, Sunday recordings during our hiatus from celebrating together, visit our webpage. Please contact us with questions, concerns and ideas for better connection with and for the community - marymagdalafc@gmail.com
Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal
What are our partners in ministry here up to? Go here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin
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