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November 2, 2009
Dear Friends,
On October 4th our worship service was conducted by Rev. Jake Campbell. His message was based on the reading from the Gospel of Matthew [13:1-17] and was entitled “Growing our faith in an unfriendly world.” He also presented a Children’s message entitled “The apple is in the seed.” I have been informed that the service was both very enjoyable and informative. It is always refreshing to receive encouraging messages of hope and direction from friends we have shared with in the past. I was thankful for the opportunity to spend a little time resting, and at the same time being assured that our flock was being well cared for. We should each remember to say a prayer of thanks for pastors like Rev. Marino and their willingness to continue to share their messages of hope and instruction with us.
On October 11th we shared Holy Communion together. We also heard from the Letter to the Hebrews (4:12-16) and the Gospel of Mark (10:17-31). The story from Mark is about the very rich young man who asks Jesus what he must do to enter into the Kingdom of God. We can only imagine his great joy when Jesus told him to “follow all the rules written down for us.” For you see, ever since he was a boy he had always followed the rules … and God had richly blessed him! Then Jesus told him to sell everything, give the money to the poor, and then follow Jesus. The young rich man walked way. It was too much of a challenge for him, as the author of the Letter of Hebrews points out to the readers; the true intentions of our hearts will be judged by God, but we who are active followers of the teachings of Jesus will also receive mercy and grace. And so we are left to answer for ourselves the question; “What would you trade for eternal life?”
On October 18th we heard from the Letter to the Hebrews (5:1-10) and the Gospel of Mark (10:33-45). The message title was “Are you being served?” and the pastor talked about how our society has become one in which most people are always looking for the best service that they can get for themselves. We expect sales people to wait on us, we expect instant service at dinners, and in general we have become used to being the center of everyone else’s focused attention. But that’s not what Jesus came to share with us. Jesus came to help us that indeed the question “Are you being served?” should be asked … but is we who should be doing the asking. We are ones who are called upon to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, house the homeless, and bring hope to the oppressed within our own communities. When is the last time that we asked others, “Are you being served?” God is still calling each and every one of us to share our blessing, our gifts, and our love with each other?
On October 25th we heard from the Letter to the Hebrews (7:23-28) and from the Gospel of Mark (10:46-52). The story from Mark’s Gospel was about how a blind man who was given back his sight. In this story when the man called out loud to Jesus for help, Jesus simply asked him what he really wanted Jesus to do for him. When the man said that he wanted his vision back, Jesus told him that “his faith” had given back his sight. Most of us have known at least one individual who was physically blind, but the reality is that we also have known that far too many individuals who are blinded by their own actions. Some individuals are so sure of themselves that they are not interested at all in seeing the truth. Other people may be so convinced that other races, genders, or “those people” have not earned nor do they “deserve” the blessings of God. There are even individuals who would not even reach out to help those who are truly in need of help. It is always easier for us to see the error in the other person than it to see our own blindness.
I hope that you have found some joy and comfort within the words and the thoughts of this letter. As you read these all too brief summations of what has been shared during our times of worship over this past month, please remember that each one of your brothers and sisters in Christ have missed having you present during our times of worship. We continue to long each Sunday for your company, and we continue to hold dearly to our memories of you. Many of us are also continuing to say prayers for you.
Pastor Rodger White
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