August 21, 2016 (full size gallery)
Lots of blessings today – a new children’s cross, a bunch of birthdays and anniversaries, a laying on of hands and finally 2 buckets of tomatoes from Dave to be shared among the congregation. Also Johnny reported all sides of the Parish house were painted and now waiting on completing the south side as well as some carpentry work around the windows.
Some sadness- A transition Sunday as two of our college students move on to new adventures.
We had 43 in the service with some visitors. The weather was humid, mixed sunshine and clouds. However, it was enjoyed by several butterflies, bees and one writing spider that gathered attention on the walkway after the service.
We blessed Helmut’s new children’s cross, lighter for the younger Gospel bearers.
Cookie described the door to Pew 20 which was recently cleaned. She is looking for how and where to display. Pew 20 was the front pew which was taken out when the altar was extended early in the 20th century. Johnny announced two gleaning dates – Sat. Aug 27 and Sat. Sept 10. They had been delayed due to the heat.
The following celebrated birthdays recently which were recognized today– Boyd Wisdom (Aug. 18), Jennifer Collins (Aug. 21), Nancy Wick (Aug. 22), John Faibisy (Aug. 23).
These anniversaries were blessed – Boyd and Barbara Wisdom (Aug. 17), Cherry and Woody Everett (Aug. 23), Justin and Karen Long (Aug. 23), David and Carolyn Duke (Aug. 24).
Catherine did the most recent installment of St. Peter’s sings – what the bottom portion of each hymn in the hymnal reveals
We have two college students that are transitioning to school- Jeffrey has already left for the University of Richmond. Jackie left after the service for the University of Virginia.
Dave Fannon and Gibby brought two buckets of tomatoes from Dave’s farm land. Thanks!
Today’s readings remind us of the universality of God’s invitation to wholeness and the difficulty of responding to it. Isaiah identifies some characteristics of the right relationship with God. The author of Hebrews reminds us that the trials we undergo, though painful, come from the hand of a loving Father who is training us in holiness. Jesus’ words and actions reveal the tension between God’s desire for healing and our need for genuine conversion in order not to hinder God’s plan.
David Lose writes the following about the Gospel – "Sabbath has two origins in Scripture. One roots it in the story of creation – as God rested on the seventh day, so also should all creation have a time of rest and renewal. It’s second “origin story” comes from Exodus account, as Sabbath rest comes not as a command but as good news to slaves who never, ever had a chance to rest. Indeed, the command/promise of rest was extended to all. Rich or poor, adult or child, human or animal, everyone needs a time to rest, and so God makes it a commandment to safeguard rest for all.
"The synagogue leader was trying to defend a law that was at the heart of the Exodus covenant with God. He wasn’t saying, “Don’t heal.” He was rather saying, “There are six days on which to heal. Why not heal on one of those days and respect this core tenet of our faith?” More than that, I suspect this synagogue leader had a deep respect not only for tradition but for law and order. If one starts breaking the Sabbath law, after all, what will go next? Law helps to protect us, offers the possibility of creating order, and at its best provides stability, all of which are essential for human flourishing.
"Jesus, that is, while also respecting the law, recognizes that the law itself was given as a gift to serve God’s children and draw them more deeply into the abundant life God offers. And so perhaps Jesus’ sharp critique is that the leader of the synagogue had forgotten that the law was intended to serve God’s people and instead revered it for its own sake. He forgot that the law is meant to create the conditions in which we can help each other live into our dreams – and into God’s dreams for us – and so ended up sacrificing this woman’s dreams to satisfy his sense of law and order."
The sermon blended both the above Gospel and the Epistle from Hebrews"Our God is a consuming fire.”
"Maybe you have experienced what feels like a consuming fire in your life. Maybe you have lost a job, or someone you thought you couldn’t live without died, or there’s a divorce that rips apart the fabric of your family, or your body is giving out on you, or someone betrays you.
"Or maybe you just feel like a smoldering piece of wood that can’t even catch fire, and that the little fire or energy or life you have inside is slowly being extinguished. You’re just going to end up as a useless piece of old charred wood.
"If you’ve experienced any of these things, then these words from Hebrews are for you. And if you haven’t experienced any of these things, something, sooner or later, will burn you up.
"As Thomas Long points out in his commentary on Hebrews, “God’s fire both refines and devours, purifies and incinerates. God’s word is a two-edged sword, both severing and saving….we are stubble, and these are terrible words.” Luke Timothy Johnson says “that a relationship with God demands heroic endurance as well as complete and exclusive loyalty.
"When the things that give our lives meaning get burned away, then our faith in Jesus can lift us up out of the ashes—not just lip service to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, but our willingness to be burned up and emptied out, to be transformed, to be consumed in God’s fiery furnace of love and to become obedient only to God.
"This sort of transformation is painful. Life as we know it shaken up, burned away, and we have no choice but to let go of everything except one thing—God’s grace…
"And that’s all we have to do—to come to Jesus and to be open to God’s grace.
"And when we hold onto God’s grace, ironically, our hands are free then for God to use in passing God’s limitless grace around.
"What will ever really make a difference in this world? God’s consuming fire. God’s undeserved healing love. And our empty hands, full of God’s transforming grace
“Let us hold on to God’s grace,” the writer of Hebrews says.
Read the sermon for the story of Story of Phil Kerner, a tool and die maker in Erie, Pennsylania who grew up in the business with his grandfather and uncle only to watch things unravel when they died
Find out how he experienced God’s consuming fire but also grace when his hands were empty