For a printer-friendly version of this week’s news, please click Engaged Weekly 092720

Sunday, October 4, 7:30pm – FaithFlix on Racial Justice – “Harriet”

We’ll be discussing the movie “Harriet” together.  “The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.”- IMDB.  2019 release, PG-13.  Please join us for discussion!

Monday, October 12, 7:30pm – Please join us for The Next Chapter on Racial Justice. Please access a copy of our first book: “The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves.”  The book is by the Arbinger Institute and there is a free study guide available with it. A summary of the book is here: https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Mindset-Change-Transform-Organizationsebook/dp/B07V4GKZCV/ref=sr_1_1

You have the next few weeks to read the book and savor it before our book group discussion together. We’d love to have you participate, even if you haven’t finished the book! Zoom and in person gathering.

Otherwise, please enjoy the newsletter article from Carl Peterson in this week’s Engaged by Grace Weekly! We have also had newsletter articles for the past several weeks, if you want to do some additional reading.  Other menu items from our seven course banquet table, will continue to be gradually added…

If you’d like to join our Racial Justice Ministry Team, or you have any other questions, please contact Vicar Sara Wunsch, at sara.wunsch@engagedbygrace.org for more information.

After two enjoyable Sunday afternoons walking with new collections of Holy Trinity Church friends, we look forward to extending this new Community Connection ministry through October.  We’ll check out these parks in the coming weeks:

September 27 – Three Creeks Metro Park

October 4 – Heritage Rail-Trail Metro Park

October 11 – REI River Trail (Grove City)

October 18 – Blendon Woods Metro Park

October 25 – Prairie Oaks – Darby Bend Lakes Entrance

A host from church will greet you at the entrance to each park, giving instructions as to where the group is parking.  Each walk will last about an hour, with individuals certainly welcome to do more after that! While an RSVP is not necessary, you can let us know to look for you by signing up below.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Salvation is a gift of God; we neither deserve it nor can we earn it.  God gave it out of love for us (John 3:16).  Jesus came to be our Savior while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Because Christ first loved us, we will want to give of our time, talents, and treasures in love and thankfulness to God to help build and strengthen the members of the household of faith and to share the message of salvation with the whole world. For more information about stewardship, please contact Max Buban.

For a printer-friendly version of this week’s news, please click Engaged Weekly 092020

Each Sunday morning between 9:45-10:15 am, all are welcome to drive through the church parking lot to pick up a set of communion elements that will have been consecrated at the 8:30 worship service, which may be consumed then or perhaps during the communion portion the 10:30 worship service while viewing it online.  Any prayer requests would also be welcome and lifted up at that time as well.

It’s easy to be thankful when we have plenty and are not in need—or is it?  Thankfulness is an attitude of the heart and mind and is not necessarily dependent of the state of our financial affairs or even our health or general well-being. Those who rely on their Savior for all their needs have this attitude:  “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crops fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I rejoice in the Lord.  I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). For more information about stewardship, please contact Max Buban.

For a printer-friendly version of this week’s newsletter, please click Engaged Weekly 091320

Click here to register for flu shot clinic

Several times in his letters, the Apostle Paul talks about the Body of Christ and the gifts that God has given His stewards who “are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).  As we serve together with fellow members of the Body, let us give thanks to the Giver of the gifts, as well as the gifts.  God gives and the believers employ them for God’s glory and the building of the Kingdom.  For more information about stewardship, please contact Max Buban.

A Daily Dose of Good News

Monday, September 14, 2020

At 10:30 today, this devotional will be offered online at https://youtu.be/6ghpbQYs-KI
A printer-friendly version of today’s devotion is available at DDGN 20200914

Good morning!  It is September 14 and it’s time for our Daily Dose of Good News, which is from Psalm 133.  In it, there is a cadence of “running down.”  “Running down, running down, running down.”  At one point, it says “which falls on”, but please think of it the same way, because originally, that’s how it was intended.  “Running down, running down, running down.”  Alright, here we go….

 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!

 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.

 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.

 Here ends the reading.

While that is a short psalm, and it might sound messy at the beginning, it packs a lot into it.  This idea of oil running down, off the head, on to the beard… you might be tempted to go get a Kleenex!  But what that’s about is the Israelite people used to bathe in oil.  So that’s one portion of understanding this text.  And then oil was also used to anoint priests. Aaron was the head of the priesthood. He was Moses’ brother, you may remember. After Aaron, there continued to be a line of priests.  So maybe one way to think about this, if you’ve ever worked outside doing some yard work, or doing some service work, or mowing the grass, or whatever is physical labor for you, and you’ve come inside and taken a shower.  And how good it feels to have the water and the soap, running down, running down, running down, when you need it.  Likewise, for the priesthood, at ordination, the pastor or priest is anointed with oil.  So, for example, for me, in about (I don’t know) a year or so from now, I’ll be ordained. At that point, they will anoint me with oil and it will feel really great to have that oil on my forehead, or running down my collar, or wherever it goes…I don’t care, I’m just excited to be ordained after a long process!  So, either way, those are welcomed!  Those are great components that feels so good to us!

And this next portion, is about kindred living together in unity.  Just like there might be times when you get a call from a family member and it’s so good to talk to them.  Or somebody in your family says something that is warm and supportive of you and it feels like balm to the soul.  This idea of kindred living together in unity, can apply to us, at Holy Trinity.  Because, you may not realize it, but at the end of this month, on September 27, we are going to have our confirmands stand up, and pledge their faith, and it’s a wonderful moment for the Church – of them acknowledging their baptismal vows, which their parents made for them, and for them claiming their faith.  It’s a time when all the kindred at Holy Trinity, past, present and future, definitely live in unity together.  It’s a time of celebration and it’s going to feel so good to do that confirmation service for them.  We were supposed to do it back in March, and the pandemic delayed it, so now we’re looking at September.

We’re going to do an outside service and it’s just a time to celebrate the worship of our God.  Just like they were celebrating at the end of this psalm.  It talks about the dew of Hermon on the Mountain of Zion.  That’s where they worshipped.  That’s Jerusalem.  So, there’s something great about coming together and worshipping. Whether it’s inside the church or outside the church or celebrating those who had First Communion earlier this summer, or celebrating those who are confirmed, later this month…. But I invite you to reflect on that.  Maybe think about, do you want to attend on September 27, as part of our large kindred, in celebration of our God and with our kindred, these confirmation students? If you don’t want to attend, that’s fine too, maybe you write them a note, maybe you send them a letter, or send them an email.  But how can we, as the Body of Christ, and as kindred of one another, celebrate and just feel good in the worship of our God together?  So, peace and love to all or you, as we worship together in whatever form that takes.  Take care everybody.  Bye-bye.