Running with Patience
"When we have run with patience the race/ We shall know the joy of Jesus". This hymn line has puzzled me a little at times. When you watch the Peachtree Road Race, you don't think about the runners being patient. They look out of breath, and they look focused. I suspect they are thinking more about Heartbreak Hill than about being patient. Maybe persistence is a better word. Just keep going. Get to the next street. Just a few more steps to the water table. Walk a few steps if you need to.
One of the things that I admire so much about this congregation is how we keep going. We keep doing ministry, we keep serving our community, we keep praying, we keep worshiping God. So.. just a few more steps. We can walk if we need to. We are running our own race, and we are running with persistence. I am so proud of our community of believers. May you all know the joy of Jesus.
Mary
Sunday School is going on vacation, to return after Labor Day. BUT...
We will be having an online Bible study this summer. This would allow us to continue studies and fellowship even if we are traveling. If you have signed up, you should be receiving an email this week to get started. Thank you to Eric Heckman for leading this for us!
Thank you to everyone who has and continues to bring in food items for our food pantry. We are getting several visitors each week.
Pastor William will be on vacation June 13 - 18, returning on June 19. Our service on June 16 will be Service of the Word, led by Mark Rettig.
The Gathering will meet on Friday, June 21 at 11:00 a.m. at Barbara Little's house. We will be making personal care packages for the food pantry. St. Luke Guys will meet Friday, June 21 at 11:30 a.m., location TBD.
Commemorations this week:
Friday, June 14
Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, died 379; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, died around 385; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, died around 389; Macrina, teacher, died around 379
The Cappadocian fathers, as the three men in this group are known, explored the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Basil's monastic rule forms the basis for Eastern monastic life. Gregory of Nazianzus defended orthodox Christianity in Constantinople. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's younger brother, wrote on the spiritual life. Macrina, older sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, was the leader of a community dedicated to asceticism, meditation, and prayer.
Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, died 379; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, died around 385; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, died around 389; Macrina, teacher, died around 379
The Cappadocian fathers, as the three men in this group are known, explored the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Basil's monastic rule forms the basis for Eastern monastic life. Gregory of Nazianzus defended orthodox Christianity in Constantinople. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil's younger brother, wrote on the spiritual life. Macrina, older sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa, was the leader of a community dedicated to asceticism, meditation, and prayer.
Monday, June 19
Emanuel Nine, martyrs, died 2015
On June 17, 2015, Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on August 8, 2019. Congregations of the ELCA are encouraged reaffirm their commitment to repenting of the sins of racism and white supremacy which continue to plague this church, to venerate the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine, and to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.
Emanuel Nine, martyrs, died 2015
On June 17, 2015, Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Lee Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on August 8, 2019. Congregations of the ELCA are encouraged reaffirm their commitment to repenting of the sins of racism and white supremacy which continue to plague this church, to venerate the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine, and to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.
Worship This Week
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 16
Prayer of the Day
O God, you are the tree of life, offering shelter to all the world. Graft us into yourself and nurture our growth, that we may bear your truth and love to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Amen.
Readings and Psalm
Ezekiel 17:22-24
The sign of the cedar, planted on the mountain of Israel
The sign of the cedar, planted on the mountain of Israel
Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15
The righteous shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon. (Ps. 92:12)
The righteous shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon. (Ps. 92:12)
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 [11-13] 14-17
In Christ, a new creation
In Christ, a new creation
Mark 4:26-34
The parable of the mustard seed
The parable of the mustard seed
