Announcements
The
Color of Christ--
Mercy Junction is hosting Edward
J. Blum at Green Spaces on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Blum
is the co-author of Color of Christ, which was
Publisher's Weekly's top religion book last year. He's been on
all sorts of media outlets--Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the NYT, etc.
Who Are We?-- We continue to explore our roots this month! We'll be studying the story of Babel this coming Sunday!
Wednesday
Bible Study--
Will begin September 25 @ 6:30. Come at 6:00 with a brown bag supper
if you'd like to eat in community.
Community
Kitchen Spot
There are a lot of hungry and
homeless children of God and the community needs some help feeding
them. If you would like to help out, please bring the following
items to church this Sunday & put them on the bookshelf.
#10 cans - mixed vegetables /
peas
#10 cans fruit
Dinner napkins
Plastic forks / spoons
Dry milk
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—This Sunday, we'll study the 4th chapter of Matthew.
Church
Lawnmower--
The
church is trying to dispose of the lawnmower. It's a John Deere 36”
mower with many hours on the engine. If you'd like to submit a bid,
please contact the church office by September
30.
Pray
For:
Rev.
Lou Parsons of St. Francis Assisi Lutheran Church in Ooltewah, whose
husband died last weekend.
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
Does anyone want a 2 year old?
Ok, it hasn't gotten that bad
yet. We only joke about giving him away. But the last two weeks
haven't been easy. Danielle has been great—she sleeps most of the
day away. Caleb, on the other hand, is less than pleased with the
new shape of our lives. He's just getting used to it, and it's
entirely expected and we knew it would be rough, but it's exhausting.
He's kicking and throwing toys and throwing tantrums left and right.
We understand it all and are trying to be patient, but it's wearing
us all out. It will pass, and we're counting the days until it does.
(Our cats, on the other hand, are just further traumatized every
day. We just feel badly for them. We've talked about trying to find
them new homes where they can settle down without the fear of a two
year old trying to pet them. Their once-quiet sanctuary has changed
a little.)
It occurs to me—how does God
do it?
The interesting thing about all
of this is that Caleb knows the rules he is breaking. He will
clearly announce 'No throw cars' just before he launches a car
into flight. He'll say 'No kicking' before kicking the wall.
He knows the rules and breaks them anyway, and we struggle to respond
lovingly yet firmly.
How does God do it?
How does God tolerate the human
race? We know the rules and yet often break them. God spelled out
the commandments pretty clearly in the Old Testament, and in Jesus
Christ he showed us what our lives are supposed to look like. We're
supposed to love others as ourselves and treat one another with love
and compassion. On the cross, Jesus models what a response to
hostility should look like. In his selfless leadership, Jesus shows
us true power and love.
We know the rules.
Yet we get caught up in
selfishness. We try to get ahead. We seek to make a name for
ourselves. We forget or ignore those who are less fortunate. We
hope the needy won't bother us. We respond to threats with strength.
We worship ourselves rather than God. We make idols. We break
promises.
And yet, God patiently loves us.
He pours out love and steadfast mercy. He is faithful to every
promise. He's yet to put us on the front step with a sign that says
'Free to a Good Home. Or Any Home. Just Take Them.' We
deserve condemnation, and yet in Christ we receive a share of eternal
glory.
What tremendous and unsurpassed
love God has for us. May we never cease to be grateful for his
patient and wondrous love and mercy, and may his praise be ever on
our lips.
Text
for this Sunday
Genesis
11:1-9 (ESV)
The
Tower of Babel
11
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as
people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of
Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come,
let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick
for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us
build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and
let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face
of the whole earth.”
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and
the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said,
“Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and
this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that
they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go
down and there confuse their language, so that they may not
understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from
there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the
city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord
confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord
dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
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Blog
& Devotionals
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