Announcements
Potluck—This
Sunday, October 7th, we'll continue our worship with a potluck lunch
in the McMillan Building. Please plan to bring a dish to share!
Peacemaking
Conference—Monday, October 8th @ 10 AM. The PW will
be hosting a peacemaker from Palestine. Please plan to join us!
New
Hope News
Sunday
School—This Sunday, the adult class with study the
book of Amos.
Wednesday
Night Supper—Join us tonight if you can! There will
be no supper next week, October 10, as schools are on fall break. We
will have a session meeting instead.
Pray
For:
Jan
Edwards' mother
Jacob
Geerlings, in his seminary studies
Links
The
Grateful Gobbler is November 22. (Monies raised
go to support Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition.
Keith's
Random Thoughts
Caleb is one year old today.
Somewhere in Denver, two grown men will celebrate his birthday by
getting together and talking at one another. This will resemble a
natural, constructive conversation about as much as watching me run
reminds you of Jesse Owens.
I could get very frustrated about the state of affairs in Washington.
I could spend my time listening to newscasters tell me how
dysfunctional politics has become. I could while away hours
discussing the downfalls of leaders, Republican & Democrat.
Or I could look at the world around me, the things I can control, and
recognize the opportunities before me to do something constructive.
For example, I could model what it means to be in dialogue with those
whom I disagree politically. I could respect them as people even
though I find their political views less than desirable. Rather than
lament how divided we are, I could reach out and model what unity
looks like.
Rather than wonder when Washington was going to do something about
poverty and injustice in society, I could invest my time working to
promote justice and equality here and now.
Rather than focus on the fear present in society, I could do my best
to sow hope and give thanks for the blessing of today, of the here
and the now.
Rather than worry about the future of our nation's children, I can
focus on a particular child, making sure that I communicate God's
love to them, that they may grow in the knowledge of God's
faithfulness and grace.
Which brings me back to Caleb's big day. I don't know what the
future holds, for my own son or the political parties that define
themselves by their opposition to the other party. What I do know,
however, is that today is a blessing and an opportunity—I can
invest my time, my love, in my son, and in so doing I help him grow
as a Christian, as a child of God. In my use of my time, I
communicate my love to him, and I show him a little bit of God's
love. This choice will have a ripple effect throughout his life and
on all he does throughout his life.
We can't change everything. But we can change the world around us,
and every time we choose to invest our time and our love in the
people and situations that surround us, we do so. It may not feel
like much, but if the Christians in this country, in this world,
decided to make a dramatic effect on their neighbors, rather than
hiding our faith under a bushel basket like we often do, the effect
would be profound. Let's reach out in selfless love.
Book
Recommendation
Tracy Kidder's biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, the doctor determined on
saving the Haitian people, Mountains
beyond Mountains, is an
older book but well worth your time. It's an inspiring story about
the difference one man can make in this crazy world.
Text
for this Sunday
1
Kings 17:8-16
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go now to
Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have
commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So he set out and went to
Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there
gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little
water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ As she was going to bring
it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your
hand.’
But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked,
only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now
gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it
for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’
Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said;
but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and
afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says
the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and
the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain
on the earth.’
She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her
household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither
did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he
spoke by Elijah.
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