Announcements
Celebration--
Sunday, November 10: We'll celebrate the McMillan Building and
re-dedicate it for its future use. Join us after church for this
joyous occasion!
Thank
you!!--
We packed 300 sack packs last night for the kids at East Brainerd
Elementary!! Thanks to your faithful giving for $.02/meal and Beth
Meulenberg's generosity with her time, we're able to make a huge
difference in the lives of some hungry kids in the neighborhood.
Thank you!
New
Hope Worship--
We're blessed to have Diane Stocker leading us in worship this
Sunday! Please be in prayer for Diane as she prepares to lead
worship.
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 of Sweet Potato / Yams
#10
Cans of Italian Style Green Beans
No-Bake
Pumpkin / Apple Pies
No-Heat
Dinner Rolls
Plastic
Forks, Knives, Spoons
Dinner
Napkins
Heavy
Duty Sectional Dinner Plates
Dessert
Plates
3
Oz. Souffle Cups
New
Hope News
Wednesday
Bible Study--
This coming Wednesday, David Martin from La Paz will be with us.
Pray
For:
The
people of Haiti, that the work God is doing there may continue to
bear fruit.
Kids.
Kids who are hungry because they don't have enough food. Kids who
have hungry souls because they don't get enough love. Kids who act
out because they don't get enough attention. Kids who are depressed
because they don't have enough close friends. Kids who suffer in
school because they don't have enough support. Kids who contemplate
terrible things because they don't have enough hope. Kids whom we
forget because we think they have enough.
Links
Keith's
Random Thoughts
The national food of
Haiti, we were told, is pumpkin soup. (We had it one night for
dinner. It's pretty tasty soup. It's not a pureed pumpkin, and
clearly has nothing to do with the Libby's canned pumpkin that makes
up our pies. Here's
a recipe.)
The reason for this is
that when Haiti was ruled by the French, they apparently weren't
allowed to eat pumpkins. So now, whenever they get the chance to
make pumpkin soup, they are reminded of their freedom. They
celebrate their liberation on January 1, and the pumpkin soup is part
of the ritual that reminds them of the history of their country. (I
asked a Haitian what he loved most about his country. His response:
The history. Here
is a brief summary of Haiti's history. This is a
longer summation.)
Now, the history of
Haiti is not exactly a string of uninterrupted triumphs. There are
some awful chapters in their history. (This is certainly true of
America, too. I think it's probably true of most countries.) But I
think the Haitian history is a story of people overcoming remarkable
challenges. They continue to work together to overcome whatever
history throws their way. From the French rule to the Duvalier reign
to the recent national disasters, they have overcome. This must give
them hope for the future, for they can be confidant that they will
overcome whatever appears on the horizon.
As Christians, our
history is important, too. The Bible is our primary history, and it
tells the story of how God has always been with us, of how God has
always shepherded us and how he will continue to do so in the years
to come. We learn about God's promises and the wondrous story of
salvation.
The Bible isn't just
history, though. It's also a mission statement.
In Scripture, we learn
about the purpose of the church. The church, we see, has a greater
purpose than just serving itself. It's meant to participate in God's
greater mission. We are called as disciples, but that calling is
also a sending. We're sent into the world to tell the story of the
Gospel and to demonstrate it by our works. Resting comfortably for
our entire lives is not an option, though there is a place for rest.
We are sent to every corner of the world, including our own
backyards. Our lives are meant to be active participation in God's
ongoing work of redeeming the world.
So how will we
participate? Will we sit down with our neighbors and learn their
story, hear their history, share their joys and struggles, building
relationships through which the Gospel might spread? Will we spend
time with the needy in our own towns, hearing about their history and
helping shine the light of hope into their lives through our selfless
service? Will we travel to distant places, partnering with
individuals to learn their history and join them in looking for the
hope in their own situations, sharing the love of God? The answer, I
believe, is yes. There are different chapters and different seasons
in which our activities may look different, but we should always have
our eyes open to see what God is up to and where God is calling us.
We are invited to live
the Good News in all we do. We are called into the grace of God, but
we are also sent out, not to leave the church behind but to join in
with what Christ's church is doing in all the world, near and far.
May we be faithful to our calling and active in our service.
Text
for this Sunday
Luke
19:1-10
(ESV)
He
entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a
man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And
he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he
could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass
that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said
to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your
house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him
joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone
in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood
and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to
the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it
fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to
this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man
came to seek and to save the lost.”
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