We have much to celebrate this week as we recall the great themes that lead to the reformation of the church, and we witness the affirmation of faith that seventeen of our young people will make at their confirmation. We are all challenged to respond to God’s call to ministry and mission in our own lives as well.
Worship this week:
Saturday — 5:00 p.m. in the chapel
Sunday — 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship
9:30 a.m. Sunday School and adult class
10:30 a.m. Contemporary worship with Confirmation
Devotions for this week:
Sharing Enough October 24-25, 2015
I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. —- Philippians 4:11b-13
What does “contentment” feel like? This is a difficult question in our current culture. When surveys have asked “How much is enough?” responses have consistently been “Twenty percent more than I have now.” If that is true, how do we break the endless circle that this leads us toward—it is always “twenty percent more.” We are told over and over every day—“You don’t have enough…What you have is fragile and could be gone at any moment…You have to go get more!” These messages come from a world focused on scarcity. In this setting how do we understand our relationship with God? God is creator—we are God’s creatures. How do we live in relationship with our creator? Martin Luther reminds us in his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed “that God has created me and all that exists…God daily and abundantly provides…all the necessities and nourishment for this body and life…out of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all!” It is in this relationship that we recognize that God has abundantly provided us with all that we need. If we focus on the scarcity, we never have enough. When we focus on God’s abundant blessings, there is more than we can ever imagine.
Narrative Lectionary readings for the week:
Sunday, 2 Samuel 5:1-5; 6:1-5, David Anointed King
Monday, Psalm 150, Praise Psalm
Tuesday, 2 Samuel 5:6-16, Jerusalem, the Capital of a Kingdom United
Wednesday, 2 Samuel 6:6-11, The Ark Comes to Jerusalem
Thursday, 2 Samuel 6:12-23, The Ark Comes to Jerusalem
Friday, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, God’s Covenant with David
Saturday, 2 Samuel 7:18-29, David’s Prayer
