The prophet decries the unfaithfulness of the people, and tells them there are consequences for their actions.   Still God’s promise will be fulfilled in the one who is to come.

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

Devotions for this week:

November 22, 2015                                                     Isaiah’s Vineyard Song

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

The words of Isaiah recount an honest assessment of the state of God’s vineyard. All of the tools of the gardener have been brought to bear: watering and weeding, amending the soil, judicious pruning. As Isaiah speaks, it seems that these have been insufficient. This is not a pleasant planting: the vineyard is a wreck. God seems content to let it be overrun by chaos. But the promises are true. They will not fail. The day will come when true growth will begin once again.

Read:

Sunday, Isaiah 5:1-7; 11:1-5, Isaiah’s Vineyard Song

Monday, Isaiah 1:1-20, The Wickedness of Judah

Tuesday, Isaiah 2:1-4, The Future House of God

Wednesday, Isaiah 2:5-22, Judgment

Thursday, Isaiah 6:1-13, A Vision of God in the Temple

Friday, Isaiah 7:1-25, Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz

Saturday, Isaiah 9:1-7, The Righteous Reign of the Coming King

• How were God’s people like a vineyard gone wild?
• In what ways is your community like a wild vineyard? In what ways is it producing good fruit?
• What gifts or talents has God given you that enable you to produce good fruit for the world?

Bless: Close your devotion with a blessing.

May God produce good fruits from within you. Amen.

 

Though the people of Israel turned their backs on God, God loved the people too much to turn God’s back on them.  God continues to love each of God’s children with a tender, but powerful love, even when we may turn our backs or wander away.

Worship with Holy Communion 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

Devotions for this week:                                                                              Hosea’s message

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hosea 11:1)

The prophets issue challenging words. Where we would hear the hopeful word of grace, we need to make our way first through a wilderness of hard lessons. The prophet Hosea offers words in this tradition, beginning with a sense of rejection, which mirrors the ways in which God’s people have rejected the ways of the Lord. It does not end there. The Lord’s word in Hosea offers both judgment according to the terms of the covenant, and promises of restoration for those who call on the Lord.

Read:

Sunday, Hosea 11:1-9, Hosea

Monday, Hosea 1:1-2:23, Israel’s Infidelity

Tuesday, Hosea 3:1-4:19, God’s Love for and Condemnation of Israel

Wednesday, Hosea 5:1-15, Judgment

Thursday, Hosea 6:1-7:16, A Call to Repent

Friday, Hosea 9:1-17, Punishment for Israel’s Sin

Saturday, Hosea 10:1-15, Israel’s Sin and Captivity

• What did Israel do that upset God? What could they have done differently?
• How do you know if you and your community are pleasing or upsetting God?
• What sits heavy on your heart? Ask for God’s ear, and God’s presence, justice, and love.

Do: Find out who has been exiled or ostracized from your community. Make a plan to welcome them. (Invite them for dinner or visit them.)

Bless: May God show you love and acceptance. Amen.

At Mt. Carmel Elijah chides the people:   “How long will you go limping with two different opinions?”  Then in an great spectacle he shows the power of our living God.  How often do we find ourselves limping along trying to satisfy all the multiple demands for our devotion?

Worship this week:

Saturday – 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. Sunday School/Adult class

10:30 a.m. Contemporary worship

Devotions for this week:

November 8                                                                                                Elijah at Mt. Carmel

Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” (1 Kings 18:38-39)

After the kingdom was divided, Israel fell into even more troubled times. The land was overtaken by drought and famine. In the north, with an Israelite king marrying a foreign queen, idol worship became the fashion, usurping the worship of the Lord. At the order of the queen, many of the Lord’s prophets were killed. One, Elijah, hid in the wilderness to escape capture. At the Lord’s command, he went back to challenge the king, confront the people, and discredit the prophets of Baal.

Sunday, 1 Kings 18:20-39, Elijah at Mount Carmel

Monday, 1 Kings 17:1-7, Elijah Predicts a Drought

Tuesday, 1 Kings 18:1-19, Elijah’s Message to Ahab

Wednesday, 1 Kings 18:41-46, The Drought Ends

Thursday, 1 Kings 19:1-10, Elijah Flees from Jezebel

Friday, 1 Kings 19:11-18, Elijah Meets God at Horeb

Saturday, 2 Kings 9:30-37, Jezebel’s Violent Death

• Discuss the journey of Elijah as it relates to Ahab and Jezebel. When did he trust God? When did he falter in his trust?
• What things does your community idolize that might distract you from worshiping God?
• Do you think God still responds to people today the way God responded to Elijah? Why or why not?

Do: Volunteer to clean your church’s altar, pulpit pews, or other furniture in your sanctuary, or ask where in our ministry your help is needed.

Bless: May God hear your every word and respond with power and justice. Amen.

The letter to the Hebrews  declares:  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,^* and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”   Hebrews 12:1-2

This Sunday we pause to give thanks for all of those who have witnessed to that faith, and pointed us to Jesus.  We ask all who attend to bring a picture of some person, living or dead, who has helped to encourage their faith.  We also take special time to remember all who have passed away, and all who have been baptized, since last All Saints Day.

Please note special worship schedule for Sunday.

Worship with Holy Communion this weekend:

Saturday – 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday – 8:30 a.m. – Single worship gathering

9:30 a.m.  Annual Meeting of the congregation

(No Sunday School)

Devotions for this week (following the narrative lectionary text)

November 1, 2015                                                                       All Saints’ Day

The generations continue to come and go, as pages in a flipbook. We have heard of David and his son Solomon. The names after Solomon begin to slide out of focus, as do the rulers’ relationships with their God. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, comes to power amid a time of division. Even as his reign begins, he faces a choice of whose advice to heed, and how he should rule.

Read:

Sunday, 1 Kings 12:1-17, The Kingdom Divided

Monday, 1 Kings 12:18-24, Jeroboam Reigns over Israel

Tuesday, 1 Kings 12:25-33, Jeroboam’s Golden Calves

Wednesday, 1 Kings 13:1-34, A Man of God from Judah

Thursday, 1 Kings 14:1-20, Judgment on the House of Jeroboam

Friday, 1 Kings 14:21-31, Rehoboam Reigns over Judah

Saturday, 1 Kings 16:24-34, Ahab Reigns

• What decision did Rehoboam make that divided the kingdom?
• What issues divide your community? How could you work to come together?
• When have you considered straying from your community? What happened? Was the issue resolved? How? How did God’s presence in your life affect the outcome?

Do: By acting on what we learn, we make God’s word come alive. Do the following activity this week.

Find out if your congregation or community has a sister congregation or a sister city. Find out what you can do to foster friendship with your sister community. Do it.

Bless: Close your devotion with a blessing.

May God bring you peace and joy through unity. Amen.

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