Announcements and E-Formation for the Week of February 13, 2022
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Happy Valentines Day! I have a confession -- I have never really liked this holiday. Well, I probably did like it when I was a kid and we made boxes to collect all our classmates' Valentines and stuffed ourselves with candy. But once I 'grew up' (whenever that happened! ha! ha!) I think I felt pressure to 'be' or 'have' a certain kind of Valentine's Day. Expectations!
That's what I am sharing... expectations that I would find the perfect card, make or enjoy the perfect dinner, with the perfect person...What a set up right?!!
But, I realized that this year, I am loving Valentine's Day. I am so grateful for so many people whom I love so why not have a day specifically set aside to remind myself to tell them? Why not have a day to reflect on how much I love and am loved? Why not tell people I meet in my medical office they are loved and talk about the love in their lives? Why not be loving to strangers at Safeway or to those I talk to on the phone today? Why not just send love out into the world? My word for 2022 is love, fierce love actually, so of course today is a wonderful opportunity to give and receive love but when I/we get hung up on it being romantic love, the beauty of the day can be mired...
So I hope you'll join me in sharing LOVE to everyone and everywhere today and this week. Let's celebrate all week — be intentional about loving others all week long. Let's have a Valentine's week!
And, two scriptures that I think are great to focus us on loving are 1Cor 13, the Love chapter that we read in church three weeks ago, and 1John 4. Say them, sing them, read them, hum them today and this week. And then when we see each other again, let's share whether we noticed that our sharing of love changed us and those around us.
Have a great day and week loving followers of Jesus! Blessings!
Joyfully,
Pastor Andrea.
1 Cor 13: 4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends. ... 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
1 John 4: 7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ...11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
This week (other meetings/gatherings will be taking place as well but here are some things to note):
- Tuesday, Feb 15th Deadline for submissions for our March newsletter
- Friday, Feb 18th at 9:30 am Women's Bible Study on "The Sermon on the Mount" by Amy-Jill Levine. Join us in person downstairs of the Fellowship Hall or by zoom. Questions- contact Carol Smith. We shall be discussing chapter 2 of the book - (Matthew 5: 13-48).Join by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83136424723?pwd=TkxsQVllMmo2bVlSekN0dGZqbzF1Zz09 or phone in by dialing 1-312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 831 3642 4723 Passcode: 865505
- Sunday, February 20th
- 8:30 am Sunday morning Bible study on miracles led by Jeff Smith. This is session #5 of the new study using Lee Strobel's book "The Miracle Answer Book." Come in person or join via ZOOM https://us02web.zoom.us/j/907628370?pwd=eFVCTEVhb0xqMXcxY2xaUG5JMUZEdz09
Or Dial 1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 907 628 370 Passcode: 332397. Contact Jeff Smith if you would like the handouts from last week. - 10 am Worship with Holy Communion Join us, either in person OR via ZOOM ('hybrid' worship). If you will be worshiping via zoom, log on or call in using these links: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/91739214242?pwd=b1QrZzk0QzBtM1RXZnZuaVFVMDNmZz09 OR Dial +1 301 715 8592 Meeting ID: 917 3921 4242. Password: 731771. For those of you who will be worshiping in person, masks will be required indoors. Please bring your own, thanks!
- Worship leaders: Pastor Andrea Doeden; Assistant: Lisa Rygiel; Organist: Connie Pallone; Ushering: Joni Jones and Pat Fletcher ; Reading: TBD ; Communion prep/cleanup: Hailey Bearden and Carol Smith
- Flowers are from Becky McNeil for her parents wedding anniversary
- Fellowship after worship (approximately 11:10 a.m.) in the Fellowship Hall. Gather after worship for wonderful conversation!
- Bread & Belonging is our high school/college ministry that gathers each Sunday night from 6-8pm in the lower level of the fellowship hall. This week's topic is stump the pastor!
Prayer List: Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
In prayer, we ask in His name: Comfort for those in mourning, including family and friends of: Dr. Mark Jacobson; Brent Kapling (Carol Schulkump's nephew); Mary Lee Lewis, whose son died in auto accident; Dave Barr (wife Elaine is member of Chorale); Max Phillips (friend of Mark and Jo Moss).
We pray for and surround with God's protection the military and civilians around the world in harm's way — especially those in the Emirates, Afghanistan, and Ukraine; and first responders in our country. We lift up leaders in our community, our country, and in the world that peace may prevail and wise decisions be made.
We also pray for Dave Shier and family (Dave is missing); Tricia (John Rygiel's sister — back injury); Lisa for employment; Julie Wersal (back surgery); Erin's son, Woody; Carter Sanchez McDonald (1-month-old — open heart surgery); Pete Gimmer; Allison Dearman; Ann Rasmussen; Floyd & Margaret Gumke; Vicki Rienks; AC (Doris' uncle); Jill Wilson; Michelle Ramirez; Gregory Weida; Cindy Rodriguez; Dale Krueger; Mike Blackmore; Cora Warrick & son Tyler; Carol Schulzkump, her son Kris and daughter-in-law Ana; JoAnn's sister Beth; Steve Karspeck's sister-in-law Deena; Wilmae & Sherry Gartside; Lisa Rygiel's parents; Loren Eigenburg; and the Sandstead family.
We surround with prayers those battling cancer, including Joe; Ray; Anna Marie; Polly (Ruthie's friend); Jeanine Tapia; Rick Barian (Lynn's friend); Rick Spaulding (Paula's brother-in-law); Gary Miller; Marci Guard; Lynn's brother Kenny; Nancy Wilhelm (Ernie & Sharon's family member); Linda Bounds; Jo Moss' cousin Virginia; Linda Theige's brother-in-law Pastor Bob; and Francis Baldwin (friend of Mark & Jo Moss). We also pray for those affected by COVID, including the Maucione family; Nye family; and Melissa Lucero (cleans our facility and teaches at Head Start).
Our prayers continue for Wal-reat (missionary in Sudan we support financially through Global Missions); The Way ministry; ACTS ministry; and the prison congregation New Beginnings and Pastor Schjang.
Other announcements/dates to put on your calendar:
- Yesterday's worship service can be viewed by following this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/zMcAdTsur2QdntiMPuzU5LZWJQGbMdrDactURVSLWmQvjlvP29KR0IPx7xZjWK4l.VYEEKyM7IClCmhGi (Passcode: 4SLX&.3@)
- Thank you Zion's for your collection of SOUP and dollars for Fisher's Peak Soup Kitchen on SOUPER BOWL Sunday. We love our neighbors in tangible ways that make a difference!
- Mark your calendar for next weekend's FIVE LOAVES feeding ministry. Feb 26th. We deliver on Saturday and always need volunteers.
- The flower ministry continues to bless our worship as well as those who receive the flowers after church. Lynn Chase has put the new 2022 calendar in the back of the sanctuary. Please sign up to sponsor the flowers in our new year.
- Prayer Shawl Ministry: Are you interested in knitting one/some to share? Joni Jones has knit most of ours and I'm sure would welcome help. We have both knitting and crocheting patterns. It's a great activity while watching the Olympics ;-)
Notes from our Congregational President
Zion's Lutheran Church Council met after worship on Sunday, Feb. 13. All reports were reviewed and accepted. Income for the month of January was $6,668 with $1,037 collected to donate to New Beginnings Prison Ministry and those impacted by the wildfires in Boulder County. Expenses were $12,485 with $2,950 being paid out for special and glocal offerings.
The Board of Trustees will be meeting this week with a representative from Fidelity Investments and will report to the church council on their findings and recommendations. Average attendance (in-person) was 28 with many others attending services on Zoom in January.
Officer elections were held and Jeff Smith was elected Trust Fund Officer, Carol Schulzkump was elected Treasurer, Joni Jones was elected Financial Secretary, Peggy Gustafson was elected Secretary, Lisa Rygiel was elected Vice-President and Julie Wersal was elected President. At-large members of church council are Norine Hazen, Mark Nelson and Vicki Rienks.
The annual meeting was held on Feb. 6. If anyone would like a report packet please let Julie know. We applied for a grant from Las Animas County to go towards our 5 Loaves food ministry and are waiting for the results. Council discussed plans and ideas with Pastor Andrea on how to make our church more inclusive and welcoming.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Wersal
E-formation
The first reading from Genesis on this coming Sunday describes how Joseph forgave his brothers their cruel misdeeds, and the gospel urges us to love our enemies. Come to worship, and receive the Spirit’s power to live in this countercultural way.
The Readings in the Bible:
Luke’s Sermon on the Plain urges a radical ethical generosity and extraordinary patterns of forgiveness, in the hope that believers replicate the attitudes of Jesus. Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount and, perhaps ten years later, Luke’s Sermon on the Plain provide somewhat different versions of their common source. For example, Matthew’s “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:48) is in Luke “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (6:36). Recall that Luke’s account of the crucifixion (23:34), not Matthew’s, includes Jesus forgiving the soldiers. The rhetoric of 6:38 demonstrates what a masterful writer Luke was.
Genesis 37–50, a distinct literary unit, narrates the Joseph saga. Preserved by both the J and E traditions, the story resembles Wisdom literature by honoring a wise man who serves God faithfully. The picture of life and customs in Egypt during the Hyksos period (1720–1550 bce) is accurate, although the historicity of the Joseph saga is debated. This passage begins the reconciliation among the brothers and for the first time in the story articulates a theology of divine care. For the believing monotheist, even the evil of the brothers and the decision of the Pharaoh are seen as effected by God.
This passage in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is our earliest extant Christian discussion of the resurrection. Participating in first-century Jewish speculation about the form of the resurrection of the dead, Paul likens the dead body to a buried seed, to which God will give a form appropriate to its situation. Paul shows his formation in the Greco-Roman world by his preference for spirit over body. In the Septuagint of Gen. 2:7, God makes Adam a psychikon; Adam as the model of the physical body will be replaced by Christ, the model of the spiritual body. Psychikon will become pneumatikon.
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