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Don’t Let Your Hearts Be Troubled[1]

By Pr. Lisa Rygiel

On Friday, July 3, the church commemorates St. Thomas, the Apostle.
John 14:1-7 tells us that Jesus said to the disciples:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”


“Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus consoles his disciples as he speaks to them of his upcoming journey to his Father’s house, a dwelling place being prepared for them to inhabit. However, Thomas and Philip remain anxious. Thomas wonders how he can find this unknown house while Philip asks to be shown the Father to whom it belongs.


We, too, fret about our journey to God and wish to be shown God clearly and irrefutably. Like the disciples, we get tangled up in the pronouns and attributes used to describe God. We wonder where God is in our struggles and if we come to God’s kingdom only upon our deaths, or if we already dwell within it.


However, Jesus, our good guide, promises that we needn’t fear. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” he assures us. “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6-7). Baptized into communion with Jesus, we can trust in his constant company on our faith journey. In such a partnership, we cannot help but arrive at God’s house.
Despite Thomas’ claim that he doesn’t know where he is going, Jesus makes him an apostle. Jesus knows what Thomas doesn’t yet trust—that he has everything he needs to come to God and to help his fellow pilgrims arrive there as well.


Following in the footsteps of Thomas and all the other saints who have gone before us, we too can rest assured. We know God through our baptism, through communion, through worship, through serving one another, and through prayer. We are well on our way to God, and with God’s help, we will make it home.

6th Sunday in Pentecost, July 5

Worship at 10 a.m.

Announcements

  • Fellowship: Join us after worship next Sunday in the Fellowship Hall for our First Sunday Potluck. All are welcome.
  • Wednesday Book Club: Book Club will not meet on July 1. The next session is Wednesday, July 8. You can join at any time, why not consider doing so now.
  • Summer Supper Gatherings: At 5:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each summer month, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall for food and fun. The next evening of food and fun is scheduled for at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Other dates are Aug. 12 and Sept. 9. There is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall for food and activities. If you have questions, please let Julie Wersal or Jo Moss know.
  • Service of the Word: Next Sunday, July 5, we worship using the Service of the Word. Steve Hanson will lead worship and provide the message. Periodically, Zion’s uses the Service of the Word, which derives its pattern from the service of Holy Communion; yet the Eucharist is not shared. 
  • Newsletter: The Zion’s newsletter for July will be emailed shortly. It also can be accessed at org. Printed copies are available in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.
  • Time of Prayer and Coffee: We are invited to join our siblings in Christ from the Methodist church for a time of prayer and coffee at 10:30 a.m. each Thursday at Kangaroo Coffee -in the Marketplace on Commercial Street.
  • Annual Garage Sale: The annual Zion’s Garage Sale will be Saturday, Aug. 1. If you have items to donate, please let Julie Wersal know. We will begin accepting drop offs beginning July 24. Remember that, while Zion’s can accept most items for the sale, we cannot take electronic or computer items and we do not accept clothing and shoes.
  • We’re Here for You: For pastoral care, call Zion’s at 719-846-7785 or send an email: zionsluth@gmail.com.

E-formation
Our Sundays of assembly around the table continue to hear honest words from Matthew and Reformation theology from Paul. For citizens of the United States, this week includes Independence Day, which celebrates a worldview quite different from that presented in the readings.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
This beloved passage, “Come to me, and I will give you rest,” contrasts with the earlier sentence, that Christians are indeed wearing the yoke of Christ. Some Christians have found such biblical passages about the Father’s enigmatic will as fundamental to their faith.

Zechariah 9:9-12
Year A has already heard from this passage in the processional gospel for Passion/Palm Sunday, since Matthew cites this prophecy of a king arriving in Jerusalem on a donkey as fulfilled in Jesus. On this Sunday, the passage says that only the true king will bring peace. Thus the passage is linked with Jesus’ promise of rest.

Romans 7:15-25a
Usually in Paul the Greek word translated as “you” is plural, but in this section, Paul admits to the personal daily struggle of the baptized life. Aware of this “war” within our very selves, we gladly come to the gospel’s word of rest in Christ.

 

[1] Day Resources - Sundays and Seasons

 

Zion's Lutheran Church
zionsluth@gmail.com
719-846-7785