eNews for Thursday, March 18, 2021
I Sing a Song of the Saints of God
by Lillian Daniel | published on Mar 17, 2021
Show me your ways, Lord, and teach me your paths.—Psalm 25:4 (NIV)
“I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true,” I sang in my loudest little kid voice. Then I mumble-sang the verses about martyrs dying for the Lord, but I belted back on this chorus: “And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green; they were all of them saints of God, and I mean…” God would help me to be one too!
Statistically speaking, those three jobs would not turn out to be particularly predictive for the average working person of my generation. Nor were the job openings in the next verse: “And one was a solider and one was a priest and one was slain by a fierce wild beast.” But in the third grade, this saintly career fair represented a thrilling set of vocational options.
While I had no desire to be eaten by a tiger, even for the Lord, I still recall the thrilling twitches of energy in my lower belly when I considered the outfits associated with being a shepherdess, a queen or a priest. All three were saints of God and all three got to wear fabulous dresses to work. Where could I meet such people? According to the hymn, I could meet them “in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea.”
But I was not a sailor. Nor was I invited to many tea parties, other than in my own imagination. Regrettably, I didn’t yet know that the lanes in the hymn were English country paths, not bowling alleys, so I wasted a fair amount of time in that regard. As for grade school, there were no shepherdesses there, just a few fierce wild beasts.
So church was where I found my saints: the choir members, cat lovers, union organizers and chefs, the protesters, soup stirrers, nurses and vets, the wonderful saints who opened my eyes to see Jesus’ love behind this surprise.
Prayer
“For the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.” Amen. (Lesbia Scott, “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God”)
Easter Flowers
We will be decorating the Sanctuary with lilies and various other flowers this year—get in touch with the office if you'd like to purchase Easter flowers in the name or memory of a friend or loved one. Lilies are $15, and other blooming plants will be $19. We'll have Chrysanthemum, Kallanchos, and Cyclamens available. Thank you!
Sanctuary Update
The sound equipment is going in. Our consultant Don Schraufnagel points out how fortunate we are that our power is reading a steady 125 volts!
The chancel is nearly ready for Easter
From the Stewardship Ministry Committee
We have received a number of pledge cards back from Pilgrim’s supporters. We are thankful for those that have responded to our stewardship campaign appeal.
However, there are still many others that we have not heard from. Dedication Sunday is a week from this Sunday. It would be wonderful to dedicate everyone’s gift at that time. If you haven’t responded yet, please do so in the next week.
Always remember, God loves a joyful and generous giver.
Thank you!
Your Help Is Needed—Easter Stones
View the announcement on YouTube!
How are you going to decorate your Easter Stone?
The youth of Pilgrim have an amazing vision of a collection of decorated stones created by Pilgrims young and old. Everyone is invited! The stones may be decorated any way you wish with a drawing, abstract art, message… The stones will be incorporated into the liturgy for Palm Sunday as well as Easter. Watch for it!
You can participate by:
- Bring decorated stones to Pilgrim sometime before Sunday April 28 at 2:00 pm and place then in the portico outside the front steps in the container marked Easter Stones.
- Stop by Pilgrim on Saturday, March 27, between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm or Sunday, March 28, between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and use the supplies found outside in the portico. Everything will be provided—stones, paint, paint brushes and clean up supplies. Leave your decorated stones at church.
- Call the church and we will make arrangements to bring the supplies to you: (218) 724‑8503
Lenten Family Toolkit
From the Minnesota Conference, this weekly Lenten toolkit provides content for home and community practice from Ash Wednesday (February 17) through Palm Sunday (March 28). Check out the thoughtfully focused and curated video reflections, spiritual practices, readings, creative/art activities, games, community service projects, justice and advocacy opportunities, and more.
Week four is on the theme of Practicing Repentance.
The Spiritual Discipline of Giving
From Stewardship Ministry
“On the first day of each week, each of you is to put something aside…” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). We receive much joy from giving. Through the discipline of faithful giving, we give witness to our relationship with the Lord. In our giving, we acknowledge Who God is and what he has done for us.
Giving requires discipline. Discipline is the key for success in every area of life. God’s people become more faithful in their giving through spiritual discipline. With God’s help, we can develop a discipline of systematic giving. Putting God first in the managing and giving of our money is a part of the stewardship journey of faith.
In practicing the spiritual discipline of giving, we learn to make giving a priority. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Money goes to what we love most or, in Matthew’s words, to where our hearts are. By making out the first check to the Lord’s work, we affirm that Jesus is our treasure. Our gifts represent our love and gratitude to him. We also learn to give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), not begrudging the offerings we bring to the Lord. We learn to be faithful in our giving, making it a priority, and providing consistency in our stewardship lifestyle (1 Corinthians 16:2). By giving our money, we break the grip that money can have on us, freeing us to be devoted, instead, to our Lord.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, forgive me when I’ve not given faithfully. Grant me a giving spirit. Amen.
Pilgrim Women's Book Club
Monday, April 12 | 4:00 pm
Our book selection for April is The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. It's a "comedy novel which depicts the life of the abolitionist John Brown." The book won the 2013 National Book Award. It's been described as a "riveting story which will make you laugh and think."
Since this is a Book Club in a Bag selection, we have additional copies available. If you would like a copy to read, email Carol Bacig and she'll get a copy to you.
Meeting ID: 856 8820 1294
Passcode: 260291
Calling for Volunteers
From the Human Resources Ministry Committee
We are looking for volunteers to serve on various committees at Pilgrim, including:
- Church Council
- Worship & Arts Ministry
- Christian Education Ministry
- Building & Finance Ministry
- Stewardship Ministry
- Human Resources Ministry
If you're curious about serving on a committe, please get in touch with Steve Therrien at paddldog@centurytel.net or (218) 591‑1955
New Website
Pilgrim has a new website! Visit pilgrimduluth.org and check it out. We appreciate your feedback—please get in touch with the office with your thoughts and ideas.
Sunday Worship at Pilgrim
Join us Sunday at 10:00 am for Sunday Worship at Pilgrim. We are recording in our chapel, and doing everything we can to make it as Covid-safe as possible. You can view the service on Pilgrim's YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Salter Hall Zoom: Join us on Zoom for conversation and fellowship every Sunday at 11:00 am.
Meeting ID: 843 9163 0668
Passcode: 912010
This Sunday's scripture readings:
- Jeremiah 31:31-34
- Psalm 51:1-12
- John 12:20-33
Special thanks:
- Mary Anderson, for preaching
- Brian Kapp, for sharing his music
- Our tech team: Deb DeVaney, Christopher Kirby, Jim Drake, Steve Grindy, and Harlan Stech
If you have an announcement that you would like read during a Sunday service, please get it to the office or directly to Pastor Judith by Monday each week.
Please send in your prayer requests to include in Sunday services. Send your prayer requests, joys, and concerns to Pastor Judith via email by Friday each week to be included. We will use only first names during the service in order to maintain confidentiality, and your prayer requests will be passed along to Marge Fraser and Pilgrim's Prayer Chain.
In case you missed it, you can view last Sunday's worship service on YouTube.
YouTube views: 49
Facebook reach: 51