eNews for Thursday, February 4, 2021
A Call to Unity
By Conference Minister Rev. Shari Prestemon
Unity.
Ever since President Biden implored the nation to join him in seeking it in his inaugural address on January 20, it is the new “buzz word.” Ironically, “unity” and what it looks like has now itself become a point of disagreement, among politicians and in wider conversation. We can’t even seem to agree on what unity means or what it requires of us! In other words, there doesn’t seem to be much progress on the unity front.
President Biden knew his call for unity was both an imperative and a gigantic leap. He spoke the words against the backdrop of our nation’s Capitol, where just two weeks prior a mob had violently stormed the doors, terrifying those inside and leaving five people dead. That day was unimaginable to most of us, but as stunning as it was it should not have been entirely a surprise. The deep cultural, political, and religious divides in our country have become increasingly more entrenched and stark for years.
I don’t know how or if politicians, either in Washington, D.C. or even here in Minnesota, will find a path to anything resembling unity. What I do know is that a call to unity is something people of faith cannot simply dismiss.
The Epistles of our sacred scriptures are full of language calling the earliest Christians to a new kind of relationship. Those letters were written to communities equally divided by bitter disagreement and strife. They argued about who was welcome and who was not, struggled with what the culture would permit and what it forbade, and disagreed about what defined “truth” in their time. (Sound familiar?) And yet Paul and others who wrote the letters consistently reminded those communities that Christ’s bold, saving love had “broken down the dividing wall, that is the hostility between us” (Ephesians 2:14) and appealed to believers to be “united in the same mind and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Read Rev. Prestemon's full blog post
Second Hour Presentation
Sunday, February 14 | 11:15 am
After worship on Sunday, February 14, join Denny Falk, Bob MacLean, and Deb DeVaney for a Second Hour presentation on two large projects that have been underway the past few months: Masonry construction in the Sanctuary, and the new audio-visual Production Booth.
The hosts will share the progress on these projects as well as answer questions. Video of the Zoom meeting will be posted to YouTube for those who can't join in.
Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82669974841?pwd=NmljUEk0MWtydjQ4cG14cTlHUlpPQT09
Meeting ID: 826 6997 4841
Passcode: 337231
Blessing Box
From Congdon Creek Preschool
The kids have been helping to keep our Blessing Box well supplied!
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.
This Sunday we will share Holy Communion in morning worship. Those who bless and receive the sacrament at home, please prepare a slice or roll of bread, a corn tortilla, naan, or rice cake and a cup of juice—perhaps grape or cranberry—or wine, with or without alcohol.
This Sunday's scripture readings:
- Mark 1:29-39
Special thanks:
- Steve Cushing, for reading
- Jane and Sarah Killough, for sharing their 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.