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From Pastor Jay "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation..." Dr. King began, and then shifted to, "...But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." Sometimes that is the way that we feel about our Christian lives in the midst of the pain and suffering of this world. It is as if we say, "Two thousand years ago, a great Jewish rabbi, the very Son of God, in whose shadow we stand today, died on a cross and rose from a tomb..." But then we shift to, "But two thousand years later, the sinner is still not free. Two thousand years later, the life of the sinner is still crippled by the manacles of wrong doing, and the chains of inactivity - sins of commission and omission." After a particularly emotionally hard day dealing with sins and the effects of sins as they hurt people of this congregation, I texted to Liz, "I'm worn out. There is so much hurt. I hate sin." We don't need to look very far to find sin and the effect of sin in our lives. We don't need to look beyond our own lives. We don't need to look beyond the lives of our brothers and sisters in this congregation. The Knickerbockers, Culps, Freemans, Dances, and others are hurting after losing a loved one to death. Others in our community are dealing with the pain of knowing someone suffering from sickness. Others in our community are dealing with lost relationships and divorces. Still others yet are trying to deal with pain in their lives by themselves, trying to keep their pain a secret. Yet in the midst of this pain the words of Isaiah 61 ring as true and clear as Dr. King's address rang. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted." As we remember emancipation and freedom this weekend, let us remember the freedom that Jesus paid for on the cross. As we remember our hurt, let us remember His consolation. As we are reminded of equality, let us fix our minds on the equality of all believers who are both sinners and saints, who are burdened by sin but who are promised life eternal in Christ. Let us look to the realization of Isaiah 61 in the midst of this world. Let us look to renewal, to God's justice, to His grace, and to His binding up of our souls today and in the Resurrection. That is our dream. That is our hope. May it be evermore realized in our lives today. In Christ, Pastor Jay Clear
Your Calendars! New and
Important
Calendar Items! January 17th - Memorial Service for Betty Knickerbocker - 10am Please join us as we mourn with those who mourn and proclaim the hope and assurance that we have for Betty and ourselves because of Jesus Christ. January 18th - The Second Sunday of Epiphany
We will meet after church next Sunday. Please have "Simple Church" read and have your surveys filled out in time for this meeting. Spring Break in New Orleans! - "Out of the Ashes" Spring Break may seem like it's far away, but it's just around the corner. This Spring Break (March 8-14) we will be leaving Tallahassee and working at Camp Restore in New Orleans, LA. The theme for this service retreat will be "Out of the Ashes" as we will be considering how our lives come out of the ashes of Ash Wednesday, and focusing on helping New Orleans come out of the ashes of disaster. For more information visit our facebook event or contact Pastor Jay. Strategic Leadership Team - Please Complete the Survey The Strategic Leadership Team will be meeting on January 25th, after church. Before we meet, I would like to have tabulated the results from our survey. Please fill out the paper copy and hand it in to me, or complete the online copy. If you don't have the link, contact Pastor Jay. This Week's
"Pastor's Challenge" Send
a Card Consider sending a
card or celebrating with the following people in some way this week:
Good
Stuff
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University
Refreshments
Are you sure you read your Bible this week? Then answer this question: What did the 12 men in Ephesus say when
Paul asked if they had received the Holy Spirit?
Forget Your Checkbook
Last Sunday?a.) We did, and we have been healing our brothers b.) We did, thanks be to God c.) We have not been counted as worthy for this gift. d.) We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit See below, under "Visit us on the web" for the answer. Send in your offering via University Lutheran's web site. Prayer List (Please consider including the following in your
prayer life this week) Deborah Pryor and her whole family dealing with illness and strife. Steven and all his friends and family as Steven wrestles with cancer. Chris Hahn, recovering from bone marrow transplant. Randy who was burned severely and is receiving skin graphs. Lucy Lueck who is hospitalized and recently underwent a procedure. Sylvia Culp who has pneumonia. The friends and family of Leonard who passed away this past Christmas season. Bonnie who is recovering Jill who is receiving radiation treatments Thanksgiving for a new year of ministry at University Lutheran Safe travel for all those traveling over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend For those who mourn the loss of children at Hartsfeld Elementary and Chiles High School For all those who have inadvertently taken a life For all of those dealing with the legal process For our president-elect and all those elected to public offices, that they may rule with the wisdom that God provides them ...and that our prayers may be joined with the prayers of all God's saints here on earth. Weekly
Events Sunday @ 10:15am - Choir Sunday @ 11am -
WORSHIP Wednesday @ 6:30pm
- Dinner at ULC Wednesday @ 7pm
- Click
here for ULC's Calendar of Events Email
Links: Get This
In Your Email Box! LutherNOLE T-Shirts Peer
Minister Corner No meeting this week. Your Peer
Ministers are Adam
Douthwaite, Randee
Garrett,
and Crystal
Berner.
Last
Sunday In Perspective
Do you have a special event, concert, game, birthday, Something to say? Email the Editor Visit us on the web ULC Web Site ULC Calendar ULC E-News Archives Bible Trivia Answer The correct
answer is "d", the 12 men had only received John's baptism, one of
repentance. They had not been baptized in the Christian manner
yet, which gives the Holy Spirit. Click here to
read
or listen to Acts 19.
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"A Jesus-Centered Community of Scripture, Faith, and Grace"
925 W. Jefferson St.
Tallahassee, FL 32304
850 224 6059
pastor@universitylutheranchurch.org