Family of faith members
serving at worship
January 27th, 2008
Worship
Assistants
(If you would like to sign up, please contact Elsa McKinney or send an
email to the
pastor.) Organist Adam Brink
Choir Director Bethany Kiral Communion Setup Elsa McKinney Communion Assistant Myrna Hoover Acolyte Please Sign Up
Usher Paul Hoover Reader Tyler Unger Refreshments The Buenrostros Sound System Bill Lueck
Heath
Ledger and Barbara Kurzweg are two people who have something in
common. They both lived on this earth. They both
sinned. They both loved. They were both children.
They both heard stories about Jesus. Heath Ledger was considered
a heart-throb by teenage girls across the country. Barbara Kurzweg
played the role of heart-throb for Pastor Bernhard Kurzweg.
Today, I went to Barbara's funeral. We talked about how Jesus' light
shone in Barbara's life. We heard about how Jesus in Matthew 5
gives people a light that is impossible to hide - it's like a city on a
hill. Some things are hard to hide, although we try pretty hard.
Last week, our epistle reading from I Corinthians talked about how Paul
was giving thanks for all of the people of Corinth. That was a
pretty amazing statement for Paul to say when you look at the contents
of the rest of the letter. The people of Corinth were a nasty,
devisive, sectarian group that thought too much of itself. They
got drunk on communion wine and left poor people out in the cold.
You wouldn't really call that a Gospel light. It's more like
something you would probably hide from the world.
But Paul says that he gives thanks always for these folks. You
begin to wonder if Paul has the right people. You begin to wonder
if Paul may have had a saintly Barbara Kurzweg in mind, not a Heath
Ledger with questions surrounding his moral life. You almost want
to shake Paul and tell him, "No, no, no...you're supposed to HIDE those
people..."
Paul really did have the Corinthians in mind. He had the Barbara
Kurzwegs in mind. He even had the Heath Ledgers in mind. He
had all of those people in mind because that is who God had in
mind. He knew that for all practical purposes we should be hidden
away as embarassments, but He came just for that reason. When Jesus was
dying on a cross, He had Barbara Kurzweg in mind, and He had Heath
Ledger in mind, and He had you in mind.
And for that reason, like Paul, I give thanks for you, even as the
testimony of Christ is being confirmed among you. You are not
lacking any spiritual gift as we wait for the revealing of
Christ. As the Christ is revealed, your sins are hidden in
His love. His Gospel light shines bright and hides you in the
love of God.
In
Christ,
Pastor Jay
Clear Your Calendars! New and Important
Calendar Items!
January
23rd - Dinner and NOOMA - 5:30pm Join us for free food and a video devotion called a NOOMA.
January
26th - Work Day at
University Lutheran
Join the Peer Ministers and Pastor Jay as we host a work day at ULC,
all are invited!
January 27th - Worship at
University Lutheran
Join us as we worship God on this 3rd Sunday after Epiphany! Come
to our traditional service at 11am, our guitar service at 6pm, or both!
January 27th - Sunday Morning
Bible Study - 10am-10:40am
Join us as we continue to talk about Matthew's Gospel. We will be
discussing Chapters 2 and 3 this coming Sunday.
Feb 1st - Basketball Game with
University Lutheran - 2pm
Help us cheer the 'Noles Basketball team on to victory! 2pm at
the Civic Center!
Vespers Guitar Service This Coming Sunday!
Next Sunday evening (January 27th) will mark the first attempt at a
guitar and other instrument service at University Lutheran. Clear
your schedules and plan on coming. Additionally - we are seeking
volunteers to play instruments, function as ushers and greeters.
The name of the service will be "Vespers," since this is an evening
prayer service. Please contact Pastor
Jay and Adam Douthwaite if you can volunteer yourself or have
questions.
HOPE community, which we serve food at every month, is funded by
your donations. We need $50 per month. Please consider
giving to this cause by putting "HOPE" in the memo of your check when
giving or place cash in an envelope which has "HOPE" written on the
outside.
Missed a sermon?
The
sermon text from last week and a couple extra blog articles can be
found at jWinters.com
Send a Card
Consider sending a card or celebrating with the following people in
some way this week:
Arlen Schwerin - January 24 - Birthday
Sherri Nienass - January 24 - Birthday
Rev. Bernhard Kurzweg - Sympathy - Loss of his wife
Good Stuff
Following
a spiritual path connected to Jesus and the church gets a bad rap
sometimes. But if you thought of going to church as taking a
shower, see how ridiculous some of the usual "church excuses" would
sound...
I was forced to shower as a child.
People who shower are hypocrites, they think they're
cleaner than everyone else.
There are so many kinds of soap that I could never decide
which was right.
I used to take showers, but then it got boring.
I only shower on Christmas and Easter, maybe Mothers' Day.
I really don't have the time to shower.
The bathroom isn't warm/cold enough and isn't painted right.
The people who make soap are only after your money.
I'll shower after I graduate/get the promotion/get
married/have my first child.
University Lutheran Church and
Student Center,
a Jesus Centered Community of Scripture, Faith, and Grace.
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