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From Pastor Jay If you do a little searching, you'll find stories about the first video evidence of these hostages actually being alive. That was in November. They had been held for much longer, for about five and a half years. That was 2003, the year Martha Stewart was indicted for fraud. It was the year I entered the seminary. Can you imagine what it would be like to be the prisoner of a foreign rebel army dragging you around from place to place? If you can imagine that imprisonment lasting for 5 days. Imagine it lasting 5 months. If you dare, try to imagine it lasting for 5 years. At the end of the Old Testament lesson for this past Sunday (Zechariah 9:9-12), the prophet Zechariah has an important but perplexing message for people of Israel: "Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double." Imagine telling those 4 people that they should "return to their stronghold," the prison from which they escaped. It wouldn't be pleasant news. Even the mention of the word "prison" probably makes every one of those people shake. It probably made the people of Israel shake. They knew what it meant to be imprisoned and dragged around by a foreign army. That had been their most recent history, living out exile after exile. What kind of exiles and imprisonments are in your past? What kinds of things make you shudder? What have you been rescued from? I know someone who has just been released from the fear of something being seriously wrong with his heart. He has been released from that, but it still makes him shake. "Heart-attack" is a powerful word for him. It is often with those words that God speaks most clearly to us about His Gospel, through paradox. Just as He framed a "rescue" using the word "prison" in Zechariah - He at times frames our salvation in interesting ways in our lives. He comes to us and pronounces a "heart attack of pure life," a "failure that results in salvation," a "weakness that is our power." He pronounces it specifically with His Son. He sets us to be paradoxical "prisoners of hope" through a tool of death that gave us life. He pronounces our imprisonment of hope, our heart attack of pure life, our failure that results in salvation, and our weakness that is our power with His Son's cross. May we always be prisoners of that cross and the One who died upon it. In Christ, Pastor Jay Clear
Your Calendars! New and
Important
Calendar Items! July 12th - Dog Wash For Humane Society Join us Saturday morning as we help the Humane Society of Tallahassee by washing and grooming dogs. Contact Peer Minister Randee for more information. We will meet at ULC at 9:30am and will be gone until 2pm at the latest. July 13th - Council Meeting Council Members, please clear your schedules for this coming Sunday. We will meet from 12:15pm to 1:15pm as usual. July 20th - Potluck for University Lutheran (for putting up with Pastor Jay for a year) See below under "Potluck for PJ's Ordination Anniversary" Formation Class Available "Formation" is
University Lutheran's class which seeks to teach and refresh people in
the teachings of Bible and the Lutheran faith. It begins with the
text of Martin Luther's Small Catechism and seeks to "form" a Christian
life through what we are given in Scripture. If you feel like you
would like to learn more or if you would like a "refresher course",
please email
Pastor Jay for more information.
Annette
Dohrman laid to rest Potluck for PJ's Ordination Anniversary University Lutheran is providing the meat for the potluck. Please consider signing up for one of the following categories of food:
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Forget Your Checkbook Last Sunday? Send in your offering via University Lutheran's web site. Prayer List (Please consider including the following in your
prayer life this week) All those dealing with extreme stresses in their lives, that God might make apparent how He will use the pains in our lives for His good. Friends and family of Annette Dohrman. They will be gathering this Saturday for a memorial service for Annette. Thanksgiving for our freedom in this nation, and continued supplication for those nations where freedom is not attainable by most people. Thanksgiving and continued protection for all soldiers who strive to defend this country. Lawrence Dance who may possibly have to return to the Persian Gulf as a soldier. Noah Valenstein and Jennifer Barnhill who are studying for the bar exams. Peace and comfort for Bernita and the Mack family. All those taking summer classes, especially freshmen who are beginning their academic careers this summer. Doug Rogers, grandfather of Jordan Snyder, who is currently hospitalized. Lillian, grandmother of Sherri Nienass. Lillian broke her nose falling. Jenna Kandzer who is recovering from being sick. Both grandfathers of Randee Garrett who are going through a time of hardship with medical issues. James Allen and the Spodoh family, friends of Brenda Weisgand. ...and that our prayers may be joined with the prayers of all God's saints here on earth. Weekly
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