Lent is going by quickly. Making effort and time for fasting, charity, and prayer? We hope to see you Sunday as we encourage each other, worship, and hear God’s word to help us with our Lenten journey.
Please take the time to read the articles and information in this week’s “GOOD NEWS” including clicking on our prayer list and pray for the requests there. Feel free to forward this newsletter to a family member or friend, or share it on your facebook page or twitter by using the “like” and “share” icons at the top of the page.
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This weeks readings and question of the week:
Take time to mediate on God’s word and prepare for worship this Sunday. And as you meditate on them, consider the Question of the Week:
To whom have I behaved like the parable’s elder son? How? To whom will I behave like our forgiving, welcoming, and reconciling God? How?
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ’s death and resurrection represent God’s victory over all the powers that stand between humanity and God. God is reconciling the world. Through Christ, God has defeated the reign of sin. Thus, humanity no longer has to be enslaved to sin’s power (see also Romans 5). Rather, as Paul says in Romans 5:10, “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” As a recipient of God’s acts of reconciliation, Paul is committed to being an ambassador of this new age (5:20).
Being reconciled to God indicates that God’s Holy Spirit is at work to sanctify the reconciled into vessels of God’s righteousness. It is amazing that Paul can say to this church in Corinth, a church that has bickered with him and challenged him, that God is powerful enough not only to reconcile them to Godself, but also to transform them into “the righteousness of God.”
God’s righteousness is on the loose. God’s kingdom has dawned. There are glimpses of God’s new creation even in the struggling church at Corinth. God’s power to rectify simply cannot be contained. For a world held captive to all manifestations of sin’s power — to fear, anxiety, social injustices, war, starvation, and exploitation — this is good news, indeed.
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New Vestments donated to All Souls
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The parish community of All Souls expresses grateful appreciation for the new vestment set donated to All Souls. The vestment is in memory of Linda Lee Chambers (9/4/46 – 2/29/1976) commemorating the 40th Anniversary of her death donated by her son,
Scott Chambers and his partner, Edward Kimmel.
Thank you Scott and Eddie for your kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity to All Souls!
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Saturday, March 12 – 6:00 pm – Pine Room
Everyone’s Irish! Well, maybe not – but we can have fun with our “POT LUCK OF THE IRISH” in celebration of St. Patty’s Day!
Bring your favorite Irish dish or desert – or just something green and delicious to share with your All Souls Family.
We hope you can join us! Mark it in your calendar today!
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Special Lenten Charity Offering
As mentioned in Henry’s “Lenten Pastoral Letter” – we will be collecting a special Lenten offering. We encourage you to set your extra change aside during the 40 days of Lent. We will collect the change at the end of Lent and use this for some of our special outreach missions like Opportunity House; Family First; etc.
We do have special plastic containers that you can use – just pick them up at this Sunday’s service if you did not get it last week or at the Ash Wednesday service.
A stone,
no feelings
no heart
no shame
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
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NEW ROTAS – NEW VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! FINDING YOUR MINISTRY
At All Souls, we are ALL MINISTERS! We welcome everyone to participate in the ministry of all Souls. Besides our periodic outreach ministry opportunities – we also have ways you can be part of our ministry each week.
If you can come early, we need help setting up each Sunday or clean up after the service. Hospitality, reading scriptures, greeting, sharing musical talent, helping with children education, and even helping provide rides for individuals or families that need a ride to or from the church. You don’t have to do these things every week – but even if you volunteer once or twice a week – that would be great!
We will also be doing a training course for those wanting to explore being a Lay Assistant later this spring.
You can click on the ROTA links to the left to see where we have current openings for various Sundays. Or talk to Ben Renkus or any board member about how you can get more involved in the ministry of All Souls. |
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