Dear Sojourners, Inquirers, Friends, Family members, Seekers, and Newcomers,
Welcome to February. Here's a little bit about February to amaze friends and strangers alike: "The word February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'. The root 'februo' meaning to 'I purify by sacrifice'. As part of the seasonal calendar February is the time of the 'Ice Moon' according to Pagan beliefs, and the period described as the 'Moon of the Dark Red Calf' by Black Elk. February has also been known as 'Sprout-kale' by the Anglo-Saxons in relation to the time the kale and cabbage was edible."
- Mystical WWW
We are coming to the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, in which there is a growing light on who the nature of who Jesus is, both human and divine. In the focus Scripture this week, Mark 1: 29-39, is a story of Jesus healing and preaching, in which a woman is at the heart of the story. Sadly, we do not have her name, only her relationship, and that was as Peter's mother-in-law, reminding us that the Biblical family is not a modern nuclear family. What is important is not only that she was healed by Jesus, but that she then turned around and served others, much like Jesus calls us to serve one another. As biblical scholar Beverly Gaventa reminds us, Perhaps Jesus and this unnamed woman are in a kind of conspiracy to show what Jesus is really about, and the call to wholeness, healing, service, humility. Jesus will later try to get his disciples to understand what it really means to be his disciples: not power, but serving others, serving God.
This coming Sunday, we are going to be meeting at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church from 4-6 pm and engage in an act of serving others as we gather goodies for Valentine Day bags for a local school. Nina Clippard is going to lead all of us on this service project as we re-discover what it means to be Christ's disciple: serving others. The address is 2828 SE Stephens St, Portland, OR 97214. Come in the back door of the church, into Fellowship Hall.
On our schedule this week, there is much going on in Portland and vicinity.
Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, A New Poor People's Campaign. Rev. William Barber of Moral Monday Movement in NC has picked up a project of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Poor People's Campaign. Here's a link to this project. Here's a link for more information: www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.
Tue., Feb. 6, 2018, Ric Tower posted this opportunity to learn more about the connection with homelessness and mental health: Due to a tremendous response to the December Community Listening Session on Mental Health, Multnomah County Commissioner Sharong Meieran is hosting another session that includes a movie screening on Tuesday, February 6. This Movie Screening & Community Listening Session on Mental Health will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the First Floor Boardroom of the Multnomah County Building at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Boulevard. All are welcome to attend and the event is free but seating is limited.
Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, we will be back at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church.
Tue., Feb. 20, 2018, the 16th Annual Faith Labor Breakfast at 7:15 am, St. Andrew's Catholic Church. Email RSVP to aj@jwjpdx.org.