THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost. On Zoom or at Rise Church,10445 SW Canterbury Ln, Tigard, OR 97224. Contact me if you need a Zoom link. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com.
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Dear Community of Pilgrims,
This Sunday, Oct. 30, is Reformation Sunday! On this day, we remember our “roots,” as it were, for our theological commitments. Our forebears, like Martin Luther and John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli and Jan Hus, provided the framework of our theological commitments today, as well as our model of governance. We believe that the people of God, as a body, can lead congregations, largely democratic means, thanks in large part to the Holy Spirit who is embedded deep into the individual members of the body of Christ.
The Scriptural focus this week is Luke 19:1-10, the story of the rich tax-collector, Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was like everyone else in those days, interested in the latest “fad” at the moment, which was everything “Jesus.” When Jesus was nearby, Zacchaeus wanted to at least get a look at the phenomenon once in his life. He wasn’t expecting to be, a) called out, or b) have Jesus inviting himself to dinner at his own home. That wasn’t on his agenda for the day. But it was on the eternal agenda of Jesus. After all, Jesus said that he was sent to find such people like Zacchaeus, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (19:10). God knows that Zacchaeus had lost his way as a tax-collector, siding with Jewish and Roman authorities, and pocketing some money himself, building himself quite a “lifestyle,” while losing sight of what matters most in life: loving God and loving neighbor. Join us this week as we both celebrate Reformation Sunday and the life of Zacchaeus.
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Events!
Oct. 30, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Nov. 4, 5, Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Cascades.
Nov. 6, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Nov. 13, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Nov. 20, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
We pray to the Creator of all creation:
Thanksgiving for
· The gift of two weeks on a honeymoon and being able to come back safe and sound.
· Rain, but sad for darker and wetter days coming.
· Home Plate's open house November 1st at 4:30.
· Visits with family and friends, good conversations, and opportunities to get to know one another better.
· Sharing within our Community of Pilgrims.
· Karen for leading our services for the last two weeks.
· Sue and Jo Ann's birthdays this month. Sue turns 99.
· Our beautiful friend Linda Fuqua-Anderson.
Concerns for
· Jim and Mary Rose both in isolated conditions.
· Marily Quesenal who is back in the hospital for 3-8 weeks to treat a hole in her esophagus.
· The family of Jim Philipson who recently passed away. Prayers for his wife Bonnie Parr Philipson and his daughters.
· The family of Connie Humphries who recently passed away.
· Traveling mercies for Debra who will be traveling to Utah and for Kathy and family who will be traveling to Japan.
· Roberta and Randy who both have COVID.
· Parts of the world where COVID and other diseases are not treated and are wide-spread.
· Candidates who represent the best interests of their constituents will be elected in upcoming elections.
· Safety and fairness for transgender individuals.
· The effects of global climate change on our world
· Threats to voting rights.
· The city streets of Portland.
· Parts of the world with leaders who are pushing war and discontent, including Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, Myanmar, Brazil, Syria, Sudan, and China.
· Iranian women's freedom.
God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen
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Poem
A Mighty Fortress, by Marjorie Maddox
And maybe it was a bar tune,
Maybe not, but there we were, hunched
over too-small desks in History 101,
all ninety-five freshmen humming—
by need not desire—every note, every verse
of Luther’s best-loved hymn, Our helper He…
the right man on our side as we scribbled,
hands almost numb, the body they may kill –
his theology of lyrics, our theology –
from age to age the same for the final question
the spirit and the gifts are ours of the final exam,
and we would win the battle, our hearts pumping
with belief, our throats thumping with crescendo:
one little word would never fell us.
Buen Camino! Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell and Karen Cornwell Fortlander