THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Jan. 29, 2023, Fourth Sunday of Epiphany, 4 pm, Rise Church (10445 SW Canterbury Ln., Tigard, OR 97224), or on Zoom. Contact Pastor Brett for 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,
I want to begin with a few words that play off of “Thank you!” Thank you, Community of Pilgrims (CoP) Presbyterian Fellowship for showing up, Sunday after Sunday in this new venture in which we practice the old habit of meeting and eating together, with the Eucharist and a pot-luck supper as part of our gatherings! Thank you for engaging me and each other with new thoughts and ideas about Scripture and theology. Thank you for caring for one another. Thank you for caring for the world in which we live. Thank you for caring for immigrants and refugees who have moved to Portland. Thank you for working with other churches in addressing issues of homelessness and hunger in Portland. Thank you for showing up for protests, doing justice, and causing some “good trouble.” Thank you for letting me visit you in your homes and work places. And thank you for being an example of God’s love in the world today. Thank you!
The Scripture focus this week is Matthew 5:1-12. It is commonly called “The Beatitudes” or “The Blesseds,” because there is a string of the words, “blessed are.” As I read and re-read them, I am reminded how Jesus is setting us apart from some of the people in the world in which we live. Jesus promises us comfort when we are feeling poorly, either figuratively or literally; mourn; are overwhelmed by the sense of being meek in an angry world; and have a hunger for justice and righteousness in a world that has sought another dangerous path. And then there is that call to be peacemakers in the world in which we find ourselves almost constantly at war or confronting civil strife. In the end, Jesus reminds us which side God is on. We just need to be reminded of this truth from time to time, like this upcoming Sunday. Join us this Sunday as we hear and receive this story, again, reminded that, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “we must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”
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Events!
Jan. 29, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Feb. 5, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Feb. 12, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Feb. 19, 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:
God, we are thankful for:
· We are thankful for The Community of Pilgrims;
· Thankful for the new call to La Mesa Presbyterian Church for Brett;
· Celebrating Hazel Fergus Anderson’s second week of life;
· Chuck Stilson out of the hospital;
· Jan Peterson of Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church being out of the hospital;
· Ron Fortlander’s birthday;
· April’s new grandchild;
· Kathy Fukuyama’s son’s wedding in Jan., 2023;
· Laura Faulkner’s new grandchild;
· Roxanne and husband’s upcoming trip to Israel;
Holy One, receive our prayers of concern:
· Marily’s ongoing health crisis;
· Christian’s mom’s move to assisted care;
· Maureen’s health struggle with cancer;
· Gun violence and mass shootings in the US, that they may cease and desist;
· Transgender youth and Drag Queens;
· Voting rights;
· Women’s reproductive rights;
· Climate changes;
· Immigrants and refugees around the world… that they may have a home;
God in your love, receive and attend our prayers. Amen
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Poem
Beatitudes, by Malcolm Guite
We bless you, who have spelt your blessings out,
And set this lovely lantern on a hill
Lightening darkness and dispelling doubt
By lifting for a little while the veil.
For longing is the veil of satisfaction
And grief the veil of future happiness
We glimpse beneath the veil of persecution
The coming kingdom’s overflowing bliss
Oh make us pure of heart and help us see
Amongst the shadows and amidst the mourning
The promised Comforter, alive and free,
The kingdom coming and the Son returning,
That even in this pre-dawn dark we might
At once reveal and revel in your light.
Buen Camino! Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell and Karen Cornwell Fortlander