My brothers and sisters in Christ,
I had a first this week. One of our members asked if I heard this song. I didn’t, but I really liked it. It will be added to our list of musical videos. I probably never said it before, but I do not have to be the one who picks the songs/video before service. Anyone can do it. Just send me the song/video, and I’ll take a look.
Last Saturday, we celebrated the life of Bernice Menne. I have never given a message like this one. I allowed the congregation to help me by sharing memories of Bernice. The ones that were sent in were truly heartfelt. Remember the Stirlings with Tony, Leah, and Nelia? Well, Nelia has a little brother right now. I couldn’t believe Nelia is 10 years old now. She is so full of smiles. They made the trip to help us celebrate her life. The Bruins’ children were also there. They’re not little either. Thank you to all who braved the cold to attend.
Some Annual Meeting Highlights:
- Members of the Council whose term is up are Dave Kromphardt, Linda Hoelter, and Sue Flaherty. They received a well-deserved round of applause.
- These are the three members who were voted in: Dave Kromphardt decided to run again. Lori Meagher and Ted Nelson. We look forward to what they can bring to help our church.
- The new Constitution was ratified.
- The 2026 Budget was also approved.
There were some very good questions and comments about the 2026 Budget. They were basically on how to address our shortfall. One, we have asked the members of the church to increase their giving by 10%. Don Anderson showed a slide showing that our giving has been flat over the last 5 years. That would be good if expenses were staying flat. For those living in today’s world, you know this is not the case. We have been using our reserves to handle the shortfall over the last year.
Because of this, we only have about a month and a half of reserves left over in the bank. After discussion, it was decided, instead of taking out a loan, that the congregation would do a Capital Campaign to raise money to strengthen our reserve. More details will follow.
It is hard to believe that Lent is right around the corner. It starts on Ash Wednesday, which is February 18 this year, and goes to Easter, which is April 5. On Ash Wednesday, we will have our usual opportunities to receive ashes. Drive-By ashes from 7:30 to 9:00 in the morning. Then we will have a service at 12:00 p.m. in the lounge and a 6:30 p.m. service in the church. I hope you will make plans on attending one of these times.
Starting Wednesday, February 25, we will bring back our Lenten Wednesday services. We will be worshipping using the Holden Evening Prayer Service. Some of you know it well. Kelly McCurry will lead us in singing. She will also have an accompanist on those nights. I loved the Holden Evening Prayer Service. Very appropriate for Lent. Please plan on coming and lifting your voices in worship (Good voices are not required. Heck, I will be there singing.).
Cross marked and spirit sealed,
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for the fourth Weekend of Epiphany – January 30 & February 1.
Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12
I read an interesting article last week titled, How to be an extraordinary Christian during Ordinary Time. It was written by Thomas Reese, and I found it on a site I subscribe to called Religion News Service (RNS). The article was written for Roman Catholics, but I think it applies to us also. I to, wonder how many read the Scriptures that I post in every letter before coming to church. Pew research shows that only 12% of Roman Catholics read the Bible. I bet that this is close to our church, also. (I cut and pasted some parts of the article.)
The advantage of the Common Lectionary(which we use) is that any congregation is not dependent on the minister’s idiosyncratic choices of Scripture readings. Instead, it gives the people a wide sampling of the Scriptures.
But adult Christians should not just listen to the Scriptures on Sunday; they should also read and pray over them during the week before going to church. We should not wait to hear what the minister thinks of the Scripture readings; we should reflect on them ourselves and listen to how the Holy Spirit is speaking to us through the Word of God.
When we do hear what the preacher says, we can mentally compare our own reflections with those in the homily(sermon). We may find that we both had the same idea, or we find that we responded in completely different ways. We may conclude that the preacher missed the point of the readings, or the preacher saw something we missed. Whatever the case, having read the Scriptures before going to church enriches our experience at the liturgy.
Before reading the Scriptures, it is essential to stop, clear your head, and place yourself in the presence of God. Say a simple prayer, like: “Father, send your Spirit into my heart so that I can hear what you want to say to me in your word today.”
After reading the Scriptures, you can meditate on the readings by asking yourself, “What do the readings tell me about the Father, about Jesus, about the Spirit?” Hopefully, you will see in the readings the compassion and love of God. Then you can ask, “What do the readings have to say to me in my life?”
Ultimately, our response should be prayerful. It may lead us to praise and thank God, or it might encourage us to apologize for our sins and ask for the grace to do better. Or it may call us to pray for other people and our world. What matters is that we have a conversation with God, first listening to what he says to us in his Word and then responding.
It is possible to be an extraordinary Christian during Ordinary Time if we return to the Scriptures on a regular basis, share our reflections with one another, and have an ongoing conversation with God.