Special music by Jon and Sylvia Flint.

Prayers of the People for August 14, 2022 by Debbie Pallack.

Friendly competition is a lot of fun. Whether it’s board games, video games, or sports, I’ve always enjoyed getting together with friends and family to play games. Even when we get a bit competitive, we can have a lot of fun playing games. One common strategy that I’ve seen used in nearly every kind of competitive game is to distract your opponent so that they focus on something other than the true goal of the game. As the distraction takes root, the confused player wastes time achieving irrelevant objectives while their opponent methodically works their way toward winning the overall game.

This is the kind of mistake that trips up many of us in life, and Jesus warned his followers not to fall prey to it. In this week’s lectionary passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus warns his followers not to be distracted by meaningless goals that waste their time and keep them from achieving true success in life. Join us this week as we reflect on the “unfailing treasure in heaven” that Christ suggests is worth setting our hearts on, and how we can stay focused as we journey through life.

Prayers of the People for August 7, 2022 by Pastor Jon Flint.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Some of you may have watched the TV drama “Succession”. It’s the story of the multi billionaire Roy family who own a multimedia conglomerate. * Congregation is invited to stand as they are able. The four adult Roy children all vie to be “the one” named as dad’s successor as CEO. Sibling rivalries, shifting alliances and both personal and corporate greed are on full display. Our Scripture today starts out with someone in the crowd asking Jesus to side with him in an inheritance dispute. We quickly learn that Jesus does not look at economy, money and possessions, in the same way as the dominant culture. He would surely be disappointed by advertising today that encourages a sense of entitlement to the latest shiny things we want but can’t afford. Madison Avenue tells us we NEED it, we DESERVE it, and that our life cannot possibly be complete without it. To make matters worse, Wall Street then encourages “easy money”, only $19.99 per month for the rest of your life. The Scripture helps us to look at the economy of our culture versus God’s economy, and teaches a better way. 

Prayers of the People for July 31, 2022 by Rev. Katie Fuchs.

Special music by Barbara Jonson.

Near the beginning of the Book of 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his Christian theology to the church in Corinth that he helped found. Since leaving there, others succeeded him who had different theological ideas and congregational leaders wrote him requesting him to make corrections for their faltering congregation. So, Paul prefaces any direct arrival by writing this letter. Where we are in the early chapters, he expresses his need to provide his credentials. But what he says is not what one might find in a resume. We’ll be focused on 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, but I would invite you to read at least all of Chapter 2 and maybe some of 3 in order to get the context.

So, after doing background reading, how does any of this pertain to any of you – right now? Great question! Most of us neither use the word Corinth in our daily life nor think that we’re like the apostle Paul, running around to all kinds of places to tell people about Jesus. Few of us seek the title of evangelist. And yet you are one – an evangelist for things many of which can be found in 10 second commercials on tv. The difference is that many times you don’t really want others to change; you’re just proud of what you have. Tell me – are you proud of Jesus? Hmmm. Having said this, will anyone come to worship next Sunday to hear my suggestions? Whether you do or don’t – we’ll love you if only because Jesus calls us to. Come and find out!