Special music by Jon and Sylvia Flint.

Prayers of the People by Debbie Pallack.

Special music from the Chancel Choir.

Multitasking is a common mode of operation today. With easy access to information and a lot of work being done through computers, we can quickly and easily switch tasks. This often leaves us working on several things at the same time, addressing issues on one project while waiting for updates on other projects. But, if you think about it, multitasking is kind of a misnomer. We can actually only focus on one thing at a time. We might quickly switch between projects or tasks, but we can only deeply concentrate on one thing at a time. I’ve found that I need to place all my attention on certain tasks if they are important and not just the simple mundane activities that I do subconsciously.

In this week’s passage we see the first disciples, Peter, James, and John, shift all of their focus when they encountered Jesus. The disciples were fishermen who had not met Jesus before but happened to be in the area when Jesus was passing through. Jesus asked Peter if he could use his boat as a speaking platform while he gave a lesson to his followers, and Peter agreed. After the lesson, Jesus told Peter to put out the boat a little further from the shore and cast his net. Peter, who had just returned from working all night at fishing with no success, eventually relented and caught a tremendous number of fish. Realizing the importance of the message Jesus had to offer, Peter and his fishing partners, James and John, shifted their attention away from catching fish and started fishing for people. Join us Sunday as we discuss refining our focus so that we can shift our attention to the things that are most important.

The word “love” has many different meanings to us today, and it can have very different implications. Of course, there is the idea of “romantic love” that we associate with the strong attraction a person has with another. We also talk about loving other things like certain foods, books, or even ideas, such as freedom or peace. We sometimes talk about loving our children or friends. In general, we use it to describe a strong affinity for someone or something that motivates us to give precedence to that person or object of our affection in ways that may even seem irrational to others.

The authors of various writings in the bible sometimes describe love in the same way we typically used the word, but there are other ways of thinking about love that are also presented. This week we will reflect on the Apostle Paul’s understanding of love that he shared with the church houses in Corinth. This famous passage is often read at weddings not only as a celebration of the significance of love, but also as a gem of wisdom that advises how to maintain relationships built upon love. Scripture teaches us to love God, our neighbor, and even our enemy. Clearly, these can’t be dictums requiring us to have a strong affinity for someone or something; we can’t suddenly find something appealing because someone tells us to love it. Join us on Sunday as we explore “love.”

Prayers of the People by Fred Hancewicz.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Isn’t it amazing how much we change over the years? For those who live with us, the small daily changes may be imperceptible, but when someone moves away and then returns for a visit after a long time, the changes may seem dramatic. Aside from the physical changes which are expected, especially when we are younger, there are changes in our personal maturity and how we cope with life’s challenges. We might learn new ways of dealing with certain issues that may have troubled us in the past, or we may have a different perspective on life that changes our overall attitude. Occasionally, we encounter a significant event that initiates a dramatic change almost immediately which everyone around us recognizes.

This is what happened to Jesus in the passage we will reflect on this week. He had just returned from a life-changing experience in the wilderness where he had fasted for forty days and had been tempted by Satan. His trek into the wilderness started after he had been baptized in the Jordan river, and the Holy Spirit descended on him with the message that he was God’s son, beloved and pleasing to God. These events seemed to have changed him as we see by the remarks from his neighbors who complained about his audacious comments related to fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy in the synagogue, saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” God saw him as His begotten son, but others only saw him only as Joseph’s son. It can make us wonder where the Holy Spirit is making significant changes around us while we fail to perceive this wonderful work because of “stale vision.”

Special music by the chancel choir.

Prayers of the People by Katie Fuchs.