This Sunday, we hear how Jesus takes a little child in his arms as an example to inspire our welcoming all in Jesus’ name. He continues teaching his disciples, whom he overhears arguing about greatness – telling them (and us), “whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:30-37). The New Testament reading from James echoes Jesus’ teaching, saying, “…the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (James 3:13-4:3). On Sunday, we offer special prayers of blessing for our youth in their confirmation journey. We continue to be careful & considerate on Sunday mornings, offering safe worship options for everyone: from the lawn, from the parking lot (via FM radio), or live-streamed at 10:30. You can receive Holy Communion from your vehicle, if desired. We worship in the sanctuary at both 8:15 and 10:30, with everyone lovingly maintaining spacing and wearing our face coverings. Prior to both services, we continue our 5-minute Hope Prayer Times to “Be Still & Know that God is God.” We light 5 special candles of HOPE: for first responders & victims of 9/11; for all affected by Hurricane Ida/fires/flooding/storms; for the people of Haiti; for our military & Afghan refugees; for frontline workers & all affected by COVID. During the pre-worship times, a pastor can come pray with you in the pew if there is a particular joy/burden on your heart.
