Wait, it's Friday?
These short holiday weeks are fun for being with family but then Sunday sneaks up on us at the church. I am so excited that in July we will be back in Bizarre Bible Stories. Last summer, I tried this for the first time and I got so much positive feedback from the congregation that I decided to do it one more year. I have chosen two problematic texts from the Hebrew Bible and two text from the New Testament.
This Sunday we will tackle Genesis 6 and this strange interaction between angels and humans that leads us into the story of the flood.
July 16th we will investigate a paragraph that is only found in the gospel of Matthew regarding the dead rising up! (I’ve been jokingly calling it Zombie Sunday around the office.")
July 23rd will take us to Leviticus and the origin story for the term “scapegoat.”
July 30th will not only be Lori’s Retirement party but we will be in the book of Acts where Paul talks so much that one of his audience falls asleep and tumbles out the third story window!
I always learn a lot preparing for these sermons because I usually have never preached on them before. Another exciting opportunity at the early service on July 30th will be singing a cappella. This will be led by EJ Smock who grew up in a church tradition with no musical instruments. The term “a cappella” is Italian and actually means “In the style of the chapel.” It is an ancient tradition and can be incredibly moving.
I also noticed today that we still have 9 slots open for the Project Transformation week that Faith is hosting. We need 2-3 more readers each day. Please follow the link and sign up to read with a child between July 17-20th. This work is significant for them to retain their skills over the summer.
And lastly, I want to invite you to the Chapel on Sunday at 10:00 am to hear from the missionaries staying in our church who have responded to the need in Tulsa for storm recovery. All Hands and Hearts is the organization that they are coming from. Mike Miller has invited them to share their story of ministry with us.
July looks to be an incredible month in the life and ministry of our congregation. I am putting out giant coloring sheets in the hallways for you to enjoy together. We started them at camp and they have the potential to be inspiring. When we create together, we share our souls with one another. Enjoy!
love,