WEEKLY REMINDERS:
Last week's worship is now available in video format here: https://youtu.be/XNUcYmtSXow
My apologies that it's not much to look at, as I'm still working out the formatting, but the audio is clear. And sorry for the delay. It seems my old computer is not a big fan of new technology. Little by little, we'll get this right!
Staying Connected!
In this time of separation, we are collecting messages to be shared with your fellow church members! Send your thoughts and greetings, joys and concerns, by email or phone. We'll compile these messages and send them via email (and I'll print out copies and deliver them to those without email)… Send notes to Pastor Paul: pastorpaulvanantwerp@gmail.com / 218-349-0143 or to the office: office@unitedprotestantchurch.org / 218-626-2570. Let those you love know how you're doing, and that you are thinking of them.
Here's a few updates for this week:
-John and Doris Toman say hello! They are doing fine.
-Our sympathies to Cathy Dale and family. Her sister-in-law, Kathy, was hit by a vehicle and killed while walking with her husband Tom (Cathy Dale’s brother).
-Dick and Sue Linde say "Miss you! Stay safe, and get out for a walk! Oh, and Dick says "about one more week before he goes crazy!"
Helping One Another
For those in need of assistance of any sort in this time, there are a great many resources our church and community can provide. We'll do our best to keep track of these. If you need a hand (or know of somebody who does) send a note to Pastor Paul or the office. You are not alone.
Offering
The majority of our income here is based on the offering we receive on Sundays. Without meeting, there is concern that we will significantly diminish our financial resources. We kindly ask that, if possible, you continue to contribute as you would during worship. You can mail any offerings directly to the office at 830 88th Ave West, Duluth, MN 55808. Unfortunately, the bulk of the church’s operating expenses will continue even while we are forced to suspend services – insurance, utilities, etc.
Toward Sunday
Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." – John 11:44
In one of the meditations I practice as I walk and pray (and talk to myself and frighten passers-by who think "creepy man talking to himself!), I imagine God's presence as a wide open field, or range, with endless space where I may wander and explore. Think of driving through Montana or Wyoming as an example. Then I picture the places where, in all that wide open space, I build for myself (or others try to build for me) various fences, barbed wire, and boundaries–things intended to keep me isolated, or separate, from all that God offers. Some are of my own making: "I'm not good enough…or smart enough…or strong enough…or willing to take that risk or work that hard." Others appear from social convention, rules and regulations, norms. "People here don't behave like that! We expect you to be like the rest of us. Don't be too radical, nor too extreme!" Still others, I'm hardly aware I've created until God gives me the gift of seeing them, such as the grip of frustration, or anger, or sorrow. How many ways my horizons are limited by these fences I create all around me! And how great is a God that routinely gives me the tips and tricks to tear down the boundaries that keep me from full relationship! (Cue the western swing music: "Give me land, lots of land, lots of starry skies above…don't fence me in!").
Well, it's nothing quite as amazing as the raising of Lazarus (this week's Gospel), but those last words in John's eleventh chapter this week got me to thinking about the many times and many ways I have felt raised and healed and unbound and able to let go from a similar simple expression from Jesus. Sometimes I snap out of my boundaries by hearing a message that is blunt, and to the point… something like: "Ok Paul, enough already!" And sometimes it takes deliberation and time, creativity and patience, and a whole lot of gentle encouragement from Him.
But I tell you friends, when I hear Jesus say it…my heart and soul listen, and I rejoice. I breathe a deeper breath and think a clearer thought. I am a little more complete as a person than I was before.
Friends, in this time, many of us feel those fences present, obscuring the freedom of our horizons. But as always, we can focus on our scarcities (what we don't have), or our abundance (all the good surrounding us). As I said near the closing of last week's sermon: Look around you… there in your home—in the space you have created day by day. Look out the window to the change in seasons, what God creates day by day. Look around and welcome it.
I've heard stories in the past week of wonderful cooking and baking, of much needed organizing and overdue repair, of reading good books, mending the clothes (and learning to sew!), long telephone conversations with distant friends–I've even heard that this time of isolation has made people feel more connected because they never could justify all the time for friendships previously in their busy lives!
I'm pretty sure it's fair theology to say that God will never limit our horizons, nor "fence in" our faith. I'm also pretty sure that if we feel held back, or "bound" in any way, turning to God, and listening for the guidance of Jesus, is a sure way to expand our horizons and help us be the people God hopes that we will become.
So, here's your homework: send me a note or leave me a message (contact info above in the "Staying Connected" paragraph) and let me know how you are embracing what God has given you, here in this time when so many others struggle to see beyond the limitations. …And if you're struggling, well, give me a call about that as well! It'd be nice to chat.
Keep in touch, Pastor Paul