Midweek Pause Service 2/9/22
Bring your Hopes, Bring your Doubts, Feed your Soul.
Pause Worship Video is posted below. Order Welcome-Travis Meditation O Lord Hear Our Prayer
| The Northern Vicar (pastoral notes from the intersection of Northern Exposure and The Vicar of Dibley) This Sunday will be our “second” restart of in-person worship services during the pandemic. This time feels different, not as daunting. The worship gathering will include the Judson Choir, centering prayer and prayers of the people, singing, a sermon, communion, and a new element: the three-minute bible study. The service will be live-streamed via Facebook (link will be in the Friday email; you do not need to join Facebook to watch the Livestream). Now for some different news: did you know that Judson Church was mentioned on Forbes.com last week? This is about a hotdog eating champion being featured in Vegetarian Times. Nevertheless, it is the truth. Last week the MinnPost story on my bike reports was combined with a podcast interview about my book and featured in Forbes.com. Lastly, for the sermon this Sunday I am centering on blessing and curses (text is Luke 6:17-26 where Jesus delivers both blessings and woes). Blessings we have somewhat a hold of, but curses… Have you ever felt cursed? Or have you ever cursed someone? Or have you ever prayed like these Franciscan monks did when someone stole their Bible that went back to St. Francis? The space between blessings and curses is a difficult land, yet it is the space where we learn to be human beings in relation to one another, Creation and God. Peace, Travis Poem for the Day “Welcome Home” by Parker J. Palmer Here is the context Parker Palmer gave for his poem on the program On Being. “Welcome” is one of the best words we can say to each other. If a person is feeling lost — as so many are — what could be better than to hear someone or something say, “Welcome home!” I spent much of last fall and the first part of this winter feeling a bit lost — lost in the whirlwind of my work, lost on the terrain called aging, lost in the sadness and madness of the world. I came nowhere near the pits of despair, but I know that feeling lost tamps me down. When I can’t find my way, I can’t say “Welcome home!” to others. Alone in the alien, snow-blown woods, moving hard to stay warm in zero weather, I stop on a rise to catch my breath as the setting sun—streaming through bare-boned trees—falls upon my face, fierce and full of life. Breathing easier now, in and out with the earth, I suddenly feel accepted—feel myself stand easy, strong, deep-rooted as the trees, while time and all these troubles disappear. And when (who knows how long?) I trudge on down the trail and find my ancient burdens returning, I stop once more to say No to them— not here, not now, not ever again—reclaiming the welcome home the woods have given me. Find Judson on the internet through our link tree, linktr.ee/JudsonChurch We resume in-person worship this Sunday, Feb 13th, at 9:30 am with a Livestream on Facebook. |