Hello everyone,
Worship
Within some parts of the Christian community, the idea is promoted that if you “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” your life will be blessed, and conversely, if you don’t believe or don’t believe enough then you are in big trouble. It is sometimes called the “Prosperity Gospel,” big faith-big wealth, little faith-little wealth. Most of us would, I think, find this interpretation of God’s revelation as simplistic and deeply troubling, but it is out there. In fact I think that sometimes we support it without really thinking about it. When things are going badly in your life or in the lives of those around you, do you ever, for a moment, wonder is somehow God is angry with you, or has abandoned you for some reason? The prophet Jeremiah had these concerns, he is in spiritual pain and asks “is there no balm in Gilead.” We will look at what Jeremiah meant by this question, and we will look to see if he or we can get an answer.
Within some parts of the Christian community, the idea is promoted that if you “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” your life will be blessed, and conversely, if you don’t believe or don’t believe enough then you are in big trouble. It is sometimes called the “Prosperity Gospel,” big faith-big wealth, little faith-little wealth. Most of us would, I think, find this interpretation of God’s revelation as simplistic and deeply troubling, but it is out there. In fact I think that sometimes we support it without really thinking about it. When things are going badly in your life or in the lives of those around you, do you ever, for a moment, wonder is somehow God is angry with you, or has abandoned you for some reason? The prophet Jeremiah had these concerns, he is in spiritual pain and asks “is there no balm in Gilead.” We will look at what Jeremiah meant by this question, and we will look to see if he or we can get an answer.
The
Scripture Readings are: Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1 and Luke 16: 1-13.
In the Time
for all ages, I will be sharing the story of “Alexander
and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”
The Sermon
title is, “Is there no balm in Gilead?”
“Seasons of the Spirit” Curriculum Info Meeting
Tonight at 7:00 pm there will be a
Workshop to introduce “Seasons of the Spirit” to those who might teach,
as well as other interested adults in the congregation.
Sunday
School and Call for Teachers:
We have
started a new curriculum this year, “Seasons of the Spirit,” (great name) which
should be great fun. Our classes have been growing so we need extra
help. Also our children are growing and new members are joining so we
need help. Our children are our future. Contact Dana at danielanddana@shaw.ca, 780-761-5028 or
Edina at brepairs@shaw.ca or 780-481-3508
for more information.
Youth
Events
Youth of
Edmonton United ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/151827391623815/
) are starting to gear
up for the year’s activities. These are activities that are open to youth
from across Edmonton Presbytery. The first event is a Harry Potter
Progressive Dinner , this Saturday, Sep. 21. The dinner
will start at Grace United Church, 6215 – 104 St. at 5:00 pm and will end
at the same place at 9:00 pm. Participants will be bussed between
locations for the dinner. The cost is $10/person or $20/family to cover
the bus rental. If you or a youth in your household is interested in this
or any of the other events, contact me spiritwest.minister@telus.net or speak to Cathy Sutherland.
Blessing
of the Animals
In
anticipation of the Feast of St. Francis, Spirit West will be celebrating its
annual Blessing of the Animals during our morning worship. Bring your
pets (under positive control) to church and celebrate the gifts of God’s
creation. If your pet is not good in crowds, might be prone to eat other
pets, or is perhaps hard to transport (a cow or llama for example), bring a
photo with you.
Spirit
West Prayer Chain
As many of
you know, Spirit West has a Prayer Chain, a group of people who have committed
to continue our prayers of concern from Sunday through the week. To be
part of this ministry, email your request to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com . You may also email a request for prayer
to the same email address.
Helping
in our community
Lady Flower
Gardens farm has been working with our inner city agencies to provide people
from the inner city the chance to grow food. Now it's harvest time and we need
many hands to help. We need thirty people to sign up for
the 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm shift at Lady Flower Gardens to pick potatoes and beets
this Saturday for The Food Bank. Volunteers
age 14+ are welcome! Email ladyflowergardens@outlook.com
to sign up!
Dates
to Remember (Y)
Youth of Edmonton
United Event
F
Saturday,
Sep 21 – 8:00 am, Men’s Breakfast (lower hall)F (Y) Saturday, Sep 21 – 5:00 pm, Harry Potter Progressive Dinner (starting at 5:00 pm at Grace United, pick up at 9:00 pm also at Grace United)
F Sunday, Sep 29 – 10:30 am, Blessing of the Animals
F Sunday, Oct 6 – 10:30 am, World Communion Sunday
F Sunday, Oct 13 – 10:30 am, Thanksgiving Sunday
F Saturday, Oct 19 – MESSY CHURCH (Loaves and Fishes) watch for details
Blessings,
Larry
(Rev.)
Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
MinisterSpirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org
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