Month: June 2018

     I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is with in my heart.

Psalm 40:8

Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society St Timothy’s team is planning to be an Olympic Basketball team and are busy developing fundraisers at our site including iced mochas and a basketball hoop game for the event on August 11th. Our fundraiser on May 5th raised $218. Total raised by the team at this time (including our sponsor Weston Buick) is about $1400. We have 4 team members currently and know that many church members have yet to register. Register online at relayforlife.org/portlandor . We have paper registration forms available for those without email. We have several members and their family and friends who are survivors and hope we can honor them as survivors or caregivers at the beginning of the event.

Sherry Willmschen, Team Captain

Camp Lutherwood We are blessed with funds to send our young people and others connected to St Timothy this year. Remember the musical fundraiser on June 30th and look for information on a possible car wash. The quilt raffle has grown to tickets purchased by Living Word Fellowship (Dorian and Becky Willmschen and kids’ church) and people at Becky’s work. I challenge you to reach out to co-workers with sales. Pictures of quilts are available in the office. Attending at this time are Chris Willmschen, Joshua Whitford, Matthew Parker, Lindsay Fasciona, Julia Standley, and possibly one more. They all are excited and looking for adventure and spiritual involvement. They are also working hard on individual fund raising. 

Let’s push hard on this so that we can help them get out there to this camp and help them grow in their Christian education.

THIS IS THE FIRST SERIES FROM MAY 27-JUNE 17

EXODUS  19:1-6; 20:1-17

19   In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt — on the very day they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and caped there in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

20   And God spoke all these words:

     “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of any thing in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventhday. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. Youshall not vovet your neighbor’s wife, or his mainservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Beginning this Sunday, May 27th, we will take a break from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) for our scripture readings. The RCL united congregations across denominations in scripture readings and attempted to organize the readings in such a way that more of the Bible was read in a three year period. In addition, the RCL assigned an Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel reading each Sunday organized around the church season. This Lectionary has served us well for many years. In recent years, professors at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, have created a new lectionary: the Narrative Lectionary. This was in response to the needs of our changing times and the way the RCL breaks up non-Gospel readings. The Narrative Lectionary focuses on one book of the Bible and allows us to delve more deeply into the stories, especially those in the Old Testament. Because the scripture readings build upon each other as each week continues to tell the story of God’s faithfulness and great love, I encourage you to take the time to read the upcoming scripture readings each week published in this article and weekly bulletins. During the summer, the Narrative Lectionary invites us to focus on the catechism, Old Testament, New Testament.

THEY WILL BE POSTED EACH AS A SERIES……THE SERIES ARE….

1.) 10 COMMANDMENTS

2.) 1 JOHN

3.) RUTH

I WILL ALSO FOR THOSE THAT ENJOY THE REGULAR READINGS POST THE WEEKLY SUNDAY READINGS.

 

PRAYER BEADS

“Lutherans pray the rosary? I thought only Catholics did.” That was a comment made to me several years ago during a meeting. How we got on the subject I have no idea but it began a conversation and a promise to introduce prayer beads to St. Timothy.

The use of rocks, stones, and knotted ropes to aid in prayer predates Christ. Traditions like Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism were using aids in their prayers and chants long before Jesus. The earliest monastics who ventured out into the desert used rocks to guide their prayers. Later, monks used prayer beads to guide them as they daily prayed all 150 psalms as they sought to pray without ceasing. The rosary was then created for the mostly illiterate laity to guide them in their daily prayers.

During the Reformation, many traditions and spiritual practices were stripped away. Reformers believed that Jesus desired a personal relationship with us and anything that came between us and a direct relationship with Jesus (no matter how wonderful a practice) was removed. Many of the Reformers forbade followers to pray their rosary but Martin Luther did not. He removed supplications to Mary, mother of Jesus, but allowed people to use the ancient spiritual practice. Still, the use of prayer beads fell away for Lutherans.

In the 1980’s, an Episcopalian congregation was studying contemplative prayer. During the course of this study they grew intrigued with prayer beads and decided to create their own set of prayer beads with a different number and organization than the Catholic rosary. They also decided that there should not be one way to pray using prayer beads and that they could simply be a tool to aid one in praying.

We are encouraged to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” (Thessalonians 5:16-18). Beads have served as an aid in expressing joy, praying, and giving thanks to God. Especially for those who find it difficult to sit still and focus, prayer beads offer a physical grounding to help them focus on their prayers. For others, feeling their prayer beads in their pockets have helped them to pray throughout the day. Also, the structure of the prayer beads can be helpful in guiding our prayers so that we give thanks and rejoice in the blessings of God instead of focusing all our attention on our concerns and wants.

This is just a quick history of the use of prayer beads and their potential benefit in one’s spiritual life. If you are curious to know more or would like to try praying with prayer beads, please come talk with me.

By Pastor Jennifer Biel