January 2017 Volume 18 Number 1 Looking Back, Looking Forward But don't take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God's ways had no idea of any of this, didn't know the first thing about the way God works, hadn't the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God's covenants and promises in Israel, hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything. Ephesians 2:11-13 (The Message) As the year draws to a close it is common for people to take a few moments to remember what has happened over the past 12 months. Sometimes this is challenging if the year was filled with grief or illness. Sometimes it is uplifting if there were moments of great joy. Either way, looking back should probably bring us to a place of gratitude. If the year has been painful, then we are grateful to have withstood the challenge thus far. If it has been joyful, then we are grateful for our many blessings. By remembering and being moved to gratitude, we can then be filled with hope for the coming year where God will be with us once again. This passage from Ephesians invites a similar looking back and looking forward. The point this passage is making is that Christians are formed, not born. You can become Jewish by birth because identity as Jewish is an inherited trait. However, this is not the case with Christianity. Having Christian parents does not make us Christian; Christ transforms us from the inside out to make us Christian. Every Christian can look back to a point when they were not a part of Christ’s family. Some people may not remember those days if their parents and church did a wonderful job of guiding them in faith formation. Others will look back and realize that they have grown and changed substantially over time. Many made a 180 degree change in the direction of their life due to the presence of Christ. Either way, there was a time in everyone’s life when we “hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ,” and “hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large.” Looking back to remember that this was the case brings us to a point of gratitude. Pausing at the end of the year to thank God for the gift of faith, and hopefully for faith growth over the past year, is a very good practice. Looking back and remembering also guides our interactions with others as we walk forward into the coming year. It reminds us that we should never judge someone who does not yet share our understanding of Christ; after all that was us just a short time ago. We should never give up hope that others will come to know Christ, after all if Christ was able to change us than why would we think that The Carillon
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January 2017 Volume 18 Number 1
Looking Back, Looking Forward
But don't take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God's
ways had no idea of any of this, didn't know the first thing about the way God works,
hadn't the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God's
covenants and promises in Israel, hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world
at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were
once out of it altogether are in on everything.
Ephesians 2:11-13 (The Message)
As the year draws to a close it is common for people to take a few moments to remember what has
happened over the past 12 months. Sometimes this is challenging if the year was filled with grief or
illness. Sometimes it is uplifting if there were moments of great joy. Either way, looking back should
probably bring us to a place of gratitude. If the year has been painful, then we are grateful to have
withstood the challenge thus far. If it has been joyful, then we are grateful for our many blessings. By
remembering and being moved to gratitude, we can then be filled with hope for the coming year where
God will be with us once again.
This passage from Ephesians invites a similar looking back and looking forward. The point this passage is
making is that Christians are formed, not born. You can become Jewish by birth because identity as
Jewish is an inherited trait. However, this is not the case with Christianity. Having Christian parents does
not make us Christian; Christ transforms us from the inside out to make us Christian.
Every Christian can look back to a point when they were not a part of Christ’s family. Some people may
not remember those days if their parents and church did a wonderful job of guiding them in faith
formation. Others will look back and realize that they have grown and changed substantially over time.
Many made a 180 degree change in the direction of their life due to the presence of Christ. Either way,
there was a time in everyone’s life when we “hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ,” and “hadn’t a clue
about what God was doing in the world at large.”
Looking back to remember that this was the case brings us to a point of gratitude. Pausing at the end of
the year to thank God for the gift of faith, and hopefully for faith growth over the past year, is a very
good practice.
Looking back and remembering also guides our interactions with others as we walk forward into the
coming year. It reminds us that we should never judge someone who does not yet share our
understanding of Christ; after all that was us just a short time ago. We should never give up hope that
others will come to know Christ, after all if Christ was able to change us than why would we think that
The Carillon
Christ was unable to change someone else. As Christians, looking back at our own story of faith, gives us
hope for other people’s faith in the future. As people all over the world make New Year’s resolutions for 2017, I pray that some will make a
resolution to give church a try. I pray that some will come to our doors on a Sunday morning and find
themselves welcomed by grateful, understanding, caring people. I pray that as we remember our own
stories, we will be able to encourage others to continue walking their path of faith. These are my prayers
for the New Year, I hope you will join me in these prayers.
In Christ
Pastor Mary
Caring Ministry
The Caring Ministry has a couple opportunities for you to think about to begin 2017:
On Thursday January 12 at 11:30 there will be a potluck lunch and planning meeting for the Young at
Heart group. This is for any of you that would enjoy getting together with others once/month and for
special events in the community. The regular meeting time is the second Thursday of the month at
11:30. The special events could be anything that might appeal to a generally-retired group. For
example, in the fall they attended a concert at the Arcada and the Veterans Day celebration at St.
Charles North High School. If you have the time and new ideas, bring them on January 12!
Also, coming soon is the 4-week series called 4Ever Together. Pastor Mary will facilitate this course for
couples looking to strengthen their marriages. It will be offered on Tuesdays, Feb 7, 21, 28 and Mar 7 in
the evening. This is a slight schedule change from the previous announcement so please note that we
will begin February 7 rather than in January.
Our card ministry and meal trains are alive and well. The most important piece of this ministry is
knowing who needs it! It is a bit easier to learn the needs of those that are able to come to church but
sometimes those in greatest need of a caring touch are not able to communicate that to us. Please
reach out to those you think would welcome hearing from us and get permission to let us know.
Sign-up for events using the attendance/registration forms available each Sunday or by contacting Judy