February 21, 2007
1st Sunday in Lent
Luke 4:1-13
This Sunday we read the temptation of Jesus as we move into the first Sunday of Lent. It is fitting that Jesus was tested and found to be fit for ministry before he began to teach others. We read in Luke's Gospel that he was "full of the Holy Spirit...and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness." There he encountered various physical and spiritual temptations. At the end, when the devil could not lure him away from his mission, we are told that the devil "departed from him until an opportune time."
Jesus was tempted and triumphed during his 40 days. We are tempted and sometimes we triumph. Sometimes we fail. We are called to persevere and try again when we fail. We are each challenged to observe Lent for 40 days by giving up something or taking on something new. It can be daily or it can be weekly. It can be a tangible act or it can be a way of approaching the world. We may fail along the way to be perfect. That is okay! Lent is a chance to try being different in our faith.
We hope you will observe the first day of Lent with us at our joint Ash Wednesday Service. It will be held at the Altadena Community Church on Altadena Drive at 7:00 pm. Wednesday, February 21. It is a quiet, meditative service and Rev. Joe Mc Gowan and I have planned a service that will help us identify our treasures and put them to use this season. We will also be handing out our Lenten Booklet, a collection of reflections by members of both churches. May God bless you during this holy season that begins tomorrow. Hope to see you Ash Wednesday or this weekend!
The Rev. Marlene Pomeroy
The liturgist this Sunday is the Rev. Leo Lynch
Ushers greeting you this Sunday are: Peter and Irene Keller
Greeters at the door are: Avis Hinks, Nate Lewis, Robert Rinck and Judi Tyler
The acolyte is: Kaley Pomeroy
Our Church School children will have a joint class together
Other opportunities this weekend:
On Saturday our FCC Dinner Club will meet at La Cabaņita Restaurant at 3445 N. Verdugo Road in north Glendale/Montrose at 6:30 p.m. Please contact Regina Meyers or the Kellers if you plan to attend.
On Sunday the Jazz Trio will be leading our worship. After worship, Rev. Jake Pomeroy will be leading a Diversity Forum using the book The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb. Nina has copies of the book in the church office if you wish to read some of it before Sunday. The cost is $15 each. The Youth Group will head out for a youth group meeting with the Claremont Youth Sunday afternoon. Plan to gather in the church parking lot at 5:15 p.m. Dinner is at 6:00 and then the program runs from 6:45-8:30. Please RSVP to Jeff and Judi Tyler if you plan to attend. The parents will meet separately in Claremont to talk about youth-related parenting issues. Speak to Marlene if you wish to attend the parent portion of the evening.
February 14, 2007
I heard a quote many years ago that I have always remembered--it struck a chord with me. It was attributed to the grave marker of Henry David Thoreau: "Would that we could all, if only for a moment, look through the eyes of another." In the struggles of my mid-twenties, I think I was hoping that my parents, my friends and others could see some of what I was experiencing and help me to understand myself and my situation...could help me sort out my career direction and my goals in life. Now as I work in ministry, I am struck how much of the gospel this quote expresses--the compassion and humility of God seeking a relationship with us through Christ.
This week in church our text is Isaiah 11:6-9, a description of the Peaceable Realm (Eric H.F. Law) where an understanding of God brings harmony and community among even natural enemies. In a sermon entitled "Changing Places" we will consider our own position in society and how our faith informs how we relate to others around us--at work, at home and in friendships. Come join us for worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Chapel.
This Saturday February 17th from 6-9PM we need volunteers to prepare and serve a meal at the Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter. As part of our participation in the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches, we are offering to serve a meal if the shelter is open this Saturday evening. We will learn after 1:00 p.m. on Saturday if the shelter is open--it opens when there is rain or the nightly low goes below 40 degrees--and we will contact and confirm with all who have volunteered. The shelter is at the Pasadena Covenant Church, on Lake just north of the freeway. E-mail us or call our home work line if you are available to volunteer.
This Sunday we have our annual Lenten Celebration after worship from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Come and join us for pancakes and sausage, a Mardi Gras cake walk and merry-making activities to mark the beginning of Lent this coming Wednesday. Also there will be a New Members class this Sunday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the co-pastors' office--anyone who is interested in what it means to join the church is welcome to come and sit in.
Next Sunday, February 25, we will have the first of two forums on Cultural Diversity based on Eric Law's book The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb. Copies of the book are available in the office and after church on Sunday for a cost of $16. The forums will discuss how we approach our differences with our neighbors and offer some tools to help us unpack and navigate those differences with those around us.
The greeters at the Los Robles entrance door are: Sandy Biehler & Bettie Teel
The ushers are: Lurline Brown, Angie Schnapp, and Mel Smith
The acolyte for the day is: Kyle Pomeroy
Please remember that the church office will be closed Monday, February 19 in observance of President's Day.
The Rev. John H. Pomeroy
February 8, 2007
Luke 6:17-26
Today we read Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount. The main difference between this one and Matthew's more famous version is that Luke has blessings and woes to bestow. We are invited through this text, says author Will Willimon, to reflect on the "demanding nature of the Gospel." The Gospel is not just about comforting us. It is also a challenge to examine how we live and to continually determine a different way of being in this world. Luke blesses the poor, the hungry and those who weep. Luke warns those who are rich, full and laughing. Does it leave you feeling blessed or warned? This theme of God's disruption is a common thread throughout Luke. It begins in the first chapter with Mary's Magnificat where she sings of God turning the world upside down and bringing the powerful down from their thrones. Both texts favor the poor and needy and warn those who are rich and proud that they will be humbled. It is a hard text for the haves of the world and yet we are called to examine our lives in relation to these words. Are we using our resources to insulate us from the needs of others? Do we feel superior to those who have less than us? Are we using our abundance responsibly? We are invited to look at our lives through God's eyes in this text and see where the sharp edges of our lives are. We are called not to feel bad or guilty, but to prayerfully see where God is challenging us. Interaction with the biblical word is a call to action and transformation. We are invited by this text to act anew as God's people.
Those greeting you this Sunday in worship are: Varnell & Nate Lewis
The acolyte is: Moriah Star Vega
The ushers scheduled are: Ron White, Kathie Arscott, Suzanne Burger, Jeff Levison, Jim Maddox
Other opportunities this weekend:
On Saturday morning at 9:30 our Lay Called to Care Ministry will meet in the pastor's office. If you know of people who need to be visited or in our prayers, please call one of the pastors prior to this meeting. On Sunday we will have a viewing of the film, "An Inconvenient Truth." The youth will provide a lunch for $4 per person. Please plan to stay for this film which explores our environmental future and what we can do to be good stewards of the earth.
We have also been invited to serve a meal at the Bad Weather Shelter this month. Please see the sign-up sheet on Sunday if you can help out. The tentative date is Saturday Feb. 17th and is dependent on the weather being cold enough for the shelter to be open.
See you in church!
The Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
February 1, 2007
In our Bible story assigned for this day (Luke 5:1-11), there are many images for us to reflect on. The setting is near a lake where some fisherman have worked all night and been unable to catch anything. So, work that is non-productive is one image. A second image is of Jesus coming onto the scene and urging them to fish in a different way; while Simon objects, he still tries it and the catch is overwhelming. A third image is that the boats begin to sink with the great haul of fish. And finally, Simon is overcome with his own sinfulness after he observes the miraculous catch of Jesus, and he wishes for Jesus to leave. The response by Jesus is that he not only stays, but he urges Simon to move beyond his feelings of sin and inadequacy and to be productive and engaged capturing people. So, the story moves from non-productive work to work that is so overflowing and wonderful that they leave everything and embark on a new path in life.
I'm sure that many of us can relate to a time in our life when we felt stale and purposeless. The way we used to do things no longer works for us and yet we can't see our way to a new opportunity. We need outside inspiration, a new idea, to be shown a new way. When that is presented to us, then we are posed with a question--do we incorporate the new way into our life or simply go back to the familiar, if mediocre, way that we have always operated? Through this story we are reminded that God sent Jesus to shake us up, to show us a new way, to inspire us to productive lives that have "miraculous" stamped all over them. I'm sure for the fisherman the breaking nets were a happy dilemma for them.
Where in your life are you doing the same old thing? Is God showing you a new way to try? What is your response? These are invitations for all of us to go deeper into our own lives this week and to discover where God's Spirit is moving. I hope you will read this text in advance of worship on Sunday. We will celebrate Communion in worship on Sunday and collect monetary offerings for our Good Samaritan Fund as well as canned goods for the Friends in Deed food pantry. Hope to see you Sunday!
The Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy
Greeting you this Sunday are: Ken & Beth Biery
Our usher team is: Ken Winte, Peter Keller, Marie & Robert Spencer.
Our acolyte is: Pam Biery
Other opportunities this weekend: On Saturday our Budget Committee is meeting off-site at Jeff Levison's house at 4 p.m. to finalize the budget presentation for Sunday's Business meeting. The church parking lots will be full Friday and Saturday with an outside conference taking place in our building as well as a wedding. Our apologies for those who try to stop by and find parking to be tight on those days. The lots should be available for worship on Sunday morning.
Following worship we will have a Building Walk-Through to view the restoration work that has happened in the aftermath of our June fire. Please join the Building Committee from 11:00-11:30 a.m. upstairs. At 11:30 a.m. we will reconvene in our parlors for a potluck lunch and then a business meeting. Please bring an ample dish to share! During this meeting we will have reports from our church pastors and leaders and we will be presented with the 2007 budget for us to vote on. We hope that all members can attend the meeting and be part of this important process which shapes our ministry in the coming year. The meeting is scheduled until 1:30 p.m. and childcare is available.
Apr. 2008
