Luke 19:1-10
 
This well-know biblical story of Jesus and his encounter with Zacchaeus is familiar to us. We know that Zacchaeus was short, that he was rich, and that he was transformed by his encounter with Jesus. We oftentimes read a familiar text and hone in the same parts of the story and don't learn anything new from a fresh encounter with the text. I invite each of us to read this story with fresh eyes this week and look for something new. I noticed this week that Jesus invited himself to someone's house. I noticed that the people "grumbled" at Jesus' choice. I also imagined what Jesus encountered when he got to Zacchaeus's house -- an irate wife? A cupboard that was bare? An impromptu meal?
 
I plan to focus on hospitality this Sunday in my sermon and to imagine what the exchange was like between Jesus and this man long ago. Something transpired that was so significant that it was handed down and appears in our Holy texts. Come with me and imagine this powerful exchange that resulted in a life-changing event for Zacchaeus.

 

Hope to see you Sunday!

 

The Rev. Marlene Pomeroy
 
The liturgist this Sunday is:  Carol Penn-Romine
The acolyte is:  Rebecca Rinck
The greeters at the door are:  Jackie Lonnquist & Barbara May
The ushers are:  Avis Hinks, Nate Lewis, Robert Rinck, Andy Romine and Judi Tyler
The Church School Teaching team is:  Roberta White, Krysty Leckrone, Andy Romine, and Jake Pomeroy

Upcoming opportunities this weekend:

This Saturday, October 27 we will have our annual Halloween Festival. Dinner will be served, the youth are sponsoring the haunted hallway, Madame J is in the Library, and games will be provided. Costumes are encouraged! Hope to see you between 4:30-7:30 Saturday evening.
 
Sunday, October 28 we will be starting a new theme in church school -- "Sharing Our Talents" with Roberta White as lead teacher for the next few weeks. Jake Pomeroy will meet with the youth this Sunday during the church school hour for a discussion on Stewardship and Creation.
 
After church the Children's Choir will meet for a practice from 11:15-11:55 in the chapel. The children will be singing on Sunday, November 18. After worship this week all adults and children who are walking the CROP walk will be obtaining final pledges so we can have a great turn-out for the CROP Walk which starts at 1:00 p.m. at All Saints Church. Many of the church school teachers and children will be walking.
 
November Events:

On Saturday, November 3, almost 40 people will be gathering for a meal at Beckham Grill to honor the participation of our members who have been with our church for 30 years or more! All others are welcome to join them for an additional fee of $30 each. Please notify Nina by Friday, October 26. The meal begins at 5:00 p.m. sharp and we plan to have our guests come back to the church for an informal concert at 6:45, followed by a lavish dessert and coffee in the parlors. (Note: we could use some more musical acts for our informal concert. Call ASAP if you want to perform something!)  If you have questions, please call Marlene about this event and come and celebrate with us!

 

 

 

"There's myth in the sense of a lie.  There's myth in the sense of fantasy.  There's myth in all those senses.  But the traditional meaning of myth is that it served a purpose in our life.  The purpose had to do with being able to trace ourselves back through time and follow our emotional self..."

 

Sam Shepard, American Playwright (b. 1943)
 
All scripture is inspired by God...  [But] the time is coming
when people will not put up with sound doctrine,
but having itching ears, they will wander away to myths.

 

 

At the time of the writing of the second letter to Timothy, the words we understand as "doctrine," "scripture" and "myth" had different definitions.  Church "doctrine" was what Peter or Paul or other church founders said it was.  There was no Christian "canon" - only hundreds (thousands) of letters and stories and "gospels" circulating through numberless countries and cultures - many of them closely resembling the hero stories and pantheonic "myths" of those countries and cultures.

We'll talk about this a bit on Sunday.  Oh -- and I may tell a few stories about my son Peter who just turned one year old last Saturday.  See you there!

 

Anne Cohen, guest preacher, long-time member and myth-wanderer
 
The greeters are on Sunday are Jackie Lonnquist and Barbara May.
The ushers are Sandy Biehler, Lurline Brown, Angie Schnapp and Mel Smith.
The liturgist is Cindy Speakman.
The acolyte is Terry Martin.

 

On Thursday, October 18, the Bell Choir is rehearsing in the Choir Room beginning at 7:00 p.m.
 
Remember this Saturday, October 20, is our Fall Central Association Meeting at San Marino Congregational, United Church of Christ (2560 Huntington Drive, San Marino, 91108) beginning at 9:00 a.m. (registration at 8:30 a.m.).  The program is on diversity in our churches and the worship that morning will be diverse and lively, with a number of churches offering music and leadership!  Come to learn, to worship, to meet other UCC folks!  Also on Saturday, the Lamplighters are having their annual planning meeting at the home of Don and Bonnie Hughes.  The meeting is a potluck dinner that begins at 6:30 p.m. -- please call Regina Meyers if you plan to attend!
 
After worship on Sunday our Youth Group is gathering here in the parlors at noon with youth from the San Dimas UCC to have lunch together and watch a DVD.  All youth are welcome -- Jeff Tyler, Christina Held, Glen and Daniela McLea are the adult advisors for the event.  Lunch will be provided.

 

 

This week in worship we will hear the story of a single leper who returns to thank Jesus for healing - and nine others who never re-appear!  The text is Luke 17:11-19 and the sermon is entitled "Nine Excuses."  We will look at why we choose to attribute our own healing and wholeness to other causes before we contemplate thanking God!  Come join us for worship at 10:00 a.m. in the Chapel!

 

After worship youth and adults alike are invited to a Uganda Forum at 11:30 a.m. in the East Parlor.  Peter Keller will describe his most recent trip to Northern Uganda and the refugee camps and let us know how the Stove Project is progressing.  All are welcome -- Peter will have digital pictures for the projection screen and information about offering further support to the lives of these refugees.

 

On Wednesday, October 10 the President of our denomination, The Rev. John Thomas and the director of UCC Justice and Witness Ministries, The Rev. Linda Jaramillo travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Senate and Congressional representatives and deliver over 50,000 signatures of UCC church members and friends asking for an end to U.S. involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In addition, they will take copies of the signatures to the White House and ask to deliver the signatures to the office of President Bush.  They ask for our prayers as they seek an audience for their message of non-violence and an end to the war.

 

The greeters are:  Peter and Irene Keller.
The ushers are:  Ron White, Kathie Arscott, Suzanne Burger, Jeff Levison, and James Maddox.
The liturgist is Mel Smith.
The acolyte is Tang Annis.

 

 

 

 

This week in worship our text is Luke 16:19-31 - a story about how suffering and material wealth stand up in the face of God's judgment.  In a reflection entitled "Who Is At The Gate" we will consider together what kind of persistent problem or issue is in front of each of us in our lives and how God may be speaking to us in that challenge.  While at All Church Camp last weekend at Pilgrim Pines a few of us looked at this text and shared some reflections on what it meant to us in our faith journey.  We will not share those reflections publicly, but I want to thank that community bible study group for the reflection title this week and their inspiring insights into this text.  October 7 is World Communion Sunday and we will celebrate communion in our worship. We collect non-perishable food for Friends Indeed the first Sunday of each month, along with offerings for our Good Samaritan Fund. An envelope for the Good Samaritan Fund will be in your bulletin on Sunday (Good Sam Funds cover our Union Station Meals and support other outreach for folks as the need arises). Come join us in the Chapel at 10:00 a.m.!
 
During our offering in worship this week we will be collecting one of our denomination's five offerings - Neighbors in Need. This is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.  One third of the funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry, and two-thirds of the offering is used by UCC Justice and Witness Ministries to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts and direct service projects.  We invite you to give generously to this important work of our national church!
 
After worship we will have the chance to see the work of our youth and advisors as they present pictures and experiences from their trip to Heifer Project International's Ceres Center, just south of Modesto, CA.  On September 21-23 Peter Keller, Bob Rinck, Kyle Pomeroy, Ethan Rinck and Nikko Nguyen traveled north to learn about hunger issues and relief work being done in several developing countries throughout the world.  Come and hear about their experience and these issues in their own words - we will be in the parlors from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. this Sunday.

 

The Rev. Jake Pomeroy
 
The ushers scheduled are:  Ken Winte, Peter Keller, Marie and Bob Spencer
The acolyte is:  Sandy Grant
The liturgist is:  Edwina Fay Maling