Loading...In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
'I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart."' Psalm 40:9
"I love to do your will, O my God." Every week and in most of our services at other times, we often pray The Lord's Prayer with the line, "Thy will be done..." I've also heard it said that a very simple prayer is just that one phrase.
We talk often about doing God's will and probably most of us want to do God's will. Yet knowing what God's will is for us can be challenging.
Various spiritual practices can help. Walking the labyrinth if you like walking meditation or Centering Prayer or our Taize' service. Coming to the worship service each Sunday and connecting with others in our parish can all be ways that we hear and come to know God's will for us. Even if God's will seems like a difficult and challenging thing, I think that often we feel at peace, knowing we are on the right path.
And the lures of the world can pull us away from God's will. When I felt the call to ministry, I resisted for awhile, because I really loved my job and the prospect of the discernment process and getting another Master's degree felt like too much work and not a lot of fun. Eventually, I understood that I truly wanted to do God's will wherever it led and whatever it required. When I finally started seminary classes, I loved them for the most part. I love being a priest, so in the end, it all worked out differently than what I had imagined at the beginning.
May be all know God's will for us and love to do it!
Blessings and peace as you finish your week!
Love, Rebecca+
This Sunday we commission our Vestry members, Wardens and Treasurer.
Parlor People, Sunday, 11am – noon. All adults are welcome to participate in Parlor People nearly every Sunday. See our Christian Formation page for more information. This Sunday Rebecca leads a discussion on Martin Luther King’s Letter from the Birmingham. Next Sunday Bill Rohm will lead a discussion on Satan.
Men’s Breakfast - each Wed., 9am, Espresso Yourself Café.
Women’s Breakfast - Wednesday, January 25, 9am, May’s Railside Grill.
Choir Practice - The Choir will practice Wednesdays at 10:15am.
Taize’ Tuesdays, 5:00pm. Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by a Taize’ service.
Upcoming Meetings
This Sunday, Racism Awareness, 1:00pm
All who have been baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are welcome to receive communion. You may receive bread only or bread and wine. You may receive the wine by common cup or by dipping your wafer into the chalice. If you would prefer to receive a blessing, please come forward and cross your arms across your chest.
This Sunday, Darlene Amsler will be fitting acolytes and Eucharistic ministers for cassocks and surplice. A big thank you to Darlene for organizing the closets in the Vesting room.
We are preparing our annual parochial report for The Episcopal Church. In addition to reporting our finances, we also report our membership and our worship activity. In order to be included in this report as a member, you need to have your baptism recorded in the Parish Register. Check with Rebecca if you’d like to be sure to be included as a member.
Catholic Charities 2017 Calendar “Our Refugee Neighbors.” Show your support of refugees and immigrants in your neighborhood with your purchase of aq calendar. The calendar features refugee families in Central PA, and all proceeds will benefit the English classes provided by Catholic Charities. Calendars are only $15 each! To place your order, simply call Sara Beck at (717) 232-0568 ext. 209 or send an email to shbeck@cchbg.org with your calendar order and contact information. Pick–up and delivery options available!
Baking needs and chocolate items available through Equal Exchange. See the cart in the parish hall. We are now a wholesaler for Equal Exchange, a company that supports small farmers who use sustainable practices for chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, nuts, olive oil and other baking items. A price list and basket are available to pay for the items you choose to buy. Also, be sure to write down what you’ve purchased to help us maintain our inventory. A catalogue is also available. If there’s an item you’d like us to order, please see Jane Hoover.
Contributions for College Care Packages accepted until January 22. If you’d like to contribute something (hot chocolate, microwave popcorn, wrapped candy), put it in the basket in the Undercroft or see Darlene Amsler. Monetary contributions are also being accepted. Place your contribution in an envelope marked “College Care Packages.”
Reimagining Faith Formation. Our Diocese, in collaboration with The Central PA Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is offering consultation and training to increase our ability to be disciples of Jesus. Bill Rohm and Rebecca attended an initial session in November. We are looking for additional members of our team interested in strengthening this area of our church community. An initial training open to all is planned for January 21 in Harrisburg. Please see Rebecca or Bill to learn more.
Prayer Shawl Ministry of Newport meets January 26, 10-11:30am, Church of the Nativity. Bring your yarn projects and also learn how to knit or crochet.
Attending Friday prayers and discussion on Islam, Islamic Society of Greater Harrisburg, 407 N. Front St., Steelton, January 27, 1- 3pm. Please let Rebecca know if you would like to attend this service and the discussion afterwards.
Valentine’s Party, Honaman House, February 8, 11am-1pm. If you can attend or donate an item for lunch, please let Lynne Mitchell or Wendy Day know.
Honor or Remember a loved one or a special occasion with flowers on the altar! Flowers help make our worship space more beautiful and remind us of the blossoming life we have in Christ. Please consider sponsoring the flowers in memory of a loved one, or to celebrate your thanksgivings. Flowers are $30. A sign-up chart is in the Undercroft.
Food Bank Donations are needed! For a list of the items needed by the Food Bank, go to their website at
//www.perrycountyfoodbank.org/ and click on their wish list. Canned vegetables, fruit, nut butters and protein are always needed.
Help People in Need when you buy your Groceries! See Gail Shull or Pat Szabo to purchase cards in various amounts to use at Giant, Mutzabaugh's, or Weis Stores. 5% of the cost of each card stays with the church and is used for outreach and mission projects.
Help people in need around the world! A Thankoffering box is available by the coffee pots in the kitchen if you'd like to make donations that way. United Thankoffering is a project of the Episcopal Church Women of The Episcopal Church. Boxes are available to collect your offering, which is brought to church twice a year. A wonderful spiritual practice is to put something in the box each time you are thankful to God. If possible, count the money in your box and write a check to the church in that amount.
