Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard wrote in Holy the Firm, “”There is no one but us. There is no one to send, not a clean hand or a pure heart on the face of the earth or in the earth—only us… unfit, not yet ready, having each of us chosen wrongly, made a false start, yielded to impulse and the tangled comfort of pleasures, and grown exhausted, unable to seek the thread, weak, and uninvolved. But there is no one but us. There has never been.” This idea of our own ability and, perhaps, to do what we are able to do in the face of challenges may be something to hold in the days ahead. Perhaps a similar feeling is what motivated the apostle Paul and his Messiah, Jesus, as we hear from them this week.
The story we hear of Jesus’ “inaugural address” to the people of Nazareth recalls to his listeners and to us that God has promised a year of Jubilee, when debts are forgiven and healing promised. The response of the crowd and the connection to our purposes today may challenge us, and therefore bear reflection. With Paul’s extended metaphor of the Body of Christ and God’s gifts to empower it, to empower us, we may begin to imagine how to help provide hope in a time of challenge.
Accompanying our choir this week is George Emlen, who is now a regular part of our musical rotation. Many thanks to George, and to Tina Dreisbach for coordinating our talented and changing lineup of musicians!
Blessings and peace, Lisa
Worship at Home Materials: We will be offering worship in-person as well as on Zoom this coming Sunday. Coffee & tea are available after the church service. Masks are suggested in the sanctuary and required during the singing of hymns, as the virus spreads most easily with the projection of droplets.
Children’s Message
Psalm 19 NCH p. 630 Psalm 19
A Reading from the Epistles 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
A Reading from the Gospels Luke 4:14-30
Message “Jubilation” Pastor Lisa
Below you will find materials to accompany this week’s Sunday Morning Worship via Zoom. An order of service with scripture readings, to accompany the service, are available by clicking the following links.
Helpful Hint: If you are planning to join the Sunday morning worship Zoom call, you might wish to print the following documents prior to joining the call, if you have that capability.
*A link to the sermon will be shared on our website during the week following the service.
Worship Bulletin:
January 26, 2025
Service of Worship for Home
o join us for worship via Zoom, please use the following information.
Whether or not you choose to set up an account, when it’s time for the meeting, click the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89923077083
Meeting ID: 899 2307 7083
Passcode: 021012