January 26, 2022
Friends in Faith—
As a preacher, I often find it hard to break out of the Gospels each Sunday, as the stories about Jesus are so vibrant and uplifting. Although Jesus is the core of our Christian faith, we value the entire story of God's faithfulness to God's people over the many eons. Scripture is full of so many fascinating stories, characters, and lessons in both the New and Old Testaments. So, for the next couple of weeks, I thought I'd spend some time reflecting about some texts from the Old Testament. Sometimes the stories are long and detailed, the writing styles can be different, and some of the content is a bit odd, but these rich stories are very important to our understanding of who God is—so we'll try to unpack them together.
On this coming Sunday, January 30, our text is from Genesis 27:1-38 (Jacob steals Esau's birthright from Isaac). The entire saga between Jacob and Esau is a fantastic story, so I encourage you to read the story prior to worship (Genesis 25:19-Genesis 33:1-20). Pianist Natalya Amelchenko begins playing gathering music at 10:20 a.m, with the service starting at 10:30 a.m. Folks can also join from home on Facebook. (You can also watch prior services at any time here.) Following the guidelines of Sacramento County and the CDC, we continue to practice social distancing and require masks while worshiping while indoors. If you plan to attend a worship service at the church, you can find out more about our safety protocols here.
It seems to as though the Omicron surge is beginning to wane—yay! We will try to do most church meetings via Zoom, but we will continue to offer in-person worship for the time being. It is strongly recommended that all attendees have gotten their booster shot. Masks are mandatory, and we will continue to postpone coffee hour until further notice. If you do not feel comfortable attending in-person, please know that you can always join us virtually via Facebook. If you are not feeling well, we also ask that you stay home and worship virtually.
A FEW UPDATES:
The following Sunday, February 6, we'll be celebrating the Lord's Supper together. If you are joining us virtually, please be sure to have some juice and bread on hand.
Also on February 6 is when we bring forward our donations for the SSIP Food Closet. Most welcome will be dry goods and canned goods, as well as financial donations.
You can now receive free COVID tests via the mail. Click here to get yours while supplies last!
Save the date! On Sunday, February 27, immediately following our worship service, we'll be having our Annual Congregational Meeting. More details to come.
The SSIP Food Closet’s second annual "Full Plates, Full Hearts" virtual auction and fundraiser is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. Mark your calendars now! Also, please note, we are looking for donations for the auction—bottles of wine, art pieces, gift baskets, gift cards, etc. Please reach out to me if you are interested. Here are more details.
Speaking of the Food Closet, which is housed here at Bethany, here is impressive information about the year 2021:
Households served — 27,727
Individuals fed — 96,114
Pounds of food received and processed — 1,280,800 (more than 1.2 million pounds!)
Volunteer hours — 15,264
As a faith community, we have the privilege of being able to journey with one another through a chaotic and beautiful world, full of many highs and lows. We celebrate one another's victories, and we hold one another in prayer during those times of pain, fear, and loss. If you have prayers that you would like to share with our community, please contact me or Office Manager Maria Mar. Also, be sure to indicate if you'd like your prayer to be shared, or if you'd like it to be held in confidentiality.
We are holding in prayer all those people who are ill, in pain, sick with COVID and those who are caring for them, and all those who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones.
God hears all of our prayers, and in Christ, we find healing, wholeness, and new beginnings. With each passing day, the Spirit of God is presenting us with new opportunities of love and grace. No matter what comes our way, all roads lead to Jesus—thanks be to God!
Blessings to all,
Jesse
