This is an abbreviated New Years version of the Caller.
Advent and Christmas was an absolute joy at Edmonds! The choir filled the sanctuary. Nicole, Brian, Allie, and Sarah enhanced our services with their beautiful voices. We cooperated with Maplewood and Terrace View for Christmas services. And we added 7 new members on Christmas Day! What an exciting time to be at Edmonds!
We are resuming our study of the Sermon on the Mount using Amy-Jill Levine’s “Toward the Kingdom of Heaven.” Please join us after worship or at 10AM Tuesday over Zoom.
We worked out all the bugs in our Online Streaming Worship. Please go to the www.epc-pcusa.org website for the latest links.
This is what I am planning for worship in January.
Sunday, January 1st. I will preach about the joy of Psalm 148 in “All the Lord Has Done.” I will teach you the proper way to say Hallelujah הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ in Hebrew. We will also experience the joy of Neil Diamond’s music, especially “Holly Holy.”
Sunday, January 8th. This is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. John the Baptist asks Jesus “And You Come to Me?” These words tell us so much about the relationship between John and Jesus. Baptism is a time for turning around, metanoia in Greek. Will the church turn around in time for a new generation?
Sunday, January 15th. I will take you on “A Corinthian Tour.” The geography of Corinth in Greece played a pivotal role in the formation of the New Testament. The reason we study the letters to the Corinthians so often is because this rich and vibrant ancient city tells us so much about being a Christian today.
Sunday, January 22nd. We will have a guest reader preach “The Cross is Foolishness.” This is the iconic phrase of 1 Corinthians 1:18 that highlights the craziness of Jesus’s mission in the face of skepticism. Jesus’s journey to the north country is a precursor to Paul’s journeys to the gentiles.
Sunday, January 29th. Charity Sandstrom will lead worship and give an inspiring message. Charity just joined Edmond Presbyterian Church in membership. She is an ordained Quaker minister of 15 years. She is working on steps to be ordained in the PC(USA). Thanks be to God for Charity in our midst!
It is a joy to be with you in the new year. I am so excited to start a new year of ministry together!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rob