“…other seed fell on good soil.
Mark 4:8
It came up, grew and produced a crop,
some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I catch glimpses of the kingdom.
We pray God’s “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” hoping for a lot of things. Looking around, not seeing them, we are often disappointed. The world has “not gotten the memo.”
But look again. When someone responds with compassion, when spiritual fruit is born, when loneliness is dispelled, when generosity flows, when someone reflects back on how important community has been, I see prayers answered. The “kingdom” is any heart, mind, or soul, being redeemed and reshaped by the Holy Spirit. It includes will, attitude, and actions, relaunched to navigate storms, bring reconciliation, and meet hatred with love.
When this happens, it is because seeds of faith, sown by the word, have fallen in good soil, and are growing by the grace of God. A crop of faith, in word and action, is MULTIPLIED.
Emmaus Road, we are not a “big church.” But when we see faithfulness and compassion, when we see spiritual hunger and interest among our youth, when we realize the impact of love and friendship in Christ over time, we are seeing God’s work MULTIPLIED, we are seeing a small congregation become “CHURCH BIG.”
Keep showing up, church, for the Lord, for each other, for our neighbor. As Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
YOUNG CHURCH
- Godly Play – The Prophets
- Big Kids – ZOOM meeting at 11 am on Sunday
COLD OR COVID-19?
Recent King County data reported in this excerpt from Crosscut:
“So far, 685 people experiencing homelessness in King County have tested positive for COVID-19 this year. That’s 2.1% of all the cases in the county, and about half of those instances have been linked to outbreaks of the virus at emergency shelters.”
Faced with this reality, and no good options, people are forced to brave the COLD over COVID-19.
What can we do about it?
SERVE TOGETHER SUNDAY
November 29th, following Thanksgiving – NEXT WEEK – is the fifth Sunday, ordinarily devoted to serving our neighbors as a church. Pandemic closures and restrictions demand different approaches. AURORA COMMONS (local ministry serving unsheltered women/men on Aurora Ave. North), requests specific items. While there remains a need for new and/or gently used men’s general clothing, outdoor survival items for living unsheltered top the list. This is about helping people survive the rain and cold.
- Tents
- Tarps
- Sleeping Bags
- Waterproof/Water-Resistant Gloves
- Men’s clothing
- Waterproof/Water-Resistant Men’s Coats
- Individually wrapped, shelf-stable snacks/drinks
Here is an updated Amazon wish list from the Aurora Commons website. Items may be shipped directly to their offices (not their drop-in address):
- Woodland Park United Methodist Church, 302 N 78th Street, Seattle, WA 98103
No sign-up genius list. Any amount of items from any of the aforementioned categories will be welcome; give as you are able.
To drop-off items directly at church, stop by between 10:30-Noon on Sunday the 29th. Pastor Eric will be masked and ready to receive your items at the front door!
Christmas Eve 2020
COVID-19 shall not cancel Christmas Eve!
But we need to adapt our traditional pagaent to a ZOOM format.
How?
Contact Pastor Likkel if you have creative suggestions and willingness to help put things together.
BEYOND SUNDAY
- Four separate Small Groups meet via ZOOM on a regular basis – “Guys Group”; “North End Moms”; “Crown Hill”; “POD-19”; email office@emmausroad.net for info
- New Horizons Dinner – served every first Wednesday; email office@emmausroad.net for info.
- Aurora Commons – Wonder what their wishlist is? See it here; view the most recent update here.